Right now everyone is in a tizzy. James Comey, head of the FBI was fired while conducting an investigation into the shenanigans of the guy he helped get into office. Most people are discussing the implications of these recent events: what does it say about Russia? Clinton e-mails?
I am less sophisticated and see these events in more mundane terms. What just happened at the national level happens every day in most work places. Comey is that mediocre white guy in the office who gets promoted despite his lack of skills. We all know him, he is competent enough to have a conversation in the jargon of his field, but not competent enough that one would rely on his work, however, he has two great skills the mediocre often have: He knows how to kiss ass and he easily identifies the next hand that will feed him.
He also benefits from the fact that people are more likely to trust an incompetent white man to lead an agency than a competent woman or competent man of color. We all know how this story plays out. Comey has never been lauded for doing good work as far as I can tell. To Obama he was the guy who might at least not bite his hand while he is feeding him, to Trump he was the guy who helped him get into office. Normally, this story ends with him going from boss to boss, but the mediocre guy knows how to play the system well. Trump fired him which he did not expect, but he is now going to take his case to people who hate Trump, if you hate Trump, you are going to make sure Comey lands safely and if you are a white guy who hates Trump you'd rather invest in a mediocre white guy than in a Black or Brown guy in detention somewhere in the country.
I see it already, white men on the left are lauding him as some kind of hero without even knowing what his work was, or even whether he was fired for his Trump investigation-how do I know he didn't accuse Trump of having a hair piece and that's what did it? But Comey is a white man-he benefits from the fact that men on the left will protect him just because he is a white guy who isn't liked by the white guy they hate; and because it is easier to do that than to stand by a Brown or Black man or woman for that matter because they get HIM better than they get THEM, and that is enough to help determine who white men and women on the left will stand by.
So we know how this story will end, Comey will be picked up by some "progressive" organization after having just recently laying off a staffer of color.
I am less sophisticated and see these events in more mundane terms. What just happened at the national level happens every day in most work places. Comey is that mediocre white guy in the office who gets promoted despite his lack of skills. We all know him, he is competent enough to have a conversation in the jargon of his field, but not competent enough that one would rely on his work, however, he has two great skills the mediocre often have: He knows how to kiss ass and he easily identifies the next hand that will feed him.
He also benefits from the fact that people are more likely to trust an incompetent white man to lead an agency than a competent woman or competent man of color. We all know how this story plays out. Comey has never been lauded for doing good work as far as I can tell. To Obama he was the guy who might at least not bite his hand while he is feeding him, to Trump he was the guy who helped him get into office. Normally, this story ends with him going from boss to boss, but the mediocre guy knows how to play the system well. Trump fired him which he did not expect, but he is now going to take his case to people who hate Trump, if you hate Trump, you are going to make sure Comey lands safely and if you are a white guy who hates Trump you'd rather invest in a mediocre white guy than in a Black or Brown guy in detention somewhere in the country.
I see it already, white men on the left are lauding him as some kind of hero without even knowing what his work was, or even whether he was fired for his Trump investigation-how do I know he didn't accuse Trump of having a hair piece and that's what did it? But Comey is a white man-he benefits from the fact that men on the left will protect him just because he is a white guy who isn't liked by the white guy they hate; and because it is easier to do that than to stand by a Brown or Black man or woman for that matter because they get HIM better than they get THEM, and that is enough to help determine who white men and women on the left will stand by.
So we know how this story will end, Comey will be picked up by some "progressive" organization after having just recently laying off a staffer of color.
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