Law Schools

Guy Goes On LinkedIn To Share Racist Musings About Harvard Law School Students

Racism: not just for Facebook anymore.

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The black men and women of Harvard Law School’s class of 2021 posed for a pair of pictures recently. Photos like these have become popular expressions of black celebration and inspiration. They’re also the sort of thing that white people tend to get really freaked out about for no apparent reason.

Before we get going on this journey, place your bets on what some random white guy is going to say about this picture. Will it be (a) “they’d never allow a picture of just the white students”; (b) “why do people have to focus so much on race like this… true equality is colorblind”; (c) “as Martin Luther King would say…”; (d) some Amy Wax-spirational screed about affirmative action; or, (e) none of the above. Let’s find out!

Not to delay the big reveal any longer, but we should take a second to appreciate that this person is about to pop off on LinkedIn. The professional networking site! Unlike Facebook, where one tends to curate the like-minded, this guy is so confident in what he’s about to say that he’s comfortable with colleagues and clients seeing it. Make of that what you will.

Anyway, this image prompted someone named Gene Smith to opine:

None of the above! Collect your winnings.

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[UPDATE: A representative of “Business Acquisitions” reached out to clarify that Gene Smith doesn’t work there and that they roundly reject Smith’s statement. “Business Acquisition Company LLC,” from Smith’s profile, is not the same company so don’t blame the plural company for this guy!]

This got a lot of folks angry, but he’s got a point. Harvard Law School graduates have committed numerous crimes against the country. Pillaging the economy, masterminding illegal arms sales, Ted Cruz’s hair — just 200 years of death and misery doled out by a group of people who’ve anointed themselves as literally above the law. Harvard Law is an ongoing criminal operation that must be stopped!

Oh, wait, he just means because they’re black, doesn’t he?

If pressed, Smith and those like him would probably retreat to asserting that he’s not suggesting that they look like gang members simply because they’re black, but because of “what they’re wearing.” This is what people mean when they talk about respectability politics. The fictional “dress code” for black men is always more formal than the context calls for. I’m pretty sure everyone here has a suit they wear to court, but since they’re not complete tools they don’t walk around in suits casually and they certainly don’t need to be wearing suits to take a picture to satisfy Gene Smith. Jeans and sunglasses are markers of criminality? Is that where the Gene Smith apologists want to make their stand?

Put another way, this argument is just that it’s not because they’re black, but because they don’t look white.

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So, yeah, he just means because they’re black.

Why I Resist Casual Friday and Other Thoughts on Diversity and Inclusion: A Black Partner’s Perspective [American Lawyer]

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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