108 posted on Sat Apr 07 2012 21:34:47 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) by Mad Dawgg: “My little league coach taught me to never swing at a pitch that is un the dirt.”
Yes, but we're playing big league politics, not little league baseball. In politics, responding to something **IN THE SAME NEWS CYCLE** is crucial if you're a candidate, and it's not a lot lower in the priority list for situations like this.
The big difference is a pitch in the dirt doesn't get the batter in trouble, and if there are enough of those pitches, the batter gets to walk to first base. Here, the “pitch,” if not responded to, can cause major damage to Free Republic for being racist. It's not a true accusation — look at all the support here for Herman Cain and Col. West — but an accusation with no response is an accusation which gets believed.
Let's be clear here — this is a high stakes game of hardball. The leftists are looking for ways to discredit conservatives. Free Republic is a major conservative website. Especially if Jim Robinson intends to lead a last-ditch fight to stop Mitt Romney — and he has made very clear that he's not going to support Romney no matter what the Republican Party does — Free Republic needs to avoid getting blasted as a website full of bigots.
We already know that the New York Times and reporters for other major media read Free Republic. Absolutely the last thing we need is for an article to show up in the major media tying Gingrich (or Santorum) to a few wacked-out crazy commenters here on Free Republic, and then have Mitt Romney resurrect the ghost of John McCain by saying he represents the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, not the party of Bob Jones University — but substituting the term “Free Republic” for “Bob Jones University.”
Anybody who knows the internet knows wackos put up wild comments. Some are trolls deliberately trying to get the website in trouble; others are the sort of extremists who attach themselves to any movement. The question is what the management does with those comments when called to their attention.
110 posted on Sat Apr 07 2012 21:35:40 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) by Mr Rogers: “What did he write that bothers you?”
My primary problem is not with National Review or with Derbyshire, but rather with the characterization of Free Republic as a place where “really obvious racist stuff” goes up.
Yes, I've seen some racist and secessionist crap here. When I've seen it, I've jumped on it. I think I could probably find wild-eyed crazy stuff on any website that doesn't reflect the views of management — I don't blame Daily Kos or Huffington Post or places like that for their local loony leftists in the comment section until it becomes obvious the commenters are being backed by management — and that's why Free Republic needs to officially respond to make clear that we are not racists.
@ Flotsam_Jetsome: We're on the same page about public displays of affection, and not just in Asia. My Korean niece attends the largest of several Christian schools outside Fort Leonard Wood, which is run by an independent fundamental Baptist church. The school has a large minority contingent of blacks, Hispanics, and several different Asian groups. They require school uniforms and their rules on public displays of affection are stricter than Korean schools.
112 posted on Sat Apr 07 2012 21:38:09 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) by reaganaut1: “Define ‘racism’. Is doubting that all races are equally intelligent on average ‘racist’?”
As Flotsam_Jetsome reminded us, every time we post there is a statement saying this: “Please: NO profanity, NO personal attacks, NO racism or violence in posts.”
I think it's important that Jim Robinson, not me, make the call on how to define “racism.” I have ideas but it's important that I defer to the site owners.
For now, the problem is what the Atlantic said about Free Republic with pictures of Obama with bones in his nose, not comparing racial performance on standardized tests.
124 posted on Sat Apr 07 2012 21:54:32 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time) by CharlesWayneCT: “BTW, in what has to be a hilarious joke, when the Atlantic article pretended to find such pictures at FR, they provided a link to the offensive picture. It was actually a link to Talking Points Memo, which is a left-wing site.”
Thank you!
Proving Atlantic doesn't have its own facts right is wonderful. Now let's go stick that into the Atlantic and see how they like it...
“My primary problem is not with National Review or with Derbyshire, but rather with the characterization of Free Republic as a place where “really obvious racist stuff” goes up.”
That happens ALL THE TIME. Liberals don’t care about the truth.
If JR posted a screed saying FR doesn’t tolerate racism, the liberals would just roll their eyes and say in a knowing tone of voice, “The more racist the site, the louder the denials. The dog that squeals the loudest is the one the rock hits!”
You are dealing with people who have NO respect for truth. They wouldn’t be liberals if they did...
There will be idiots who occasionally post racist stuff. Free Republic has a policy of removing such when it is reported or caught by the Mods. There is no need to defend Free Republic as being racist because they strive to remove such quickly.
So don't swing at a pitch in the dirt. (Unless you are one of those Limeys across the pond then I say swing away but I'm still never gonna understand about wickets and scoring. I'll just drink your ale and nod and smile as you carry on about it!)
To a liberal, all conservative thought is racist. This is nothing new.
As Flotsam_Jetsome reminded us, every time we post there is a statement saying this: “Please: NO profanity, NO personal attacks, NO racism or violence in posts.”
I think it's important that Jim Robinson, not me, make the call on how to define “racism.” I have ideas but it's important that I defer to the site owners.
For now, the problem is what the Atlantic said about Free Republic with pictures of Obama with bones in his nose, not comparing racial performance on standardized tests.
Nice tap dance and subject evasion. Care to actually answer the question? This question opposes objective truth to a PC "third rail of doom." It's rather important to answer it, and not just evade it.
But if you must evade it, you are telling us that your PC fear of the third rail is greater than your desire to seek the truth anywhere it lies.
Congratulations!
You’ve earned your Politically Correct Merit Badge.