Four days after a racist rant against Clarence Thomas, George Takei apologized and insisted his comments were not meant to be bigoted. The Star Trek actor took to Facebook and began, “I owe an apology.”
He conceded, “While I continue to vehemently disagree with Justice Thomas, the words I chose, said in the heat of anger, were not carefully considered.” As first reported by NewsBusters, Takei on Monday referred to the conservative African American judge as a “clown in blackface” for his dissent in the gay marriage case.
On Facebook Takei attempted to justify his remarks:
I recently was asked by a reporter about Justice Clarence Thomas’s dissent in the marriage equality cases, in which he wrote words that really got under my skin, by suggesting that the government cannot take away human dignity through slavery, or though internment. In my mind that suggested that this meant he felt the government therefore shouldn’t be held accountable, or should do nothing in the face of gross violations of dignity. When asked by a reporter about the opinion, I was still seething, and I referred to him as a “clown in blackface” to suggest that he had abdicated and abandoned his heritage. This was not intended to be racist, but rather to evoke a history of racism in the theatrical arts. While I continue to vehemently disagree with Justice Thomas, the words I chose, said in the heat of anger, were not carefully considered.
The remarks were “not intended to be racist,” but only to “evoke a history of racism in the theatrical arts? “ Would a conservative be able to get away with that?
Insisting that the actor failed his own usually high standards, Takei admitted:
I often ask fans to keep the level of discourse on this page and in comments high, and to remember that we all love this country and for what it stands for, even if we often disagree passionately about how to achieve those goals. I did not live up to my own high standards in this instance.
