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When the news broke that a noose was found in the garage of NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, I was surprised. Surely no one would be THAT stupid, with cameras everywhere, to do something like that. (I also routinely remind myself to never underestimate the power of stupidity.)
NASCAR promised an investigation, drivers walked in solidarity with Bubba Wallace before the race at Talladega on Monday before the race, there was universal condemnation of the noose.
And then the news broke that the FBI had determined that it wasn’t a noose at all. It was a garage door pull, tied into a loop, that had been there at least since the previous fall, if not earlier. NASCAR’s response was appropriate, even if they should have sounded a little more sheepish.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 23, 2020
How hard would it have been to say “we overreacted, our bad”? But even NASCAR was able to say that they were grateful that there was no ill intent involved.
Bubba Wallace, on the other hand, is not so inclined. Why does he sound so aggravated that this was not a noose?
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace says he’s “pissed” members of the public are now questioning his integrity after the FBI said a noose found in his garage stall this week was there before his team moved in.”
“I’m mad because people are trying to test my character and the person that I am and my integrity,” he told CNN’s Don Lemon Tuesday night.”
Talking to Lemon, Wallace said the image he saw of “what was hanging in my garage is not a garage pull.”
“It was a noose,” Wallace said. “Whether tied in 2019 or whatever, it was a noose. So, it wasn’t directed at me but somebody tied a noose. That’s what I’m saying.”
On Tuesday night, he said he continued to stand by what he said.”
“This will not break me, none of the allegations of being a hoax will break me or tear me down,” he said.”
“It will piss me off, absolutely. But that only fuels the competitive drive in me to shut everybody up,” he added.”
But don’t worry, Bubba Wallace now has Jemele Hill and Al Sharpton insisting that it WAS a noose, so why did NASCAR even bother with an FBI investigation, honestly? All they needed to do was call legendary investigator Al Sharpton – the Hercule Poirot of racial crimes, really – to tell them if it was a hate crime or not.
Sharpton not ready to give up on the NASCAR “noose” story: "It’s clear what a noose represents … And then did someone know that it was in the stall when they did belatedly assign Bubba there? … I do not think that we’ve seen closure in this particular inquiry." pic.twitter.com/xzq5hQIWC5
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 24, 2020
This all begs the question of WHY Bubba Wallace and his supporters were so invested in this “noose” being a hate crime – and why they are doubling down on it now, when there is clear evidence that it was not. Was it because it fit the narrative of NASCAR being a “racist” organization? Was it because Bubba Wallace was enjoying his “newfound respect” and celebrity status for being the only black driver in NASCAR at the moment? Was it because Bubba Wallace wanted to draw attention to his stand on Black Lives Matter and push his social advocacy on the race track?
It looks like the answer to all the above questions is “yes.” And without anything to struggle against, Bubba Wallace would have to focus on winning races, instead of winning in the court of public opinion. This “noose” incident – which he reportedly he never saw; his team reported it – was a low-risk (no physical pain or financial sacrifice involved) way to push his own victimhood. No wonder he doesn’t want to let it go.
I was of the belief that Bubba Wallace was an innocent party in all of this & he was just stating what was reported to him before the FBI conducted an investigation. Now, by doubling down, he’s lost all credibility & is a willing participant in gaslighting all of us. For shame. https://t.co/kfvAzFBUk1
— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) June 24, 2020
If we’re at the point where the “victims” are disappointed and angry that there WAS no “hate crime” to strive against in order to prove their social and racial justice bona fides against, then we are so terribly screwed as a country. You can make amends to someone who has been wronged. You can never make amends to the person who wishes to be wronged.
UPDATE 2:45 PM EDT:
Well, it looks like NASCAR top brass told Bubba Wallace that his comments weren’t playing well at all. A new statement has been released on his Twitter feed.
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) June 24, 2020
You make the call whether this is enough damage control.
Welcome Instapundit Readers!
Featured image: Bubba Wallace, fall 2018 (Zach Catanzareti Photo, cropped, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0))
Mike-in-Keller says: Who wants to bet against this thought — the next time Wallace is involved in an accident, the next time someone dares to pass him or to finish before him in a race, “It’s racism! They did that because they are racists!”
Deanna Fisher says: That thought has crossed my mind.
Steve S says: I was under the impression that all the people driving cars on the race track were racists! Just like folks who paint pictures or create sculptures are artists, and people who cut hair are stylists!!! So it sounds like Bubba has a point, except I guess that makes him a racist too! ;-D
GWB says: all the people driving cars on the race track were racists
You’re a bad man! lol
Scott says: Here’s the thing about Bubba Wallace.. He finished 14th in that race, and everyone is talking about him. Does ANYONE outside of NASCAR diehards know who finished 13th, or 15th? Highly doubtful. A friend that is one of those NASCAR diehards says this sudden SJW stance is the only way anyone would remember his name. He’s a mediocre driver at best, and this behavior reinforces the idea that it’s not his driving ability that keeps him in NASCAR..
Milwaukee says: My recollection of the 10 the Commandment is “Thou shall not bear false witness.” It wasn’t “don’t lie”, although one shouldn’t. Bearing false witness was about damaging another’s reputation. While I’m not a NASCAR fan, I once had a mechanic who knew Jeff Gordon. And one time a coworker was on a pit crew at Indy. He brought the car to school and I got to sit in an Indy race car. Cool beans.
GWB says: The 10th Commandment is either “Do not covet” or the second half of “Do not covet” (being his wife, his servants, his donkey nor anything else). The 8th or 9th commandment is “Do not bear false witness.”
(Depending on the tradition, the commandments are broken up into 4/6 or 3/7 – being about God/about fellow man. The 3/7 combines “No other gods” and “No idols”, and splits “No coveting” into two parts. The 4/6 splits out “No idols” and “No other gods” and combines the “No covet” into one. Traditional Jewish split is 4/6, along with a lot of Protestantism. Roman and Lutheran churches use the 3/7 [probably a change made early on to capitalize on the numerology common in scripture – 3 being a number for God, and 7 being a number for all of creation – Heaven and Earth]. Reading the literal text in Hebrew, you can probably get 13 commandments out of the text if you wanted to. But it would look kinda silly. And the summations are the same in any counting system.)
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Bill McGill says: Mediocre indeed. He’s never won a major and his average finish over the last 4 seasons is 20th place.
Yet everyone, even my mother McGill, now knows who is.
GWB says: (I also routinely remind myself to never underestimate the power of stupidity.)
Good idea.
“I’m mad because people are trying to test my character and the person that I am and my integrity,”
Well, that would be because your integrity IS in question after turning this into a daytime drama, driven by either ignorance or malice. It is your own words and actions that have made it so.
(And that’s ignoring the bullsh*t politicization of your job, which doesn’t speak well of your character, either.)
none of the allegations of being a hoax will break me or tear me down
Smollett said that sort of thing, too. Then it sort of all melted away around him.
Bubba Wallace now has Jemele Hill and Al Sharpton insisting that it WAS a noose
And, since the big time race hustlers now support you, it doesn’t help that argument about your character.
Denounce them or be lumped with them.
It’s clear what a noose represents
Yes, hanging. It only represents racism to a large group of race hustlers and grievance mongers.
(BTW, guys, how many horse thieves in the Old West were black? Because that’s what sort of extra-judicial execution *I* associate it with.)
And without anything to struggle against, Bubba Wallace would have to focus on winning races, instead of winning in the court of public opinion.
Gee. There was another guy who was only mediocre at his job, and decided political advocacy would make him a star. He was… a quarterback? I don’t remember which team he played for. And he hasn’t been a quarterback for a while now….
You can never make amends to the person who wishes to be wronged.
Which is sort of the point of a grievance culture as an aid to the left gaining power.
this should not distract from the show of unity we had on Monday
Even it was based on a fraud? Hmmmmm….
[…] Program Moves Forward, also, Keeping History & Statues In Their Proper Places Victory Girls: Bubba Wallace Wants His Victim Status Volokh Conspiracy: The Law Protects Religious Liberty Far More Than Most People Think Weasel […]
Archie says: Bubba needed some street cred because he was really born with a silver spoon in his mouth with regards to racing. He is doing a bit of virtue signaling at the moment to prevent the mobs of accusing him of staying silent.
Milwaukee says: Einstein said that while there are limits to what genius can do, stupidity has no restraints.
Fromage du Nord says: So Wallace gets to accuse everyone around him of being a potential secret Klansman, his fellow drivers debase themselves with an Auto-de-fe and admit they are probably racist co-conspiritors, and he accuses any who question him of overt racism. Now he want’s to be the Colin Kapernik of racing. Sorry, Bubba. You get to go back to being an also-ran NASCAR driver, the kind white liberals routinely despise.
GWB says: You get to go back to being an also-ran NASCAR driver
Well, substituting “quarterback” for “NASCAR driver”, that pretty much IS Kapernick, right?
Gilbert Ratchet says: “We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing a welcome and inclusive environment for all who love racing.”
In other words, as your high-maintenance ex-girlfriend used to say, “even if I’m wrong, I’m right!”
Bevo says: Sorry Bubba, you have screwed the pouch.
Are you happy with your 15 minutes of stupidity?
David Lentz says: I have not seen so much attention given to a NASCAR driver with no wins since Danica Patrick.
Ulysses Toole says: Leftists will destroy anything they are allowed to including all sports.
Ralph Davis says: As bad as this looks for Bubba, I’m still a little reluctant to pile solely on him. With Black Lives Matter as a sponsor, I could easily imagine them sitting down with NASCAR, Richard Petty Motorsports and Bubba and saying “This is what’s going to happen, and you’re going to go along with it to the hilt. Otherwise, we destroy all of you”
[…] law. These days, the very mention or allegation of a noose sends people into absolute panic (*cough*Bubba Wallace*cough*) and requires automatic investigations because SOMEONE must be a racist out […]
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