Flow Chart from Fineness & Accuracy

Have you ever gotten into a heated argument and wondered to yourself, “Should I compare my opponent to a member of the KKK?”

Well, in case you ever have – and didn’t know how to determine if you should or not – we at USDemocrazy have a nifty flow chart for you!  Examine and use wisely.

The flow chart came out of a recent controversy, involving Princeton Professor of Political Science and African-American Studies Melissa Harris-Perry.  Well-known for her writings and commentary on race issues in American politics, Harris-Perry published an article in the Nation this week.

Harris-Perry’s article entitled Black President, Double Standard: Why White Liberals are Abandoning Obama makes the argument that one reason for Obama’s declining support is at least partially because of racial bias.  She argues that white supporters have held the first black president to a higher standard than they have white presidents from the recent past (read: Bill Clinton).

Her article caused quite a backlash, including this response on Salon.com, which not only presented a non-sensical critique of Harris-Perry’s assertion but also compared her views to those of the KKK.

Harris-Perry addressed some of these critiques in another piece, but the whole controversy has apparently brought up a much more important question – when is it okay to compare someone to a member of the KKK?

Thankfully, the controversy also has brought us an answer…in the form of a flow chart.