Misplaced Squawking: Nury Martinez should not have apologized or resigned

“It is a good rule in life never to apologize.  The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them.”

            P.G. Wodehouse

During a private meeting in October 2022, several Latino members of the Los Angeles City Council were recorded talking some serious smack about other folks.  Among her bon mots, Councilwoman Nury Martinez is heard referring to a black child, who allegedly misbehaved during a parade, as a “little monkey” and the boy’s (White) gay father as a “little bitch.” 

Someone recorded the meeting and released the tape.  Oh, goody.  This resulted in an uproar and calls for the councilmembers to resign, including from President Joe Biden.  The air quality index (AQI) for the Los Angeles Basin showed unhealthy levels of overreaction, hypocrisy, and sanctimony.  Residents were advised to stay indoors and avoid strenuous thinking.     

Allow me to offer snippets of unasked-for analysis regarding this situation:

• Context matters in this case.  Ms. Martinez didn’t walk up to the kid and call him a derogatory name to his face in order to deliberately hurt his feelings.  So don’t react as if she did.  When in a private meeting, such as the one attended by Ms. Martinez, people must be free to speak their minds, including indecorous language. 

• Nobody is a saint for unfailingly avoiding the use of offensive language.  I’d argue such a person is more likely a sociopath.    

• Yes, schadenfreude is delicious fun.  I also enjoy it.  I have zero doubt Ms. Martinez would’ve reacted likewise if someone she didn’t like was caught up in a similar situation and that she’d be sanctimonious as fuck about that person’s misfortune.        

• The indelicate language used was fairly tame—not that it mattered under the circumstances.  “Little monkey” and “little bitch” in the context of a private meeting are nothingburgers.  I say far worse—and shall do so again, of that I’m certain.  The misdirected overreaction to it is lame as hell, since it doesn’t focus on the real issue (see below).       

• The overreactors argue that what she said is racist.  Racism is deeds, not words.  She is a Woke politician, i.e., the type people in Los Angeles overwhelmingly (and foolishly) elect over and over.  Her Woke ideology is what is racist—and this belief system seems fine and dandy to many of those currently attacking her.  The private conversation merely confirmed what we already know about the odiousness of Woke ideology: Its core tenets include identity politics, racial divisiveness, and staggering hypocrisy.  It aims to keep us un-united.  We should be appalled that they look at race as a monolith about which political calculations are to be made and then exploited for nefarious political gain.  (For those crowing about the hypocrisy.  No duh.  The Woke are huge hypocrites.)

• Therefore, the real issue that should concern people is the Woke ideology embraced by these councilmembers.  They should be judged on that rather than what was said in a private meeting.  And the proper way to judge them is to not vote for them, or if you feel it’s important enough, do a recall.  But then don’t be a fool and vote for other Woke morons.  Otherwise, you deserve what you get and what you get is elected officials like these.   

• We must be free to speak our minds, indecorously or otherwise, amongst our family, friends, and colleagues.  In the Internet Age, with its ubiquitous and cheap cameras and microphones, we must develop far thicker skins, or we shall find ourselves in a nightmarish dystopia, one which we’re already well down the road toward. (I can’t emphasize this enough and shall continue to harp on it.) 

• Republicans, with their usual befuddled incompetence, missed an opportunity to reach out to Black and Hispanic voters.  Instead, they reveled in someone else’s hypocrisy being exposed (“Mom, she said a bad word!”).  So, on behalf of the non-Woke, I’m providing the following press release (Republicans, take heed):

Ms. Martinez and her colleagues should be free to speak their minds in the context in which their words were spoken.  We say this not because we agree with their sentiments but because freedom of speech is an important human right that each of us must respect, and the speech that is most important to protect is that which we find odious.  Ironically, people like these Woke councilmembers are big on censoring those they don’t agree with, and viciously so. Let us take this opportunity to show them we’re far better than they are at protecting the right to free speech. We also possess the right to elect our leaders.  Thus, the people of Los Angeles have the right to reelect those involved in this meeting or not, the right to request a recall vote or not.  The choice is theirs.    

Let us not be distracted by hurt feelings or outraged sensibilities over snarky words. The real issue is not these words, but their actions done in obedience to their Woke ideology, and which are harmful to people of all races.  This ideology is based on identity politics and deliberately fomenting racial animus, tactics intended to keep us divided among ourselves.  Ironically (again), the harm caused falls disproportionately on “people of color,” to use their condescending term for non-Whites.  Nothing they said in this meeting should shock us.  Their words merely confirmed what we already know. 

Decent people of all races must stand up to this vile ideology.  We must unite, not in the expectation of perfection, but against those who would deprive us of our basic human rights, divide us, and otherwise cause harm.