Erick Erickson’s Mom Says She’s Not as Racist as Erick Says She Is
So a few days ago, RedState founder and raving right wing loon Erick Erickson tweeted a blatantly racist message about his upbringing, claiming his parents never let him eat “Asian food” on December 7th because they were “children of WWII.”
Growing up, I remember my parents never letting us have Asian food on December 7th. They were children of WWII.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) December 7, 2015
Gawker’s J.K. Trotter contacted Erickson’s mother to see if she’d verify her son’s claim that she was a racist, and guess what? Erick Erickson’s Mom Denies Son’s Story About Boycotting Asian Food Because of Pearl Harbor.
Erickson’s tweet appeared to explain, in its nostalgia for an era when adults could express racial hatred without social reprobation, how the author came to embrace his own brand of fear-mongering about black people, Muslims, and Arabs. But it turns out that there’s some disagreement within the Erickson household about Erickson, Jr.’s tale of boycotting Asian cuisine.
Erickson’s sister, a woman named Gretchen Erickson Barlow, immediately hung up when we called and asked if Erick Erickson was her brother, so we weren’t able to verify her brother’s account with her. But at least one of their parents was eager to debunk the story.
“I’ve never heard that before,” Erickson’s mother, Kathleen Erickson, told Gawker when we asked about Erickson’s statement in a telephone conversation this morning. After we read aloud her son’s tweet to her, she insisted, “Whatever you heard, I think that is completely your idea, I have never heard of that before. Somebody is making that up about my son.”
Since Erickson’s mother wasn’t even born when Pearl Harbor was attacked, Trotter also asked about Erick’s claim that his parents were “children of WWII,” and the following exchange occurred:
Ms. Erickson: What do you think of Jesus Christ?
Gawker: What do I think of Jesus Christ? He is obviously an important figure in Christian theology.
Erickson: Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior, Mr. Trotter. He is the King of Kings. And he is coming again. So I hope and pray that you are Christian, Mr. Trotter. I will add you to my prayer list. [Hangs up.]
Ohhhkay then.
But perhaps the best part of this ridiculous story is that Erickson immediately responded by tweeting this:
My 73 year old mother does not remember a 27 year old event, so it is a news story to attack me. At least the reporter was witnessed to.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) December 9, 2015
So to recap, Erick Erickson got busted making up a racist lie to appeal to his knuckle-dragging followers, then tried to cover it up by saying his own mother is losing her memory.
But hey, it’s all good because Jesus!
Right wingers are the weirdest people on the planet.