Getting to Know Justice Clarence Thomas

Did anything surprise you?

Well, I didn't— unlike you, I did not know much about him except the, uh, his, his contentious confirmation battle. And his whole life surprised me. And it's the— this, this main quality he has, this resilience against opposition, finally in the— not— or maybe not finally, but at a peak in the Anita Hill part of his battle, but throughout his life. And his unwillingness to define himself as a victim, even though he could. You know, he grew up in a poverty-fueled few of us can really imagine anymore. In segregation, he suffered many setbacks, but he didn't choose to see himself that way. I mean, he went through a period of radicalism where he did do that, where he thought race explained everything and he supported the Black Panthers and Martin Luther King— not Martin Luther King— and Malcolm X, and anyone who was the more radical, the better. And he worked his way out of that and now refuses to see himself that way. And I think that's an important quality and one missing for a lot of us.

That's absolutely right. The— what I was thinking when you were talking is that given, as I know, I know him somewhat well, and given his background, this proves the, the power of the— just, I think certain individuals are gifted or blessed, and you could choose God or nature. I'm not taking a side here, but there are people who have a spirit that just conquers everything.

I think that's true. I mean, Justice Thomas himself credits his grandfather and these Irish nuns who gave him, you know, raised him and gave him early schooling. But he also tells the story in the film that when he was born, his mother said he was too stubborn to cry. And that stubbornness is something like the quality you pointed to, Dennis, and he seemed to have it as an infant. So maybe it's a little all of that.

Well, you did, you did a good job, a great job. It's a great film, a great documentary. It's again Justice Thomas— give me the URL—

justicethomasmovie.com.

Okey-dokey. And anyway, as I keep reminding my listeners, it's up at DennisPrager.com. So Michael Pack, director of the documentary, congratulations.

Thank you, Dennis.

You deserve it. You deserve it. It's good. It's important that we're making movies, and these are good movies. I'm not— like, no safe spaces. I'm not telling you to go to something just because it's conservative. Anyway, the truth is I'd like to see the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary. I'm curious if you truly learn what makes her tick like you learn what makes Clarence Thomas tick here. I'd be fascinated. The URL is up at DennisPrager.com. We continue The Dennis Prager Show live from the Relief Factor Pain-Free Studio.