CHARLES PIERCE: Things I Choose Not to Care About: Rachel Dolezal Edition

[kpete]

In which we discover that liberals waste a lot of time.
BY CHARLES P. PIERCE


Sherlock Holmes once pointed out that he only had so much room in the attic of his intellect and, therefore, he had to be careful about storing there only what he really needed. So it is in that spirit that I would like to say that I don't care very much what happens to Rachel Dolezal up there in Spokane. (A while back, I spent a week in Spokane, looking into the attempted bombing of the Martin Luther King Day parade there. I talked to dozens of people. I somehow missed Ms. Dolezal.) I don't care to involve myself in thought-experiments about her. I don't care to examine the role of "white privilege" in this situation. I don't want to help turn this thing into another exhausting exercise in sociological pilates. I do not choose to be involved in making what is little more than a very weird local news story into yet another totem representing Where We Are As A People. Let this woman fade away and spend your energy where it can do the most good. In the staggering welter of problems we have in this country regarding race, Rachel Dolezal's masquerade ought to be way down the list. I don't find it fascinating. I find it freaky in a carnival midway sort of way. The topic completely hijacked Thom Hartmann's radio show today. This stuff is catnip to liberals. I may never figure out why.

This, I might add, goes double for Caitlyn Jenner.

Go with god, Caitlin but, for the love of heaven, don't vote for Lindsey Graham.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a35720/rachel-dolezal-story/

[BeyondGeography]

1. "Another exhausting exercise in sociological pilates."

Quite.

[Greybnk48]

2. Charlie can add me to the list of people who

do not have one fuck to give about Rachel Dolezal OR Caitlyn Jenner. Dolezal is a troubled person and should be left alone. She didn't hurt anyone and if she wants to be Black, so what? Caitlyn Jenner is finally living an authentic life and that's it. Good for her. Not interested.

[daleanime]

17. +1

[Duppers]

21. Exactly.

Thank you.

[hunter]

3. Exactly!

.

[bemildred]

4. Totally. More of the media examining its own fecal pellets. nt

[eppur_se_muova]

15. ^^ LOL !! Perfect description ! ^^ nt

[Romeo.lima333]

5. one more here

Caitlyn identifies as a woman and her decision is celebrated and another woman identifies as black and out she goes. I get why but I don't care

[cwydro]

6. "Freaky in a carnival midway sort of way"

Perfect description.

[BlueJazz]

7. That's pretty much my take on things. Seems like the populace is always being shown >

"Oh Look!..Look over there. something shiny!"

[summerschild]

8. Charles Pierce nails it again.

My thoughts exactly - on Dolezal and Caitlyn Jenner, too. I'm sure it's of vital importance to each of them, but the rest of us have grown weary.

[dirtydickcheney]

9. Sooooo Glad he wrote this - these are my sentiments exactly.

Wish I could just print this and hand it to people when this story is commented on.


Spot on.

[FSogol]

10. K & R. n/t

[ecstatic]

11. Couldn't agree more!

I don't understand how anyone has the energy to get worked up over this.

[aikoaiko]

12. And yet, there he is writing about it.

[zeemike]

19. He's not writing about it he is writing about us.

And how we are fed and consume the trash instead of the real meat of the news.

[romanic]

13. Sociological pilates.

Oohhh I'm definitely going to use this in the future. Thanks Charles.

[RandiFan1290]

14. It's keeping the racist trolls on DU busy

^^

[RufusTFirefly]

16. I hate when this sort of gossip takes on the sanctimonious mask of social import

"But Michael Jackson's dangling a baby off a balcony brings up a much larger issue of child abuse!"
"The latest antics from Britney Spears highlight the destructive toll of stardom!"
"The obsession with Jennifer Lopez's derrière is really about the question of body image!"

People are willing to spin all sorts of elaborate, self-righteous rationalizations for what is essentially garden variety rubbernecking. And at what cost? I expect that 8 out of 10 people can identify Kim Kardashian and only one out of 10 can identify Elena Kagan.

[skepticscott]

18. Thank you, Charles

Yes, people spend way, WAY too much time bloviating over this sort of story, just because they're supposed to, just because it's the Internet buzz du jour, just because it's gone "viral". But I look at all the time wasted commenting on this thing, and commenting on comments, etc., and I think about all of the worthy causes that really need people's time, but can't get it, and I don't wonder why this country is so fucked.

And now I've done it too...there's the irony.

[drm604]

20. Ditto.

Rachel and Caitlyn, more power to you; but the lives of these two people who are complete strangers to me just aren't that interesting. Certainly not in proportion to the amount of media time being spent on them.

[Duppers]

22. Thanks for posting this, Kpete.

I don't understand the gloaters who have no compassionate for either of the women.

[NuclearDem]

23. Wow, that is one of the most appallingly stupid and childish things I've ever read.

Sorry, Mr. Pearce, white privilege and white appropriation of black culture are issues about race that need to be discussed, as are issues about trans* rights and acceptance that come from Caitlyn Jenner's transition.

Sorry, he's usually a good writer, but that was fucking insufferable.

[Doctor_J]

24. as I posted a couple weeks ago, the sjw waste enormous amounts of time and energy

on incidents like this. The instant outrage and indignation is useless, but makes the outraged feel good.