One more from the left: Free Republic Pulls Thread Bashing Malia Obama

DailyKOS ^ | Fri Jul 10, 2009 | by CatM

[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.

[Doe Eyes]

See, there's this old sitcom called All In The Family that they air.

I don't recall them insulting black children. Even though there wasn't a black child of the President of the United States at the that time, I can't imagine Archie Bunker referring to them as a "family of ghetto trash" and "ghetto thugs".

[buccaneer81]

They're again throwing white guilt at the country.

So are some people on this thread. It's beyond ridiculous.

[DallasSun]

Of course he didn’t. You are right.

[buccaneer81]

I don't recall them insulting black children.

Once again, you refer to a handful of posts out of over 160. Not nice, for sure, but not the intent of the thread or indicative of the overall tone.

[CaliforniaCon]

Re: “I guess your idea and my idea of hair looking *fine* wildly differ. Black Panthers and ghetto gangs come to mind when I see that and she does NOT wear her hair like that. It was a statement. We will agree to disagree. I will never agree with you on this.”

*************

I agree with you, mojitojoe — and if I encountered that “child” with that hair “style” and that tee-shirt accompanied by that “15 year old (??)” male in the sloppy attire seen in the photo, I can assure you I would most certainly cross the street.

[VictoryGal]

> These people said the most vile things about Sarah Palin and her family imaginable.

My response is the same as my mom’s when I excused my bad behavior saying the neighborhood kids did that and worse.

“It doesn’t matter what THEY do. YOU still need to act like a decent human being.”

No evil behavior on Dims’ parts excuses evil behavior on ours. Do you honestly want DIMS to set the bar for YOUR behavior? Seriously? Those comments about the Obama kids on the FR thread were absolutely disgusting, and if I ever see their like again on FR I will hit the “Abuse” link so fast it’ll make heads swim.

[CaliforniaCon]

RE: “She does wear her hair like that. There are many pictures of her hair like that. There is nothing about her hair that is associated with Black Panthers and ghetto gangs. It is a typical african-american hairstyle, and not a statement”

*********

Maybe it’s the frequently mean ‘look’ on her face that doesn’t help matters where many observers are concerned?

[GOPJ]

I wonder if some of this was the work of Obama trolls intending to make FR look bad?

Someone needs to do a thread of "troll tricks". The newest one is: troll one says something like - 'Obama did "such and such" and Bush never would have done that' - then when a few marks have climbed on - the second troll says, "Oh that WAS Bush who did that". It's a one two punch...

[Doe Eyes]

Once again, you refer to a handful of posts out of over 160. Not nice, for sure, but not the intent of the thread or indicative of the overall tone.

Not the case. You have been defending the "handful of posts" and I have been countering you. You really come across as a racist who hates the children of our President because the are black.

[Las Vegas Ron]

That’s because those of us with experience and maturity stay away from threads like that

With that type of elitist, better than thou attitude you should consider becoming a politician.

[buccaneer81]

You have been defending the "handful of posts"

No, I have not. I agreed that the kids are off limits. But when it comes to the adults, it's a different story.

And go ahead and play the racist card. It's old, tiresome and untrue.

[buccaneer81]

With that type of elitist, better than thou attitude you should consider becoming a politician.

They're coming out of the woodwork today.

[adorno]

Yep, we can get dirty but going after the children is beyond dirty.

It's true we shouldn't go after the children. They are still young and for the most part innocent of their father's or mother's sins.

They are still learning and they may sometime in the future become fair game.

But, the children are being brought up with the beliefs and attitudes of the parents. What good can come from that? But, if they do become like their parents, we can't go after them until they become public figures espousing the same ideals and garbage as their parents. But, it's hands off for now and for a few years.

[DejaJude]

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?

I think I posted on this thread. My contribution was that they were using the daughter as a billboard. I don't usually read every comment posted on a thread (is there someone designated to do this?). I know we have trolls posing as conservatives here. Seen many a ZOT of such. Still, I'm not surprised at the hypocrisy of a KOS poster. They chastise us for not having a sense of humor over the Palin children or not supporting free speech when they use the most foul or racist of language (house negro/uncle Tom comes to mind) to describe those they disagree with.

[wardaddy]

they were directed at the baggy pants black boy with the Obama child

make no mistake, Obama has her out there as a prop...she wore two different peace shirts in several days

i doubt that is coincidence

but unlike their viciousness towards GOP politicians kids which we’ve watched here since the Bush girls, we should leave their early teen kids alone

not that it matters in the long run really, nothing we do can reach the serious left, it’s a neurosis for which there is maybe not even a cure baring life experience

[Doe Eyes]

And go ahead and play the racist card. It's old, tiresome and untrue.

And someone who disagrees with your position is Sandra Dee. Oh yeah, you are the high and mighty.

[buccaneer81]

And someone who disagrees with your position is Sandra Dee. Oh yeah, you are the high and mighty.

Nope. Sandra Dee = PC.

[Las Vegas Ron]

The crux of the matter was that parents control what their 11 year old kids wear, especially on state visits.

Here, here, I was on a few of these type threads yesterday and pretty much saw the same thing.

This is so typical of the left, putting up people to pass their message along but who are of a select group that dare not be criticized. There is no doubt in my mind that is why zer0 was picked over Hillary to bring this liberal wet dream of a socialist utopia to a climax.

Criticize the one, you're a racist, put the kid in a peace sign t-shirt, can't say a word.....and so on

We are better but quite frankly it doesn't seem to matter, after all we're not exactly in the winners seat are we? We seem to embody the idea that nice guys finish last, I can't say I like the idea but it's where the dems have brought the political discourse.

I'm not advocating attacking the kids but what they're wearing is a different story especially when they are traveling on our dime and representing the USA. We can leave the kid alone but in my view it's time to get down and nasty with these traitors.

They are the enemy of this nation and I want to win the fight no matter the cost

[wardaddy]

without even looking way downthread I am going to guess that we will have by now certain self righteous freepers calling other freepers racist and preening about how much better they are morally now that they have smeared them with the race card.

Am I wrong....I'll close my eyes and peek

i find this sort of knee jerk weakness here where some freepers always fall for this “race is the end all” garbage the worst sort of irritant

that sort of kneejerkedness makes it impossible to deal with our most pressing problems, got Obama elected largely and has about destroyed our nation

our culture is simply not better off than it was before we started on this crazy road to perpetual minority victimhood and the war on whiteness......the cure for racial discrimination is arguably worse than the original problem

it's insanity and permeates conservatism only slightly less than liberalism

the poor taste in attacking any man's kids notwithstanding..

[buccaneer81]

Great post, Ron. Thanks.