In the latest example of the cancel mob finding an instance of perceived racism where one did not exist, a three-time “Jeopardy!” winner was branded a white supremacist after he celebrated with a simple hand gesture this past week bragging that he’d won three consecutive games.
The cancel mob is so hyper-vigilant with regard to seeking things to become slighted and triggered by that it has taken an innocent gesture from “Jeopardy!” contestant Kelly Donohue and is using it to smear him as nothing short of vile.
According to the mob, the gesture was a dog whistle for “white power.”
Winning one game of the show must be tough, as not every contestant has the mind of “Jeopardy!” legend James Holzhauer. But Donohue on Monday accomplished the feat of running the table three days in a row. Tuesday, when he was announced as the returning champ, he used three fingers to celebrate the three victories.
Was Donohue’s hand gesture racist? Take a look at not only the hand gesture, but the other evidence, which was compiled by one apparent fan of the show on Twitter:
In context of previous appearances, Mr. Donohue had signaled his first and second wins with one finger and two fingers respectively pic.twitter.com/hd9UaQb6j0
— Fred ‘Just Wear a Mask’ Walsh Ⓥ (@Fred_J_Walsh) April 30, 2021
Donohue is now in the process of being canceled, with The Hollywood Reporter helping to lead the charge of what is a complete non-story. THR, which has covered his hand gesture extensively, reported that a letter signed by 467 former show contestants was published on Medium, and it demanded an apology from show producers — and from Donohue.
“Kelly made a gesture with his hand that he has since claimed was an indication that he had won three games. He had, on previous episodes, indicated with one finger and two fingers that he had won one and two games, and no reasonable person would have interpreted those gestures differently,” the letter stated.
“However, this gesture was not a clear-cut symbol for the number three. He held his thumb and forefinger together with his other three fingers extended and palm facing inward, and he tapped his chest. This, whether intentional or not, resembled very closely a gesture that has been coopted by white power groups, alt right groups, and an anti-government group that calls itself the Three Percenters,” the letter added.
The man was obviously giddy after having won his third game. That didn’t matter to the triggered collective of former “Jeopardy!” contestants. People seeking to find something to offend them will very often find it, even if it lacks any justification. The Medium post skewered Donohue, while also curiously admitting that the basis of its gripe against him was flawed.
“Regardless of his [intent], the gesture is a racist dog whistle. Some of the first people to notice this were not affiliated with ‘Jeopardy!’ in any way — they were viewers who couldn’t believe what they’d seen, captured it on video, and shared it to Twitter,” the letter continued. “Among them were people of color who, needless to say, are attuned to racist messaging and not appreciative that the show allowed this symbol to be broadcast.”
Why are leftists the only people who ever seem to hear these alleged racist dog whistles?
These racists had to have been disappointed when even the left-wing fact-checking website Snopes stepped in and stood up for the beleaguered Donohue.
❌ No, “Jeopardy” champ Kelly Donohue didn’t make the “White Power” hand gesture. https://t.co/FAlAGdfbY6 pic.twitter.com/ednOE4XtkT
— snopes.com (@snopes) April 28, 2021
“We note that in this case, Donohue wasn’t even necessarily making the ‘OK’ gesture because his palm was facing his chest and his thumb and forefinger appeared to be tucked in,” the site wrote while ruling against claims the hand gesture was a white supremacist symbol. “In context, it appeared to be nothing more than a gesture signifying his status as three-time winner, and there was never any evidence offered to the contrary.”
Donohue defended his gesture as being a simple number three, and nothing else, immediately on Facebook, The Hollywood Reporter noted. But he deleted that post following a vicious harassment campaign against him. Donohue later authored a lengthy explanation in a second Facebook post about the non-controversy controversy, but only after he was apparently backed into a corner.
I’m truly horrified with what has been posted about me on social media. I absolutely, unequivocally condemn white…
Posted by Kelly Donohue on Thursday, April 29, 2021
Donohue should have just stayed silent, as he’d done nothing wrong, and at this point, it’s conventional wisdom that you never capitulate to the mob.
People whose lives are consumed by racist ideologies generally aren’t intelligent enough to win three consecutive games of “Jeopardy!” That bit of common sense was lost on the former show contestants and others who have attempted to destroy Donohue amid what were without a doubt some of the most triumphant moments of his life.
Donohue, who committed no crime or social infraction, has been targeted for termination by the cancel mob, which still won’t let up:
@TimScottSC says America isn’t a racist country while this guy flashes the White Power Symbol on Jeopardy. #TimScott #JointAddress #Bidenspeech pic.twitter.com/GuVyLIzkKs
— Mannwell D. Glenn (@theclassixjawn) April 29, 2021
When you really think about it, the “woke” mob is a lot like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 Terminator character in that film franchise’s 1984 hit “The Terminator.”
To lift a quote from actor Michael Biehn’s character Kyle Reese in that movie, “That Terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with, it can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear and it absolutely will not stop. Ever. Until you are dead.”
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The cancel mob, too, is unrelenting, unforgiving, incapable of reason and empathy and it offers no benefit of the doubt. The mob will only stop when it’s concluded its mission, which is to destroy lives.
Sadly, the madness of cancel culture has been tolerated by polite society for so long now that it’s finally come for the TV game show intellectuals.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.