Thomas Speaks

Watching Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas make the rounds promoting his memoir "My Grandfather's Son", I am struck by three things. First, that Thomas is an extremely angry and bitter black man, as many commentators note, isn't especially noteworthy - the nation is full of angry black men of Thomas' generation. But what is noteworthy is that Thomas apparently still harbors anger and bitterness stemming from his 1991 confirmation hearings, where Anita Hill came forth to accuse him of sexual harassment. Then Thomas famously lashed out at liberal Democratic Senators and others for conducting a "high-tech lynching" against him for being an uppity black who dared to think for himself. Yet the salient point, a point lost on the Justice, is that despite the allegations, the Senate confirmed his nomination and he has gone on to become a stalwart on an increasingly conservative high court. Second, Thomas' complaints about slights and mistreatment heaped upon him betray a whininess that is decidedly at odds with his narrative of employing a fierce determination and self-reliance in overcoming life's obstacles. Ironically, he seems to embrace a sense of victimization he so roundly condemns in others. And finally, why, after 16 years, is he now speaking out on the controversy surrounding his nomination? Aside from settling old scores, exactly what does he hope to gain?