Archive for category Racism
Is there any chance the Sherrod blow up will advance the discussion about race?
Posted by Glenden Brown in Racism, This Blog on July 22, 2010
When discussing race, it often seems to me that for many whites – liberal, moderate, conservative – the fear of being accused of racism is overwhelming. The conversations are uncomfortable because even at best they seem to go something like this:
“That thing you just said sounds racist.”
“I’m not a racist. How dare you accuse me of being a racist?”
“That’s not what I said . . .”
“I’m not a racist how can you say such a thing to me!? You’ve attacked my good name!”
At which point some bystander announces, “Oh I’ve seen into this person’s soul and I’m here to tell you she/he is a good person, utterly free of racism.”
And the whole “that thing you did or said” conversation becomes the “that thing you are” conversation and that’s a rathole from which no one escapes. In those conversations, at least one person spends their time and energy defending themselves against any hint they might be a racist and the point being made gets completely lost.
The whole conversation becomes an exercise in propping up the egos of white people, assuring them of their essential goodness. Even under ideal circumstances, saying, “That sounded racist” is heard as “You are a racist.” We human animals have a hard time separating “that thing we did or said” from “who we are.”
Hugo has noticed a similar dynamic between men and women, observing:
But one thing I remember from my own college days that I see played out over and over again is this male habit of making nervous jokes about being attacked by feminists. In my undergrad days, I often prefaced a comment by saying “I know I’ll catch hell for this”. I’ve seen male students do as they did today and pretend to run; I’ve seen them deliberately sit near the door, and I once had one young man make an elaborate show (I kid you not) of putting on a football helmet before speaking up!
All of this behavior reflects two things: men’s genuine fear of being challenged and confronted, and the persistence of the stereotype of feminists as being aggressive “man-bashers.”
The variation with regard to race is the “angry black . . .” fill in woman or man according to the specific speaker.
Hugo adds:
Joking about getting beaten up (or putting on the football helmet) sends a message to young women in the classroom: “Tone it down. Take care of the men and their feelings. Don’t scare them off, because too much impassioned feminism is scary for guys.” And you know, as silly as it is, the joking about man-bashing almost always works! Time and again, I’ve seen it work to silence women in the classroom, or at least cause them to worry about how to phrase things “just right” so as to protect the guys and their feelings. It’s a key anti-feminist strategy, even if that isn’t the actual intent of the young man doing it — it forces women students to become conscious caretakers of their male peers by subduing their own frustration and anger. It reminds young women that they should strive to avoid being one of those “angry feminists” who (literally) scares men off and drives them away.
(Emphasis in the original)
In Hugo’s women’s studies classes the situation becomes all about the men – the women work to soothe the male ego, to keep the men safe. When the discussion is about race, the dynamic becomes black people comforting white people and assuring the white people that they (black people) know that the white people are really good people.
Being called a racist or bigot is tough. Very few of us want to be bigoted, very few of us want to be racists. But honest and open conversation requires that we deal with it. If someone says, “That thing you said sounded racist,” we should stop talking for a minute, move beyond our own oh so sensitive feelings and let the person speak. Chances are good it’ll turn out that what we said was racist and we didn’t mean it but we’ll keep saying because we’re too busy defending ourselves to actually hear the message and understand the problem.
Carl Wimmer Throws Utah’s Hispanics Under The Bus
Posted by Cliff Lyon in Bigotry, Bullying, Carl Wimmer, Liars (politics), People Are Nuts, Prisons, Racism, Republicans, Rocky Anderson, SLC Politics, This Blog, Utah Legislature, Utah Politics, utah on July 16, 2010
Sunday morning on KSL’s Sunday Edition, Utah State Republican Representative Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman said:
81 percent of the homicides, when you have a recorded ethnicity, are committed by Hispanics
It’s hard to know if Rookie Rep, Carl Wimmer really hates our Mexican friends or whether he is just pandering to Carl Wimmer voters. Remember, Carl Wimmer is the creative genius who cooked up the Patrick Henry Caucus (PHC) Billy Bob Road Show.
As an ex-cop and self-proclaimed Constitutional expert going as far back as 2009, Carl Wimmer knows well the concept of “innocent until proven guilty.” Wimmer conveniently failed to mention that his 81% claim comes from ARRESTS, not convictions. That’s probably because he didn’t know. But hey, he BELIEVES! Oh yeah, and his math sucks.
Here’s the funniest part. His so-called friends put him up to it. I imagine it went something like this:
[BEGIN SCENE]
PHC Testerones Uno: “Hey Wimmster! Got a job for ya”
Carl Wimmer: “Anything for YOU Padre! Que pasa?”*
(A cool breeze tickles the ungrowable hairs between Carl’s nose and lips)
PHC Testerones Dos: “Anything?”
Carl Wimmer: “Hey, what’r Amigos for right?”
PHC Testerones Tres: “Remember that ‘waste of a vagina?’”
Carl Wimmer: “Forget it, Amigo. That ‘Lesbo’ scares the sombrero outta’ me.”
PHC Testerones Uno: “He’s kidding Carl. This one’s easy. Ya did so good scaring the b’Jesus outta’ the West Valley preggies, we need you go on KSL and scare the shit outta’ the Beaners.
Carl Wimmer: “Sho’ thang padróni ‘Herrodoni’. What’cha got?”
(A young light-skinned Latina intern hands him a piece of paper with a chart on it which, distracted by her beauty, he fumbles and drops on the floor)
Distracted by her beauty, the paper falls to the floor
Carl Wimmer: “What the butt plug is this Herrodeeee?”
PHC Testerones Uno: “We’ve done the math already. Checked it twice even. You can take it to the Temple. Just say, ‘81 percent of the homicides, when you have a recorded ethnicity, are committed by Hispanics.’ And make sure you say ‘recorded ethnicity.’ That way, all the Bishops can defend the statement as technically correct if need be.”
{ END SCENE }
End Notes:
5% of Utah State and County Prison population are Hispanic. Sutherland Institute: Illegal Immigration study
* Carl Wimmer feels very cool when he speaks Spanish.
* Disclaimer: Law Enforcement Deserve our full respect until they quit, get fired and or fail and decide to become Republican politicians in Utah.
* I am still mad at Carl Wimmer for taking away my right to free speech on his Facebook page for nothing more than politely challenging him on a few of the amazingly stupid things he says.
Rafting Desolation and Gray Canyons
Posted by Richard Warnick in Energy, Environment, Public Lands, Racism, This Blog, Wilderness, utah on June 15, 2010
Gathering storm – Desolation Canyon
The first adventure in any river trip down Desolation and Gray Canyons of the Green River is getting to the put-in at Sand Wash, on a pretty rough route through Uinta Basin gas fields that often results in flat tires even if you’re careful. We pulled over to let a couple of trucks from Wyoming pass, one emblazoned with “Deso or Bust.” They took off in a cloud of dust, but guess who we saw again later putting on a spare by the side of the road?
Rumor has it that some scientist once declared Sand Wash to be one of the five most mosquito-infested places on the planet. Fortunately, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) provides screen shelters for those staying overnight. Each is named for a member of the 1869 John Wesley Powell expedition- we stayed in “Bradley,” (after George Bradley, a soldier at Fort Bridger who agreed to accompany Powell in an exchange for a discharge from the United States Army that Powell arranged for him). Light rain sprinkled the shelter roof after dark, a reminder the weather forecast wasn’t that good.
In the morning, the BLM ranger on hand to inspect our boat and gear turned out to be Paul LaFontaine, who I first met back in 1984 when he was the river ranger at Westwater Canyon and I was a Student Conservation Association volunteer. He gave us a thorough rundown on the rapids ahead, several of which have become a lot bigger since I last saw them 22 years ago. I wish I asked more questions about campsites, because it turned out a couple of the ones I had in mind were impossible to land at during high water. And the Green was running high at 20,000 cfs (cubic feet per second).
I traded my permit papers for a boat tag, and we were off. Fast. My planned 14-mile day turned into 18, because that’s how far we had to go to find a campsite that wasn’t under water. The river flowed quietly, and the buzzing of millions of mosquitoes could be heard. Caught a glimpse of four wild horses, before landing opposite Stampede Flat. We barbecued a steak, partly to justify the required (and heavy) fire pan. More light rain overnight.
The second day we made it to Mushroom Rock, one of the rock art sites I remembered well from before. It was a nice lunch spot under a gnarled old cottonwood tree. In the afternoon clouds rolled in, but we spotted a deer in the trees close to the left bank of the river, and a group of bighorn sheep scrambling down a rock slide– dislodging some small boulders that clattered down the steep slope. We found a nice beach to camp on at the foot of a minor rapid.
On our way to the next day’s first stop at Flat Canyon, we spotted an elk among the trees. The Flat Canyon area apparently experience a wildfire a few years ago, which replaced sagebrush with bunch grasses that make good elk winter range. Hiked over to see the petroglyphs, probably the most artistic panel in Desolation Canyon. Then we ran Steer Ridge Rapid, which at high water has a fairly awesome wave train. An unavoidable big wave broke over the raft, which I’m happy to say is self-bailing (and everything was tied down). The sun came out in the afternoon, but there was more rain at dinner time. Our umbrella was pressed into service as a rain shelter.
Day four began with a stop at Rock Creek Ranch, and a hike up the creek to another petroglyph panel with scenic views of the canyon. The American flag at the ranch marks the halfway point of Desolation/Gray. It reminds me of the flag that waves proudly at Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon. After days of comparative solitude we caught up with quite a few other groups, including one from Outward Bound. Now we started seeing some really dark, menacing clouds that made us break out the rain gear. The storm caught up with us at Snap Canyon Rapid and delivered high winds and a stinging barrage of pea-sized hail. Ouch. Found a good camp after some searching, because all the landing spots were taken for miles. Hard rain overnight.
Next up– Joe Hutch Canyon Rapid, which became a big deal in 2008 when the canyon delivered a huge flash flood that chucked house-sized rocks into the river. This one involved a mandatory scouting, landing on the right and going down to see the waves from below. But we got through just fine, then ran Wire Fence and Three Fords Rapids in quick succession. The latter has to be scouted at low water, but now all the rocks are inundated.
Below Three Fords, there were lots of normally tame rapids (and some riffles) that turned into roller-coaster waves. We made good time, only to discover that the landing at the camp below Coal Creek Rapid was impossible. And the rest of the camps were either drowned out or taken. The beach at Nefertiti was the only option, with three groups already there.
The run to Swasey’s Beach was easy except for some powerful eddies that almost qualified as whirlpools, sending the boat upstream until we could punch through the eddy line again and regain the main current. For some reason, this last stretch of Gray Canyon was a terrific place to spot Great Blue Herons. And that was Deso/Gray, June 2010.
See the continuation for more pictures.
Read the rest of this entry »
Show Us Your Papers!
Posted by Richard Warnick in Barack Obama, Civil liberties Infringement, Equality, Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Immigration, National Politics, Racism, The Constitution, This Blog on May 19, 2010
Thanks ACLU. Tell it like it is.
Arizona’s new racial profiling law is as outrageous as it is unconstitutional. In this ACLU video, the people of Arizona show us the only papers they need in the United States: the Constitution.
First Lady Michelle Obama learned about this issue first-hand today from a second-grader in Silver Spring, Maryland. Via Think Progress:
ABC News’ Karen Travers reports:
The student shyly raised her hand and said, “My mom … she says that Barack Obama is taking everybody away that doesn’t have papers.”
Mrs. Obama replied: “Yeah, well that’s something that we have to work on, right? To make sure that people can be here with the right kind of papers, right? That’s exactly right.”
The girl then said quietly, “But my mom doesn’t have any …” and trailed off.
Mrs. Obama replied: “Well, we have to work on that. We have to fix that, and everybody’s got to work together in Congress to make sure that happens. That’s right.”
We need a court injunction to stop Arizona’s racist immigration law NOW. Where is the Obama Department of Justice on this?
UPDATE: Dan Froomkin: The second-grader’s mother has a good reason to be worried because the Obama administration has stepped up deportations, particularly of “non-criminal aliens.”
AZ ‘Papers, Please’ Law Unconstitutional and Un-American
Posted by Richard Warnick in Civil liberties Infringement, Equality, Foreign Policy, Hypocrisy, Immigration, National Politics, Racism, Republicans, Sarah Palin, Tea Bag Party, The Constitution, This Blog, Utah Politics on May 17, 2010
On a lonely Phoenix street in April, a police officer pulled behind Jim Shee’s parked BMW and asked to see his “papers.” Shee, 70, who had pulled over to the side of the road to check text messages on his cell phone, responded, “I hope you mean my registration and license.”
The police officer said Shee was being questioned because he was “suspicious.” It’s typical… in April, he was pulled over twice in less than two weeks.
“DWB,” said Shee, who is of Chinese and Spanish descent. “It’s ‘driving while brown’ … when he saw me all he saw was brown.”
The new Arizona immigration law is probably never going to be enforced. States have no power over immigration because it’s an attribute of foreign affairs. Just as states can’t have their own foreign policies or enter into treaties, they can’t have their own immigration laws either. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been treated to the spectacle of all the putative Constitution-defenders on the right rallying to support this patently unconstitutional law.
Predictably, former half-term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has joined in.
This pretty much cancels out all the “we’re not racists” claims of the Tea Party movement too.
Announcing a lawsuit filed in federal court in Phoenix on Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union and other rights group described the law as “un-American” and an invitation to racially profile individuals.
“Arizona’s law is quintessentially un-American: we are not a ’show me your papers’ country, nor one that believes in subjecting people to harassment, investigation and arrest simply because others may perceive them as foreign,” said Omar Jadwat, a staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. “This law violates the Constitution and interferes with federal law, and we are confident that we will prevent it from ever taking effect.”
Here, for the benefit of some people who have asked me to explain why the Arizona law is unconstitutional, is the cite (emphasis added):
U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8:
The Congress shall have Power….To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
Article VI, Clause 2 (the Supremacy Clause):
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The Arizona law would criminalize not only undocumented immigrants, but anybody who helps them or who fails to carry paperwork proving legal status at all times. It would be impossible for the police to carry out a mandate to check anybody who they have a reasonable suspicion of being in the country illegally, without engaging in profiling or violating our basic civil rights.
If this law is allowed to take effect, people with brown skin – regardless of whether they are U.S. citizens or legal residents – will be forced to prove their legal status to law enforcement officers over and over. One-third of Arizona’s population – those who are Latino – will be designated as second-class citizens.
Perhaps encouraged by recent polls, Utah Rep. Stephen Sandstrom (R-Orem) is already drafting a bill just as unconstitutional and oppressive as the Arizona law. Governor Herbert had to cancel a special session of the Utah legislature to avoid a repeat of the Arizona fiasco.
It’s up to the courts to put a stop to this immediately. Our fundamental rights as Americans are at stake. Again. Thanks to the pseudo-patriots who don’t understand our Constitution.
Related One Utah posts:
Your Papers, Please… (April 27, 2010)
Jim Crow in Arizona (April 27, 2010)
Meet the Greasy White Spineless Underbelly of America; the Racist, Pro-Gun, Tea Party Movement Goes to Washington…Almost
Posted by Cliff Lyon in Activist groups, Gun Control, Racism, Some people should not own guns, Tea Bag Party, Terrorism, Tribalism & Blind Obedience to Authority, White Supremacy on April 20, 2010
There is little more that needs to be said about the anti-”We, the people” pro-gun movement. It it all summed up in this video of Alabama Militia Leader Mike Vanderboegh. For the most part, the fanatic pro-gun crowd are cowards. Thats why they are so scared and that’s why almost no one showed up despite the free advertising provided courtesy of Fox News Scum.
Thanks to The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence for the video.
Signs reading “Which part of ’shall not be infringed’ confuses you?” and bright orange stickers saying “Guns save lives” dotted the crowd at the Washington Monument. Across the Potomac River in Alexandria, former Alabama Minutemen leader Mike Vanderboegh told the crowd armed confrontation should be reserved only for instances of the government threatening people’s lives.
However, he said it might be justified if people face arrest for refusing to buy insurance under the health care reform package recently passed by Congress.
“If I know I’m not going to get a fair trial in federal court … I at least have the right to an unfair gunfight,” Vanderboegh said. Source
For those of you too young to remember, this is the nothing more than a newly branded Klu Klux Klan.
Where is Alan (Coward) Korwin?
Republicans regret the scourge of partisanship
Posted by Becky Stauffer in Activist groups, Bigotry, Conservatives, Healthcare, Hypocrisy, Racism, Republicans, Tea Bag Party, This Blog on March 21, 2010
(HT to Cliff Lyon, seen on Facebook)
All morning long, watching the talk shows, I’ve listened to Republican leaders decrying the partisanship in Washington and voting along straight party lines, while out the other sides of their mouths declaring that not one Republican will vote for the health care bill today. Since we know some Democats will vote against the bill, we can only assume Republicans concerned with partisanship are, in fact, disgusted with themselves. As they should be – having spawned (with the help of Fox News) one of the most uninformed and hatefilled movements I’ve ever seen in my lifetime – the Tea Bag movement.
The Right: ‘Avatar’ Is ‘Super Mega Ultra Left-Wing’
Posted by Richard Warnick in American History, Conservatives, Entertainment, Environment, Foreign Policy, National Politics, People Are Nuts, Rachel Maddow, Racism, Space, This Blog, War, Wilderness on December 16, 2009
James Cameron’s Avatar
One of the most-anticipated movies of the year is James Cameron’s “Avatar.” The story is set on a planet in the Alpha Centauri system, 4.3 light years from Earth. Humans want to: (1) eradicate the blue-skinned natives and their civilization, which thrives in harmony with nature, and (2) open up strip mines.
Perhaps not surprisingly, right-wing commentators have immediately leaped to the defense of genocide and the rape of natural resources.
AllahPundit: “Super mega ultra left-wing… A three-hour lecture on imperialism starring Smurfs.”
Breitbart.com: “Think of ‘Avatar’ as ‘Death Wish 5′ for leftists. A simplistic, revisionist revenge fantasy where if you freakin’ hate the bad guys (America), you’re able to forgive the by-the-numbers predictability of it all and still get off watching them get what they got coming.”
Jeffrey Wells: “Not right-wing friendly… Call it the most flamboyant, costliest, grandest left-liberal super-movie anyone’s ever seen… totally pro-loincloth, pro-native, despise-the-greedy, hug-the-earth, worship-the-earth, down with the soulless short-end, down with the us-first, masters-of-the-universe thinking behind the Goldman Sachs/Timothy Geithner culture and up with the eternal/spiritual in all cultures and all corners of the globe. The tragedy of the Vietnam War echoes all through this film. Somewhere Ho Chi Minh is smiling.”
John Nolte: “Set in 2154, “Avatar” is a thinly disguised, heavy-handed and simplistic sci-fi fantasy/allegory critical of America from our founding straight through to the Iraq War.”
Wow. Do you think some of these people have guilty consciences? It’s a science-fiction movie about humans trying to wipe out a race that exists in James Cameron’s imagination. Maybe it’s a heavy-handed allegory, or else it’s action-adventure entertainment. Did they say “Titanic” was an anti-capitalist screed because the third-class passengers didn’t get lifeboats? Not everything is partisan politics, you know.
See below for a hilarious clip from Kent Jones of “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
Hypocrisy on Parade and the Sole Jewish Republican in Congress
Posted by Cliff Lyon in Bigotry, Racism, Republicans on October 26, 2009
In recent times, it has been suggested that the Republican party has become the party of white men. This has never been more true than it is today. Between Congress and the Senate, Republicans can claim exactly zero African Americans and one Jew; Eric Cantor, and he is a pathetic hypocrite.
To Wit:
To those still feeling defensive about the accusations of racism among Republicans, consider for a moment why there are ZERO elected Republican African Americans in our legislative branch. Its a hard fact to explain.
While we do see a few unelected token Republicans in the party, Michael Steele for instance, there is not much the party can do about the fact that the now 20% of Americans who self-identify as Republicans will simply NOT elect an African American.
Based on the evidence, of the two political parties in this country, one has become a small cluster of xenophobic, white supremacists?
Frankly, I don’t see how there is any hope for Republicans in 2010 elections
killed
wounded
Recent Comments