“Your cadence is a little, it’s … not white. You don’t talk like a white person. Right? And that’s fine.”
I can imagine the stunned silence when Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle recently made this inappropriate comment to an Easthampton High School student while analyzing that student’s public speaking skills. After teaching college-level public speaking for three decades, I’ve heard many inappropriate comments that sometimes crossed the line from awkward to insulting to offensive. Race, in particular, is a sensitive topic that needs a thoughtful, reasonable approach from any speaker.
LaChapelle later explained that she was trying to alert students to the bias that audience members might have when listening to a person of color. It’s absolutely true that varying from what is often called “standard English” can lead to bias, particularly from white listeners. That’s a valid point, but LaChapelle delivered it in an inappropriate way, made worse by her subsequent use of profanity.
LaChapelle herself understood the negative impact of her words because she immediately said, “I had a tough morning. I’m sorry.” On one level, we can all empathize with LaChapelle. We’re all human beings who have said the wrong thing while trying to say the right thing. But we can also have a deeper empathy for people of color who are often judged unfairly.
While LaChapelle’s intention was helpful, the overall impact of what she said was damaging. In this case, impact carries more weight than intention. Setting aside the loaded nature of the word “racism,” LaChapelle’s comment calls to mind the unintentional racism that happens in a world where whiteness is subconsciously assumed to be the default setting, and being Black is considered somehow less than the norm.
I’ve been guilty of unintentional racism, as I imagine most other white people have. For example, in my early 20s, I worked in a fast-food restaurant. One of my coworkers was a Black woman I assumed was around my age. She explained that she had graduated from law school and worked in the field for several years. Disenchanted with the law, she decided to change career directions, and she flipped burgers with me while figuring out what to do next.
When I expressed surprise at her situation, she asked me if I thought Black women couldn’t go to law school. Embarrassed, I acknowledged her point and apologized. She recognized my good intentions and was relieved that I didn’t deny the negative impact she felt. I’m grateful for her response because she helped me empathize with the unintended impact my words had. I’m glad that I learned so long ago that our speech has consequences to those who hear us. That’s not “political correctness.” That’s basic reality.
I’m also thankful that I didn’t praise my co-worker as “articulate” for how she spoke with customers. LaChapelle’s comment reminds us of the way people of color are often called “articulate” by white listeners. Usually, “articulate” is meant as a compliment. While the intention may be good, the impact is not.
When a Black speaker is praised with such a generic, almost meaningless, comment, it gives the impression that Black people are somehow expected to be less effective communicators than white people. Calling a Black speaker “articulate” also carries the historical baggage of the time in American history when many white people held the false view that Black people weren’t intelligent enough to communicate effectively.
As recently as 2007, Joe Biden was criticized for calling Barack Obama, “articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” That comment was a form of unintentional racism where Biden’s intentions were to compliment Obama, but his impact was belittling to Obama and Black people in general.
Does this make Biden an evil-hearted, race-baiting monster? Of course not. Obama chose Biden as his running mate, and the two formed a lasting friendship. Biden has been a powerful voice against racism throughout his career. Attempts by his opponents to cherry-pick isolated comments to paint him as someone who hates Black people are transparently ridiculous. The vast majority of LaChapelle’s career, like Biden’s, also shows her to be a person of integrity.
We need to recognize that some inappropriate speech is far worse than others. Contrast LaChapelle’s and Biden’s remarks with speech that weaponizes race to promote a political agenda. Ronald Reagan derided “welfare queens” and “young bucks.” Everyone knew he was stereotyping Black people to enflame white outrage. Right-wing hero Rush Limbaugh delighted in a song called “Barack the Magic Negro” and called Obama a “Hafrican American.” Tucker Carlson, Limbaugh’s political heir, pushes his white supremacist “replacement theory,” which posits that Democrats want to replace American white people with dark-skinned immigrants. Donald Trump pushed his racist “birther” theory, often refers to Elizabeth Warren with an obvious racial slur, and has a long, well-documented history of racist actions and rhetoric.
Those are just a few examples of the disgusting commentary regularly emanating from the leadership of the American right. That’s all-caps RACISM, not isolated, well-intentioned but inappropriate comments. The LaChapelle situation is difficult because it requires deep introspection and acknowledgment that the impact of our words carries more weight than our intentions. By contrast, condemning the blatant use of racist rhetoric in media and politics shouldn’t be difficult at all.
John Sheirer is an author and teacher from Florence. His latest book is the award-winning, “Stumbling Through Adulthood: Linked Stories.” Find him at JohnSheirer.com.