Trivializing the Harm: Herman Cain and the "Lynching" Metaphor

As accusations of sexual harassment against Herman Cain mount, right-wing pundits have dusted off the "lynching" metaphor as a defense. They claim that Cain is being targeted because he is a black conservative; that the harassment allegations are part of a smear campaign, a "high-tech lynching" by liberal detractors to discredit the presidential candidate. They are channeling the same defense used by Clarence Thomas during his Supreme Court confirmation process, when he was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. By employing the "lynching" metaphor, Cain and his supporters have chosen a politically expedient defense to curtail valid criticism of the presidential hopeful's conduct, and, in the process, have trivialized the true horrors of lynching in America.

Let's put aside the fact that at least five women have now come forward claiming that Cain made improper sexual advances towards them. Let's hold off on the allegation that Cain may have even engaged in inappropriate behavior as recently as last month during a radio interview in Iowa. I want to focus on the appalling "lynching" metaphor. 

The phrase "high-tech lynching" was invoked by Clarence Thomas during his Supreme Court confirmation. Anita Hill accused Thomas of sexually harassing her when the two worked at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. While testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the allegation, Thomas stated, 

This is not an opportunity to talk about difficult matters privately or in a closed environment. This is a circus. It's a national disgrace. And from my standpoint, as a black American, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree (emphasis added). 

When Politico's story on Cain's alleged sexual harassment broke, conservative commentators rushed immediately to his defense. Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and others referred to Thomas and used his "high-tech lynching" metaphor. The pro-Cain political action committee AmericansforHermanCain.com sent out a fundraising message, stating "[j]ust like they did to Clarence Thomas, they are engaging in a 'high tech lynching' by smearing Herman Cain's reputation and character." The letter continues, with poorly-chosen phrasing: "The Left absolutely loses their minds spewing hatred at black conservatives because they know that if the GOP ever breaks the Democrat stranglehold on the black vote, their days are numbered as a party" (emphasis added). 

Cain himself even invoked the metaphor. Before the present controversy began, Cain stated that he "was ready for the same high-tech lynching" that Thomas went through "for the good of this country." After the Politico story ran, Cain was asked whether his situation bore any similarities to Thomas.' Cain responded in the affirmative, stating "[t]here seems to be some similarities... Probably so ...." To round out the narrative of victimization, Cain sat down for an interview with Clarence Thomas' wife, Virginia. 

The "lynching" metaphor serves two purposes: First, it seeks to deflect relevant criticism against public figures. Second, it undermines the tragic nature of actual lynchings when they were prominent in the U.S. Let's focus on the second point. 

Lynchings, murdering someone while a crowd bears witness, were prominent from the period of 1883 to 1941. Amidst a national backdrop of overt racism, white mobs would use lynchings to assert racial supremacy and terrorize African-American communities. These were extrajudicial killings, usually carried out by hanging the victims or burning them at the stake. 

During this period, there were an estimated 4,472 lynchings: About one every four days. Who knows how many killings went unreported. Lynchings were circus-like events. Large crowds gathered to witness the atrocities. People mailed postcards to their their families and friends, called lynch cards, to commemorate the events. Lynch cards were in circulation until 1930, even though they were banned by the postal service in 1908. 

More than 200 anti-lynching laws were proposed during the first half of the 20th century. The House of Representatives passed such bills three times, only to be blocked by Senators from the South. In 2005, The United States Senate apologized for not enacting any laws to ban lynchings. Twenty-five Senators refused to co-sponsor the bill. 

Both Clarence Thomas and Herman Cain have trivialized the harm of lynchings for political expedience and personal gain. They and their supporters invoked the "high-tech lynching" metaphor to deflect criticism and undermine their detractors. Let's never confuse a cheap political talking point with a genuine evil from our nation's past.