***This post contains heavy references to the yesterday’s WTFery at Balloon Juice.***
It’s a sad day when I’m more disturbed by the responses to my post on the ad, than by the ad itself.
Remember the ad from yesterday? The one that blew up on the internet because I wrote about it?
The one that is so racist that I really shouldn’t have mentioned it because it’s so outrageous that “what’s the point?”?
The one that is sooooo meaningless that writing about it is akin to liveblogging Sarah Palin’s emails?
The one that indubitably renders me a troll simply because I dare find offense in it — nay! — because I dare write about it in a space designed for writing about such things?
The one which was designed for “suckers” like me, and, as such, my post about it was yet another notch on my “you’re a horrible blogger” belt?
The one that caused some poor put-upon soul to throw its hands up and scream “Enough! I didn’t make the ad, so why are you throwing a tantrum at meeeeeee?”
The one that caused many an aggrieved white person to stomp their foot in outrage over my “drama queenery” because damnit, they’re not responsible, so stop yelling at me!
The one that caused some to express concern about how this didn’t seem like an appropriate outlet for my rage, and gee whiz, it must be really hard for you to live your life all worked up about racism all the time. I mean, hell, I don’t like rainy days, but sometimes you just have to deal with them. (Or something.)
The one that caused some to chastise me for confronting racism wherever I see it, rather than “when it’s relevant.” (Of course, I cannot decide for myself when it’s relevant… because I’m just a black woman. How could I possibly know when it’s relevant? Did I check the relevance chart? Or did I just see an offensive political ad and predictably throw a “tantrum” about it.)
The one that was produced to support Huey, who is running for office in CA-36, which is Los Angeles, which is where I live but which, apparently, I should ignore because: “There’s no danger that this “commercial” will ever be aired or that anyone will ever take it seriously. This is a case of “ignore it and it will go away.””
The one that caused me to “degrade the level of discourse” simply by “engaging it.”
The one that caused one commenter to express concern about my health because “[t]wenty three years post alcoholic drinking I have to take a measure of what I react to at what level. Or I can go back to taking damn near everything to heart and as earthshaking and hide in a fucking bottle/other substance again.” (Yeah. That happened.)
The one that some commenter opined was silly, noting that the fact that I dared post about it was akin to “posting about a racist comment from someone’s facebook status” and that I would feel “silly” for picking this “idiot fight”:
Yeah. That one.
Well as it so happens, I don’t feel silly. Quite the contrary! It turns out, I was right — it is big deal. So much so that Janice Hahn is investigating whether Congressional candidate Craig Huey — who denounced the ad yesterday as “blatantly racist and sexist” and claimed he had nothing to do with it might be lying. INORITE?!
Huey has said he had nothing to do with the video, and went a step further in denouncing it today, calling it “blatantly racist and sexist.”
Hahn’s campaign, meanwhile, is calling for an FEC investigation into whether the video producer, Ladd Ehlinger, coordinated illegally with the Huey campaign.
Hahn’s campaign noted that the video was produced by Turn Right USA, which has a mailbox at a Gardena check cashing business. A vendor that produced lawn signs for Huey, Campaign L.A., used to have a box at the same address.
“I’m not a statistician, but I think I have a better chance of winning the Super Lotto Jackpot, than these two Pro-Huey political groups winding up in the exact same address by accident,” said Dave Jacobson, Hahn’s spokesman.
Not only may Huey be more connected to Ehlinger than he would like us to believe, but he has taken steps to distance himself from True Right USA, the PAC responsible for the ad:
The Huey campaign, meanwhile, took steps to distance itself from the video and from Turn Right USA. The group’s “designated agent,” Torrance gadfly G. Rick Marshall, was quickly removed from the list of supporters on Huey’s website. The Huey campaign said it would also remove Claude Todoroff, the PAC’s treasurer.
For his part, Ehlinger is having a blast; he appeared on various right-wing radio programs and even got tapped to appear on CNN with A.Coop. (although Ehlinger was, apparently, bumped at the last minute for breaking news — probably dick-related)–
Meanwhile, Ehlinger, who made the video, seems to be having the time of his life. He did a slew of radio interviews today and was invited to appear on Anderson Cooper’s show on CNN (though he got bumped at the last minute by breaking news).
“This has been a whole hell of a lot of fun,” he said.
– and today, he double-dog dared MSNBC to interview him:
“MSNBC gave this ad all kinds of loving tonight. Just don’t understand why they’re so afraid of me that they can’t pick up the phone and call, or send an email and have a face to face debate? Come on, MSNBC: grow a pair (er, well, except for Rachel). Have me on for half an hour. Unless you’re scared.”
(Not gonna link that doosh. Find it yourself.)
As for whether or not he coordinated with the Huey campaign:
He reiterated that there was no coordination or communication with the Huey campaign.
“She’s barking up the wrong tree there,” he said.
Well, we’ll just see about that, won’t we.
Certainly the fact that this guy is a certifiable nutjob doesn’t help his case, nor does this ridiculously self-serving and laughable press release. These people are cockroaches scurrying about trying to cover their tracks. I sincerely hope Hahn finds an irrefutable link between this asshole and the Huey campaign.
Back to more personal matters for a moment: For those of you who think it appropriate to tell a woman, minority, LGBTQ or whomever how to feel, I leave you with this comment from Lisa:
Just a thought for you fuckers who like to tell people what they should think or feel:
When you tell someone to “calm down” or “get over it” or “this is so stupid and lame why are you even pissed about it” are INVALIDATING STATEMENTS. You are hearing/reading their thoughts or feelings about something and summarily dismissing them. You are saying, if I don’t feel what you are feeling or understand what you are experiencing, it is not real. It is completely socially maladaptive (and you wonder why people react angrily to you? Really?). I would not be surprised if the most meaningful relationship you have is with the meth-head hooker that you spend a quality 15 minutes with on payday.
(Emphasis in original.)
As for those of you who grab your smelling salts and take to your fainting couches whenever I post about these incontrovertibly pertinent, relevant, and important issues because it makes you uncomfortable to confront the sort of racism you would prefer to ignore, I leave you with this comment from Lysana:
Remember, folks, most of you can walk away from this video. ABL can’t walk away from being black. And THAT is the motherfucking point.
Indeed it is. Indeed it is.
If you don’t like my posts, or are uncomfortable with the messages conveyed therein, I suggest you familiarize yourself with a little thing called “Don’t fucking read them.”
Mmkay?
[via LA Weekly]
P.S. If you think Cole, DougJ and I are all trolls (even though two of us are front-pagers and one of us, y’know, OWNS THE FUCKING BLOG) then I think it’s time for you to pull your head directly out of your own ass and go start your own blog. I’m sure there’s a least one person who is interested in what you have to say — maybe.
<sits back to watch who will double down on the dickery.>
[cross-posted at the Land of the Fainting Couch Dwellers]
I need a cigarette. Great job, ABL. You have the strength of 10,000 men to keep fighting the good fight.
thank you. that comment section stuck in my craw. i don’t know where my craw is located (anatomically-speaking), but there was some shit stuck in it.
Poifect, Sister. Absolutely poifect.
I have stayed out of this one, to this point, first, because I’m a white guy, and second, because this POS was so far around the racist bend that very little (if anything) I could possibly say about it would be more damning than the POS itself. “Res ipsa loquitur” and all that stuff…
What I don’t get, now that I’m saying something about this, is why someone will get upset by your getting upset by this. I mean, this crap was so awful I feel a need to apologize for having protoplasm and chromosomes (not to mention mitochondria!) in common with the producer of this.
And I share your anger at this. And at those who can’t bring themselves to simply STFU when they really ought to know better than to speak.
Righteous anger, that’s what it is. Let ‘em have it, with both barrels, then reload.
ABL,
While not as eloquent as Lisa or Lysana, what they said. I read you every day and look forward to your (and everyones) posts. Please don’t let the idiots get you down. Ack, now I’m all choked up!
What Nanciejane said…
You’re fighting the good fight, ABL. Damn, I hate being at a day job this summer because I can barely peep at sites with my iPhone. So I missed the chance to comment in the short-lived BJ thread today, but I’m very glad this thread is here.
(And why do people just not get it? Why? For fuck’s sake.)
ABL, amen!!! Fuck those fucknuts who tell you how and when to feel about something so loathsome.
I got to that thread late, probably after you bailed, but I’ll repeat here what I said there:
Was too angry at 1) the video and 2) some of the responses to it here to comment coherently on it. ABL, you were spot on then AND now. Some people will literally need to see black people beaten and/or shot down in the street again (and I see Boortz is already thinking ahead) before they get it.
FUCK THAT.
And fuck the fascist, NeoConfederate jackasses for pushing this shit.
And fuck the Ferengi Controlled Infotainment Networks for their usual full-throated fellating of said jackasses.
ABL, I appreciate what you do here and at Balloon Juice. You consistently point out really horrifying political stunts and comments that I otherwise would never learn about. You do it with just the right blend of humor, sincerity, and outrage to make it hard to forget what I read. Thank you.
You did the right thing, ABL.