Repeatedly and with prejudice.
A month ago, I wrote a post about the racism which is festering and beginning to ooze out of the open sore known as Firedoglake. Essentially, my point was that if FDL continues to ban opposing viewpoints in its comment section, it1 owns the racism contained therein. Soon after that post, I stopped reading FDL because it was doing nothing but raising my blood pressure.
Well, last night I took a break from not reading FDL and, like a dumbass, I read FDL. Here’s what I found in a post about restoring the unions and strengthening the labor movement [I'm not linking to that sewer, but you can Google "The Liberal Blogosphere Is A Neoliberal Blogosphere, Unfortunately" and find it your ownself]:
The basic problem is that the Rich ate all the pie. What do you intend to do about it? Snuggle up to their Democratic Party incarnation some more in the hope of getting some crumbs? There used to be a term for that, on the plantations. House N****r.
My jaw dropped when I read that line. My jaw dropped further when I realized it was more than 50 comments later before a commenter decried the use of the term as offensive. My jaw eventually fell right off my face when other commenters began to defend the diarist’s use of the language as “appropriate” and a matter about which the parties could “agree to disagree.” Eventually the diarist chimed in to defend himself:
Contrary to “oldgold” I would have used exactly the same analogy and word choice if Obama were not president. He can either choose to believe me or not, as he sees fit.
Being of Scottish birth and upbringing I care not a whit whether someone is black, white, yellow, purple polkadotted or striped…as long as he isn’t English (jk!).
There were other phrases I considered but none had the immediate impact and accessibility of the one I chose, denoting what should be fellow-travellers in poverty who have sold out for the crumbs from the Rich man’s table. “Lumpenproletariat” was too old-fashioned and inpenetrable while not conveying the betrayal involved; “Judenrat” would, I think, have been even more contraversial [sic].
But I’d much rather the conversation wasn’t bogged down in my word choice. I apologise for any offense caused, however inadvertently. Substitute “class traitors” or some other phrase mentally if you wish and concentrate on the rest of the post.
Regards, Steve
The anti-Semitic language is a nice touch, I think. As is the “mistakes were made/I apologize if you were offended but it was inadvertent anyway”-style apology. Classic GOP, innit? Oh, and did I mention that this post was published on MLK Day? So there’s that, too.
But let’s not get bogged down in his racist and offensive language. Just substitute some other non-race-based word and let’s focus on the rest of the post, shall we? Because as a later commenter informs us, “only fucking whites would make a stink about it.” It’s silly to make a stink out of referring to Democrats as House niggers and who wants to hear you PC Police tut-tutting about it? No one, that’s who.
After I rettached my jaw to my face with a rusty butter knife and some glue, I re-read the first comment; it appears to have been posted by a moderator:
Editor’s note: Thank you for your post. Please see the site’s rules at http://my.firedoglake.com/aboutus. The first excerpt used has been edited to three grafs; the site of origin does not have a clear copyright notice, but it’s also not clear that reprinting nearly 700 words here was with the original author’s permission.
Please also note we do not use THAT word here.
And the response from the diarist:
Thanks for the edit-job, Rayne, and keeping me straight on the site rules.
Thanks for the kind words, szielinski!
Regards, Steve
Now I may be reading this incorrectly, but it seems to me that Moderator Rayne, after pointing out that “we” (FDL) do not use “THAT word,” went into the diary and did a little editing — by changing THAT word (nigger) to THIS word (n****r).
::blank stare::
So it appears to be FDL’s policy not to use racist words, but to use racist word-markers. Neither permutation of the racist and offensive word removes the racism or the offensiveness of the word. Besides, “n****r” isn’t a word; it’s an asterisk sandwich.
Normally, I would post my favorite Louis C.K. clip on “The N Word” and how it’s just a way for white people to get away with saying the word “nigger.” Instead, in the spirit of the dawning of the Age of Civility, I’m going to post this Richard Pryor clip:
Also, I would normally start finger ranting right about now, but I’m not going to do that. There’s no need. I’ve already ranted about the racism at FDL. These people are as irrelevant as Sarah Palin and are not to be taken seriously anymore.
I’m simply going to file this new bit of information in my lockbox of “Shit That Is Bananas” and keep it moving.
Check out the screenshots, and if you’re inclined to rant, go right ahead. I’m remaining fucking civil goddamnit:
The inmates are running the asylum over there. The asshats are being asshats over there.2
1(and Jane Hamsher).
2Since I’m taking issue with offensive language being casually used on another blog, I think it only right that when a commenter points out that I have casually used offensive language, that I apologize for doing so and do my damnedest not to do it anymore. It really is that easy, Jane. I am, however, being sincere — I spent an entire weekend last year reading about ableism after reading a post about Blogging Against Ableism Day. I spent a couple hours searching for and changing as many ableist/offensive terms in my blog as I could. That was the day I switched up “douchebag” and “fucktard” for “asshat,” come to think of it. Anyway, I decided I get to keep “crazy,” on account of my brain situation. That may be unfair, but baby steps.
[cross-posted here at Balloon Juice]
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Thank you. Just, fucking, thank you. And then some more of that thank you shit….and shit.
I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not. The “progressives” like Jane Hamsher, Glen Greenwald and the rest of the leftist blogosphere is just as racist as their teabagging cousins.
Actually, I’m part of the “leftist blogosphere;” and I’m put off by your assertion. It’s the kind of assertion I see made on sites like Mediaite where the reactionary and just barely not (supposedly) conservatives accuse the left of being more racist than conservatives.
I can’t speak for Glenn Greenwald, whose writing I enjoy and generally agree with or FDL, which I don’t read; but generalizing the entire left blogosphere in that way is dumbfounding and over-generalizing.
What would be nice is a discussion that enlightens. I know that word, the word that the substitute is unsuitable to use here, is racist. It is a shock to see it being used on FDL, really shocking. However (this goes to all including Angry Black Lady), what would you call “Snuggle up to their Democratic Party incarnation some more in the hope of getting some crumbs?” Trickle down poverty? Delusion? At some point the Dems are going to have to be taken over or abandoned. Surely that can be discussed without making reference to southern plantations or racial epithets.
i wouldn’t call it house niggerdom.
No, not really.
At least the Harriet Christian contingent had the integrity to just come out with it. Meanwhile our supposed allies once again feign surprise at the festering, smoldering anti-Black attitudes we have been telling them about for about ten generations, now.
I guess many still think we are either joking, or lying.
One of the things I keep hearing is “if it’s not about you, don’t make it about you”. If you’re “one of the good ones”, the generalization is not actually about you. And do not think for a moment that said generalization about leftwing bloggers comes even close to actual bigotry.
And your comment is basically just “tone argument” and [at least bordering on] concern trolling anyway.
I just can’t comment on such idiocy, so a little OT. Our chinchillas had babies yesterday, and they are very cool. This is the second litter and we will post some pics as soon as I catch the second chin. They are hilariously difficult to catch, especially for an old fat man.
I was about to post something to effect of “Hello, finally de-lurking, I love you ABL,” and then ramble about the difference between “Word Police” and “Calling someone on their racist bullshit.”
But now I’m just picturing a man running around trying to catch baby chinchillas, and suddenly all the vitriol is just… gone. It was erased completely by the cute. Thanks!
Me too — PICS we need pics!
Chin pics…finally detained, if temporarily.
http://frominsidethetincan.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-chinchillas.html
So I suppose the Proprietress of FDL wouldn’t object to my saying “She really got her tit caught in a wringer with this,” right? I mean, just because she’s a breast cancer survivor and a woman doesn’t mean I have to “police” my language, because what I’m saying is true — and there’s historical precedent! (See “All The President’s Men” vis a vis Kay Graham)
Racist idiotic hosebags. And Masters of the Obvious — “Ooooh, didja know America is all about capital? Didja didja didja? Betcha didn’t til Big Glorious Me pointed it out to you,m you miserable veal-pen peon!”
Plus, since Grover Norquist is a BFF of FDL, their protests about “neoliberalism” and the privileging of capital ring extra-false.
And if Mr. Steve Head-Up-His-Own-BeHynd is reading this, let me assure him that I, as a person who is also of Scottish descent, cordially invite him to choke on a bowl of rancid dicks for his casual and unapologetic use of racist speech and framing.
Twatwaffle.
you’re the wind beneath my
chickenwings.I so loved Richard Pryor. Great and very apropos clip. And FDL has gone from being dog whistle racist to just outright screaming it. Pretty much of a pestilence they are. Want to just ignore them but the media still think The Hamsher is some kind of a worthwhile pundit. Makes you wonder if Rachel Maddow et al read her blog now and then.
that’s the only reason i occasionally read it; she needs to stop being afforded the opportunity to appear on maddow and LOD. could you imagine if a black blogger who was prone to talking about “whitey” and “honky” and whatever else got airtime on MSNBC?
ETA: assuming you can imagine a black blogger getting that much airtime on MSNBC at all. there are tons of black politicos who should be given regular air time. i’d love to see TNC on MSNBC. (if not only for the acronym soup.)
Nice. Thanks White Liberals at FDL. Just what we need in the Labor Movement: Language that offends our brothers and sisters among the Black Folk and that you would not have the balls to use in a shipyard. Not that any of you have ever been to a shipyard. This will really help us persuade the elite among the POC to set aside the culture wars for a spell and focus on labor issues. Good job.
Fucking idiots.
yep. we on the left can disagree, but using that terminology to describe the democratic party, especially when it is led by a black man is absolutely unacceptable.
This type of behavior is the reason I left FDL over 2 years ago. These people are no better than some of the tea party people. It would take someone who doesn’t understand how offensive the word “house nigger” is to lower him/herself to use it, whether Barack Obama were president or not. IMHO, it is someone who doesn’t really understand what “house niggers” went through, and the way that some “massas” raped the black women who were members of this group. It would take someone who doesn’t understand that a man would father a child by a black female slave and then turn around and sell his own child into slavery. It would take someone who doesn’t understand that the impact of being enslaved still resides heavily in the hearts and souls of millions of black Americans, even today. It would take someone who doesn’t understand that millions of Americans still discriminate against blacks because of the color of our skin. The person who wrote this comment, and those who cheered him on, have a missing ingredient that allows them to feel it’s okay to use the words “nigger” and “house nigger.” They have never had to live in America while being black.
I don’t know why this shocks me anymore at all, I’ve never read FDL, but have tangled with a number of lunatics who blog there whenever I write blog. I have to say, after the election of President Obama, I fully expected wingers to “bring their inner racist”, but damn, I really didn’t expect the number of people who call themselves liberal/progressive to do the same. Damn, and no just electing a black man doesn’t make you not a racist if you are willing to stoop to the lowest common rhetorical denominator to make some bizarre political point.
In all seriousness the IQ level at FDL cannot be greater than those who comment and post at freeperville.
I really like your blog, I come here often and read, it’s a respite for me as the place I have blogged at for a while now is filling up with FDLer’s and I feel like I am always in some stupid battle with the nutcases.
Hell, I wouldn’t even use that term on Clarence Thomas, and I *hate* that sorry bastard.
Am I the only one who smelt the faint whiff of irony in the fact that a “progressive” site (FDL, sure, for the sake of argument) has to have a rule saying “We don’t use that word . . . “? How “progressive” is one’s site if one has to remind one’s patrons that such is inappropriate? It’s like if PETA had to have a warning not to talk about how tasty veal is (had to work “veal” in; that phrase of theirs is likely the second most odiously elitist behind the word under consideration).
This gives me a sad.
I know Steve Hynd from his short time as a front-pager at C&L, and I like the guy (even though I disagree with him on quite a few topics)…But, for chrissakes, Steve, quit doubling down when you’re wrong and just admit that, yes, you went way too far. Apologize for your nearsightedness, C.
As for FDL…This is on you, Jane, and your team, for not filtering your content, whether by front-pagers, diarists or commenters. It’s as simple as adding a word to the auto-violate queue, and having the moderators un-violate for whatever reason. Were I modding there, I’d shoot off an e-mail pronto, asking the author to change the word that tripped the filter if s/he wanted to see the article published, and I wouldn’t even think to ask Hamsher or anyone else if that would be the proper course of action. But that’s based on my experiences elsewhere. That FDL’s mods will edit-with-comment to protect Hamsher from a lawsuit over copyright violations but not over content like that tells me all I need to know about the backstage atmosphere at that site.
Well, I’m done with FDL now. I was doing their action alerts but not reading the blogs, at least I hadn’t read more than six of their blog posts in my entire life — now I see I should have been paying more attention. What a disgusting bunch of creeps.
I do not like the line “The inmates are running the asylum” (used in the post) or the word “idiot” (used by some in the comments) because I think both are ableist, but I agree 100% — FDL fails so hard it falls through to the center of the Earth. Absolutely toxic and evil.
Do you mind if I link to your post on tumblr? I feel like this is the sort of thing I should be circulating to as many people as possible.
please feel free to link it, and you’re right about the language — i’ve removed it; i’ve been trying to remove that sort of language from my vocabulary for almost year now. i’m making slow progress…
what’s going on over at FDL is not only disturbing, but it’s divisive. sit back and watch as they convince their minions that ron paul is best for “our side.”
i wish people would use their damn noggins and stop blindly following a known liar.
Ron Paul + Nader #omg #haha
#whodotheythinktheyarekidding
I blame the parents, which in this case means Jane Hamsher and the first wave of FDL front pagers like TRex. FDL has had a foundational race problem from jump, whether you are talking the “Blackface Joe” incident of 2006 where Hamsher accused people upset by an image of Joe Lieberman in blackface of being right wing tools out to destroy Ned Lamont, to verbal abuse of Liza Sabater by TRex, to gratuitous use of anti-Asian slurs (roundup of the above here http://the-silence-of-our-friends.blogspot.com/2006/12/fdl-racismsexism-round-up.html), to Hamsher’s characterization of racist PUMA Democrats like Harriet Christian as authentic voices of the Democratic working class aka “a wail worth listening to” in Joan Walsh’s formulation (http://www.ebogjonson.com/node/129).
If I can take the liberty of quoting myself from ’08:
“[FDL] represent[s] a revanchist strain of the Democratic party that was popular before the Age of Obama, where faux-muscular white Democrats / netroots types tried to prove their fitness for taking on the right by making a big show of reclaiming the Democratic party from the troubling grip of special interests, coloreds, political correctness and identity politics.
I think one of the under-discussed upshots of the Obama candidacy is that wannabe tough guy Democrats who, like Hamsher, dreamed of the day their precious progressive bodily fluids would no longer be contaminated by ethnicity, now find themselves forced to either commit to the victory of a black Democratic presidential nominee (i.e., ethnicity embodied) or committed in various degrees to his defeat. Of course, no one of Hamsher’s stature is going to come out directly and say they hope Obama loses – what with the chance said loss offers to finally break the distracting back of African American political power in America. But make no mistake: Should Obama lose in November, a howl of collective, animal outrage is going to go up among some white Democrats that, loosely translated, is going to read: “You fucking nuccas broke my party! Again!” The next thing they say after that will be: “how do we insure this never happens again?”"
What’s curious about the years since is that A) Obama won, B) the FDL brigade is still convinced that he broke their party, and C) they are laying the groundwork for challenging him in 2012.
OKAY, so I will definitely agree it was a poor choice of words. If Obama happened to be white then they would be calling him a corporate sellout. BUT, Obama is (half) black so he’s being called an Uncle Tom to the rich white douchebag. The language is offensive, I agree. The idea that since he is black there is an implied white-black heirarchy and it could be termed in such references is also offensive. Why can’t the guy just say “Obama is not remaining true to the principles of the democratic party” and leave it at that? The point could been just as easily made.
There is a counter argument and here it is: Yes Obama is part African American, and there are those that voted for him because they had confidence that his opposition to traditional (mostly rich white) corporate skullduggery would be authentic. We as an electorate are often left to wonder ‘who is in bed with who?’, and therefore are worried about getting lost in the maze of who actually is going to represent the interests of those who are not rich.
Lets roll back the clock… There were some shenanigans happening during the Bush administrations, obviously, that left the bulk of the American population in some sort of financial difficulty. People were pissed. Surely a black man from Chicago was someone with whom we could collectively trust to stand up to these corrupt powerful interests and effect the change! Right?
It started well enough with (a watered down) health care reform, but the backlash from corporate america was extreme. They dumped a TON of cash into the mid terms and whipped their followers into a froth. Obama began to put his “compromise” efforts into full gear. Tax cuts were extended. ‘Austerity’ measures (as its euphamised) are now all the rage within the beltway and Obama has signed up, but what is it really but trickle down economics repackaged? Also, his Wall Street campaign contributors/economic advisors blocked real finance reform. The robber barons went unpunished. Nobody went to jail.
This has left people to ask “Is he the Democrat we elected?”
Of course FDL wants to air this gripe – they want to weaken the base. Anything that clears the way for complete corporate domination suits their goal.
In the President’s defense I will say that the rhetoric has been dialed up to extremes that are quite troubling. I’ve never have either seen nor read anything like it. Then again, this is what we elected the guy for – to change the ‘business as usual’ dynamic. It’s quite obvious that these rich ubermensch pricks aren’t going down without a fight. Obama has to be the President that represents the everyman. His ‘move to the middle’ had to be his calculated effort to get re-elected. He wants to pre-emptively deflect future criticisms from right wing critics. Was it a good play?
IMO, he’s done enough compromising. He has to go on the attack. These assholes on Fox, with Rush are NEVER going to say “OK the President is doing a good job.” NEVER. No matter what he does in office, they are going to try and rip him limb from limb. That’s their job – they are advocates for the wealthy and powerful. The American dream isn’t a part of the agenda. Increasing the wealth and power of the wealthy and powerful is. Period. Why should the President give a flying fuck what lying assholes like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the rest of the minons of the multi-headed Murdoch/Ailes beast spew out of their sewer holes?
I think its obvious that the RW media machine troubles the President. Its affected his decision making. He’s also had to answer to his major corporate campaign financiers. Many who had hoped for change are disappointed.
Does black/white commentary have a place in the discussion? Not in such demeaning terms, obviously. The President, the leader of the free world, deserves better than to be reduced to such categorization – as does any human being. HOWEVER, as a black man, as far as compassion towards the plight of the common man is concerned, I and many others as much as I can tell, have held the President to a higher standard than your ordinary, rull of the mill, politician. Obama is smarter, more thoughtful, and certainly had to overcome more than the average adversity on his way to the Presidency. We believe we know what is centered in his heart of hearts, we just wish he would not acquiesce to compromise so quickly. We want him to fight for us. That’s why we elected him. That’s the job we tasked him to do.
If he gets re-elected, which looks like a large possibility – if not likelihood – then we, the base, expect him to work towards correcting some inequities with greater intensity.
“HOWEVER, as a black man, as far as compassion towards the plight of the common man is concerned, I and many others as much as I can tell, have held the President to a higher standard than your ordinary, rull of the mill, politician.”
i don’t get it… are you saying that you’re holding him to a higher standard just because he’s black?
sorry if i’ve misunderstood, i’m having a brain-fuzzy day.
Sure. It has everything to do with identity and personal experience. Let me give you an example:
I knew a businessman who was self made. He came from a poor family and started out as a construction worker right out of high school, but ended up a very wealthy contractor later on in life. Because he knew what it was like to be poor and to be one of those guys in the crew, struggling to make ends meet, he treated his employees very well. He spoke to them on the level and rewarded loyalty with good pay. He was a great boss. However, by the time his son reached of age, dad was already rich. Son joined dad in the company business, but since son did not have any real life experience either knowing or understanding what hardship was, he had no empathy for the workers under him – and it showed. The son acted as if the employees were unimportant and their quality of life was a non-issue. Needless to say, he took certain liberties with employees’ time and rates of pay. He put them to questionable tasks and so on.
Thus the differences between father and son.
A persons background and cumulative life experience shapes their character. Is it out of line for me to hold Barrack Obama to a higher standard when it comes to representing the interests of the middle class and the poor? Should I not expect him to have empathy for those that are putting out a full effort, yet are still struggling mightily?
Lines have been drawn in the sand. In case you haven’t noticed, there is a contingent of ruthless bastards out there who have no qualms in deciding how to carve up the middle and lower classes in this country. They rationalize their efforts with Randian Objectivism by believing that forcing hardship on people is just and good. Some really scary shit is going on out there. There are some very, very bad people who believe that being insanely rich and powerful is more important than seeing a child get something like food to eat or maybe even cancer treatment. Their absurd compulsion for backwards fairness is frightening.
You want to bash a guy for calling Obama a house whatever, ok I see your point. That kind of below the belt criticism has no place in intelligent discourse. Its the kind of insult that halts the civil progression of point and counterpoint. However, there are bigger fish to fry. Certain interests in this country don’t really give a shit about anything beyond the massive accumulation of personal wealth. They don’t have a moral compass. They have Atlas Shrugged under one arm and the Bible under the other. The sin of greed has become a great virtue now ordained by God (as blasphemous as that is).
So yes, you better believe I hold Obama to a higher standard than the common likes of politicians everywhere, fair or not. Isn’t that what he ran on? Hope and Change? Don’t you think who he is made him believable? We need a strong figure who will stand up to corporate interests and protect the middle class and the poor from this monster of consolodated market/political power.
ok, today won’t be a good day for my brain either, but i will say this: expecting a President to be the President they said they’d be on the campaign trail is ok with me, but i really do not feel comfortable with the idea of holding Obama to a higher standard just because he is black.
Yes, everyone should have a vested interest in having integrity. Let me put it to you in a different way.
My grandfather loaded and unloaded milk trucks for the bulk of his working life. He was a member of the teamsters. My father was a local federal workers union president. Many others within my family have been members of unions. Would it be out of line for you to assume I have some sort understanding of the struggle labor had to endure, and what the erosion of organized labor means to the middle class, in light of what effect on the quality of life it brought my family?
Barrack Obama’s father was a Kenyan immigrant. I’m sure that along with that came a certain set of challenges to overcome, seeing that he grew up during the civil rights movement and all.
The expectation comes from life experience, personal history and certainly not from some imaginary genetic switch inherent from either black or white genes – if that’s what you think I’m implying.
Am I wrong to assume that the overwhelming majority of African American people have either experienced or at least witnessed hardship in some form as a result of racism? Hardship in many, many cases meaning economic hardship? I would be naieve to think otherwise. Is it out of the ordinary to expect higher levels of understanding on a certain thing from persons who’ve either seen or experienced a certain thing first hand? I’m sure that in President Obama’s political beginnings and through his ascension he had to work on the subject of economic justice and fight against economic exploitation.
These things were supposed to be to his credit. Who more authentic to speak to power than Barack Obama? Who more relevant to be a populist? Its not too late to squander such opportunity. Who he is certainly isn’t to his disadvantage as much is as feared to be. I think the majority of people in this country realize how out of control the RW media machine is. All we need now is for it to be mocked openly by the right leaders – starting with BO himself (doing the mocking). Seriously, the Fox News/Rush Limbaugh emperor has no clothes.
Why categorize his personal background as a non-issue when it grants authenticity?
i’ve removed it; i’ve been trying to remove that sort of language from my vocabulary for almost year now. i’m making slow progress…
Okay, i’m up for that. They are intellectually challenged humanoid patients running the behavior treatment facility. With FDL as a branch of the mother company Nutroot, INC. There all better, and politically correct . Sort of like do it yourself head shrinking. Or tails, wagging the Firedoglake.
I feel so progressive now.
congrats, you’re a huge douchebag. nope, sorry, you’re not “edgy” or even remotely interesting — just a douchebag. good luck with that.
edgy?
I’m more of a two by four flat up side yer noggin person. Rhetorical, of course.
But It’s a mostly free country, so you can call that “douchebag” if you want. Makes me no never mind.
…maybe i should stop using “douchebag”. anyway, GS is an asshole.
“Asshole” is operative, we can work with that. Maybe some day you’ll get to see how big a one. Not today though. I am all aboard ABL’s Peace Train. Would you like a spot of tea? a pillow and blankie so to make you a comfy and well loved progressive?
Please reserve “douchebag” for all those self-styled ubermensch types who think they better than everyone else and therefore are more deserving of wealth they’ll never use than the bulk of society is deserving of things like a ‘living wage’ or ‘retirement with dignity’.
Lets keep our eyes on the prize people.
Wow.
Oy.
Eep.
Holy schnikes.
(any other something-or-other exclamation you feel like inserting, go right ahead)
I hadn’t started visiting here when this all happened.
I’d long since given up on FDL, Greenwald, and others, and in fact had found the info linking Greenwald and Hamsher to Cato and its crowd and passed them on to some friends, including one who even removed Greenwald from a blogroll as a result of getting that info.
I’m going to take this as something telling me I had it right, and also continue to point such things out to those who remain apologists for them and their sorry Libertarian nonsense.
Libertarian = political-speak for sociopath.
You just said “Holy schnikes” and this is why I hath love in my heart for thee.
I’ve been calling these dingbats out for months; it’s just now that the Hamwald Empire is starting to collapse. They need to be purged.
[quote]But I’d much rather the conversation wasn’t bogged down in my word choice.[/quote]
Angry Black Lady:
I have never been to this blog site prior to following the link that I read off of the Filled Negro blog. Thus the reason for my question:
When Malik Zulu Shabazz called President Obama a “Ninja” and that he was “Doing The Bidding Of The White Man” – did this register as an equal offense as you expressed at your progressive friends over at FDL?
Audio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z7bj7Bi9hA
What property of MZS causes his words against Obama to be inferior to those of a nameless author on FDL?
Also in Atlanta on Martin Luther King Jr Day 2011 a Black person was shot during a robbery on MLK Jr Blvd. (I am not making this up).
Clearly many forces don’t know how to restrain themselves from expressing ignorance on that blessed day OR all year round on the many streets named after “Civil Rights Heros” in the city.
This racism to me seems quite consistent with FDL’s tone-deafness and conflictedness on issues of class— a subject which, despite growing fights domestically and worldwide against austerity, for example, FDL is glaringly mute on. So how is their conflictedness borne out? In the same manner that U.S. reactionary right-wingers seek to minimize class issues: by deflecting them to raw and divisive racial and ethnic epithets.
What’s a pity is that some of FDL’s more outrageous-for-the-sake-of-outrageous claims would be much more grounded in reality if there was a class component to those analyses. But hey, it’s a lot intellectually lazier and cost-efficient to just throw around insults used historically in the beating and killing of people, isn’t it, FDL?
The right advocates violence, this writer used a historically racist term because he lacked a better term.
Just wanna put that in perspective for you.
@nobiggovdah: i don’t believe that at all (the part about the writer lacking a non-racist term, i mean).
* and “put this in perspective”? uh, no. the writer said something racist — if you’re implying ABL is “overreacting” or anything like that, i call bullshit.