It is impossible to discuss racism on DU anywhere but here

[HamdenRice]

There was a post on GD about the NAACP that Kerrytraveler and I responded to, and as soon as the OP had his ass handed to him the Mods shut it down.

While the OP was flamebaitish, it seems they didn't rally shut it down because it was flame bait -- because they let the discussion go on for some time -- but as soon as the voice of reason gets the upper hand they shut it down.

This is so frustrating because the general population here never gets to hear a well reasoned argument against racism.

(Kerrytraveler: I posted this as an OP because it is a somewhat different topic from your alert.)

[Laughing Mirror]

1. Shut it down AFTER the OP ran off screaming, his tail between his legs

That was priceless. Somebody who claims to be police too much of a punk to stay on and face the music.

I believe it was one of your posts that finally scared him off.

I realize that the majority of on DU have never suffered racism, and empathy is not taught to people so people have a hard time putting themselves in somebody else's shoes.

I wish they would not have locked the thread, so that people could read it, and learn from it, even though it came and went very quickly.

[Karenina]

2. I alerted when there were -0- replies

and was not surprised as what happened is SOP. Once you told him if he didn't want to be perceived as a racist, to stop behaving like one, it was GAME OVER.

[alarcojon]

3. Sorry I missed it

Any way to get a brief summary?

on edit: I really should read the other posts first!

[Kathy in Cambridge]

4. That particular DUer has a history of racist and right-wing posts

You should have seen the Minutemen threads.

[Swamp Rat]

14. Gross bastards!!!

:puke:

[Brewman_Jax]

5. The "ask a cop" poster

normally very quiet with pressed with questions regarding race. I see why. The worse thing is not just the idiotic post, but so many running to defend and apologize. I thought that the thread would have been deleted.

With "friends" like these, who needs republican neo-cons?

[Kerrytravelers]

6. One of my posts got deleted.

I told him to not bother sitting down with the NAACP, to just disregard my advice. I told him that his idiotic response to my two posts shows he clearly didn't read my posts.

Then I asked him to please tell us in what city he is a LEO so we could all aviod it ebcause if HE is the example of a progressive/liberal, I would be very scared to drive through there.

I was deleted but his diatribe stayed. Hummm.........

IF he had read the posts, responded in a mature manner, explained himself further and actually taken the advice given to him, this terrible post might have turned into something more than just idiotic flamebait.


(P.S. HamdenRice, it's cool to start a new thread, this is a totally different topic. I thought nothing of it!)

[HamdenRice]

7. What bothers me most is -- exactly why was the thread locked ...

and why are threads like it locked. The explanation was that the OP was flame bait. But the thread was allowed to grow. It was only when the OP's argument was shot down that it was locked.

It seems to me that the mods in GD are not upset at racism -- they are upset when racists are called out and handed their own asses back.

[Kerrytravelers]

8. I completly agree with you.

I would like any former mods to tell us the reasoning behind letting some threads go and go and go and when it is decided to lock them.

[angee_is_mad]

9. Dang a day late

and a dollar short as always. I haven't been on here for a few days so I missed the thread.

In response to the original thread here, this is probably the only forum where you can discuss race.

[wildeyed]

10. agreed

When I find articles involving race that I think are interesting, I don't post them in GD unless I am looking for a flame war. And often I don't have the time or energy for flames, so I only post here for a civil conversation.

About the mods. They aren't required to be online at all times. Is it possible that the first they knew of the thread was when they shut it down? Or had they been deleting posts all along?

[Brewman_Jax]

11. This thread is another example

of the level ignorance that exists here and in the US. See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4331788 Even the editors knew what was going to happen, but did it anyway.

A lot of people, even some black people, aren't familiar with the old Jim Crow images. We aren't that far removed from that evil time in history.

Most are the usual "what's the problem?" and "that's being overly sensitive" and the like. Unlike black people, all white people aren't stigmatized by the acts of a few.

[alarcojon]

12. Pretty poor editorial decision

and pretty disappointing responses on the whole by DUers.

I almost feel like responding now, but better to let it die.

[Karenina]

15. Wow! Glad I missed that!

Why do I feel like it's just getting worse?

Eyore

[fortyfeetunder]

16. A population coming of age

Remember there's a population of Gen-X'ers brought up during the Reagan-Bush 1 years; where intolerance for civil rights and diversity became fashionable again. Therefore that particular population is clueless about racism, some are probably anti-union (Yeah, Reagan kicked PATCO's ass...). And they have this sense of entitlement without paying dues first.

[Brewman_Jax]

17. Very good point

I had forgotten about them. Maybe we should call them the Generation of Entitlement. :think:

[Kerrytravelers]

18. I didn't respond because by the time I got there, it would be

beating a dead horse.

I consider myself one who is open to learning and changing my views based on my ongoing knowledge. When I first saw the picture, I had two initial responses.

1. What a cutie-patootie. She's such a little doll.

2. Wow. It hit me what that image was. I am a child of the 80's and no, diversity and the understanding of these images were never taught and discussed. We are under the asumption that verything is fine now and those who complain are just being "too sensitive."

For those who didn't initially see it, I'd like to assume most (at least those who I have seen repeatedly here at DU and who have never struck me as biggotted or racist before) are like me... not one who has that negative sterotype in our minds and recognize it immediately.

Unfortunately, I feel that people like me are in the minority in this country. I've learned that just by being on DU. It's amazing the change in perspective I have gained, but it saddends me that others are unwilling to listen to others and their perspectives.

I could be very wrong, but it is in my humble opinion that a majority of this country would see that picture and immeidatly make a deragatory comment, either out loud or even in their own mind. It reinforces a sterotype that many may only know subconsciously.

The battle in this country over ideology is damning those who dare question the state of race relations in America. The belief that reagan and the like have put forward that there are no more racial issues that require Affirmative Action or laws that enforce equality. Once someone wraps their mind around ideology, their minds become inundated with the rw banter over and over and over again. They don't even realize they are no longer thinking, but being told what they believe.

Even those of us who aren't a part of that ideology are still suffering from it. We find ourselves surrounded by people who are no longer thinking individuals, but rather repetitive robots who move around society, continuing the lies. We soak it up and before you know it, the insanity has infilitrated into our minds as well.

It is such a battle, where does one begin? I can't believe how deeply we are all entranched. I always considered myself not only a liberal, but as one who teaches in an African-American and heavily Hispanic area, very upderstanding to minority issues. Being here at DU has shown me where I need to become more educated.

So, what do we do to combat this constant barrage of racial sterotyping... along with women's rights, the inequality of the Invasion of Iraq, the Supreme Court, the erroding of public education, the ending of Social Security, the destruction of the environment and ten million other things we won't learn about until * is gone and we finally, someday, restore honesty and dignity to the White House.

[undergroundrailroad]

13. This is an excellent illustration of the point the author was attempting

to make :

Authentic History.com