Heath Haussamen
House Majority Whip Sheryl Williams Stapleton’s recent racial slur directed at Gov. Susana Martinez is disappointing, but so is the political and journalistic gotcha game that has resulted.
I’ve been watching the situation for weeks without saying anything. Because the controversy immediately spun out of control, I decided to let it cool down before I wrote about it.
Now that the flames have died down a bit, here’s my take:
Referring to Martinez as “the Mexican” – Stapleton, a Democrat from Albuquerque, accused another state representative of “carrying the Mexican’s water on the fourth floor” – was absolutely derogatory. Anyone who says otherwise, including Stapleton, is being dishonest.
As the Albuquerque Journal recently pointed out:
“Referring to someone as a ‘Mexican’ in New Mexico – where many residents pride themselves on their Spanish ancestry – has long been widely considered to be an ethnic slur.”
Of course, that’s an Albuquerque-centric view of New Mexico. In some parts of the state, people self-identify as Mexican.
In this instance, the revealing factor is the context in which Stapleton made her comment. She was under stress because of another controversy about her pay, she was angry, she snapped, and in a moment of weakness, what came out of her mouth wasn’t a respectful term such as “the governor” – it was “the Mexican.”
Regardless of whether identifying people by their nationality is common and not a slur where Stapleton is from, it is in New Mexico, at least in this context. Stapleton has been in the N.M. Legislature 16 years and should know better.
Promoting division and misunderstanding
Stapleton’s statements since the outburst – including a sort-of apology – have been inconsistent and unconvincing. That’s a problem. I’m not persuaded that she’s sorry or sees anything wrong with her use of a racial slur.
As News New Mexico has pointed out, Stapleton has a history of criticizing Republicans for making statements that could be interpreted as racist. She helped set the bar by which she’s now being judged. Fair enough.
But the fact that it’s fair doesn’t mean it’s right. The gotcha game that has resulted reveals why it’s so difficult to apologize in politics even if you are sincere. The reality is that there’s no way to know whether Stapleton has learned her lesson and is truly sorry.
Conservatives have jumped on Stapleton’s mean-spirited comment with a level of malice that equals the venom Stapleton spewed at Martinez. The governor has accepted Stapleton’s apology, but she has still engaged in the gotcha game by failing to direct her state Republican Party to also be gracious.
And some journalists have been more than happy to blow up another scandal.
At the end of it all, what could have been a humble moment for Stapleton and a lesson for all of us has instead been a messy scandal that has promoted division and misunderstanding.
Perhaps it isn’t too late
I’m not going to pretend I’ve never done anything as a journalist to fan the flames of scandal. I have, sometimes appropriately, sometimes perhaps not. Some scandals demand lots of attention. An elected official being indicted on corruption charges is a good example.
But this didn’t need to be the massive scandal it has become. Instead of gotcha politics and journalism winning the day, imagine if the media had invested its time in thoughtful analysis of the situation and the historical context, educating the public – and Stapleton – about why her comment was offensive. Imagine if Stapleton had humbled herself and issued a genuine apology from the start, instead of pretending she wasn’t talking about Martinez and didn’t mean anything by it. And imagine if conservatives had responded to a genuine apology with, “Fair enough. We’ve made mistakes too. We appreciate your humility.”
It would have been a teachable moment for Stapleton and for New Mexicans. At the end of the day, the situation would have resulted in greater understanding and respect among our politicians and all of us.
It’s unfortunate that we don’t live in that world. Am I the only one who’s tired of the gotcha game?
Perhaps it isn’t too late. Stapleton can stop playing the gotcha game that she has played in the past with Republicans’ statements and actions. Conservatives can stop playing the gotcha game with her comment. And the media can move on to more important issues.
A prior version of this posting incorrectly identified Stapleton as the minority whip.