An award in the name of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was somehow bestowed upon Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk. After backlash, the foundation has canceled the ceremony but not the awards.
Other than Donald Trump, it’s hard for me to think of two people Jewish Ruth Bader Ginsburg would have detested more than extremism and anti-Semitic purveyors and pals, Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk. Nevertheless, they were recipients of an award Bader Ginsburg established for “women who exemplify human qualities of empathy and humility," The New York Times reported.
Not surprisingly, RBG’s family denounced the awards. Son James S. Ginsburg called the decision a “desecration of my mother’s memory,” The New York Times reported.
“The last thing we intended was to offend the family and friends of R.B.G.,” Julie Opperman, the chairwoman of Dwight D. Opperman Foundation, which awards the prize every year, said in a statement on Monday. She added: “The foundation is not interested in creating controversy. It is not interested in generating a debate about whether particular honorees are worthy or not.”
Ms. Opperman explained that the reason for including men as recipients this year was to reflect and uphold Justice Ginsburg’s “teachings regarding equality.” The foundation “did not consider politics” but focused on selecting leaders who “have made significant contributions to society,” she said.
The Times did not say whether Opperman’s nose started growing. It did report that Opperman canceled the award ceremony and that the foundation will “reconsider its mission.” But she did not say the awards would be rescinded.
It's seriously doubtful that Opperman had no idea what she was doing. My colleague at Crooks and Liars noted she’s a Trump and Republican donor. There’s little doubt she’s a Fox News fan, too. And since Fox loves Musk, she probably does, too.
Anyone who would even think about giving such an award to Murdoch or Musk belongs nowhere near it. Julie Opperman should resign. Yesterday.
(Murdoch and Musk caricatures via DonkeyHotey and Creative Commons license)