Editor’s note: The following column is satire.
Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, the two Democratic state representatives who were expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives for leading gun-reform protests on the chamber floor earlier this month, have both been reinstated.
Representative Gloria Johnson was also involved in the protest but never lost her seat. The double standard that this decision appeared to uphold has drawn backlash.
In the eyes of the public, this decision was a clear instance of injustice against a marginalized community. Critics of the decision are likely correct, people named Justin have been discriminated against in this country for years, but other possibilities shouldn’t be ruled out.
It’s easy to allow the historical mistreatment of people of Justin to cloud the judgment of this decision. History classes would tell you that Justin Luther King Jr. ended anti-Justin discrimination, but that’s far from the case. Systemic anti-Justinism is alive and well in every facet of American Life.
Ronald Reagan mailed every Justin-American crack cocaine in the ’80s, jumpstarting the crack epidemic that would ravish the community for years to come. The hatred that seemingly everyone in America had for Justin Bieber when he was a child is a clear indicator of how prevalent anti-Justinism is in this country. Americans widely dislike the prime minister of Canada simply because of his name.
Justin Herbert succeeds in the NFL despite its history of prejudice towards Justin quarterbacks. Until recently it was acceptable to cast non-Justins as characters that bore the name turning a regular television show or movie into a minstrel show rife with Justin-face.
Understanding all of this, inquiring minds should still ask questions about the possible motivations behind this decision. One popular theory says Jones and Pearson were expelled for their blackness.
Many speaking out in the media believed that if their hair had not been black, the protest wouldn’t have been an issue. Historians believe that the original reason for the white wigs worn by the founding fathers was to limit the influences of hair-based discrimination.
Another theory is based on the clear physical differences between the two expelled members and Johnson, namely color. Jones and Pearson were both wearing white which is fine for hair but not as part of an outfit. Jones donned a white suit, and Pearson sported a white shirt while Johnson wore a floral pattern jacket and an orange shirt.
There is a long-standing anti-white bias in the American wardrobe. For evidence of this look no further than the rule against wearing white after Labor Day.
An interesting idea surfaced that the pair of Justin’s were expelled because of their race. The pair are workout partners and one day they held a race near the capitol building.
The cultural backlash against the amount of drag being shown to children should be enough evidence of prejudice. There is nothing about a drag race that is particularly dangerous to children yet it’s being legislated away from schools and libraries.
The abundance of anti-Justinism is a legitimate issue in our society and should not be minimized; however, it is important to consider that other prejudices against the expelled may have played a role. A well-rounded conversation is a better conversation.
Frank Kidd is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Springfield, Virginia.
