Posted on 07/11/2009 12:01:08 PM PDT by buccaneer81
Conservative Free Republic blog in free speech flap after racial slurs directed at Obama children
By Chris Parry, Vancouver SunJuly 11, 2009 11:01 AM
This photo of U.S. President Barrack Obama's daughter Malia, wearing a peace-symbol t-shirt touched off a storm of epithet-laced comments on the conservative 'Free Republic' blog
"A typical street whore." "A bunch of ghetto thugs." "Ghetto street trash." "Wonder when she will get her first abortion."
These are a small selection of some of the racially-charged comments posted to the conservative 'Free Republic' blog Thursday, aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama's 11-year-old daughter Malia after she was photographed wearing a t-shirt with a peace sign on the front.
The thread was accompanied by a photo of Michelle Obama speaking to Malia that featured the caption, "To entertain her daughter, Michelle Obama loves to make monkey sounds."
Though this may sound like the sort of thing one might read on an Aryan Nation or white power website, they actually appeared on what is commonly considered one of the prime online locations for U.S. Conservative grassroots political discussion and organizing - and for a short time, the comments seemed to have the okay of site administrators.
Moderators of the blog left the comments - and commenters - in place until a complaint was lodged by a writer doing research on the conservative movement, almost a full day later.
"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?" wrote one commenter.
"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," wrote another.
Such was the onslaught of derision on the site that the person who originally complained about the slurs, a Kristin N., claims only one comment in the first hundred posted actually criticized the remarks as inappropriate.
A note on the front of the blog reads, "Free Republic does not advocate or condone racism, violence, rebellion, secession, or an overthrow of the government," but one comment on the thread read, "This disgusting display makes me more and more eager for the revolution," while another read, "I never actually wnated [sic] to be a pistol before but..."
After attention from other blogs, the thread was suppressed and placed under review, but before long it was returned to the site intact, and attracted a new series of racial slurs when the original complaint email was posted publicly to the site, with the sender's email address intact.
"The writer has a point," wrote site owner Jim Thompson sarcastically. "We should steer clear of Obama's children. They can't help it if their old man is an American-hating Marxist pig."
"I agree Jim," wrote commenter, by the nickname NoobRep. "The kids didn't pick their commie pinko pansy of a father. Nor did they choose to be put into the spotlight. But Obama/Soetoro is fair game and so is his witch of a wife."
"Poor kids. I hope they're not 'punished with a baby'," wrote another. "Hopefully they won't deal cocaine like the Kenyan."
"DIRTBAGS! All of them. Our [White House] is now a joke to the rest of the world. We have no respect and this is not going to turn out well, mark my words. We will be hit, and much worse than last time. We are now seen as weak and vulnerable. Ghetto and Chicago thugs have taken over."
Only after significant negative attention from a host of left wing political blogs did the maintainers of the Free Republic site place the thread under review for a second time, before finally pulling it.
In the wake of the controversy, some Free Republic posters complained about the vitriol.
One poster by the name of "fullchroma" wrote, "To Jim Thompson: 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?"
Another, going by the name of TChris, wrote, "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?"
But such opinions were not shared by all. Said Roses of Sharon, "Poor libs .... Too late, the battle has been joined." © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Actually, in principle I agree with you. I just think we need to pick our fights more selectively. It rather reminds Me of as a youngster getting in a fight with someone and soundly trouncing him, then the next day everyone ‘knows’ that I was trounced. Of course, then another trouncing was delivered whereupon he repeatedly brags about his trouncing Me yet again... you get the picture. I do not mean that we should ignore the jabs, merely that the lesson might be structured in more effective areas. A fractured foot, making someone easily brushed aside, goes a long way towards putting the lie on who actually did the trouncing.
I think the reference is to white trash posters, unless I’m missing his point.
You are likely a nicer person than me. My pride will not fall.... and I yield to no man.
FR has always had it’s share of trailer park folks. There used to be (and sometimes still is) serious discussions about conservative theory as it applies to the news.
But checking almost any thread now, and you will see that 60-80 percent of the posts are simple one-line zingers that are supposed to insult/impress/denigrate somebody.
And sometimes, sadly way too often IMHO, it gets pretty low class.
Many posters have commented on similarities between FR and DU and we are forced to take it with a grain of truth.
Did you just listen to what you posted? You call people trailer park folks. Who is that? Do you know many seniors live in trailer parks. Are they trash.
People can’t say “ghetto trash”, but they can sure throw out trailer trash.
So, who has a problem. Them and you?
‘You worry about racism on Free Republic when the President of the United States is a racist for sure. Priorities?’
No. I don’t ‘worry’ about Free Republic. I joined because I thought it was the best forum available. I am a Conservative. Whether or not anyone else is a racist does not concern me. However, I am concerned with the company I keep.
I don’t get it.
So am I.
’ Fall into that trap, and you’re guaranteed to lose. There’s only one way to win in a situation like this, and it’s to stand by clean principle. Jumping into the gutter with the pigs to wrestle is foolish. The pigs will have fun, and beat you with experience.
Like they are now.’
Thank you. The best post so far.
It is a generic term meant to convey something. Not to insult any particular individual or group of individuals.
That’s part of the way the English language works.
I don't think the kids are off the table when appropriate (now); I do think it is demeaning to FR to use racism to discuss the T-shirt and shorts, which I still believe were totally inappropriate. The cousin is an issue with me -- clearly dressed like a rapper-wanna-be -- but I think we can express ourselves without sounding like the KOS-ers......
THAT’S IT!!!
Bump to post #196.
I agree. I'm not easily offended but on rare occaision and by a tiny few the remarks here can be racist. A racist 'joke' was removed just a few days ago. Many, like you and I realize FR is no place for such garbage. But there were a few who thought it was just fine. They've apparently never considered two things; the opinions and feelings of FReepers who, like myself are black and/or they don't realize or care what negative impact such comments can have on the reputation of this site. FR is full of wonderful people. Unfortunately, the riff-raff come here too.
You just made my point. Thank you. The same could be said about the posters that posted about Obamas.
They were just terms meant to convey something. Not an insult to any particular individual or group of individuals.
If this is the case, then what is all this freaking flap about?
Here is the next step
You've obviously never been to DU.
‘There are kooks on every public internet forum, including racists. Jim and crew do a good job of smacking down these idiots. So do decent FR members.
That said, any poster with a member since date after 2006 is suspect in my mind, simply because there have been (and always will be) coordinated efforts by sneaky trolls to make FR look like a racist site.’
Since the last election they have been quite a bit over the top.
I’m sure a lot of people are ‘suspect’ in your mind if they don’t totally agree with you. No. ‘sneaky trolls’ were not responsible for those vile posts.
On a taxpayer provided ticket?
No, they cannot, but just last month multiple people hit abuse on a poster for totally inappropriate posts and the posts were allowed to stand.... I still do not know why... in that case the person who posted on the thread about the woman whose husband hired a man to break into their home and rape her while her two children slept nearby (and evidentally so he could watch and not with the woman’s knowledge or approval) that women deserved this because of women in the world having abortions. How did THAT reflect appropriately to FR? When things like that are allowed to stand it only goes to follow people will assume even worse behavior is appreciated and tolerated.
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