I mean really, he’s a coal baron for crying out loud

  • TrismegistusMx
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    7 months ago

    “Oops, I was accidentally a racist for most of my life, but I’m cool now!” --Robert Byrd.

    • Pipoca@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I mean, he died over a decade ago, so at this point the question is really just academic.

      It certainly sounds like he was a true believer in the KKK in his youth.

      He publically rejected them in his middle age. I’m not going to pretend that I know if it was cynically reading the political tea leaves or him honestly growing as a person.

      I would just say that it’s interesting to contrast what the NAACP said about Byrd when he died to what their chairman said about Strom Thurmond when he retired:

      [Strom Thurmond] is a relic of America’s shameful past, who had long overstayed his welcome. And shame to his colleagues who confuse simple longevity with an illustrious legacy.

      Good riddance.