It was a real nice conspiracy we had going there
Psst. Falcon to Brown Fox. Abort mission, the Bald Eagle has blown
our cover.
Ten-four Falcon. Over and out.
Man, so much for our covert operation. There is no fooling Newport
Beach Councilman Dick Nichols on this one. In his first public
appearance since he came under fire for making racially charged --
er, truthful -- remarks about Mexicans, the councilman asserted his
belief in a citywide conspiracy to oust him.
Nichols believes the Pilot, Mayor Steve Bromberg, city staffers
and the members of Newport Beach Firefighters Assn. have all formed
an underground coalition to ruin him and one day return California to
Mexico.
(Evil cackling heard here.) “Today, Dick Nichols. Tomorrow, the
world!”
Bromberg, who agreed to use the code name “mayor” so nobody would
know it was him, said Nichols is just “dancing.” Dancing is what a
lawyer does in court when he has no more ammunition. He makes stuff
up, shifts the attention. Nichols is doing the fox trot.
“Really, how can this [conspiracy theory] even be an issue?”
Bromberg said. “I just don’t know how to respond to the absurd.”
Let’s take inventory of Nichols’ arsenal, shall we:
First, he defended the comment by saying it was not racially
charged but a simple observation. Then, he said his comment was taken
out of context and that it was just one statement in the course of a
longer discussion about proposed changes at Corona del Mar State
Beach. Tuesday night he went as far as to say the comment was off the
record, which seems to contradict the fact that it was allegedly
taken out of context. And now, there is an evil plot to take Nichols
down.
Phew. To be honest, I am glad the charade is over. I was getting
pretty tired of running around town in a cloak, memorizing secret
handshakes and making late night trips to Fire Station 6 for
mandatory meetings. (OK, well not the last part.)
Between working a full-time job, raising a son, training for
fights, teaching four boxing classes a week and playing soccer, I was
beginning to fear I might not have enough time to fully devote myself
to Operation Nix Nichols.
But seriously, there is no need for a conspiracy to paint Nichols
as a bigot -- his supporters do that for him. On Tuesday, speaker
after speaker went to the podium at City Hall to “defend” him. And
time after time, they spewed revulsion and loathing toward those of
Latino descent and were truly affronted by having to look at, be
around and listen to people of Latino origin.
Not once did Nichols stop them, disagree with them or make
comments to distance himself from their views. Before this week, I
was reluctant to really take personal offense at Nichols comment
about Mexicans. I grew up in Orange County. I have heard derogatory
comments about Mexicans all my life.
When I would confront people about their derogatory comments, they
would usually say something like, “You know I’m not talking about
people like you,” or “I’m not racist. My best friend is Mexican.” Or
my personal favorite, from one of my closest friends who is Mexican
herself, “I’m not like them.”
Ignorant? Yes. Stupid? Yes. Insensitive? Yes. Evil bigots? No.
But even the people I grew up with would have been shocked by the
venom being spewed at the council meeting. I have heard some pretty
ignorant things from both sides of the argument that ignore all
common sense and play upon emotions, exaggerations and rhetoric.
It’s not Nichols’ fault he said all those things about Mexicans.
It is not his fault people find his comments to be completely out of
line. It’s all a set up. A plot to take him down. How dare the Pilot
accurately quote him, and how dare people take offense to his
comment. Nichols smells a rat. I would argue the stench is coming
from his own camp.
So, now that Nichols has helped us all uncover yet another
“truth,” why not at least entertain my conspiracy theory.
Here’s a shocker: Some people say and do things that are not
representative of their entire religion, race, nationality, school,
profession, etc.
Basketball players don’t all wear wedding dresses and own a boat
named “Sexual Chocolate.” Not every police officer uses excessive
force. Not all rich people are heartless, superficial yuppies. Not
all journalists pass fiction off as fact. Not all USC sorority girls
pose for the coed edition of Playboy. Not all African Americans can
dance well. Not all blonds are dumb. Not all priests are child
molesters.
Yes, some Latinos refuse to learn English and resist assimilation.
And, yes, some fair-skinned people are racist. Neither one, nor the
other, can epitomize either group. There has got to be some middle
ground. Both sides need to drop the rhetoric and get to the root of
the problem. Stop shouting and start listening.
I know none of this is as sexy as an alleged clandestine
conspiracy but it seems to make sense to me. Call me crazy.
This is Brown Fox, signing off.
* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and
covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or
by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.
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