Sensitivity and the symbols of racism - Page 2

Now see, this is offensive with intention:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/24/...rss_topstories

And let's not forget this one, either.

I read about this on another news site, and they quoted some sister-banging hillbilly fuckhead as stating something like "We white folks gotta fight to get our rights back."

I nearly did a spit-take.

Fight to get your rights back to do what, exactly? Be hatemongering, murderous douchebags?

I appreciate that the magazine was trying to highlight the intensity of the inappropriateness of the remark for people who might not have been clear on the concept. However, in my opinion, giving racists a foothold and a spotlight isn't useful. Treating racists as the worthless, good-for-nothings who don't deserve our attention is a more appropriate response. I'm not saying we should 'look the other way' but that kicking the idiot announcer to the curb would be good, and otherwise, sailing on because the rest of us know better is the way to go. Acting like everyone who isn't racist should suddenly feel guilty or make a big fuckin' deal about one person being an idiot is wrong. That is true if it's about ANY ethnic, religious, gender, orientation, etc. The person who made the remark should be removed from having the ability to make such public statements again (aside from her public apology), because she clearly does not represent the views of the network (or any sane person). Otherwise, Tiger Woods said it wasn't an issue, so let's all move on and continue to enjoy as much equality as we can muster. In my opinion, treating this incident with excessive attention only serves to further the divide. Let's correct it and move on. Let's have proportion in our responses.

I think you're giving the magazine editors a little too much credit in their choice of cover photo.

Or, you know, in Indiana.

1) Tiger Woods would NEVER say anything bad about it. He's from the Michael Jordan school of $$$, which means never ever, no matter how pissed off you are, rock the boat. As Jordan once said "Republicans buy shoes, too".

2) No one said the woman should be fired.

3) Guilt? Who said anything about feeling guilty? I don't feel guilty about what happened, but that doesn't mean I can't be empathetic to terms which are offensive to people.

4) You actually are saying we should 'turn a cheek'. You can't say "I'm not saying X" and then proceed to explain how you are, in fact, saying X without sounding stupid.

5) Giving racist a foothold? Are you fucking crazy? Reporting news is now giving the people you're reporting a foothold? Of course not. Now, do we want to spotlight it...if course we do! That's the whole point. While you want to sweep everything under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist, the rest of us would like to talk realistically about what's going on.

GFC's right about this. Pretending racism isn't happening is they get footholds, and is a big part of why it's still so prevalent. Calling attention to such things may not be the most convenient option for us white folk, but it's the way changes end up happening.

Then we'll have to agree to disagree.

If you think that giving attention to the kind of people who hang nooses on other people's doors is a way to get them to stop, then fine. I think carrying on your merry way and not letting terrorists terrorize you is the way to go. Especially when the big bad evil is just an idiot who shouldn't have a job speaking in public. Also, are you saying that someone who thinks commenting about lynching Tiger Woods is appropriate should continue to be paid to commentate at golfing events in an unscripted manner?

I personally believe in confronting racism whenever it occurs in the same way you confront any other inappropriate personal behavior. If a guy says a racist remark to me, I tell him it was inappropriate, offensive, and racist - usually right then and to his face, the same way I would if he said or did anything else I found offensive. If he keeps it up, I'll continue to call him on it - and likely in public instead of in private, and enlisting his friends and colleagues to join me in the correction. But that doesn't mean it's some grand scale conspiracy, that violence results, that it prevents those people from hiring or interacting with people of other ethnicities, etc. You're seeing racists in too simplistic of terms.

It's like school shootings. Cover one in the news and someone else will idolize it and follow suit. After Jena there was a spate of nooses. Do we need that again? No. Let it go, we all know it's wrong and the people who don't know it's wrong by now aren't going to change their minds because of Golfweek or CHUD.

Haven't you heard that any publicity is good publicity? Look at the Westborough Baptist Church, or Ann Coulter. Rather than being ignored and fading into obscurity as they rightfully should they just keep getting bigger and bigger followings. Sure, most people think they're crazy, but it's the few people who DO agree with them we have to worry about. I'm not saying you shouldn't report the news, but sensationalizing these people and these issues ultimately does more harm than good.

There are more than two options here. Rather than either sweeping things under the rug or talking them to death, why don't we try reporting news as it comes up and then moving on, without giving these prejudiced pieces of shit more attention than they deserve.

That's fine if you view the negative effects of racism primarily in terms of how it complicates your day. But if you view it in term of the people they actually set out to terrify, then white people doing their best to pretend it isn't happening is part of the problem.

And in what world is what I said pretending it isn't happening?