Christian Walker is a silly and ignorant young man. But, of course, we shouldn’t be surprised about this because he’s also Herschel Walker’s son, a very silly and very ignorant old man. And like most silly and ignorant people, young Christian and old Herschel like shouting their silliness and ignorance on as large a platform as possible to members of their silly and ignorant Trump tribe. Let me explain.
Over the weekend, Christian made news when he decided to visit a local gas station and post a video rant about how much it cost to fill his car. He railed against President Joe Biden, blaming him for the gas prices and said that the cost of gas was “divisive to his bank account and his hard-earned money.”
The total for filling up his 20-gallon vehicle was $98, and he claimed that Americans “were paying thirty dollars for gas under my guy,” meaning Donald Trump. Did I mention that this rant occurred while he wore a black $1,300 Givenchy hoodie? Of course, he did. And, of course, everything he said was a lie, just like everything “his guy” says.
As a UCLA student, one of the top public schools in the country (and my alma mater, by the way), Christian should know that presidents, whether Biden or “his guy,” have minimal effect on gas prices. Gas prices center the market forces of supply and demand. If presidents could affect gas prices, the average cost per gallon would be approximately 10 cents.
But Christian didn’t stop there. As a less-than-an-astute observer of gas and energy, Christian said it would have taken only $30—thirty dollars!—to fill up his 20-gallon tank under Trump. Pretty extraordinary claim as that would have made gas at $1.50 per gallon. The last time gas was $1.50 per gallon? According to energy.gov, the last time gas prices were that low was during the George W. Bush presidency in 2003.
So, of course, young Christian was lying. He’s a Trump supporter, just like his father, and lying is the feature, not the flaw in the design. It’s a perverse version of performance art, where faux outrage is done for clicks and giggles, regardless of the truth. But, it’s also a fact that we wouldn’t know Christian from any other empty-headed political commentator if not for his very dangerous father, Herschel.
Herschel is a University of Georgia football legend, winning the Heisman trophy in 1982. In addition, he’s a Dallas Cowboy legend, albeit not for anything he did on the field as a Cowboy, but for having been traded to the Minnesota Vikings from the Cowboys, which allowed the Cowboys to create a Super Bowl dynasty from the draft picks they received in the trade.
But now, Herschel has entered the political field in Georgia and is running for the U.S. Senate to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022. Herschel turned into an ardent anti-Black Trumper, who denounced the Black Lives Matter protests in the NFL as being “Marxist,” while decrying that there shouldn’t be politics in sports. And speaking at a Trump rally in support of his Senate race, Politico reports that Herschel told a cheering Georgia crowd, “Don’t let the left fool you with this racism thing.”
Herschel allegedly has a history of violence against women, including claims made by his ex-wife Cindy Grossman. Grossman obtained a protective order from a judge in reporting by the Associated Press when Herschel allegedly said, “I’m going to blow your f’ing brains out.”
Herschel has been open about the fact that he has either been violent, or has threatened violence, against others in the past, recounting the incidents in his 2008 book, Breaking Free. He frames these violent tendencies as being lessons that were responsible for his redemptive turn toward Christianity. And yet, it appears that Herschel failed to read all of the commandments in the Bible.
According to the Associated Press, Herschel lied about the size of his business, claiming that “…his company employed hundreds of people, included a chicken processing division in Arkansas and grossed $70 million to $80 million annually in sales.” Real facts? His company reported only eight employees on their PPP federal loan application.
All of this makes Herschel the perfect negro for Trump voters, and probably why Herschel decided to run for Senate in the state of Georgia. Misogynist? Check. Exaggerate the size of your business? Check. Hell, Herschel was even Trump’s prize employee as a defunct USFL New Jersey Generals football player.
This is performance art, everyone. Herschel’s performance art is just as silly and ignorant as his son Christian’s but is more critical for the people of Georgia to stop to prevent Herschel from doing actual harm.
We point and laugh at the social media footnote that is Christian Walker, and I encourage you to do so. He’ll enjoy the attention, and we’ll enjoy the mockery. It’s a win-win. But never forget that his father, Herschel, is the real threat.
Herschel is the one who’ll gladly bend his Black head to white supremacy and will enthusiastically work to disenfranchise Black people. Herschel’s silliness and ignorance can cause real harm, while Christian is just an empty vessel wearing an overpriced hoodie. Remember that during the laughs and next year’s election in Georgia.
Correction, 8:56 p.m. 12/14/21: An early version of this story featured an incorrect gas price. The story has been updated.
Lawrence Ross is the author of seven books, including “The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities,” and “Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses.” He’s also the owner of 365ALLY.com, a new marketplace that centers marginalized communities.
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