False charges of racism are the new McCarthyism

Mark Weaver:

Sixty-five years ago this month, there was a whiplash-level turning point in history. An exasperated attorney for the Army was tired of hard-charging Communist-exposer Senator Joseph McCarthy outing the names of alleged communists during a televised hearing. That lawyer asked the question many others were thinking: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

Communism was and is serious business. It was the executioner’s theme for millions murdered in the Soviet Union, China, Cambodia and elsewhere. McCarthy used that specter to punish his enemies and amass political power.

Many historians identify that moment as the first stumble in McCarthyism’s downfall. But McCarthy’s true blunder was shaming with too broad a stroke, as some accusations were well-founded. When the Iron Curtain tumbled down, official documentation emerged that verified what many suspected all along: there were Soviet spies in our government. So, if McCarthy was substantively correct, why did so many turn their backs to him?

My family's name was on the line: Oberlin bakery owner: Gibson's Bakery paid a high cost for an unfairly damaged reputation

By overstating the problem and overplaying his hand, he overlooked the need to be responsible with such an important topic. His credibility collapsed like a bad alibi.

History has arranged a similar pivot point to coincide with the anniversary of that incident. Earlier this month, jurors in Northeast Ohio called out a different kind of attempt to exploit a serious issue — racism. And it was Oberlin College called to account.
The Gibson family bakery and store has served the Oberlin town and gown for more than a century. If students shoplift there, the store presses charge — without regard to skin color. Townspeople revere the family, now staffed by three generations of Gibsons.

In 2016, when three underage black students tried to steal alcohol from the store, an owner confronted them, which led to the students assaulting him. The students at Oberlin initially cried racism. Later, when they admitted guilt in court, they acknowledged the bakery's staff had not acted in a racially motivated manner.

This happened right after President Trump’s election, when the campus was in full political pout. Despite no evidence of racism by the store, the already-agitated campus erupted in protests. The Gibsons were targeted with death threats and loss of business. Surprisingly, the college egged on the demonstrations, even after they knew racism wasn’t involved. College staff distributes flyers falsely alleging racial profiling by the Gibsons and ended a program where the bakery provided food for student dining. Emails showed some college administrators acting as irresponsibly as many students.
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There is more.

Racism is wrong and so is unjustly accusing someone of racism.  Oberlin is not the only liberal group who has done the same thing.  Democrats are constantly falsely accusing the President and many Republicans of racism.  I think they do this to keep blacks in a state of constant fear in hopes that that fear will result in votes for Democrats.