3. Ford is hardly the first scandal-ridden black politician to use black churches in the manner. Wiener & Spitzer tried same gambit.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
4. Here's a good article on Wiener, Spitzer, race & redemption narrative: From: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/09/nyregion/among-blacks-spitzer-and-weiner-find-a-more-forgiving-crowd.html?_r=1& …
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Replying to @HeerJeet
5. For obvious historical reasons black churches have often rallied to politicians attacked by the political establishment.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
6. And narratives of loss and redemption (of Israel coming out of Egypt or the Prodigal Son) have a special salience in black Protestantism
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Replying to @HeerJeet
7. And of course black politicians, sometimes unjustly attacked ones but also sometimes corrupt ones (Marion Barry) make same use of church.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
8. But making allowances for all contextualizing, the whole Ford association with black churches feels very wrong & exploitative.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
9. Part of the problem is Ford wants redemption on the cheap -- i.e. without confessing sins & giving up his wretched ways.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
10. There's also fact that Ford is a walking advertisement for white privilege.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
11. Ford is not unlike a suburban white youth who has taken up hip hop. He's borrowed everything from black culture but the burden.
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Replying to @HeerJeet
Grow up in Scarborough, grow up with black culture no matter what colour. Etobicoke is middle class white people
@HeerJeet@GreatDismal2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
Jeet Heer Retweeted Jeet Heer
@hulkghomeshi @GreatDismal Thanks for retweet. My whole twitter-essay on Ford is here:https://twitter.com/HeerJeet/status/433034619777081344 …
Jeet Heer added,
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