> Did I ever rape anyone? Was I in the KKK? Did I ever wear blackface?
I think this is a gross oversimplification. Let me modernize the questions for the current era (since the alleged infractions were decades ago):
1. Have I ever touch someone romantically in any way without asking for explicit permission and receiving explicit approval?
This is the alleged “standard” these days, although I think that it is only strictly adhered to in one very narrow social group. Overall, “feeling safe” and “respect” seems to be more common than it was many decades ago, but those are still a far cry from explicit consent at every step that some folks use as a “standard”.
So if a potential politician cannot answer yes to this, then they leave themselves to being accused of being a rapist and/or sexual predator.
2. Am I in a social group that has a racial mix that does not approximate the local ratios (esp. if white)?
California, where I live, is taking stances on equality that focus on outcomes more than opportunities.
An unfortunate byproduct of this is that a group that is open to all groups, has members of at least all major groups, and has no policy or pattern of discrimination can still be called racist if their racial ratios are not at a certain level.
This basically means that most private clubs are “racist” by this definition.
Moose, Rotary, Chambers of Commerce, golf clubs, fraternities and sororities, American Legion branches, Masons (even Prince Hall), etc. are all organizations that have active members now that could be deemed “racist” if “racism” is defined as equality of outcome (as it is currently in CA K-12 education).
Any potential policitian who is a member of one of these groups runs the risk of being called a racist.
3. Have I ever worn a costume of a character that is not my race?
Moana, Mulan, Tiana, Jasmine, Pocahontas, are some Disney characters that are potentially out of bounds.
Luke Cage, Blue Marvel, Storm, Blade, Misty Knight, Black Panther, and Moon Girl are Marvel characters that are potentially out of bounds.
Any potential politician has to make sure that they have not worn any of these sorts of costumes, since at some point they may be accused of being racist or engaging in cultural appropriation.
Times change, people make mistakes, people grow… we need to allow space for this, especially when a questionable action was not done with malicious intent.