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.
Is a street agitator ghetto trash?
Did they disgrace us in London with their crude, uncultured behavior?
Did Obama ogle a diplomat’s teen age daughter?
Is truth unspeakable?
You got that right. When Thurgood Marshall was nominated for the Supreme Court back in 1967, over 90% of Republican Senators voted in favor of his nomination while only 58% of Democrat Senators voted in favor. Go figure.
Oh boy. If I could show you the video that was just emailed to me. "We" people know alright EXACTLY who's in control right now.
LOL! I’m thinking, not so very much. :)
Ponyboy?
If you are white and conservative....always.
From its very beginning and its early support for slavery the Dem party has been the party of racism. Jim Crow was Democrat policy. Woodrow Wilson and his segregation policy were Dem ideology, the leftist goal of abortion is racist in its origin, the Dems opposed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, and as you said, opposed Thurgood Marshall, and they are racist to this day.
I only wish that every African-American in this country understood those facts.
Putting aside the thread in question, this is rich coming from the DailyKos.
We’ve just been Alinsky-ized. The ending paragraphs are the proof. Beat them down with their own rules.Got it.
OOOhhhh—we conservatives aren’t perfect. Big deal.
Has this clown ever protested Democratic Underground?
His outrage is very selective.
Since he is the self appointed protector of children, where was this guy when Sarah Palin’s children were being maligned and Baby Trig being marginalized?
And where is FreeRepublic’s responses?
Oh, that’s right, we don’t get to answer the charges. The seriousness of the charges, that’s what counts.
At least we self monitor tens of thousands of posts a day.
The libtard sites are are open sewer.
That said, the kids are off limits—unless they are being used purposely for porpaganda purposes. And Obama and crew are not above that.
It’s possible, Lakeshark. ;)
What a shinning example of America’s diversity the Obama’s exhibit in their world travels. There...its a lie but as long as it makes you FEEEEEEEEEEL good.
Bingo. We’re being Alinskied, and we’re falling for it.
That’s a good list - reminds me of some other ones I’ve seen - watch the person who speaks “folksy’ and uneducated - then switches to college graduate with advanced degree... We really do need to make this a stand alone post - I’ll bet other freeper have seen things we’ve missed.
You are SO right, exit82...
I agree with your post completely.
As a young child, I doubt Malia even understood the peace symbol; she probably thought it was “cool”. Her parents, however, have the responsiblity to represent our country better. It was her dad, ultimately who was elected, not Malia. And just as we were uncomfortable with the exploitation of the Bush twins “partying” in college, imagine how uncomfortable others feel when young girls are being bashed.
But should their being black leave them open to racial slurs and stereotypes?
______________
No, not unless they make race an issue and write book that call whites ‘typical white person” and things like that. Not unless they bring up race constantly and accuse everyone that disagrees a racist. Last night I said Obama was a greedy elitist on a poker site. Someone said “I reported you for being racist”. WTF?
Thanks for the ping!
I read the article but not the entire thread (posts).
Children should never be ridiculed, the butt of jokes, but it happens. It’s still happening to Sara Palin’s kids. It happened to the Bush Twins.
I don’t think this is a racist site. Some comments I read, calling girls whores or sluts, etc. is disgusting imo. But free speech and all and Thank God and our Constitution for it. Sometimes, free speech, the 1st A, is offensive to some, especially if it’s an opposing side.
Personally, I think all kids, even kids of politicians should be off limits since they didn’t sign up for this, their parents did. It just seems that only certain people are off limits.
I didn’t see the original thread.
I don’t find anything “wrong” with her outfit. She dresses like a normal kid. Although, I don’t allow my kids to wear anything with the “peace” sign, and discourage them from buying it with their own money, only because the peace symbol back when I was a kid in the 70s/80s was an anti military symbol.
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