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.
Yeah pal- but I'm Jewish. I'd rather remember the words of my sages:
If someone wakes up in the morning to kill you, wake up earlier and kill him first"
You people drew first blood.
None of the liberal even caught why Letterman was offensive... That said - I don't think we should go after children either. Who wants to be as tacky and dreadful as the liberals?
Poor kids. I hope they’re not “punished with a baby”.
Hopefully they won’t deal cocaine like the Kenyan.
It’s a shame the Obamas have to be attacked based on race, I hate all leftists equally, I don’t care what their ethnic background is and it doesn’t matter. He’s a leftist, that’s all we really need to focus on.
“I wonder if some of this was the work of Obama trolls intending to make FR look bad?”
It sure wouldn’t be the first time, nor the last.
But these comments are perfectly acceptable when directed at Republicans? I see that Letterman has stepped up the attacks again. And Olbermann doesn’t stop his hate.
How dare anyone associated with or a member of DailyKos accuse us of offensive comments. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
I agree Jim, no matter what we should just leave all the kids out of it.
The treatment of Sarah Palin’s kids are the perfect example of why we are better than them, and I agree that that he has a point about some of those posts, we don’t need to stoop to their level. (as much as I hate to admit agreeing with anything coming out of HuPo, but some of those were over the top when the subject is an 11 year old girl no matter who her father is)
Thanks,Jim.
I can’t believe that true FReepers would say such things about kids-even someone they don’t agree with. That’s pretty bad. 11-year-olds deserve better.Not to mention the fact that we need to be above such garbage.That kind of stuff is for Kos and DU-not us.
I agree with you but the people that post that kind of crap don’t belong on FR. Reflects badly on all of us. They should be invited to go elsewhere.
That being said, I found Malia’s t-shirt offensive. Any time I see the “Peace” symbol it’s offensive because it is a political statement.
The other day there was a news story about two women that were taking the skins of decommissioned combat aircraft and turning them into “dogtags” with peace sayings on them “as a way of honoring our soldiers.” The “Peace” symbol was part of some of the “dogtags.”
I have to say I didn’t notice the thread (although I’m familiar with the picture being spoken about).
The tone of the comments does not seem at all typical of what’s posted here.
None the less, people’s children are off limits.
I’m sure this noble, progressive-minded writer going to include chapter in his book about the things left says about Palin’s children, right?
Thanks for posting this. The writer failed to mention anything about it, but I wonder if the writer has asked similar questions of other forums who have bashed President Bush’s daughters or Governor Palin’s children?
Would that these rank hypocrites would be so similarly concerned about the Palin children.
Why make ourselves out to be ungentlemanly towards a completely IRRELEVANT figure upon absolutely irrelevant matters (i.e. her looks, her style, mistaken notions of her being “ghetto” rather than from a middle class background.)?
Let the Letterman's and other lowlifes do what they will.
We at least should be the ADULTS and address issues of import.
Self righteous KOS pukes trying to make hay. They are irrelevant.
Not for nothing, But these things are said constantly about Children of other politicans...Kids should be off limits! 100%. Watching the left and Media try to destroy Sarah Palin and her children..Including an infant with special needs....
I don’t feel much pitty for some bad comments on a blog you can CHOOSE to read or not to read. The attacks on Sarah and her children were on about every TV channel..Magazines...and lots of websites.
I think Obama’s daughters can CHOOSE not to look at a blog while they are in EUROPE with there dad. Sarah’s daughters are probably nervous to turn on the TV or look at a magazine.
I’m sick and tired of the LEFT telling me WHAT I CAN’T SAY. Meanwhile they say the most dispicable things and claim FREE SPEACH. QUID PRO QUO my commie friends......
1.Kids should be off limits, especially young kids;
2.FR should not feel compelled to answer questions about morality from someone who lies - namely someone who introduce themselves as ‘an independent writer’ and then posts to Daily Kos…nothing independent about that, in any sense of the word;
3. As for the question: “Does Free Republic condone this type of exercise in free speech?” Simply put yes. The exercise of free speech is the whole point, isn’t it? That the content of individual’s statements may be offensive to some, and/or unrepresentative of posters as a whole should not and does not detract from the valuable exchange of ideas or their very expression. There was a time when liberals believed in free speech too, but that time has long passed.
Heh. I thought not.
Certainly it's not any "better." But to go after the children is far worse.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.