Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Stop comparing Brett Kavanaugh to Tom Robinson

First, Tom Robinson was fearful, acquiescing and contrite.  Kavanaugh came out swinging, called it like he saw it, and wasn't afraid to stand up to his accusers - sometimes to a fault.

Likewise, Robinson was given a trial by jury.  He was assigned Atticus Finch as a public defendant.  It's worth noting that Atticus was chosen because the judge in question knew his character and that he would be Tom's best hope.  That is, Judge Taylor wanted justice for Tom.  Tom's lawyer, Atticus, could produce evidence, and build a case before a jury.  And that jury - 12 white men in the Jim Crow South - took a long time to reach the inevitable guilty verdict.

No, there is no real comparison there.  If we must reference To Kill a Mockingbird, The closest comparison I can come up with is between Kavanaugh's accusers and the lynch mob that came after Robinson before the trial.

In one of the climactic scenes in the book, Atticus went unarmed to sit outside of Tom's cell when he got word that there would be trouble.  That night, a mob of men came to dispense their own version of justice.  They weren't interested in a trial or courtroom.  They heard the accusation, and that's all they needed.  Robinson was guilty because of what type of person he was - a black man.  That's all they needed to know.  No due process, no presumption of innocence, no evidence needed - they accepted his guilt at face value and were there to deliver the appropriate punishment.

That's the closest comparison I can come up with.  Not between Kavanaugh and Robinson.  But between Kavanaugh's accusers across the American Left and Robinson's lynch  mob.  If you can explain why that is incorrect, I'd be more than happy to concede the point.

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