George Takei Calls Justice Clarence Thomas A 'Clown In Blackface' Over Marriage Equality DissentGeorge Takei has come under fire this week for calling Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas a “clown in blackface” over the judge's stance on marriage equality. However, the “Star Trek” actor insists that his comment was not racially motivated.
During an interview with Fox 10 Phoenix, Takei, who is gay, discussed the Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. Takei said he was “angry” at Thomas, who dissented to the decision, for his position on the issue.
“He is a clown in blackface sitting on the Supreme Court,” said Takei. “He gets me that angry. He doesn’t belong there.”
In his dissent, Thomas, who is black, wrote that “human dignity cannot be taken away by the government,” adding: “Slaves did not lose their dignity (any more than they lost their humanity) because the government allowed them to be enslaved. Those held in internment camps did not lose their dignity because the government confined them.”
Takei, whose family was held inside a Japanese internment camp during World War II, took issue with this logic.
“For him to say slaves have dignity, I mean, doesn’t he know that slaves were in chains? That they were whipped on the back?” Takei said. “My parents lost everything that they worked for in the middle of their lives, in their 30s. His business, my father’s business, our home, our freedom and we’re supposed to call that dignified?… This man does not belong on the Supreme Court. He is an embarrassment. He is a disgrace to America.”
In the wake of the interview, Takei has been slammed for what has been called a "racist" comment -- an accusation that the 78-year-old fiercely rejects.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/03/george-takei-clarence-thomas-clown-in-blackface_n_7719110.htmlHe later apologizes for his ad hominem attack after being gaoded by twitter users:
http://twitchy.com/2015/07/02/george-takei-wants-an-apology-wait-what/]here's his apology
https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei/posts/1299475283415255