It is reasonable to criticize Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey for doing a skit in blackface in college. It’s also reasonable, given that this happened half a century ago, to neither belabor the criticism nor demand her resignation.

Some racial offenses merit commonsense statutes of limitations, especially when taking into account the severity (or lack thereof) of the offense, the youth of the offender, the cultural milieu at the time, and, of course, the subsequent half-century of behavior of the individual involved. If someone is to be adjudged harshly 52 years later for an offensive-but-common practice in Alabama sororities in the 1960s without any consideration of these other factors, then we as a society have eliminated all appreciation for, and encouragement of, personal maturation, character development, and redemption.