The Brief: Jason Spencer is a Georgia lawmaker, who most recently came into the spotlight from his appearance on the Showtime original show by Sacha Baron Cohen, "Who Is America?" for dropping his pants, and shouting the N-word.
DEEP DIVE
Jason Spencer is a Georgia lawmaker, who most recently came into the spotlight from his appearance on the Showtime original show by Sacha Baron Cohen, “Who Is America?” for dropping his pants, and shouting the N-word.
Since his segment on the show appeared, public outrage at his reprehensible behavior has called for his immediate resignation. According to CBS, Spencer has refused to resign, at least for now. Spencer had been punked into believing that the character Cohen played was an anti-terrorism combat specialist, devising and demonstrating tactics to thwart the immediate danger of being confronted by a member of ISIS through a kidnapping attempt.
Jason Spencer has been a controversial figure long before his appearance. On two separate occasions, he attempted to impose a ban on burqas, as well as threaten a black attorney who was in full opposition of Confederate monuments. After this latest fiasco, few believe Spencer will fall out of headlines, even with his decline in popularity and approval by United States governors and legislators.
The actions and language used by Jason Spencer are appalling and offensive. There is no excuse for this type of behavior, ever, and I am saddened and disgusted by it.
— Governor Nathan Deal (@GovernorDeal) July 23, 2018
Most notably, Spencer’s irreparable behavior came from an initiation by Cohen’s character.
“In America there is one forbidden word,” Cohen’s character said. “It is the N-word.”
After Spencer spoke the profanity aloud, Cohen’s character responded with “Are you crazy? The ‘n-word’ is noonie! Not this word. This word is disgusting.” A simple response of, “Got it” by Spencer showed no remorse or disgust for what he had just said.
Spencer issued an apology, stating that “I deeply regret the language I used at (Cohen’s) request as well as my participation in the ‘class’ in general. If I had not been so distracted by my fears, I never would have agreed to participate in the first place. I apologize to my family, friends, and the people of my district for this ridiculously ugly episode.” His full apology can be seen by this article from The Washington Post.