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[Politico] Has a Civil Rights Stalwart Lost Its Way?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by Os Trigonum, Mar 18, 2019.

  1. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Contributing Member
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    Having seen people citing the Southern Poverty Law Center to make some points in arguments in other threads, and not wanting to participate in those arguments myself, I figured this was worth its own thread.

    One problem with SPLC is that over time the organization seems to have drifted from its original focus on the KKK and other overtly racist organizations, to a broader and more questionable condemnation of more mainstream, generally conservative, groups with which they disagree.

    An excerpt:

    The complaints have trailed the SPLC as the group has expanded beyond its crusade against racial discrimination in the South, increasingly taking up the left flank of the culture wars on issues like LGBT rights, church-state division, Islam and immigration. The new approach has prompted accusations of overreach: The SPLC has included Senator Rand Paul and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson among the neo-Nazis and white supremacists on its extremists lists (Paul for suggesting private businesses shouldn’t have to adhere to the Civil Rights Act and criticizing the Fair Housing Act; Carson for his views opposing same-sex marriage). The group did back down after it put Carson on the 2014 “extremist watch” list—removing his name and issuing an apology that earned a lot of coverage in the conservative media. “This week, as we’ve come under intense criticism for doing so, we’ve reviewed our profile and have concluded that it did not meet our standards,” the organization’s statement said, “so we have taken it down and apologize to Dr. Carson for having posted it” . . . .

    William Jacobson, a law professor at Cornell and critic of the SPLC, says the group has wrapped itself in the mantle of the civil rights struggle to engage in partisan political crusading. “Time and again, I see the SPLC using the reputation it gained decades ago fighting the Klan as a tool to bludgeon mainstream politically conservative opponents,” he says. “For groups that do not threaten violence, the use of SPLC ‘hate group’ or ‘extremist’ designations frequently are exploited as an excuse to silence speech and speakers,” Jacobson adds. “It taints not only the group or person, but others who associate with them.”

    Ken Silverstein, a liberal journalist and another critic of the group who authored a scathing investigation of its marketing and financial practices for Harper’s in 2000, attributes the growing scope of the SPLC’s censures to a financial imperative to wade into hot-button issues that will rile donors. “The organization has always tried to find ways to milk money out of the public by finding whatever threat they can most credibly promote,” he says.​

    more at the link

    https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...splc-trump-southern-poverty-law-center-215312
     
  2. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

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  3. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    Right, because overt racism isn't the only form of racism. When you have today's racist leaders tell their followers to hide their racism then looking for overt racism is pointless.

    And yes, it's sad that White Nationalist points such as "Diversity Bad" is now a mainstream conservative opinion that they have to disagree with but that's because too many people were busy looking for overt racism and not covert racism.
     
  4. dachuda86

    dachuda86 Member

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    See, this is a paranoid mentality. The kind that results in a witch hunt. Other than overt racism, you have something you can't actually prove other than one's gut feeling and suspicions. Exactly why the SPLC is a witchhunt organization and a solider of the DNC weilding one of the most powerful weapons in politics... the label of racist (whether knowingly or unknowingly). What would stop this group from weilding it politically when that seems to be the tactic every other leftist uses. Yeah, SPLC is a joke. Maybe they did well in the past against the KKK but they are running out of actual threats so they have to dig and pass off fear p*rn as "research."
     
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  5. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    How is that paranoid when that's exactly what they've done? Like, we can quote them specifically saying that their goal is to be covert racists...as the links I've provided does provide quotes...and it still isn't racist enough for you?

    So, when they have people sneak into racists discords and learn the plans of these groups and people...it's no longer covert...but we learn that their goal is to be covert...right from the horses mouth...but even then you dismiss it. So what really are we to do about that? You simply don't want to believe it, no matter how much it smacks you in the face.
     
  6. dachuda86

    dachuda86 Member

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    If they aren't doing anything overtly racist, then how are you going to prove they are racist? Are they doing something racist at that point? That is some witchhunt ya got there. The fact that they aren't able to overtly be racist, tells us that society is just as it should be. Stop worrying so much.
     
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  7. FranchiseBlade

    FranchiseBlade Contributing Member
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    They showed no reason to doubt the SPLC. The SPLC has a long and storied history and continues in the effort it has always been engaged. I have seen no evidence to show their integrity is in any way lessened.
     
  8. Hustle Town

    Hustle Town Contributing Member

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    The SPLC is a thinly veiled liberal smear group and is basically an arm of the DNC. It has a long and storied history of contributing to campaigns and violating its IRS status as a non-political entity.

    https://www.nationalreview.com/corn...er-fires-morris-dees-exposes-own-intolerance/
     
  9. Rashmon

    Rashmon Contributing Member

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    Os being proactive in the smear campaign before our mistake-in-chief gets added.
     
  10. dachuda86

    dachuda86 Member

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    Trust them all you want.

    Hey this happened recently. Any thoughts about how reputable they are still? I am sure this is the only issue they have eh?

    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/16/us/a-southern-watchdog-under-siege.html

    "On Thursday, the same day the S.P.L.C. announced that Mr. Dees had been fired, employees sent a letter to the center’s leaders citing claims of mistreatment of staff, sexual harassment, gender discrimination and racism."


    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...-co-founder-over-undisclosed-conduct-problems

    "In to a 1994 Advertiser series, a finalist in the Pulitzer Prize awards, employees accused Dees, of being a racist and black employees ‘felt threatened." The SPLC, , based in Montgomery, Alabama, rejected the accusations."
     
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  11. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    Yes, they are literally saying. "We need to hide our racism so that we can spread our propaganda better."

    That is what they are literally saying.
     
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  12. FranchiseBlade

    FranchiseBlade Contributing Member
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    Your article points out how SPLC is dealing with their issues internally as they should. Their integrity isn't really lessened because they take actions internally to actually address issues which might harm their legacy.
     
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  13. Hustle Town

    Hustle Town Contributing Member

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    A biased organization weaponizing speech by censoring people and organizations they don't like is 100% un-American. Organizations like the SPLC are already having a chilling effect on free speech and are the furthest thing from "liberal."
     
    #13 Hustle Town, Mar 18, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
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  14. Sweet Lou 4 2

    Sweet Lou 4 2 Contributing Member
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    You will never see a right-wing media organization do the same.
     
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  15. Ottomaton

    Ottomaton Contributing Member
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    NRA does exactly what the SPLC is accused of here.

    I joined for a year, read the anti-liberal political pamphlets they sent me that had nothing to do with guns, and never renewed. They are absolutely an appendage of the Republican Party and the conservative culture warriors.
     
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  16. Cohete Rojo

    Cohete Rojo Contributing Member

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    The SPLC states they want whites as a minority. White genocide is real, folks.
     
  17. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    https://www.thedailybeast.com/virginia-cop-daniel-morley-revealed-as-identity-evropa-member

    But hey, what's Covert racism and does it really exist???

    Only if you wear a KKK hood AND (now this is important) say specifically "I HATE JEWS AND BLACKS!" WHILE ALSO twirling around in a circle (on your left foot only!) holding a burning cross can you truly be considered racist!
     
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  18. Aleron

    Aleron Contributing Member

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    Activist groups that fund themselves with donation pages have a business model based on outrage.

    Look at this terrible thing, donate here!

    and yes that goes for the nra too
     
  19. FranchiseBlade

    FranchiseBlade Contributing Member
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    Where did that come from? I haven't seen anything saying that is their goal. But why would it be bad to have whites as a minority?
     
  20. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    I don't see how calling out racists is censoring anyone, it seems like a use of one's free speech to criticize rhetoric. They don't really have the power to ban or censor anyone.
     
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