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.
Where’s the sarcasm tag? Politics is a blood sport and I recall that it was the leftist media that was putting Malia’s picture all over the news with the intent of pushing the peace-nick image. (Probably because her Marxist Daddy wasn’t clear enough about his intent to “change” the world.) They don’t get it both ways. You can’t use children like posters and not expect them to take a hit. Sara Palin proved that. It’s not just politics, look at the national attention being spread all over Michael Jackson’s kids to see if any of them can be turned into a profit stream.
I agree. Children are off limits regardless of what kind of trouble they get themselves into and if they’re still in school. Let’s face it. Various politicians, despicable though they may be with our taxpayer dollars, are parents and suffer through their children’s problems like any other parents. However, it’s nice to be informed when they do. Most freepers would say, “Yes, I’ve been there and done that” without vilifying the child or children. My motto was, is and still will be is “hell hath no fury like someone screwing around with Mom’s kid.”
The recent uptick here in racist vitriol, aimed at Barrack, Michelle and their children has made me wonder if I belong. My objection to Obama has nothing to do with skin tone. Is the ugly stereotype of Conservative racism true?
The problem with the idea of “limited free speech” is the same as the problem of “limited free will” in philosophy.
If free will were limited, so that say murder and rape were not doable, then why stop there? Why not restrict free will from perjury and greed? It is obvious to the casual observer that ‘limited’ and ‘free’ are, in this case, antonyms and the idea that is being presented is nonsense.
The same is true of free speech; if it were limited it would not be free. However, this is not to say that I condone all uses of it: there are plenty of things crude, rude, hurtful, and hateful that should not be said.
Exercising free will and free speech alike have consequences; if you choose to sleep around indiscriminately chances are that you will get an STD. If you say things, they may come back to haunt you; or may earn you a beat-down.
i feel certain there were freepers on that thread, calling OUT the nasty ones impugning the child, but the KOS would not bother to point that out. i agree, it doesn’t belong here, kids should be off limits, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard.
“Is that any better? To call the First Lady “ghetto”?”
You can also direct that statement to the black property owners/renters on Martha’s Vineyard.
I mean, really? We're going to sit around and mock how someone LOOKS?
Free Republic is a political discussion forum. It SHOULD be beneath us as a group to stoop to such juvenile tactics as I see increasing here lately.
Do we REALLY have to insult Mrs. Obama's appearance like a clique of nasty 14-year-old girls? Aren't there enough POLITICAL problems at stake with this administration???
Please, for the credibility of this important and terrific site, STOP the personal insults already!
I would go further than that. I would say that racism in any form is anti-conservative and that purveyors in that kind of hate speech should be banned. Zero tolerance.
Remember it is the Left that has historically been racist - why hand to their side the mantle of moral superiority?
I agree, These girls are children. However, I do wonder how many of the foul mouths were trolls or just plain low class.
I wonder how many of those threads are started by trolls? or at least the comments entered are by trolls?
Without a doubt. However, that doesn't mean we can't criticize the parents for USING the children as pawns in their game.
At the age of 11 the parents are still primarily responsible for how their child is dressed in public and this is WAY more important for those in the public eye than just your everyday person.
I have an 11 year old daughter and how she is dressed when in public, be it at school, church, the playground, or the supermarket, is a reflection upon my husband and me as her parents and how we are raising her.
And I'm sure the left really means no harm to Sarah Palin's children. Thank God for the love and basic human decency displayed by TRUE Democrats.
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It's blatant hypocrisy on the part of the Left, yet I do believe that children should be off-limits.
I was on more than a few of these threads, and noticed a number of posters objecting to criticizing the Obama children.
I'd like that smug, sanctimonious hypocrite to give us his answer for that leftie crap.
The original thread was about the shirt the kid was wearing. It was objectionable to some people. Are we not allowed to wonder why she was allowed to wear such things when they (the First Family) are overseas representing our country?
There’s nothing easier than telling the guy you beat that he should forget the depths you plumbed to do so.
Poor libs....too late, the battle has been joined.
Weird how the Kos Kids have no problem with trashing Trig Palin. I guess it’s tough understanding what the term hypocrite means when you live your whole life that way.
:^)
PS: Did you cc: David Letterman on this?
Moreover as these issues are personal rather than political; it seems to bring out a rather ugly side to many posters that does not show FR in a good light.
And I know it isn't “fair” that for 8 years Bush was called a chimp. Calling someone of African descent a chimp or gorilla has a long and storied history among racists; so just DO NOT GO THERE.
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