I think the Texan comparison is useful. People liked to go the Texan card a lot with Bush, but it was merely irksome since there isn't a lot of genuine historical hatred for Texans. If people blame blacks for Obama as often as they blamed Texas for Bush, and given that xenophobia and distrust of blacks is much deeper than it is for Texans, this really won't be pretty. To some extent, I think people can disparage Texans without thinking it's bad, since Texans are generally accepted and doing well. Hopefully, enough people will stop themselves and say "don't be a racist" when they catch themselves doing the same trick with Obama and blacks.
I would not worry about this since Obama does not take hard line stances on anything. Second imagine how bad things would be if he lost
This is not surprising: [rquoter]FBI: Racist threats over computer sent by black man posing as white Friday, November 14, 2008 Associated Press A black man from Mississippi has been arrested and accused of sending racist death threats over the Internet to three black students at Louisiana's Nicholls State University. The FBI in New Orleans said Dyron Hart, 19, was arrested Wednesday. He is accused of sending the messages by way of the students' Facebook accounts. The messages contained racial epithets and death threats and were sent to two black women and a black man at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La. The author of those messages cast himself as a white man who intended to kill blacks because Barack Obama was elected president. Hart told an FBI agent that he sent the messages to "get a reaction," according to the agent's sworn statement. The criminal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office said Hart made his initial court appearance in Biloxi. It was unclear when he would be brought to New Orleans. Although the case sprang from a probe into messages sent to the three Nicholls State students, the FBI agent's statement said Hart also admitted sending the message to students at other institutions, including LSU, the University of Mississippi and the University of Alabama. An FBI news release said Hart, if convicted, would face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Repeatedly using an obscenity and the N-word, the author of the message threatens to kill more than 3,000 black people in a month because of Obama's election and warns the recipient of a pending attack from "a random white man," according to the agent's affidavit. Neither Hart nor his family could not be reached for comment. The phone number listed at his home address was not in service. Colton Brodoux was the name of the person who purportedly sent the messages. "Hart admitted that he created the Colton Brodoux profile on Facebook," the FBI affidavit said. The document details how the FBI traced the messages back to a computer at Hart's Poplarville address in Mississippi.[/rquoter]
It doesn't sound anacdotal when the people that track such things say there is an increase of reported problems. That's the opposite of anacdotal. From the article: Your proclamation that a "wave of racism ... might be exagerted" is itself not based on fact ...just as you accused the article of. So your statement serves no purpose except to marganalize an issue that many people are taking very seriously.
I can't speak for rocketsjudoka, but I'm not marginalizing the problem. I think it's expected given the precedent Obama set, but we don't have to hold our breaths waiting for anything bad to happen. If these disgruntled idiots are using acts of hate to get attention, then the media is confirming their desires by reporting whatever isolated incident they generate. See I think there are a sizable amount of people expecting the worst from other Americans. And by worst I mean a revisitation of the 60s and 70s... Yet dwelling on our darkest fears isn't what we need right now. It's cynicism that divides us and allows us to rationalize about being right in order to dismiss others at the slightest hint of confirmation. The worst can happen. Just because we elected our first minority head of state doesn't mean it's an instant baptism for our country's sins. Obama and blacks have a lot of challenges ahead. Change carries a price for uprooting the status quo, but this isn't the Civil Rights era. Putting the right foot will further social promise that an Obama presidency carries. It may be that we need a little faith and hard work to get us to that next level.
Well I'm glad someone got it. Anyway for A3-PO I'm not saying that racism is on par with regionalism and I will completely agree that racism is much worse than regionalism in the US. What you seem to be arguing is that if Obama does something unpopular racism will rear its ugly head? Now is that because people don't like Obama or because people are racists? My feeling is if people are racist they aren't going to like Obama whether he does something unpopular or not.
This is amazing. The OP was about incidents of racism. What I said is that when Obama's approval ratings fall back to Earth and he does something or takes a stand or two that large numbers of people disagree with, these incidents or expressions of racisms will likely increase, probably significantly. People will use Obama's race as an excuse to express themselves in a negative, racist way. Why that is so hard for you to understand is completely beyond me. Duh, yes, these are people are racists who naturally don't like Obama. Ta da! In fact it has zero to do with whether they like Obama. It has everything to do with their behavior, which, again, is the subject of the OP. What tortured discussion.
Except that most of the examples cited are anecdotal and without knowing what the Southern Poverty Law Centers are basing their standards are I can't say for sure what the amount of increase is. That said if you reread my posts you will see that I say "I don't doubt" these incidents are occuring. Again I don't know how else I can state this. I'm arguing to not make more of this than what it is which is why I said "a wave of racism is exagerated." If you are saying this isn't based in fact are you saying that there is a wave of racism? As I said though I don't doubt such incidents are happening but I am cautioning against making more out of this than what it is. Racism is a certainly a serious issue and shouldn't be marginalized but hundreds of incidents out of a nation of a hundreds of millions while it is sad that racism exists isn't something to get alarmed over. Also hate groups thrive on attention and IMO the more attention given to hundreds of petty acts only empowers haters more than they deserve.
Except if you read what I wrote earlier I am saying what you are saying that people who are pissed are Obama will use racist rhetoric as people who are pissed at Bush used anti-Texas rhetoric. Now is that because those people are racists already or are just lazy and unsophisticated in their rhetoric? You say if Obama does something unpopular then they will use his race as an excuse to insult Obama. In that case which came first hate towards Obama because of what he does or racism in general? The point of this thread and the OP is that racist incidents are on the rise and election of Obama may be contributing to that rise now. Now that may be so and I'm not going to deny that racism continues ot persist. My point though is that this isn't something to get alarmed about and we shouldn't make it out to be something to be alarmed about. But why are you qualifying this though based on what Obama does? Your argument seems to be that there will be a rise of racism if Obama does something unpopular. My view is that the racists are already there whatever Obama does and rather than read this as something to get very worried about that there are only hundreds of incidents and not thousands isn't something to get alarmed about.
So what are you arguing about? The definition of a "wave of racism"? What rises to a "wave" in your opinion? (Don't answer that) If the folks that say they watch this stuff closely say that incidents are on the rise since the election, I'll take that statement as face value rather than accepting your interpretation of how to define a "wave of racism" ...which by the way, that term wasn't used in the article. You introduced the "wave of racism" phrase here. Again, when is it time to get alarmed? I'm sure you'll be right there letting us all know when we are allowed to be alarmed.
I would think it becomes more than some kids drawing on their playground equipment to alarm anyone. seriously I doubt the racist stuff has increased its just now that Obama is the target it is making the news. The news loves this stuff, you have to admit that while no one can know if these types of things have increased it is highly likely the media is now actively searching it out.
Except that the guy that says there is an increase in reports has nothing to do with the media. These are reports provided to various law enforcement agencies. It's not anacdotal ...it's actual events. But thanks for your input. I'll know that once you are alarmed, all hell has officially broken lose. Until that time, there is no point in even paying attention ...because it hasn't risen to the level of a "wave" yet.
