I don’t salute the flag when called upon to do so. I don’t pray when called upon to do so. I have not voted since I became a judge. In short, I detest public displays of orthodoxy and that is also particularly true when acting in my capacity as judge.

And this brings to me to the children. Take Aisha Harris, an Op-Ed staff editor and writer for the New York Time, for example.[i]

And she’s . . . youthful.

Read her recent opinion piece in the Times. It is entitled, “‘This You?’ (It Definitely Is) –The Twitter meme of the moment is all about accountability,” New York Times (June 9, 2020).

She begins her piece this way, “All of a sudden, everybody seems to care about black lives.” She explains:

Yet some who have finally chosen to chime in and proclaim that yes, black lives matter, have been greeted by a pesky little critter best described as The Ghost of Racism Past. The Ghost exists in many forms, but on Black Twitter as of late, it has frequently taken on the shape of two simple words.

“This you?”

Brutally crisp and blatantly rhetorical, the phrase has become a catchall representing the internet currency of receipts, forcing bandwagon participants to confront things they might have said or done that seemingly contradict their newfound commitment to the cause.

And, it is not just the she feels it necessary to call out the hypocrisy of the recently woke. She demands prostration. She luxuriates in the thought:

Usually this specter floats in the internet ether, left unacknowledged (at least directly) by the subject it haunts and taunts. But the rest of us see it and take note and sometimes add our own sassy tweets approving this swift undercutting of performative wokeness.

Certainly, this manner of exchange is nothing new for Twitter, where call-out culture has long reigned supreme, for better and for worse. But there’s something especially apt right now about this particularly succinct framing, which, according to the website Know Your Meme, has morphed from merely catching a Twitter user in a mildly embarrassing act of deception to a mode of accountability for palling around with President Trump.

It’s delectable. It’s satisfying. It’s a message.

(Emphasis added)

And she sure as hell does not want you to miss her point. She demands utter conformity. Or else the mob is coming for you.

It’s a way to keep people and organizations in check, and nudge them to work harder to receive their cookies, to make it clear that this won’t be easy for them, because it has never been easy for black people. A black square, a hashtag, a one-time donation alone isn’t going to cut it and, frankly, is a very low bar to clear. Part of doing the work and moving forward is taking responsibility for the past. We’ve only just begun.

It’s a question, but not really. Everyone knows it’s you. They just want to make sure you know it’s you.

(Emphasis in original)

Ms. Harris: I know it’s me. Perhaps when you grow up, you will know that it is you, too.

Richard G. Kopf
Senior United States District Judge (Nebraska)

[i] According to the paper:

Aisha Harris is a writer and editor in the Opinion section, where she covers culture and society. Previously was an assistant television editor on the Culture Desk at The New York Times, and prior to that, she was a culture writer and editor for Slate and host of the film and TV podcast “Represent.” She earned her bachelor’s degree in theater from Northwestern University and her master’s degree in cinema studies from New York University.