Alexis Ohanian called out the infuriating double standard between the way the world treats Brett Kavanaugh vs. Serena Williams
After the Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh hearings on September 27th, people all over the country were struck by Kavanaugh’s aggressive tone. But despite criticism that his visible anger (among many other things) made him unfit to serve on the country’s highest court, he was officially confirmed. And now, Reddit founder (and Serena Williams’ husband) Alexis Ohanian, is calling out a clear and infuriating double standard—one that perfectly captures the differing way our society treats white men versus black women.
In case you missed it, during the final match of the 2018 U.S. Open, Williams received a penalty for “verbal abuse” after she yelled at the umpire, calling him a “thief.” She ultimately lost the match, and many called the umpire’s ruling sexist, pointing out that male tennis stars have gotten away with much worse behavior.
Shortly after Kavanaugh’s confirmation on October 6th, Deborah Barros, a candidate for the Alabama State Senate, tweeted, “Funny how a black female tennis player is held to a higher standard to keep her emotions in check than a Supreme Court nominee.”
Ohanian replied, "It's not funny, it's bullsh*t."
In two follow-up tweets, he laid out everything wrong with Kavanaugh’s statement at the hearing. He then tweeted that, as a future Supreme Court justice, Kavanaugh should have been able to “keep it together.”
It's not funny, it's bullshit. https://t.co/pYkmx4ufvI
— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) October 7, 2018
Beta Brett:⁰+ Played the “father card”
+ Cried & screamed
+ Insulted everyone’s intelligence with lies about the definitions of phrases anyone with Google could debunk
+ Argued hysterically with sitting Senators, even going so far as to threaten them— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) October 7, 2018
If you’re going to be a Supreme Court Justice — a job that requires maintaining sober judgement — it shouldn't matter what questions you have to answer in your job interview, you keep it together.
I look forward to the cartoon @damonheraldsun puts on the front page about it.
— AlexisOhanian7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) October 7, 2018
Kavanaugh was visibly angry as he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee; he yelled and scowled, and—as HuffPost reported—he testily shouted, “I don’t know. Have you?” when Senator Amy Klobuchar asked him if he had ever drank so much he couldn’t remember what happened the next day. Kavanaugh even acknowledged that his behavior was less than judicial in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, writing that he “might have been too emotional at times.”
As Ohanian pointed out, Williams—a black, female athlete—was punished for her emotional outburst, while Kavanaugh—a white, male judge—was ultimately promoted despite similar behavior.
Ohanian wasn’t the only one to point out this racist and sexist double standard.
I will never get over the fact that they pilloried Serena Williams for a less emotional response than the one that put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) October 8, 2018
The clearest example of how white supremacist patriarchy works this year thus far:
Society holding Serena Williams to a higher emotional standard in a tennis game than they do accused abuser Brett #Kavanaugh in a lifetime job interview to determine the fate of the country. pic.twitter.com/yeNZwTCBBg
— THIQUE CHURCH GIRL. (@MsPackyetti) October 5, 2018
While the comparison is disheartening, we’re glad people are bringing it to light and calling out injustice when they see it. If you’re outraged about this, make sure your voice is heard in the November 6th midterm elections.
