The ultimate ad hominem
Posted by BrianLet me point you to this comment left by a person who goes by the name “COMMON WISDOM.” It is the ultimate ad hominem attack.
Mr. (or Ms., I’ll assume Mr. for the sake of simplicity) WISDOM took the time to do some Google searches on my name and found out that there are numerous LeComptes (circa 1860 and before) who owned slaves and killed Native Americans. Mr. WISDOM, who also refers to me being a native of south Alabama concludes that I must hold deep prejudices. Personally, I think Mr. Wisdom holds some deep prejudices against Alabama for assuming that any native of this state is predisposed to bigotry.
One of the policies on my blog is that I do not blog anonymously. I do so because I think that people say things under the cloak of anonymity that they wouldn’t say in person or when they real name was known. It keeps me honest. I do not, however, impose this on my commenters.
Mr. WISDOM’s attack is similar to the one recently aimed at prospective Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. It was “revealed” that his great grandfather had five wives. “So what?” I said. Does that make the Romney in question any less faithful to his wife of 37 years?
I’ve never owned a slave and Mr. WISDOM (I assume) has never been a slave. I can’t help what any of my ancestors may or may not have done just as no one can change anything about their ancestry. All I can do is take care of is myself.
I will admit that Mr. WISDOM’s prejudice against Alabama isn’t entirely without merit, although I can say from experience that the southeast isn’t the only part of the country to harbor such feelings. Bigotry can be a siren song to young, impressionable or older, disenfranchised people regardless of location. Much like how the Jews were condemned during the Holocaust, it is easier to blame others for your own plight than to blame the real cause: yourself. It is also easy to assume the worst about a group of people you’ve never had contact (or only limited contact) with.
I was able to break free of such prejudices that may exist in Alabama through experience and a love of the free market. I’ve worked for and with (and done business with) just about any minority group you can name: all races, genders, religions, and sexual orientations. That experience has shown me that despite innate or chosen differences any and all people have the same capacity to work hard, be honest, and attain great things. Furthermore, my love of the free market compels me to not turn down anyone for employment or as a customer based on some non-factor like race. To put it simply, I don’t care if you are white, brown, yellow, or pink as long as your money is green.
The specific post I made that drew out Mr. WISDOM’s ire was one about a man in Oakland who is trying to make an exclusively black “cultural district.” Those types of districts in the past have formed naturally or through unfortunate government intervention. For the developer to artificially create his race specific district he will have to exclude people who don’t fit his racial desires. I oppose that on principle. I don’t think that NPR (where I heard of the story) would have done such a fawning piece about a white individual who had the same plans. My fairness rule of thumb for all issues is, “How would this look if the roles were reversed?”
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March 26th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Well done and well said.
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:09 am
If this is the Brian LeCompte, that I personaly know, and have worked with……….. I can assure that his comments are true to the themes of his life and the way he interacts with his fellow man…………..