Late last month editorialists at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentenel made the claim that
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas shouldn't count as being black because all black people think alike and he's doesn't think like them.

In losing a woman, the court with Alito would feature seven white men, one white woman and a black man, who deserves an asterisk because he arguably does not represent the views of mainstream black America.

"Arguably" indeed. Well this week they're standing by the editorial, and making the claim that it's no longer even arguable that Clarence Thomas doesn't represent "mainstream black America". Gregory Stanford (who is black) claims to be the author and defends the editorial by claiming that it's a matter of fact that Thomas conflicts with "mainstream black America".

A recent Journal Sentinel editorial touched on Thomas' record and in so doing raised a firestorm. In an aside, the editorial said that, as far as diversity is concerned, Thomas deserves an asterisk because his views lie outside the mainstream of African-American thinking.

I wrote that editorial, reflecting the consensus view of this paper's Editorial Board - a view that remains unchanged despite the furor...

To my dismay, what I believed to be a mere statement of fact drew charges of racism. Conservative talk radio and the right-wing blogosphere fanned the flames... [Heh, that's me.]

The aside merely stated a fact we best recognize: The views of Clarence Thomas lie outside mainstream black thought.

Stanford goes out of his way to cite examples of "mainstream black thought", and show ways that Clarence Thomas differs from that view. What he's missing though is the point.

To say that Thomas or other black conservatives aren't black because their views conflict with the majority of black Americans is elitist and prejudicial. He presumes that blacks should prescribe to certain ideals, and any blacks who don't are traitors to their race. I wonder how Stanford feels about racial profiling, because that's precisely what he's doing.