August 31, 2012
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Post-Racial Age?
To everyone who says that since we elected a black president that racism is dead, I present you with this:
Do you think this is racially motivated?
To everyone who says that since we elected a black president that racism is dead, I present you with this:
Comments (23)
I just don’t understand.
They admitted Condi to Augusta.
I don’t like Obama but that’s bad… *sigh*
http://www.facebook.com/CommonSenseClub not surprisingly, no common sense
http://www.amirsahib.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/nigga-white-house.jpg
Sickening.
I see a lot of this, and it is always depressing. At one time the internet was mainly the domain of the well-educated. Now it seems to attract the simpletons.
Why the lynching? There are so many ways to illustrate Obama being gone using the iconic picture (e.g., bullet to the head, “x” through his face, etc.) but they had to choose the most racially provocative means of conveying their feelings. They’re either racists or supreme morons.
There is more latent racism in the right wring than any time I can remember. Sadly, I wasn’t surprised at all when I read that attendees at the RNC Convention threw peanuts at a black camerawoman while screaming “This is how we feed the animals!” Link. The conservative response has been pretty predictable: “we aren’t racist because we let black people participate in the convention!” or “well, other people (we will assume they were liberal) are also racist!” or “well, there were a lot of Ron Paul supporters there, so it had to be them.”
At this point, I have just accepted that colorblind racism will remain prevalent on the right for the foreseeable future. Unless people literally lynch black people while calling them a “nigger” and hurling pigs feet at them, racism doesn’t exist. It’s become another unimpeachable conservative truth, along with other falsities like Obama is a socialist, Ronald Reagan never raised taxes, or evolution isn’t science. Since they approach the reasoning process backwards (adopt conclusion first) and aren’t concerned with facts, there’s really no way to change their minds, let alone have a reasonable discussion with them about the issues. I mean, a sizable number of conservatives who read this post will inevitably think, “Oh, great, a race-baiting racist. There is nothing racist about this picture. You’re the real racist for insinuating it’s racist.”
That is just terrible.
We can’t say if the person who made it would lynch all black people, it could be a case of “lets do the politically incorrect thing to upset the annoyingly moralizing liberals and to gain attention”. At very least it’s someone being blatantly ignorant and respectless. That any racist will love it should be clear.
Disturbing… not sure if its racial at all – but disturbing nonetheless.
Did I mention this is
disturbing?
Yet, burning effigies of Bush or hanging Bush dummies from Halloween trees was “okay”? Is this racist, I don’t know. At the very least it is ignorant of why this would be a sensitive issue for people. I mean, there are people who don’t know history out there and are clueless that lynching was a real issue for black people and the reminder of it hurts people. Though if I were to place a bet, I’d bet a racist asshole did this knowing its implications full well.
Because only black people were hanged?
Saying, “Woo! First black president!” only shows how far we have to go.
As a side note, I don’t think he’s done a good job in terms of reducing racism. His “hand-out happiness” kind of serves to promote the stereotype, it seems.
@TiredSoVeryTired - Nobody has ever said burning effigies of Bush was “okay.” Not in this post, not in this comment section, not anywhere. Everyone from Anderson Cooper to Bill Maher to Rachel Maddow spoke out against that behavior. On the other hand, no prominent conservative politicians or pundits openly admit that there is racial problem with a significant faction of the GOP (besides the quasi-conservatives like Andrew Sullivan). That’s the distinguishing factor between burning Bush effigies and making references with overtly racist overtones — there’s not indication that the conservative establishment admits this behavior occurs or has an issue with it.
This is all irrelevant, by the way. The “you did it too!” ruse is getting mighty old with conservatives trying to distance themselves from Bush’s horrific economic legacy, Ron Paul’s insane followers, the overtly racist faction of their party, etc. No denial tactic will change the political reality that the Republican party is incredibly agitated and angry right now, which has directly contributed to its racist faction becoming very inflamed and vocal.
@UTRow1 - Actually, I know a lot of people who thought burning Bushes was “okay” because he “killed” a lot of people. Here on Xanga, I don’t know I wasn’t on Xanga back then. There was a case of burning and/or hanging Bush one Halloween where the people were interviewed on television and were rather proud of themselves for doing it. My point was not to diminish the racial overtones of the piece but simply to suggest that we shouldn’t rush to hasty conclusions. Like I said, I would bet it was a racist jerk who did it. So, I’m not denying anything when it comes to racism.
Point Blank: Racism occurs more frequently than Republicans think and less often than Democrats think.
Point Blank: Burning/hanging/tar&feathering… etc. etc. real people is outright rude and disgusting, whether they are President or not…. it is already showing the creator has no respect. And in this case, probably is racist too.
1. It’s not ok.
2. It’s not illegal.
3. It’s not racist.
@TiredSoVeryTired - I think it’s kinda sad that you didn’t take issue with my claims about the Republican establishment and conservative pundits.
Of course, sadly, they’re true. It’s not coincidence that the far-right is so inflamed right now, hording guns and ammo at record pace as if another civil war is coming, alleging Obama is a secret Muslim, alleging Obama is a Kenyan, etc. without having any evidence or reason to support those behaviors.
And no offense, but as a white person, I am not sure you are capable of being an arbiter of racism in this country. The real bottom line is that the vast majority of hispanics, muslims, african americans, and other minorities report experiencing consistent, frequent racism in this country in every major study examining the issue. Less than 50 years ago, it was illegal for mixed race couples to get married. Currently, it’s irrefutable based on sociological studies that minority-majority communities have worse schools, get paid less money for doing the same jobs, and are the targets of the vast majority of race/religion-related crimes. It’s also hard to believe that racism isn’t a serious problem with shit like the voter ID laws being enacted by Republican state legislators and governors right before election season with the clear, express intent to inhibit minorities from voting; 34% of conservative Republicans believe Obama is a secret Muslim for almost entirely racial reasons; etc.
Many minorities believe racism remains a serious problem in this country, and a major component of right-wing politics, because they clearly are.
@UTRow1 - I don’t know anything about conservative pundits, but I’m quite sure racist people exist all over the country in both parties.
Well, no offense, but I’m pretty damn sure that since I have three half-Mexican children and was married to a dark skinned Mexican man that I am quite aware of racism in this country, in ways that other people won’t get. I’m not denying there isn’t still an issue with racism at all, I see it happen to my children on occasion. Whatever reasons some Republicans want voter ID laws, I agree with them. I don’t need to show my ID to vote and I probably should have to prove that I am who I claim to be when I show up to vote… or else I could drive around from place to place voting up a storm as other people. Which probably wouldn’t affect the election results, but it sure would screw shit up for those real people if they went to vote. I don’t think that’s ever happened, of course, but we should have to prove who we are to vote.
It’s not my fault that there are idiots in the world who still think Obama wasn’t born in Hawaii and practices Islam. He was born to an American mother, that makes him American. So, what if his family in Africa is or isn’t Muslim, it is not wrong to be Muslim. I find these arguments hold as much water as all the Democrats who firmly believed Bush invaded Iraq cuz Saddam Hussein threatened to kill his dad. This is just the bullshit idiots believe and it is not a Republican vice only.
Yes, it is clear that there is racism still in America and there are still problems with it. I never denied it. But as the younger generations get older it is clear that they lack a proper education on some historical facts. It is obvious, since I’ve seen it with my own children, that racism is a problem… but my point remains that it happens more than Republicans think and less often than Democrats think.
@TiredSoVeryTired - [Well, no offense, but I'm pretty damn sure that since I have three half-Mexican children and was married to a dark skinned Mexican man that I am quite aware of racism in this country, in ways that other people won't get.]
It’s quite different being one for your entire life. You may have more insight than a Southern white person who has never met a black person before, but you still have rather limited, indirect experience compared to people like me, who grew up in the deep South as a minority member and dealt daily with unabashed racists (including a group of kids who thought it was funny to put watermelon in my basketball shorts before games, replaced the word “black” with “monkey” in several of my textbooks, etc.)
[Whatever reasons some Republicans want voter ID laws, I agree with them. I don't need to show my ID to vote and I probably should have to prove that I am who I claim to be when I show up to vote... or else I could drive around from place to place voting up a storm as other people.]
(1) That’s not how voting works. You can’t simply turn up and pretend to be someone and vote. The voter registration process makes large scale voter fraud impossible, which is why there is no evidence it has occurred in modern America. None.
(2) There’s no reason speculate as to why these laws were passed. They are being consistently overturned by courts because they are explicitly discriminatory and designed to prevent students, the elderly, the poor, and minorities from voting because they tend to vote Democratic. The courts have consistently pointed this out, including the recent Texas decision discussed in my earlier link.
What’s absolutely obvious is that these laws were not created to address meaningful voter fraud. Indiana, as well as other states passing laws that restrict voting, couldn’t produce evidence that a single case of voting fraud had occurred before passing its bill. Similarly, as a recent link in a GL post described, Pennsylvania’s governor explicitly stated that the voter ID laws he helped to enact was designed to help Romney win the general election. Again, it’s not coincidence that these laws are all being overturned by federal courts for discriminatory intent and discriminatory impact in violation of the Constitution.
The conservatives concerned about voting fraud would be pushing to reform the absentee voting system (where fraud is 50 times more likely) rather than pursuing solutions to non-existent problems suspiciously close to election season. They don’t, however, because that reform would disproporationately hurt Republican candidates.
[It's not my fault that there are idiots in the world who still think Obama wasn't born in Hawaii and practices Islam. . .]
I’m not saying it’s your fault. I just wanted to point out that racism remains a major motivating factor among conservative Republicans. The proponents of these views are not nominal in number or influence, they account for 20-30% of the Republican party depending on the survey. The “racism exists everywhere” and “racism isn’t as bad as some people think” arguments fail to reflect these troubling truths.
@UTRow1 - True, I cannot know what it feels like to be a minority, but still try again… I went to elementary school in the 70s and 80s down in Tennessee when the south was still very openly racist. I got called names in school because I didn’t even know racism existed and I defended my black friend who was later pulled out of school when the KKK showed up with torches and forced the family to move out of the all white community. Do not presume to understand or know what I’ve seen with my own eyes. True, I cannot feel one thing inside of me about myself when someone makes a racist comment about Mexicans, but be sure my heart dies inside for my children and there’s no way for me somebody saying something about me could be worse (though I concede it could be if I had grown up that way.)
I don’t agree with any voting laws which restrict people in order to limit Democratic voting. That’s insane, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have to show ID to vote. You need some form of ID in this country and I don’t even think a state issued non-license ID costs much if any money. I should have to prove who I am to vote, I stand by that and it has nothing to do with keeping anyone from voting, just making sure nobody votes for somebody else. There are indeed many ways that is possible where I live. All I have to do is know a person’s name, their address, where they vote and that they haven’t voted before I get there… completely possible if it is not logical for somebody to do. I don’t think laws requiring people to show ID will stop widespread fraud, in fact I’m not sure that kind of fraud even exists… but when it comes to something as important as voting… nobody else should have a chance to vote for me ever.
I don’t think it matters if Republicans have more racists than Democrats, because the problem is that either side has them. The numbers probably aren’t accurate. I live in Southern California and I don’t know many racist people at all, Democrat or Republican. I see what you are saying, but in practice I think some people see more than there is. Like I have pointed out, to me requiring ID to vote is a great idea… never did restricting anybody’s vote came to my mind, I am actually thinking of making sure everybody’s vote does count, so to assume my support has racial overtones is stupid. Let’s also look at illegal immigration, I don’t support any of that at all and part of that is based on the stories of Mexicans I know, it’s not a racist view in the least. I once said that all immigrants should learn to speak English and some Democrat told me the only Mexican I knew was my gardener… I was horrified and shocked because to me that statement was very racist (my husband at the time was Mexican and my gardener was Vietnamese). Racism comes in all forms in this country and Republicans may have the lock on what is spoken out loud bluntly, but the Democrats aren’t guiltless.
Now as to this original picture let me explain… the younger generations these days seem more and more clueless as we move further and further from the 1960s. My children for one do not know anything about lynching. They have no idea that was a major issue in American history so if they were to draw something like this it wouldn’t be racist for them. (They’d be trouble and I’d explain why they were in really big trouble). But my point is that, no American President should be drawn or treated this way. It is a lack of respect for who the American people voted in. Yes, it is horrible that in addition the idiot who did this is probably also racist, but the possibility exists that they are just ignorant and we might need to be doing a better job of educating kids.
And I’m really truly sorry that kids were idiots towards you. That is truly wrong and the adults around you should have stopped it.
it’s a sad sad world we live in. to think we have surpassed such phase of way of thinking in this day and age.
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