This Isn’t About Accuracy … It’s About Comfort
While many users continued making jokes about the claim, others took more insightful approaches.
One user claimed that the real concern wasn’t even about accuracy, it was the fact that the very idea of LBJ’s real role in Selma was making white people feel uncomfortable.
“I suspect LBJ in Selma bothers white people who think good intentions are enough,” @Breznican tweeted.
Johnson Is No Villain, But He’s Also No Saint
Another user explained that Johnson’s role in Selma was accurate because the president certainly was no bad guy, but he simply wasn’t the saint that Califano is trying to convince people he was. While he did indeed have a role in getting certain things accomplished for the Black community, there was a particular consideration on how he would be perceived from a political point of view.
One user shared a newspaper article titled “Ala. Bigotry May Cause Space Research Loss” that revealed Johnson put pressure on Alabama to change its image because NASA was actually upset with what was happening inside the state.
It was another piece of evidence that suggests Johnson wasn’t some awful president, but he certainly had other ulterior motives behind his involvement with civil rights.
