Posted on 07/10/2009 9:53:00 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
Yesterday, theHalfrican posted a link to the Free Republic Website where several of its regular members were bashing Malia Obama for wearing a peace symbol t-shirt. The thread had several derogotary, racist, and sexual remarks about Malia. It also included a picture of Michelle Obama speaking to Malia that was accompanied with a racist caption.
I wrote the media contact at Free Republic yesterday, kristinn@bellatlantic.net, questioning the nature of the posters and the site:
Hello. I am an independent writer developing a book about the grassroots conservative movement online, of which your site, Free Republic, is included as a primary online gathering place for conservatives.
Could you please tell me how the owner of the site feels about posts like this one:
http://www.freerepublic.com/...
...in which conservatives who post regularly at the site make several racist statements about the 11-year-old daughter of President Obama for wearing a t-shirt adorned with a peace symbol? Remarks included the following:
"We’re being represented by a family of ghetto trash." "Looks like a bunch of ghetto thugs. A stain on America."
"Looks like a typical street whore."
"What we now are sending the ghetto over to represent us. and if so who the hell is that flea bag who looks to be dragged from the trash dumpster."
"you could go down any ghetto right now and see exactly the same."
"could you imagine what world leaders must be thinking seeing this kind of street trash and that we paid for this kind of street ghetto trash to go over there"
"the world must be laughing like mad right now at that we have this kind of street trash in our white house."
"Wonder when she will have her first abortion."
"sad isn’t it that we now have ghetto street trash over there representing us in Europe."
"This disgusting display makes me more and more eager for the revolution.
"They make me sick.... The whole family... mammy, pappy, the free loadin’ mammy-in-law, the misguided chillin’, and especially ‘lil cuz... This is not the America I want representin’ my peeps."
In addition, the thread includes a picture of Michelle Obama speaking to her daughter with the caption, "To Entertain Her Daughter, Michelle Obama Likes to Make Monkey Sounds."
Before you dismiss this as only a minority of posters at the site, out of 100 posts on that thread I found only 1 that criticized such remarks. This is not the first time I have seen such an exhibition of blatant racism at Free Republic by members who regularly post there.
Here are my questions:
Does Free Republic condone this type of exercise in free speech?
Are these the type of participants Free Republic is happy to have posting at its site?
What is Free Republic's policy about posting racially offensive comments?
What is Free Republic's policy about making sexual insinuations about minors (particularly relevant in light of the David Letterman/Sarah Palin brouhaha)?
Does Free Republic believe its membership accurately represents the conservative movement?
Does the owner of Free Republic believe this kind of discourse is helpful to rebuilding the Republican Party and furthering its goals?
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your responses.
went back to the site today and saw that the offending thread has been pulled "pending review."
http://www.freerepublic.com/...
I do note that Free Republic has a disclaimer on the first page that claims it does not condone this type of post; however, I am not sure when the disclaimer was added. Does anyone know?
From the disclaimer:
Opinions expressed on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Free Republic or its operators.
Please enjoy our forum, but also please remember to use common courtesy when posting and refrain from posting personal attacks, profanity, vulgarity, threats, racial or religious bigotry, or any other materials offensive or otherwise inappropriate for a conservative family audience.
Free Republic is a site dedicated to the concerns of traditional grassroots conservative activists. We're here to discuss and advance our conservative causes in a more or less liberal-free environment. We're not here to debate liberals. We do not want our pages filled with their arrogant, obnoxious, repugnant bile. Liberals, usurpers, and other assorted malcontents are considered unwelcome trolls on FR and their accounts and or posts will be summarily dismissed at the convenience of the site administrators.
Free Republic does not advocate or condone racism, violence, rebellion, secession, or an overthrow of the government.
So, the site will readily delete posts from liberals just because they are liberals and therefore everything they say is automatically considered "arrogant, obnoxious, repugant bile."
But comments calling an 11-year-old black girl "ghetto trash" and a "whore" are pulled "pending review." What is to review? Your site either supports that kind of rhetoric or it does not. Which is it?
If the Free Republic's "conservative family audience" consists of people who say such things as they often do (like yesterday), how conservative are they? And how family-oriented are they? Where were all the posts from other Free Republic regulars or from the owner of the site decrying this kind of racism directed at a child for no apparent reason than the fact that a peace symbol t-shirt inflamed their hatred to disgusting depths, like a red handkerchief in front of a mad bull?
Conservatives continually reinforce the fact that the only families they care about are conservative ones; the only troops they support are ones that do not vote democratic; the only children whose lives they value are the children of conservatives or unborn. How many of those aborted fetuses they claim to hold so dear would they trash had they been born and grown into a pre-teen who wore a t-shirt with a peace symbol or supported a liberal president? Or was gay?
The truth is that conservatives do not know the meaning of Jesus' words despite how much they love to use them when it suits their inner hatred of all those who are different. Worse, they lack basic human decency, as they demonstrate time and again.
And no white (or green) women get similar expressions? Why no Wicked Witch of the West comparisons with Michelle? Does Hillary really look anything like that witch?
The problem with using Aunt Esther, even if the comparison has some merit on appearance and is entirely innocent of racism, is that the other thing the two women clearly have in common is race and, further, Aunt Esther comes with a whole baggage train of black stereotypes that come along for the ride, as well as being a fairly unflattering comparison in general . It's like finding a picture of Evita Peron with a similar expression to one in a picture of Sarah Palin and posting them side-by-side. Perhaps the expression is similar but the other woman comes with a lot of baggage.
As for the argument that both Aunt Esther and Michelle Obama are "angry women" (I'll ignore the "angry black women" angle for now), the general public is not convinced that Michelle Obama is an angry woman, so that leaves them seeing only one comparison. Both women are black.
Hello. I am an independent writer ...
Yeah.Right...
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+1
And I doubt anyone is complaining about those pictures, which is why they are a better choice than pictures comparing Obama with stereotypical blacks. But what Michelle? What white women has she been compared to? How about her mother? Perhaps I've simply missed the comparisons and pictures.
I’m sick and tired of the LEFT telling me WHAT I CAN’T SAY. Meanwhile they say the most dispicable things and claim FREE SPEACH. QUID PRO QUO my commie friends......
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YES!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you, sir.
It’s the whole reason behind their “protected classes” -
to insulate their forerunners from criticism.
Nerdier than 98%, I can see that. The answer is NO, NO and NO. The personal attacks will not stop and I have to question your real motivation. MO is fair game. End of story.
I remember Kos. That was the rat fad that came after Democrat Underground and before Huffington, right?
I’ve used the term “ghetto” when referring to WHITE people many times. It is not racist.
Wondering is ok. Questioning the appropriateness of the attire is ok.
Referring to the First Family as "family of ghetto trash", "ghetto thugs", "A stain on America", and "a typical street whore" is beyond acceptable behavior.
I am sure most here would oppose references to the Bush daughters that fell along these lines.
Apparently you are late to the party. Most freepers aren't silent.
What I am saying is that you were not clear on what action that you intended to take.
Why is my statement about the mister nice guy crap is getting to be over the top is not being read as the way it was stated?
Because this does not clearly state your intended actions. It simply says that you are tired of being "A nice guy". Subsequent actions can take many forms. You have now cleared that up. It isn't your intention to emulate the left.
Hmmm... seems to me there were Jewish ghettos in Germany.
The term refers to a geographic area where the underclass, either by force or by choice, group and live together.
:)#100.
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Since the "angry women" comment was mine, I think I'll respond.
If you were to use an image to poke fun at Palin, would you use an image of a white woman or a black woman? I'd use an image of a white woman, because Palin is white.
I'm all for not taking aim at children, but unless the owner of this site makes it clear that poking fun at the opposition is unacceptable, I'm not going into the business of denying reality.
Jim, I completely agree with you on that point. But, with all due respect, racially offensive posts (usually triggered by pictures of the Obamessiah and/or his wife) appear on FR too frequently and are not usually directed at his children. For instance, I see nothing wrong with mocking Michelle Obama's lack of fashion sense, and am myself a member of that ping list. But, a lot of those threads also contain poster-created captions and quotes that make liberal use of ebonics and racial stereotypes. Mocking someone's fashion sense is a lot different than attributing their style to their ethnicity.
Do you have some guidance on how you would wish such posts to be handled if they're reported as abuse to moderators?
Michelle Obama is compared to Aunt Esther for two reasons, one the their similar expressions and the second is that Michelle is considered by many to have a similar demeanor.... This comparsion would not have been as effective with any other woman.. Anything perceived to be negative will be attached, adhere to the standards set by this forum and be prepared to DEFEND them. There is no problem with the comparison, there may be a problem with how it is presented.... Such as foul abusive language.
So, what do you think of derision (ebonics, etc) based on cultural tendencies (ie, cultural stereotypes) instead of on skin color?
Or are they inseparable? Is this “inseparability” belief, in and of itself, racist?
I scanned that thread yesterday, and your perception is accurate. But, those type of comments are offensive when directed at Michelle Ma Belle as well. The fashion ping threads used to be hysterically funny (imo), given that Michelle's weird, mostly tatesless style provides so much fodder. But there's been a gradual evolution of a few commenters who resort to ebonics and offensive racial stereotyping in their poor attempts to be "funny". Those type of remarks aren't funny and it needs to stop, imo.
The article clearly stated that SHE chose to wear that shirt, it was not chosen by mom or dad.
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There you go. That settles it. If the article said she chose it herself then that must be true. By the way, I have some swamp land in Florida that I want to sell..............interested? :P
Heaven knows some of us have made mistakes on FR and learned from them. I know we can’t be told who wrote those comments, but I surely hope the authors have learned from this, and others too. I agree with those who say..there are too many important things to focus on. We can all learn from this.
As a side note, do you think that the other side will respond with appreciation for those on fr who speak out against this behaviour? If indeed KOS has a lot of nasty hatefilled comments on their site, will they too demand “respect” from their own members? This has forced me to decide to lurk at their website...and ‘monitor’.
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