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.
Now THAT is an outright LIE!
“My point is that the GOVERNMENT should not be in the business of outlawing speech because it is deemed offensive”
I agree, I just wasn’t sure, based on your post, that was your position.
We don't need that kind of remark, either.
Fact: She was wearing very short shorts.
Fact: She was wearing a **large** emblem of the peace symbol that was used to denigrate our soldiers during the Vietnam War.
What on earth were her parents thinking???? Malia is a member of the First Family, and as such, she represents America abroad.
This was more than bad taste. It was inflammatory and insulting to our military. And...Personally, if it were my child, she would be dressed more modestly.
By the way, I thought dressing a little girl in a spaghetti strap dress for her appearance at the 2008 Democratic Convention was a little much, too! She looked like a little girl playing dress-up for the prom.
And...If the media can shred Palin’s children, then it should be open season on Obama’s kids as well.
My thoughts exactly!
My thoughts exactly!
Too bad suzy, the comments sure seem accurate to me.
I agree 100%. Insults, name calling, and personal hatred serve as diversions from serious discussion of issues, and they're also bad PR for the conservative movement. Thoughtful, fair minded people aren't going to react positively to political discourse of the Jerry Springer variety. There are enough real political differences to argue about without introducing counterproductive personal venom. Our conflict with the left is political, not personal.
I know I’m always taken aback when I see people post pictures of monkeys and say it’s Michelle Obama. Once in a while I ping the moderators just in case they miss it, but I don’t know if they are stopping it or not.
Thanks for the ping, Hepsabeth. I admit I only skimmed JimRob's original post (hubby needed the computer, I was trying to read fast!). I have now read the nasty examples of some FReepers' postings on the original Malia Obama threads that were pulled on FR.
Just wow... who are these people behind FReeper screen names these days?? I don't remember seeing these posts, although I didn't read each and every post which appeared across several threads.
I think Malia and Sasha Obama are lovely young girls. My only complaint was what I felt was the inappropriateness of Malia wearing a T-shirt with the peace sign on it, especially overseas. Her parents should have known better!
Yes, Jim, you did the right thing in pulling those threads. I had no idea there were posts as awful as those examples you've posted above.
Many in this forum were offended by the attacks on the Palin children. Further more, those attacks don't justify attacks on Obama's children.
Sleazy people are not limited to a single political party.
Frankly, virtually every “caption” thread regarding the Obamas gets into trouble, primarily with posters who use ebonics/gansta/ghetto language, as if the Obamas would talk this way, which they don’t.
Agreed. They’re children for heck’s sake. We should know better.
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It’s unfortunate to have people say slimy things that then get slimed by association back onto this large 300,000+ person community. In a group of this size, you are going to have some idiots who don’t know how to put a lid on their course jokes. Come on folks, steer clear of the kids at least..
A handful of the 160+ posts on that thread mentioned Malia. The vast majority referred to the culpability of her parents in Malia's choice of dress.
Michelle is a legitimate target, and I'm sick of some of the PC nonsense I've seen lately regarding her. Too many apologists...that worked well for Bush and Republicans in general the last few years, right?
I agree, the kids are off limits, but Michelle and Barry are fair game. They don't get a free pass because they're black, although some FReepers seem to think they should.
Children are not responsible for the actions of their parents. They should ALWAYS be off-limits. Period.
Michelle and Barack are adults. Fair game. Enuff said.
“I agree, the kids are off limits, but Michelle and Barry are fair game.”
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Agreed. But course jesting is just dumb. We can, and most often are, more creative than that.
She was not making a political statement with her hair. (ROFL) Her hair looked just fine. She is as cute as a bug. Good grief.
KOS kids are complete hypocrites.
I'll be the sweet ole Grammie I am and say nothing else, OK?
There's a difference between opposing their actions, and calling them "family of ghetto trash", "ghetto thugs", "A stain on America".
Last week someone posted Michelle Obama as Aunt Jemima. This is wrong.
Oppose their policies, but don't make racial insults.
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