This past weekend, California Democrats in Orange County asked for the county’s John Wayne Airport to be renamed over “racist and bigoted statements” made by the Western legend more than four decades ago. It was another attempt by the social media mob to defame and delegitimize a historical figure, this time a late cinematic legend who has very much become a controversial figure in the recent age of social media mobs.
In a released statement [via Fox], Wayne’s 58-year-old son Ethan tried to defend his dad by saying: "Let me make one thing clear -- John Wayne was not a racist. I know that term is casually tossed around these days, but I take it very seriously. I also understand how we got to this point.”
The anti-Wayne sentiment started more than a year ago, when a 1971 interview Wayne gave to Playboy Magazine resurfaced. Ethan says that the interview has been misinterpreted and that his dad wasn’t a racist.
"There is no question that the words spoken by John Wayne in an interview 50 years ago have caused pain and anger. They pained him as well, as he realized his true feelings were wrongly conveyed."
In the Playboy interview, Wayne was quoted saying, “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.” He also said he felt no remorse for the subjugation of Native Americans and called movies such as “Easy Rider” and “Midnight Cowboy” perverted.
Ethan then went on to state that his dad was no “white supremacist”: "The truth is, as we have seen in papers from his archives, he did not support 'white supremacy' in any way and believed that responsible people should gain power without the use of violence.
"Those who knew him, knew he judged everyone as an individual and believed everyone deserved an equal opportunity," Ethan added. "He called out bigotry when he saw it. He hired and worked with people of all races, creeds, and sexual orientations. John Wayne stood for the very best for all of us -- a society that doesn’t discriminate against anyone seeking the American dream."
Regardless, the social justice warriors going after Wayne’s legacy will be very hard to stop. Last year, we already had an L.A. Times writer calling for Wayne’s name to be stripped off of Orange County Airport, then USC students wanted a USC School of Cinematic Arts Wayne exhibit canceled.
The movie, due to release in 2027, is described as “a haunting Western thriller that follows a retired U.S. Marshal whose forty-year search for his wife’s killer leads him to an outlaw losing his memory.