The revolution eats its own in Washington State

by DAVID STROM

The proponents of resentment politics are riding a tiger. Resentment is a very strong feeling, and as such is rarely deployed precisely.

That’s why more than a few self-declared victims can find themselves accused of being victimizers.

That happened recently to Karen Johnson, Ph.D., Washington State’s very first Director of the Office of Equity, who found herself ousted for being insufficiently sensitive to the feelings of others.

Justice, in a sense, was done. Although true justice would have been the dismantling of the office itself, given that it exists to perform human sacrifices to the gods of DEI.

Jason Rantz of 770 KTTH has been following the story, and I have to say it is pretty amusing.

NEW: Washington state’s first Office of Equity director was ousted after complaints of a racist remark about Mexicans. She was even accused of using a “White supremacy” metaphor. But there’s a lot more to this story. https://t.co/Y3dHocdX7K

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) June 6, 2023

Washington state’s first Office of Equity (OOE) director was ousted after complaints of racist remarks about Mexicans. She was even accused of using a “White supremacy” metaphor.

Karen Johnson, Ph.D., — who lists her pronouns as she/her/Beloved — was unceremoniously fired by Gov. Jay Inslee on May 17. The OOE is tasked with fighting systemic racism Democrats pretend permeates government institutions.

The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH was the first to break the story of Johnson’s dismissal. The reason behind the termination has become more clear after a local newspaper noted that Johnson faced an investigation for workplace conduct. The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH has since obtained the investigation’s findings.

On the one hand, Johnson is a victim of hypersensitive activist employees — the very type of person you’d expect to want to work within the Office of Equity. She should have seen their complaints coming. On the other hand, Johnson failed to play by the rules she wanted to be implemented on state employees. She deserved to be terminated.

I have been reliably informed that only White people can be racist, so I was surprised to see Karen Johnson, Ph.D. (she/her/Beloved) was even vulnerable to the accusation. One has to wonder, are Hispanics higher on the intersectional victimhood scale than Blacks? Was the victim of her racially-tinged comment a woman, or worse a transgendered person?

It’s so hard to keep up with the various victimhood groups and where they fit on the ladder of privilege, but I had assumed that a Black woman was presumed to be more oppressed than a Hispanic, so obviously there must have been more diversity points somewhere for which there has yet to be an accounting.

One white employee said “they perceived to be evidence of bias against Mexicans,” according to the report.

The staffer claimed Johnson referenced a “self-identified” Mexican by saying, “This may take some time for me because I generally distrust Mexican people. Mexican people have the option of being White when it is convenient for them.”

Another employee, who is Hispanic, complained that Johnson created an “us vs. them” environment. This unidentified employee alleged Johnson singled them out as not having “lived experiences” when it comes to racism, comparing them to white co-workers.

The report said Johnson was criticized for saying she “rules with brass knuckles and a velvet glove.” An employee complained, “that this metaphor was associated with White supremacy because of its violence.” The metaphor is, in fact, not associated with white supremacy.

My God! This employee actually accused Dr. Johnson, she/her/Beloved, of being a White supremacist of sorts.

I can’t keep up with the dizzying definitions. She just sounded like a pretty difficult boss who hates White people and worries that Hispanics can secretly be White.

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