More on the "white privilege" meme I shared on Facebook

I shared this meme on Facebook recently, It got some notice, and I got a phone call about it.

The meme above came up on my Facebook feed a couple of days ago and I immediately shared it because I thought it made a legitimate point about the American justice system.

I got a call from a reader who lives in Plainfield and happens to be white. Their concerns were (1) that sharing the meme would heighten racial distrust in Plainfield; (2) that the McDowell case was older and more complicated than the Huffman case, and (3) that Huffman got a lighter sentence because she had expensive and better lawyers.

Let me take the points up in order.

(1) I shared the meme because the comparison of the two cases underscores the inequities in the way that people of color are treated in the criminal justice system.

If you want a different comparison, how about petty marijuana purchases and distribution, where commentators have observed that whites are prosecuted much less often than perand receive lighter penalties and sentences when they are.

In my experience, people just want to be treated fairly and equitably. If a fact is a fact, why should it not just be laid out there?

(2) It is true that McDowell's case was more complicated (you can read an in-depth story here), but the bottom-line is that the 5-year sentence she received was for the "theft" of educational services. The fact that it is older is not relevant. You can read about Huffman's case and sentencing here.

(3) The argument that Huffman had expensive and better lawyers, rather than excusing her brings in the relevance of class in the criminal justice system. All my life, I have been aware that wealthy people get different justice from poor and working people. I am sure each reader can think of their own examples. (Epstein comes immediately to mind.)

But it is even worse, because understanding the kind of prison Huffman is going to experience will make readers even angrier. Check out a couple of stories here and here. Maybe we could arrange for her to spend her two weeks at the Edna Mahan facility?

I had a professor in college who said metaphors are like 3-legged dogs. They look like a dog, they bark like a dog, but don't try to get them to run like a dog.

You could say the same about Internet memes. They are a kind of shorthand. Of course, you could go on and on about the matter at hand and make distinctions of all sorts. But, bottom line, they are a quick way to communicate an important point in a condensed and memorable format.

Listen carefully to the Democratic candidates on criminal justice reform. Who do you think has the better plan?

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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