Comments on: Barack Obama, Racism and The Internet: An Annotated Gallery

By: Natasha Vargas-Cooper

Natasha Vargas-Cooper — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:14:20 +0000

SILKWOOD SHOWER!

By: Baroness

Baroness — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:56:05 +0000

Ah, I do see your point, Abe, on a second look.

By: giovanni

giovanni — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:02:06 +0000

Ralph Ellison wrote about this dilemma in Invisible Man. "What a group of people we were, I thought. You could cause us the greatest humiliation just by confronting us with something we liked."

By: HiredGoons

HiredGoons — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:16:30 +0000

I didn't think he could looke pastier/more bloated, but I stand humbly corrected. Nice work Abe.

By: HiredGoons

HiredGoons — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:14:13 +0000

Mostly I distrust anyone who DOESN'T like Orange Soda. Shit is dank.

By: HiredGoons

HiredGoons — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:13:09 +0000

they only want you dead above the neck, your body they can use for toil and labour.

By: Bittersweet

Bittersweet — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:10:06 +0000

That radio jock seems about 10 years out of date, Baboleen. These days, that level-headed, fiscally conservative New England Republican is just about extinct.

By: Kittycatastrophe

Kittycatastrophe — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:35:51 +0000

This was a really excellent piece.

By: Mindpowered

Mindpowered — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:20:13 +0000

I know. I've shaved at least 6 hours off my path to Nirvana.

By: EvilMonkey

EvilMonkey — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:57:38 +0000

It's Grape Drink, dammit. Can't afford no Kool Aid. Damn, get this shit straight.

By: Bunx05

Bunx05 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:36:11 +0000

This was a great article and the discussion here after is great also.

I'm new to the site, but I have really enjoyed it over the past few days. And already I feel less stupid. I'm telling my friends about it.

By: Dave Bry

Dave Bry — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:35:44 +0000

I'm very late to this. But I want to compliment Abe, too. Such a terrific piece. The Glenn Beck = The Joker bit is amazing. Dead on.

By: Bunx05

Bunx05 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:33:26 +0000

Quick question: how many white people do you know who claim some native american ancestry? Me? A LOT. But when you ask them to self identify, they're white, good ol' home grown american white. They aren't multiracial.

My point is, native american culture, in the US at least, is treated as a prize. Because white people won back in the day, the idea is now that they are able to appropriate parts of that culture in anyway they like. This is only a little more subtle of a form of racism.

By: Bunx05

Bunx05 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:25:39 +0000

Abe is my new favorite person today.

By: Bunx05

Bunx05 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:23:45 +0000

I would argue there are no LOLs in this piece. The comedic commentary is a counterweight to the sheer malevolence of the racist displays. So essentially, everything balances in my opinion. I wasn't laughing, but at least I wasn't crying.

By: Bunx05

Bunx05 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:17:41 +0000

You have street cred in my hood. Any white guy who saw Boyz 'n the Hood in an audience full of black people and admits it, is cool with me.

Not mention, this was a great post; really well thought out and of a much higher caliber than I've seen elsewhere.

Kudos from Black Folk.

By: Bunx05

Bunx05 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:42:25 +0000

I can tell you, it's a bitch. Every time I'm at a damn out door function with food.

"Do I eat the chicken? Do I not eat the chicken? But I want the chicken. I LIKE chicken. Oh shit…do they know I like chicken. Screw it. I'll go with the fish."

Unless it's Catfish. Then I'm SOL.

By: Baboleen

Baboleen — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:27:09 +0000

Great article and responses. There is a right-wing radio jock in new england (won't say his name) who always mentions that liberals base their votes on their feelings and conservatives base their votes on facts. That statement may have seemed true where fiscal outcomes were concerned, but, I get the sense from this article, that the tide is turning.

By: Abe Sauer

Abe Sauer — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:00:48 +0000

Good point. My interesting BoyZ n the Hood anecdote is that as a teen I drove very far to find a theater showing that movie and then watched it in a packed audience in which I was the ONLY white person. Which… ok… no big deal. But for a kid who grew up in an all white small town it was my largest to that date exposure to a black population and I admit I was… not scared… but very aware. Some may find it pititful but that kind of exposure os very important and many any kids from where I grew up don;t get it and never will and the results are.. well.. see the gallery above. But then, everyone watched the film (and clapped! Remember how important that film was at the time?!) and then we all went our merry ways to go home and try to remember that scene where Cuba Gooding makes up a story for his dad about how he lost his virginity and almost got cought because… wow….

By: Mindpowered

Mindpowered — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:24:06 +0000

2 house keeping notes: Damn you guys are making me stay up late. Do you want me to randomly click some razors?

Eric, have you seen the Cleveland Indian's logo? Or the tomahawk chop the Braves fans do? Moreover, in many cases the name now, is the wrong name, eg the Tribal name "Nahanni" means "People who speak like ducks"(obviously not the name they gave themselves). Do you think the Cherokee ever got a dime from GM?

Abe, it's very interesting that they are honored that way at all. In Canada for instance you never see the Hamilton Huron, The Montreal Montegnais or the Vancouver Sto:lo. Aboriginal's are most definitely not represented in the culture or in sport. It's like the whole 500 year period of engagement bounced off the Canadian psyche except for the place names.

But this is digression.

By: ContainsHotLiquid

ContainsHotLiquid — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:30:20 +0000

What's that Chris Rock joke? "Washington Redskins? That ain't nice, that's a racial slur. It's like having a team called The New York Niggers."

But yes and all, fine piece of writing Abe. There are more nuances to all these things than people, perhaps, would like to admit, it allows for difficulty. Fantasies of purging the enemy, of fighting hatred with hatred etc., are appealingly direct and are thus doomed to failure.

By: zidaane

zidaane — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:24:49 +0000

Political!

By: IBentMyWookie

IBentMyWookie — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:50:24 +0000

I am a pedant therefore I must: it's Boyz 'n the Hood. DO YOU WANT STREET CRED OR DON'T YOU?

By: lizp

lizp — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:15:56 +0000

This piece, and the commentary following it, are just so good. The best thing by far I've read on the place of race in the political climate circa mid-2009. Thanks, Abe, Choire & commenters.

By: Abe Sauer

Abe Sauer — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:56:38 +0000

I agree it is different. But it still fits into "racism" as it's being used widely recently to denote distrust of the unknown other. I would take issue that many native Americans have been "honored" with their symbolization as this only comes in the form of "savage." It's like honoring black americans by ONLY acknowledging then as great athletes or Asians as great math wizards.