The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.7 What Terry Crews "Not Woke" Backlash Exposes, The Virginia 3, & That Isn't Very Gucci Of You

Episode Date: February 7, 2019

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Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Thursday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're to talk about today is the story that has proven to have legs this week and we have updates around the situation with Liam Neeson. As you might recall, Liam Neeson did an interview with The Independent and among other things he said this. with a kosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody. I'm ashamed to say that. And I did it for maybe a week, hoping some black bastard would come out of a pub

and have a go at me about something, you know, so that I could kill him. And as far as what he said led him to that moment, it was that he said he knew a woman who had been raped. She didn't know who it was, but she told him that it was a black man. So he was talking about this rage that he felt, what was going through his mind,

but then of course saying this. It's horrible, horrible when I think back, but I did that. And I've never admitted that to, and I'm saying it to a journalist, God forbid. Holy shit. It's awful. But I did learn a lesson from it when I eventually thought,

what the fuck are you doing, you know? But that said, as we discussed earlier this week, there was a ton of outrage and backlash against Liam Neeson. And as far as some of the things that we then saw happen, the red carpet for his New York premiere of his brand new movie, that was canceled, although the screening still happened. Liam Neeson had also been scheduled to go on The Late Show

with Stephen Colbert, but that was canceled. And as the situation continued to grow, we saw Liam Neeson go on Good Morning America to address this controversy. And on GMA, he said, you know, I was doing this interview for our brand new movie, which is, you know, at the core of it, it is revenge. And then he continued.

And the lady journalist was asking me, how do you tap into that? And I remembered an incident nearly 40 years ago where a very dear friend of mine was brutally raped. He then goes on to essentially repeat the part of the story from the independent interview. And after that, there were some nights I went out deliberately into black areas in the city looking to be set upon so that I could unleash physical violence. He says he goes on to do this four or five times, but then adding... Until I caught myself on.

And it really shocked me, this primal urge I had. It shocked me and it hurt me. He then goes on to try to describe what was happening in Ireland at that time. But ultimately, near the end of the interview, he's asked, you know, what do you hope is the teachable moment from all of this? To talk, to open up, to talk about these things, you know. We all pretend we're all kind of, you know, politically correct. I mean, in this country, it's the same in my own country, too. You sometimes just scratch the surface and you discover this racism and bigotry.

And it's there. And after he tries to make his point, he throws the question back to the interviewer. You tell me what the teachable moment is, please. I'm going to throw it back at you. I think the teachable moment is that we have to own up to when we... The one point that I want to make out is that this wasn't discovered by somebody. You admitted this. This isn't a gotcha. This isn't like, oh, so I give you credit there.

But also having to acknowledge that the hurt, even though it happened decades ago that the hurt of of an innocent black man knowing that he could have been killed for something he did not do because of the color of his skin or people and they could have killed me too at the time so that happened and it was interesting to see the continued reactions online i mean at fox news reporting that there were calls for liam neeson to be digitally removed from Men in Black after racist comments. Although I will note in the article where they featured the tweets, I could not find a tweet that had more than nine likes. We also saw celebrities chiming in. You had people like singer Lily Allen saying this before performing her song, Fuck You. Usually I dedicate this next song to Donald Trump, but today I feel more disgusted by Liam Neeson,

so this song is dedicated to him. But also on the other side of this, you had people like Whoopi Goldberg who said, "'Is he a bigot? No. "'I've known him a pretty long time. "'I think I would have recognized.'" You also had the likes of Michelle Rodriguez with a very interesting quote saying, "'It's all fucking bullshit. "'Liam Neeson is not a racist.'"

Adding, "'Dude, have you watched Widows? "'His tongue was so far down Viola Davis's throat, "'you can't call him a racist ever. "'Racists don't make out with a race that they hate, "'especially in the way he does with his tongue, "'so deep down her throat. "'I don't care how good of an that they hate especially in the way he does with his tongue so deep down her throat I don't care how good of an actor you are. It's all bullshit. Ignore it. He's not a racist. He's a loving man It's all lies. Finally. I think it's interesting to mention what happened with Terry Crews around this situation

That's because this is something that I noted when we first covered the story depending on where you were looking for reactions They were wildly different I found to be the cases on most sites where they talked about this There were a lot of people saying he was just talking about irrational feelings and that he was so glad that he never acted upon it But that it was a thing that he went through and he tried to open up about this But if you went to Twitter the day that all this happened It was just Liam Neeson is a racist like that was most all of the big top viral tweets And I mentioned that specifically because Terry Crews responded on Twitter quote tweeted the independent article and wrote

I believe that every person on earth is capable of the greatest good or unspeakable evil Liam is just describing his fork in the road and while of course there are always a range of reactions He definitely did get hit with a wave of backlash and the thing is Terry Crews has actually been actively responding to criticisms and backlash One tweet that simply responded this is disappointing. He said it may be but it's true adding I'm not defending him at all. "'In fact, he absolutely revealed "'what births a white supremacist. "'But what's worse is those who practice it

"'and never reveal it.'" Among other things, you saw people throwing Terry Crews, accusing a man of grabbing him by the balls in his face. He's like, "'How do you even bring yourself "'to defend this man right now? "'Now I see why that man decided to grab you by the balls.'" To which Terry Crews responded, "'This is why reading comprehension

"'is so necessary in school.'" Also adding, "'I never defended Liam Neeson, still don't. You had tweets essentially saying that he was playing into a culture that gives white people a pass, like this one that he responded to that said, why is it all forgiveness and excuses when white men do bullshit?

If a person of color said or did this, the government would be changing laws. Tired of this nice guy BS. Another saying, Terry Crews is pathetic, he's so afraid to say anything about his white daddy. To which Terry Crews responded, my great great grandfather actually was white. To someone saying, just be the fuck quiet before you completely fuck up,

because them people won't be there once we cancel your ass. Terry Crews responded, the black Taliban has spoken. We've even seen Terry now, quote, tweeting news articles saying that he defended the comments, saying it was a description, not a defense. And I will say, it is very weird to me that this story has shifted to a focus on Terry Crews. I will say personally to me it's extremely disappointing to see the number of people attacking him because he essentially won't get in line. And I find it to be very troublesome that he is essentially being villainized for not embracing cancel culture and essentially trying to use this as a way to start a larger conversation. Because if it's all cancel culture

and there is no conversation to be had with people on opposite ends of this story with differing opinions, then how do we grow from this? I don't know. I used to think stupid, dumb, ignorant shit back in the day. I used to say stupid, dumb, ignorant shit back in the day. But thanks to people willing to have a conversation with me, I learned other people's different point of views.

I learned why certain things rubbed people the wrong way or were just outright wrong and offensive and it made no sense to even say. And I'm not saying that anyone owes anyone to educate them or open their worldview, but I do think that if we have a larger conversation, it's not just burn the witch at the stake, then I think hopefully the path forward is a better one.

But ultimately with that said, that's the story. My personal takeaway with the random thoughts popping in my head right now And I'd love to continue the conversation with you in those comments down below Let me know what you're thinking and why and preferably do it in a way where you don't come off like the douchebag of the day And that's for everyone, but yeah I'd love to hear from you. Then and there's a lot of raised stuff in the news if it's not the Liam Neeson stuff or just Democrats in Virginia wearing blackface. It's now this. We had Gucci making headlines because they released this. The item, which is part of Gucci's fall-winter 2018 collection, is described as a black balaclava sweater or a polo neck jumper,

which, I'll be honest, I didn't even know was a thing. I know, you're looking at me and you're like, but Phil, you must definitely know about fashions. But yeah, apparently this was a thing and people were definitely outraged because it kind of looked like blackface. What Gucci described as a contrast trim around the mouth, a lot of other people described as incredibly comparable to old-school racist imagery. People like Tariq Nasheed tweeting, So Gucci puts out a sweater that looks like blackface on Black History Month and then issues an apology because they didn't know that blackface images are racist. Although I will say a lot of the responses didn't seem to be saying why are you racist or you are racist Some rather just kind of jokingly saying happy black history month or saying people need diversity training or just more diverse hiring Right for example Gucci apologized saying Gucci deeply apologizes for the offense caused by the wool balaclava jumper We consider diversity to be a fundamental value to be fully upheld respected and at the forefront of every decision we make

Also confirming that the item was removed both from the online store and physical stores. And one of the most popular responses to that was, if you hire more black people and cultivate an environment where people on all levels of the company feel comfortable to speak up, incidents like this will be avoided. But at the same time, you also have people accusing this as being kind of the latest iteration of outrage marketing,

specifically based around race. Popular tweets like, it's 2019, when are we going to stop using stereotypes, et cetera, as marketing tactics? But at the same time you also have people out there saying that the outrage around this is a stretch. That not everyone everywhere knows the history around blackface, there's also the argument around intention or something kind of just happening to look like that to other people. And meanwhile others saying they don't even care about race in this situation, it's just really?

$900 to look like a fucking idiot. Like really, what is that design? To me, and obviously I'm aware about the history of blackface. To me, if you had a black hat to this outfit, it looks like you have an Antifa protest at Berkeley at eight and slam poetry at nine. But yeah, that's where that story ends. And also, like I said,

it's a lot of the news right now is around stuff like this. Even Adidas is under fire. The new collection that was reportedly meant to celebrate black culture, they released an all-white version of the Ultra Boost Uncaged sneaker. Adidas has also removed that sneaker and released the statement.

We added a running shoe to the collection that we later felt did not reflect the spirit or philosophy of how Adidas believes we should recognize and honor Black History Month. After careful consideration, we have decided to withdraw the product from the collection. And while I understand that a lot of people

are covering that story from the standpoint of, you know, you're celebrating Black History Month with an all-white shoe, my personal standpoint is, how does this actually honor the month? I mean, you can go into the reasonings, but it's like, does the money go to something that supports that? Are the artists specifically behind the design,

like, are they from a certain group? Or was this just another version of Wokenomics? You're trying to take advantage of some sort of movement for profit. And Wokenomics or Wokevertising, whatever you want to call it, like the previously mentioned outrage marketing, it's not a unique thing. We've seen this before, it's just a new version of it.

But yeah, I don't know, looking at these stories, it's kind of like same story, slightly twisted, different day. And then the last thing we're gonna talk about today, you know what, let's essentially just turn today into a theme episode, we're gonna jump to today, you know what? Let's essentially just turn today into a theme episode. We're gonna jump to Virginia. So earlier this week, we already talked about the controversy surrounding the governor and lieutenant governor in Virginia.

But also here's a quick TLDR to kind of bring you up to speed. Last Friday, we saw a picture from Democratic Governor Ralph Northam's old yearbook page surface online, and it showed a man in blackface and another in a clan robe. Northam released a statement and then a video apologizing for making the decision to appear in that photo But then the next day Northam held a press conference where he pulled a shaggy and reversed his opinion to say it wasn't either of the people in the picture, you know because you would definitely believe someone that would write I'm sorry that I had sex with that woman and then would say on video I'm sorry that I had sex with that woman and the next day is like I didn't have sex with that woman

The main point after we saw him do this We saw tons of prominent politicians and political organizations coming out and calling for Northam to step down, saying, let the Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, who is second in line, take the governor's seat. But then on Sunday, that same website that was the first release that photo of Northam

released another article claiming a woman accused Fairfax of sexually assaulting her in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention. Now Fairfax denied the allegations, he called this claim a smear campaign, and throughout all of this, both Northam and Fairfax have refused to resign. Really quick of note here before moving forward,

this is very much a condensed version of what we talked about before for other details because there are different angles and different tidbits to this story. I highly recommend you watch the previous video if you have not already. But main point, that brings us to yesterday when Fairfax's accuser, Vanessa Tyson,

released a detailed statement on the incident. In the statement, Tyson describes the assault and the events leading up to it, stating that she first met Fairfax at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, saying they struck a conversation and realized they had a mutual friend. And then a few days later,

Fairfax suggested she accompany him to his hotel room to get some documents. And Tyson agreed, writing in her statement, "'I had no reason to feel threatened and agreed to walk with him to his hotel room to get some documents. And Tyson agreed, writing in her statement, "'I had no reason to feel threatened,' and agreed to walk with him to his hotel." She describes the situation where he finds the documents, he kisses her, this is all consensual up to this point. Then saying he pulled her towards the bed,

she was fully clothed, and she had no intention of taking clothes off or engaging in sexual activity. And that's when she goes into detail of what she described as a sexual assault. Saying, "'What began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault. Saying what began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault. "'Mr. Fairfax put his hand behind my neck "'and forcefully pushed my head towards his crotch.

"'Only then did I realize that he had unbuckled his belt, "'unzipped his pants, and taken out his penis.'" She then goes on to describe him forcing himself into her mouth, adding, "'Utterly shocked and terrified, "'I tried to move my head away, but could not "'because his hand was holding down my neck "'and he was much stronger than me.'" She then went on to say as she cried and gagged he continued to force her, adding,

I cannot believe given my obvious distress that Mr. Fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual and definitively stating, to be very clear I did not want to engage in oral sex with Mr. Fairfax and I never gave any form of consent. Quite the opposite. I consciously avoided Mr. Fairfax for the remainder of the convention, and I never spoke to him again." And she then goes on to criticize Fairfax's response to her allegations, which we of course talked about last time, calling it a smear campaign against her reputation, and concluding her statement saying, "...I have never wavered in my account because I am telling the truth. I have no political motive. My only motive in speaking now is to refute Mr. Fairfax's falsehoods and aspersions of my character, and to provide what

I believe is important information for Virginians to have as they make critical decisions that involve Mr. Fairfax. I very much wish to resume my life as an academic and professor. I do not want to get further embroiled in this highly charged political environment. This is the only statement I and my legal team

will be making." Now all of that said, Fairfax has continued to adamantly deny these allegations. After Tyson released her statement yesterday, Fairfax responded with his own saying, I'd like to begin by emphasizing how important it is for us to listen to women when they come forward with allegations. Then continuing, I had a consensual encounter with the woman who made the allegation. At no time did she express to me any discomfort or concern about our interactions, neither during that encounter nor during the months following it when she stayed in touch with me nor the past 15 years

I wish her no harm or humiliation nor do I seek to denigrate her or diminish her voice But I cannot agree with a description of events that I know is not true But regarding that note yesterday we saw Jonathan Allen a reporter for NBC tweet Justin Fairfax said quote Fuck that bitch as he tried to discredit his accuser during a private meeting Monday night Sources tell NBC News Jeff R Bennett and me according to the New York his accuser during a private meeting Monday night, sources tell NBC News, Jeff R. Bennett, and me. And according to the New York Times, this occurred during a private state Senate caucus meeting on Monday. And when Fairfax's chief of staff, Larry Roberts, was asked if Fairfax had used the expletive to refer to Tyson, he claimed that Fairfax was describing the situation and his level of anger and not Tyson herself. Which I will just interject, if that is

an exact quote, that doesn't make sense. If you're talking about the situation, you say things like, if that is an exact quote that doesn't make sense, right? If you're talking about the situation, you say things like, This is FNBS! Or maybe the closest you'd get to it is, ain't this a bitch? But if it's that exact quote that was said, and the excuse that was given, I mean, to me personally, that doesn't really add up. Also, regarding the situation and the accusations at hand, yesterday night, ABC News reported that AIDS to Democratic Virginia Congressman Bobby Scott said that Tyson had told Congressman Scott about the assault back in 2017 reportedly informing the congressman because she had given his name as a character reference to the Washington Post which was

Investigating the allegations at the time and so in a statement given to ABC News Scott wrote allegations of sexual assault need to be taken seriously I have known professor Tyson for approximately a decade and she is a friend She deserves the opportunity to have her story heard. And that would have been the end of today's show for now as we wait for more information to come out to see if people resign. But Virginia was then hit with another scandal. With the Democratic governor and Lieutenant governors

embroiled in their controversies, people then began to look into the third in the line of succession for the governor's seat, which is Attorney General Mark Herring. And then yesterday in a seemingly unprompted statement, Herring admitted that he and his friends had also done blackface, stating, "'Some friends suggest we attend a party

"'dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, "'like Curtis Blow and perform a song. "'We dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup.'" And adding, "'This was a one-time occurrence "'and I accept full responsibility for my conduct.'" And reportedly this all happened when he was an undergraduate

at the University of Virginia back in 1980. Now Herring then went on to condemn his own past behavior, saying it does not represent the man he is now, noting his efforts to address racism and inequality and empower communities of color, noting things such as fighting for access to health care, making it easier and simpler to vote, addressing implicit bias in law enforcement and numerous criminal justice reform efforts. And Herring then concluding his statement saying he will have discussions about whether he should stay in his position as Attorney General and saying, "'I will say that from the bottom of my heart,

"'I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I caused "'with this revelation.'" And what really made this all the more interesting is that all of this came after Herring issued a statement following Northam's press conference on Saturday where he said, "'It is no longer possible for Governor Northam "'to lead our Commonwealth,

"'and it is time for him to step down. And so following this, you had a lot of people saying, "'Wow, pot calls the kettle the color of your face back in 1980.'" And this morning, along with all the other responses, we saw President Trump chime in, tweeting, "'Democrats at the top are killing

the great state of Virginia. If the three failing Pauls were Republicans, far stronger action would be taken. Virginia will come back home Republican in 2020.'" And the thing is, even before 2020, this is a really concerning situation for Democrats in Virginia. I mean, one, Democrats in Virginia have been hoping

to reclaim the Republican-controlled state legislature this fall, and that's in large part due to the Virginia state legislature being one of the last remaining footholds of power in Virginia for Republicans. What we've been seeing in Virginia has been increasingly more Democratic, and it was one of the states that Trump lost in 2016.

And two, there is the question of, will any of these three men resign? Will all of them resign? And it's the all the states that Trump lost in 2016. And two, there is the question of will any of these three men resign? Will all of them resign? And it's the all that's incredibly important there because if all three Democrats resigned without immediate replacements, then the Republican House Speaker Kirk Cox would actually become the governor. Which I mean, that would be a devastating blow to Democrats and a massive win for Republicans. But ultimately that is where we are with this situation right now. And with this story, I want to pass off a few questions.

One, do you think any or all of the men need to step down? Obviously you're looking at two different situations. There's there's blackface as well as allegations of sexual assault. Two, do you believe that the president's claim is correct? If we were looking at three Republicans here would the reaction be far different? I've seen a lot of debate around this, some saying that the media would be in a much larger uproar, others saying it's a hypocritical statement given situations like Roy Moore in Alabama and the accusations that were around him and the continued support throughout the election. But yeah, like with everything we talk about,

if there's something you wanna chime in on, chime in. Let me know in those comments down below what you're thinking, why you're thinking it. And that's where we're going to end today's show. And remember, if you liked this video, let us know, hit that like button. Also, if you're new here, you want more, hit that subscribe button.

I'd also recommend clicking that bell to turn on notifications Also, if you miss either of the last two morning deep dives you can click or tap right there to watch those But with that said of course as always my name is Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in I love yo faces, and I'll see you tomorrow