The perpetually unhinged Andrew Sullivan is entering a few new "code words" into the lexicon of racism today. Apparently it is now RAAAAACIST to call anyone a "juvenile delinquent" or to use the word "graffiti" or "gang." The gang at the coffee pot this morning will be interested in learning they are now part of a racist conspiracy.
Sullivan's defense will likely be that it's the "context," so please, what's "racist" about saying "Obama and his gang"? Are we so politically correct now that we must say "Obama and his appointed Cabinet members, czars and advisers" when we refer to those people in Washington who are dismantling America as we know it? This pushes the "racism" canard a little too far methinks.
Is this picture "racist" to you? Sullivan thinks so.
(H/T: Memeorandum)
15 comments:
The thing about this kind of lunacy is that it's so over. Over. They can't rile anyone up anymore (except each other, and that's not hard to do anyway). They can't silence us or marginalize us anymore with that crap. It's just useless, pointless, ridiculous nonsense now. As it should have been all along, but we all fell into it somehow (myself included).
Be turrrified of the Liberals, they hate America, kick your dog and hate their own mother's. Demonizing the opposition (it works both ways) doesn't help anyone or anything. This country is pretty evenly split, left and right. If you demonize the other side, you demonize half of America. If you demonize half of the country (left or right), you are part of the problem and not the solution. Let's build instead of tearing down.
Both sides, left and right, do the same thing; they find the most far out example of the extremes and paint the whole group like that.
If that picture offensive to me? I am guessing it was a conservative who made this. If it was a liberal I'm disappointed. I love our country, the good, bad and ugly of it.
Knowing the history of this monument, there is an element of race connected to it. It's a powerful image of some amazing leaders of this country, but if you know this history of this monument and the Native Americans, it rubs me the wrong way. Before you attack or insult me, read up on 1868's Fort Laramie Treaty with the Lakota.
Andrew who? Never heard of him.
Whoa, I just checked the link.
You asked what is offensive about this?
Is it English you teach? I read the same thing and saw something totally different.
"Juvenile Delinquent"- I understand hyperbole, both sides use it. I know a lot of the Tea Partiers don't believe Obama is not a citizen, but are you guys saying he isn't over 18? He is beginning to gray. I think the key word here is "delinquent" inferring "criminal". When you guys supported Bush, you didn't like hearing him referred to as a "war criminal" did you?
"Gang"- Obama and his gang is not racist. If it was on a poster with Obama and his people photoshopped on the cast of Boyz in the Hood and read "OBAMA and his GANG", that would be racist. I saw a sign with Obama's head photoshopped on a witchdoctor's body with Obamacare at the bottom, it's like that. Hopefully you can understand why that is offensive. Can you tell me how this is not a valid analogy?
It is amazing how you guys are so sensitive to any slight against conservatives, but have no problem being nasty as you wanna be to your opposition.
I personally try to be consistent. I hold the left and right to the same standards. I've defended Pat against fellow liberals in the comments here.
I mentioned my problem with the history of Mount Rushmore, but seriously it is offensive to photoshop anything on our nation's monuments. It is likely one of your guys who did this, so that makes it ok, right?
I can understand peoples' frustration over negative comments that are made about those who are progressive or liberals. With that said the venom spewed by the left about those on the right year after year after year has been vicious and way over the top.
I for one am tired of being called a racist whenever I disagree with Obama. Or even being called a Dog that only understand gestures and inflections of voice (ala Bill Maher and Fatass Moore) because Democrats were turned out to pasture, because well over half of America didn't agree with them.
How about Obama, when he and Republican congressional leaders discussing the merits of the stimulus package, telling Republican leaders "I won." and wouldn't even consider compromises or ideas from those on the right? Wow! That's being a leader of everyone in the country. Denying the representation of those in this country who elected the Republicans who Obama told to stick it.
For the past four years, and the last two years in particular, the Democrats (who are elected to represent ALL people of the nation) basically told half the country to SHOVE IT!
Well, we aren't taking this shit anymore and the proof came November 2, 2010.
When Bush won the 2004 election, I heard and saw him claim to have a "mandate" when the difference in votes was 2.4%. That was not far from what Obama did.
I don't know if you were born and raised in Shreveport, but I recall what my mama said. I was raised old school. "If _____ does _____, it doesn't mean it's okay for you to do it too." For those of you that are parents, I'm sure you've said something similar.
I don't know how many people are hyper-sensitive about being called a racist. I am a liberal, I don't think simply disagreeing with Obama makes you racist. I spent 30 years in Louisiana, all but 2 in Shreveport. I live in Austin now. I know lots of liberals. Never have I ever heard someone get called a racist just for disagreeing with Obama. If just said something racist right before, or you are bringing race into why you disagree with Obama, then you might be a racist.
I use to feel the same way about Bush as you guys feel about Obama. A lot of it sounds the same with the names changed. It kind of hit me one day, Bush didn't hate America. Bush wasn't wiping with the constitution, Bush wasn't a fascist. Even tho I disagreed with him on almost everything, I believe his intentions were honorable. I feel the same way about Obama. Left, Right, Center, whatever, we face the same problems in this country. We have different solutions. More people voted for Obama and his solutions than voted for McCain and his solutions. I want what's best for this country. I'm a liberal, but I'm an American first.
Sounds like a job for Jeff Foxworthy.
We are all racist--we have no choice as we are all part of a race. We all belong to a tribe.
My race is the human race. That said, however, I am caucasian, and I see and think everything as a white man. My social mind functions from the knowledge that I am not the same as a black man or a red man etc., good bad right wrong or indifferent.
I have learned to quit fooling myself about it/feeling guilty about it. I have yet to meet another human who is socially color blind.
Think we have problems now? Wait until we have other-worlders in the mix. When we do, it will all be different. We'll be adding a new form of racism. We ain't seen nothing yet.
Only some of us are all God's children.
@ Anon 9:32am 11/17/10
Um, exactly how does the "if you voted for Obama cause he is black then you are also a racist" theory work?
Racism implies a belief in an inferiority of one race to the superiority of another. So you're saying that if somebody voted for Obama because he is 1/2 Kenyan means that person believes that whites are inferior? Gee, that seems like bit of a jump if you ask me...
Voting for Obama to assuage white guilt (only one of many reasons for "voted for Obama cause he is black"-- all of them stupid by the way) doesn't necessarily mean you believe in the inferiority of whites.
But hey, let's just throw about accusations of racism because Obama and the Left are doing it too. I mean that makes sense... Right?
@ Jazz One:
You wrote: "This country is pretty evenly split, left and right. If you demonize the other side, you demonize half of America."
Nonsense.
Gallup polls show that people who self-identify as conservative have recently become the majority (40%), surpassing those who self-identify as moderate (35%), while those who self-identify as liberal have consistently hovered around the 20% mark for decades. Prior to this, conservatives always polled ~20% higher to liberals in corresponding years. How is this a "pretty evenly split" demographic?
http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx The link is to a poll from 2009 but shows the numbers going back to 1992-- and I doubt that the recent election demonstrates a dramatic increase in the number of liberals in the US.
I'm not for demonizing anybody-- Left, Right, whatever-- however predicating your "plea for tolerance" with some patently false blanket statement (is it really your own?) about the country split evenly between Left and Right brings into question your viewpoint and motives.
Your last comment (11/17 8:18 pm)is especially amusing. Gosh, where have I heard that before? Why it reminds me of what the Democrats are running about saying now-- after being smeared in the election. "We all just want what's best for our country. We're Americans first. I've never even HEARD of somebody calling the opposition racist." Do you have any personal stories about how ObamaCare has helped a specific person? LOL.
Maybe you're genuine and are only coincidentally parroting the DNC and Media Matters playbook. It's certainly possible.
Well, I guess if none of your friends have ever accused Obama critics of being racist, it must not ever happen...
You wrote: "Never have I ever heard someone get called a racist just for disagreeing with Obama."
So you don't remember Pelosi accusing unhappy people showing up to their House Rep meetings of being nazis? You don't remember the multitude of times that the media has accused the Tea Party of being racist? You've never heard of Chris Mathews' apocalyptic documentary on the rise of the Right on MSNBC (that one scared my mother-in-law --an admitedly excitable woman-- so much that she called my wife and I that night to warn us to watch out for those Tea Partiers... LOL)? In fact, you don't remember the NAACP declaring that the Tea Party was racist (not long after having a rally in support of Kenneth Gladney's accused attackers-- you know Gladney was a guy "not working for his people" according to NAACP guest speaker Baruti by selling flags to Tea Party people in between selling Obama t-shirts at Obama rallies)? Okaaayyy....
The tolerance on the Left is underwhelming.
Pat, I've been having trouble posting this comment. If it went through before, please don't post it twice. Sorry about that.
@Yukio, don't forget when that shrew Garasnufflepagus screeched that people who oppose BO are racists, that it's "straight-up racism" to dare to disagree. Unsurprisingly, Rev. Wright also said that. Probably a few more, but I can't think of more right now to add to yours. I'm sure a quick scan of HuffPo starting in the summer of '09 will reveal many instances. Kos probably has some up right this second.
First of all polls and statistics say what you want them to. Even if those numbers are accurate, if 40% claim to be conservatives, then 60% of the country doesn't claim to identify with conservatism. People agree with polls that back up how they feel and dismiss the ones they disagree with. Since we are mainly discussing the president, let's examine the popular vote and percentages of the last four presidential elections. These are more "hard" numbers rather than the "soft" numbers of polls. I think ballots trump polls.
Obama v McCain in '08, popular vote 69,456,897 to 59,934,814, That is 52.9% to 45.7%.
Bush v Kerry in '04, 62,040,610 to 59,028,444 that is 50.7% to 48.3%.
Bush v Gore in '00, 50,456,002 to 50,999,897 that is 47.9% to 48.4%.
Clinton v Dole v Perot in '96, 47,401,185 to 39,197,469 to 8,085,294, that is 49.2% to 40.7% and 8.4%. Let's be honest Perot was your Nader. If you add Dole and Perot's percentages, you have 49.1.
Except for the 7.2% difference in this last election, it seems close to 50-50 (give or take 2-3%).
I was watching football here before the recent election, nearly every commercial used "liberal" as a pejorative. You get a lot of lefties who identify with "progressive" or "independent" and not "liberal". I'm not saying all "independents" are liberals but I'd bet there is large percentage that lean left.
I've been talking respect for your opposition for a long time. I was just like the liberal version of you guys for a long time. Then it hit me, that does nothing to help anything. This epiphany came during the second Bush term.
"Genuine" is usually the first word anyone that knows me uses when describing me. The last time I've been provoked to fisticuffs was with someone who impugned my integrity. I take my integrity very seriously.
1)
First of all polls and statistics say what you want them to. Even if those numbers are accurate, if 40% claim to be conservatives, then 60% of the country doesn't claim to identify with conservatism. People agree with polls that back up how they feel and dismiss the ones they disagree with. Since we are mainly discussing the president, let's examine the popular vote and percentages of the last four presidential elections. These are more "hard" numbers rather than the "soft" numbers of polls. I think ballots trump polls.
Obama v McCain in '08, popular vote 69,456,897 to 59,934,814, That is 52.9% to 45.7%.
Bush v Kerry in '04, 62,040,610 to 59,028,444 that is 50.7% to 48.3%.
Bush v Gore in '00, 50,456,002 to 50,999,897 that is 47.9% to 48.4%.
Clinton v Dole v Perot in '96, 47,401,185 to 39,197,469 to 8,085,294, that is 49.2% to 40.7% and 8.4%. Let's be honest Perot was your Nader. If you add Dole and Perot's percentages, you have 49.1.
2)
Except for the 7.2% difference in this last election, it seems close to 50-50 (give or take 2-3%).
I was watching football here before the recent election, nearly every commercial used "liberal" as a pejorative. You get a lot of lefties who identify with "progressive" or "independent" and not "liberal". I'm not saying all "independents" are liberals but I'd bet there is large percentage that lean left.
I've been talking respect for your opposition for a long time. I was just like the liberal version of you guys for a long time. Then it hit me, that does nothing to help anything. This epiphany came during the second Bush term.
"Genuine" is usually the first word anyone that knows me uses when describing me. The last time I've been provoked to fisticuffs was with someone who impugned my integrity. I take my integrity very seriously.
I enjoyed reading these comments. I know some gay bloggers that won't even link Sullivan any longer because he really is unhinged.
Jazz, I have to agree with you on a few things you wrote. But, surely you have heard/read barbs from the left leveling charges of racism just because one disagrees with Obama.
Surely you have. Surely you have.
If you have not...well, trust me, they are out there, all over the news channels, and even on the networks.
Really! Really, they are.
Congressmen/Senators/Pundits/and TeeVee talk show hosts have leveled those charges.
Really! Really they have.
I'm glad you haven't had to hear it personally in Austin from anyone you know. Good for all involved! Stick with those folks as friends. Seems that they are not unhinged, and are decent folk.
In fact, I viewed myself as an objective, sane, rational viewer of events until recently. But it is clear that I SO oppose damn near everything Obama has done since occupying the Oval Office that I really am a racist. I must be. I mean, he's half black, so 100% of what he does MUST be wrong.
See, there's the difference. I only think that half of what Dubya did was wrong...because he's really white.
See, it's simple math.
@ Jazz One
First of all, polls do not say what I want them to say. If they did Obama would currently have an approval rating of 11%. If you want to deny what the Gallup poll says (and has said for over 20 years), fine. Keep hiding from reality behind your convenient suppositions. Pelosi and Obama do it all the time. But the numbers are real. Check them out yourself.
You wrote: "Even if those numbers are accurate, if 40% claim to be conservatives, then 60% of the country doesn't claim to identify with conservatism."
Yes. And by your own reasoning 80% of the country doesn't claim to identify with liberalism. Probably even more after the last two years. It is not a fifty-fifty split. This country is center-right. Deny it if you wish to, but your wishes have no effect on reality.
Presidential elections are a very poor indicator of how people feel politically. You are attempting to distill something as complicated as political philosophy into a single choice between two specific individuals with personalities, political baggage, charisma (or not), and media spin. Plenty of conservatives did not vote for Bush because they did not like him personally or they disagreed with his positions. Does this make these voters not conservative? According to their vote (and you), yes.
Presidential elections are a specific event, based around personalities, image, popularity, etc. I know plenty of people (Dems and GOP) who voted for Obama because they were taken in by the lure of his presentation of being the answer to all our problems. They are not liberal by the modern standards and will not vote for him again, but they voted for him in 2008 and they are now counted by you as part of the mythical 50%.
This does not even touch on such issues as outdated party loyalty and other political considerations.
You wrote: "The last time I've been provoked to fisticuffs was with someone who impugned my integrity. I take my integrity very seriously."
Ooo. Why that almost sounds like a threat... LMAO. I'm shaking in my boots. Fisticuffs? By Marquess of Queensberry Rules no doubt. LOL.
I suppose you can take your integrity very seriously while dropping pre-packaged DNC/Media Matters/HuffPo talking points/cliches. Perhaps you really believe it. Doesn't matter. I'm still going to find all of them very funny.
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