When “Telling It Like It Is” Is Not Acceptable.


DFL House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman (screen grab).

DFL House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman (screen grab).

When is ‘telling it like it is’ not acceptable? When the telling is done by a woman, aiming a pointed remark at white men. Uh oh.

According to The Uptake, the incident happened on Monday while the Minnesota House was debating a bill that would increase penalties for protesters who block roads, a tactic successfully used by Black Lives Matters.

DFL House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman noticed that many members had not been on the floor to hear Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (DFL) speech comparing modern day protesters to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. So Hortman used a procedure known as “call of the House” to force lawmakers to return to the chamber.

“I hate to break up the 100 percent white male card game in the retiring room, but I think this is an important debate,” she said, exposing the activity of absent lawmakers.

Republican state Rep. Bob Dettmer objected: “I’m a white male. I respect everybody. But I really believe that the comments made by the Minority Leader were really not appropriate.”

“I have no intention of apologizing,” Hortman replied, adding that she was “really tired of watching women of color in particular being ignored. So I’m not sorry.”

[…]

However, Rep. Greg Davids (R-Preston) did think the statement was racist. Heather Carlson of the Rochester Post Bulletin reports that Davids thinks Hortman should resign over the comment. “I was greatly offended by minority leader Hortman’s racist statement about white males,” said Davids according to Carlson.

Mr. Davids has now gone the mortally offended route, and thinks Ms. Hortman should resign for saying something white men don’t like. He’s also claiming it’s racist. Idiotic Privilege, thy name is Davids.

Full story here.

Comments

  1. says

    Well, that too, but it can’t escape notice that so many people who support or supported the Tiny Tyrant, often defended the appalling shit he spewed under “telling it like it is.” If you’re a white male, you can get away with saying anything you fucking like. A woman? Not so much.

  2. says

    Chigau:

    Rep. Bob Dettmer is a whiny sucky baby.

    So is Rep. Greg Davids, who wants Ms. Hortman to resign over this.

  3. Raucous Indignation says

    I, for one, want DFL House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman to get a raise and a bonus for this! I’d be proud to have her for my State House rep as opposed to the sulfurous anoxic rectal stain that I have now.

  4. Knabb says

    So how long do you think it will take for Davids and Dettmer to start whining about how they’re speech is suppressed and PC culture? A day? A week, maybe?

  5. rq says

    Which part of her statement was racist or inappropriate? Did she use curse words or use her institutionally granted higher power to place obstacles in their ability to perform their duties, esp. from a historical perspective?
    Oh, wait, she used the words ‘white’ and ‘male’ and openly said they were not working while on the clock. For shame! I know who’s going to feel a hostile working environment from now on…

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