Some people will do anything to justify a racist.

It sucks when the news is revealed that people like James Stewart, Walt Disney, Henry Ford, and John Wayne (and possibly Robert Mitchum) and Charles Lindbergh, are racists. They got away with it in their time, because it was the norm. But how are people generations later supposed to look at them?

Some are lucky to never know the truth, while others are not so lucky. That is when one is faced with the question of What should one do with this information?

I was at a blog where a guy by the name of Cowboy Bob, was desperately trying to justify racist comments John Wayne Made about blacks and Indians in a Playboy Magazine article.

I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them if that's what you're asking. Our so called stealing of this country was just a question of survival. There were great numbers of people who needed new land the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.... I'm quite sure that the concept of a Government-run reservation... seems to be what the socialists are working for now — to have everyone cared for from cradle to grave.... But you can't whine and bellyache 'cause somebody else got a break and you didn't, like those Indians are. We'll all be on a reservation soon if the socialists keep subsidizing groups like them with our tax money.

I believe in white supremacy until blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.... The academic community has developed certain tests that determine whether the blacks are sufficiently equipped scholastically.... I don't feel guilty about the fact that five or ten generations ago these people were slaves. Now I'm not condoning slavery. It's just a fact of life, like the kid who gets infantile paralysis and can't play football like the rest of us.

By going to school. I don't know why people insist that blacks have been forbidden to go to school. They were allowed in public schools wherever I've been. I think any black man who can compete with a white can get a better break than a white man. I wish they'd tell me where in the world they have it better than right here in America

John Wayne not only showed how ignorant he was when it came to race relations, but showed how proud he was of it. He had no qualms admitting his true colors and white supremacy. People like Cowboy Bob say that none of what was mentioned was racist. They use excuses such as "he was married to a Mexican woman!", which pretty much means nothing since one can like one minority group and hate another, which still makes you a racist.

Other excuses used is that John Wayne worked with a black man, something James Stewart himself and Robert Mitchum himself did not want to do (although the Mitchum one is questionable as to his reasons for it are still not quite clear). Ever heard of the "my best friend is black!" argument? This is essentially a version of that that people are using. One can be racist regardless of the token minority. Relations with a black person, or being kind to their face does not make you less of a racist.

Some people are so desperate to justify any comments a racist celebrity said, because of fear of being called racist themselves for liking them.

But you know what? Defending them, makes you look more like a racist more than ever...because its disgusting how anyone could try to say something that is racist isn't. People like Cowboy Bob are race deraliers. If you point out a racist act, they will call you a racist simply for pointing out the truth. In other words, they do not like the truth.

Most often, people will justify it by saying these people were a product of their time, so its okay. Yet what is not okay is how we overlook that part. As much as we love to look at their achievements, shouldn't we also look at what made them a bad person? If they are going to make their views known, then shouldn't we make mention of them then?

The problem lies in the fact that society idolizes these people to the point that anything bad about them ruins their perfect image therefore one must either hide that tidbit of info, justify that bit of info, or somehow make it seem like it has no bearing.

Society looks at celebrities and innovators as inhuman, incapable of human faults, which makes it painful generations later to realize people who have done so much good were such horrible people later on in life. Society doesn't want to deal with who the person behind the great act of whatever, was such a bad person, they do not want to be realistic.

Minorities, are not given a choice in the matter, they must look at these people realistic. They have to take the good and the bad, its hard to ignore their bad side when they were against you. I look at people like Dr. Suess, he had apparently made some racist cartoons about the Japanese in the 1940s during WWII, many today justify these cartoons by saying "well we were at war with Japan then, and they did bomb pearl harbor", others would say "he made fun of hitler and the germans so I don't get why you are upset". For myself, and others, its hard to want to look at him realistically because we are unaffected by his racism. He denounced what was happening to the Jews in the Holocaust, and the mistreatment and discrimination faced by African Americans, yet he supported the Japanese interment camps.

Society wants to ignore these people as human, and as a result, we never learn how to properly cope with the reality that they were not good people. Justifying their racism is inexcusable.

Why do we only insist honoring them for their good, and looking away when it comes to who they are personally? If they are going to be public about their personal beliefs, then shouldn't we pay attention to that?

So how should one deal with the discovery that someone who has done good acting, or was an innovater, is a horrible person in their personal life?

One could still watch the movies or use their products, but one should not idolize them. Enjoy the show for what it is, a show.

In the end, nothing can be done to change the past. But at the same time, we should not give a free pass to them just because they came from a more blatantly hateful time. We should stop honoring them and holding them so high that they are inhuman. We must look at what they really are, and take them for their faults. We should openly admit that they are racist, and stop trying to hide it or justify it. The question of condemning them as a whole should be left up to the individual.

We should remain objective, we should try to use these people as lessons. Hiding who they really are, or denying what they really are, does no good and it only hurts those most affected by their hateful comments and actions.

What we really need to do is stop idolizing them and trying to make them inhuman and incapable of doing evil things. We need to stop looking at them unrealistically. We need to stop hiding their nature just because its upsetting to whatever good they did.

This also brings up a good question of, if celebrities should even be letting their personal views be known. Should they just do what they are being paid to do?