A demographic that is 2.96% of the population accounts for 49.6% of victims. Also, they have a higher rate of being the shooter. And more here.
But we can’t talk about this like grown-ups lest we offend the delicate sensibilities of someone. Clearly, guns must be to blame instead.
Obama Campaign Calls Racists Republican
So far, most of the racism I’ve seen comes from folks associated with Barack Where’s the Beef Obama.
Here’s a livejournal from a guy who everyone thought was the Virginia Tech shooter (I’ve linked him before). They thought it was him because he’s 1) Asian (they all look the same, you know) and 2) he was a gun owner (we’re all crazy and shoot things all the time, you know). Anyway, a year later, he goes back through some things from that time, including his place getting raided and various press interviews. Interesting stuff:
If you weren’t paying attention, then you didn’t notice all the racism. See, we’re not a post racism society*. Part of the reason is that everyone sits around with their racist decoder rings looking for racism. Even when it may or may not be there. But accusations of racism these days are rather like car alarms. You hear both so much that you don’t even pay attention to the noise anymore. A few examples:
If you call Barack Chirac Obama an elitist, you’re a racist! Seriously?
Bill Hobbs did a post reminding Barack Tiberius Obama who is boss was. That boss quite clearly from the link meant the people. Then ZOMFG it’s a slave reference!
And ZOMFG! someone called Barack Gwen Stefani Obama a boy! But, you say I call people boy sometimes and I don’t mean nothing racist by it. I looked at my wife last night and said ‘that boy ain’t right’ and he was a white dude trying to push a rope. Doesn’t matter because Boy, in that context, is a racist remark, period. We don’t have to give you a reason, it just is! Dammit. And this is great:
The GOP clearly intends to yell “n*gger, n*gger” or “b*tch, b*tch” for the entire campaign in a desperate attempt to divert attention away from the complete mess they have made of the country.
Not really since the Dems are doing it for the GOP. I mean, I keep reading lefty blogs that say if you don’t vote for Hillsy, it’s ’cause you’re a misogynist. And if you don’t vote for Barack a2 + b2 = c2 Obama, it’s ’cause you’re a racist.
In other news, years of pandering to identity politics is biting the Dems on the ass.
* Note: there really is real racism but none of this is it.
I lost it in all the Heller stuff. But did anyone else find it odd that Barrack “He who shall not be middle-named” Obama decided to have a real conversation about race in this country? I mean, a guy whose campaign implied it was bigoted to reference his actual name came out and talked to Americans about race like they were adults.
Funny.
BTW, it was a good speech. And he made some fine points. But I find it hard to buy what he’s selling.
So, Geraldine Ferraro thought that, being one of the righteous good guys, she could opine with immunity regarding Obama’s success and skin color. Boy, was she wrong. It’s OK, hon, if you weren’t one of the righteous good guys and had an R after your name, you’d have been canned already instead of them at least giving you some time to get your shit out of the office fridge.
Anyway, I’m amused that the Democrats are now turning their bread and butter tactics on each other. I mean, Obama’s race and Hillary’s vagina seem to be tearing that party apart. Well, not the party but their respective races (there I go again) to the presidency.
I guess the only encouraging thing about this is that one of them has to lose.
And Hillary. But only this one time. Probably.
It was amazing. I’ve had two conversations recently in the real world that left me dumbfounded and uncomfortable. One was a guy that I know at a social setting. An educated man who is successful. And he said to me roughly I’m not voting for the nigger and I’m not voting for a woman. My response was that I’d vote for a black person and a woman, if it were Condoleezza Rice. We had a laugh at that and I moseyed away to find other conversation because that was awkward. As much as we like to pretend racism is a thing of the past, it’s not.
The other was in a more professional setting where someone (an educated and successful person) told me they couldn’t support Obama because they thought he was a closeted Muslim. Sweet Jebus! First, I find that claim laughable and second, so what?
I mean, if they both had said they won’t vote for a socialist, we’d have been cool. But, come on, the color of skin, who has a penis, and whose invisible man in the sky is better are the primary reasons?
Update: And for the record, one was a Democrat and one was a Republican.
Remember the cop who decided that a man in a wheelchair should stand up and dumped out of the wheelchair for not complying? You know, because he’s not able? Well, turns out people are hurting her widdle feewings:
As outrage spread nationwide over a Hillsborough County jail inmate being tossed from his wheelchair onto the floor, the detention deputy at the center of the controversy has been getting nonstop phone calls, many racist in nature.
“It’s not even just in Florida,” said Beverly Crecy, the roommate of suspended Deputy Charlette Marshall-Jones.
“These calls are from out of state,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “People calling her ‘n—’ and ‘fat’ and all kinds of stuff. Seven o’clock in the morning and all through the night.”
Remember kids, when you call someone up to tell them that they are unfit for duty and, generally that you think they’re disgusting human beings, don’t call them racist terms or make fun of their apperance. Because it’s hurtful. I mean, not as hurtful as being dumped out of a wheel chair. But still, that’s mean.
When I was in high school and college, I paid the bills by working at a grocery store. When I first started, I was the lowliest of rungs on the ladder: a bag boy. As a bag boy, you did all the crappy jobs. One of those crappy jobs was mopping the store. Now, mopping a 25,000 square foot store sucks. But it gives you ample time to think. But this ain’t a post about that, it’s a post about this:
One night, I’m mopping away. A couple of aisles over I hear the following conversation from a black couple in the frozen food section:
Black Dude: You know what white people like?
Black Chick: Huh?
Black Dude: You know, how they say we like watermelon and fried chicken?
Black Chick: Yeah.
Black Dude: They like pizza. Look at this aisle, it’s half pizza.
This website reminded me of that. Via Brittney.
It’s only racism when your side does it.
1/3rd of evangelicals vote Democrat.
And, as reported here before, voters still hate gay cooties and Godless heathens.
America is filled with gun nuts, and any one of them could turn Obama into Martin Luther King Jr. at any moment.
Update: more here.
I can’t believe this. A bunch of drunken hoodlums show up at a man’s house, hollering “nigger,” obviously looking for a fight, the man defends himself and his son, and a jury convicts him? Of what?
Update: As is always the case in these things, there’s another side to the story that makes it unclear (in comments from original link):
I read the account in Newsday. White and his son walked out in the driveway carrying a pistol and shotgun, apparently going right up to the teenagers (according to the account, the dead boy was ‘inches away’. The son was shouting racial insults and slurs of his own.
The prosecutor said he should have stayed inside, locked the doors, and called police.
Escalating the situation is never good. But no one should be forced to rely on waiting for the police who, when seconds count, are only minutes away.
Conversely, I wonder what the result would have been were races reversed.
I pre-emptively call myself a racist so you don’t have to. Neener neener.
One of the things rarely discussed (because it’s just not PC) is violent crime and race. It’s OK this time, because a black guy’s doing it:
Last year, among the nation’s 10 largest cities, Philadelphia had the highest murder rate with 406 victims. This year could easily top last year’s with 240 murders so far.
Other cities such as Baltimore, Detroit and Washington, D.C., with large black populations, experience the nation’s highest rates of murder and violent crime. This high murder rate is, and has been, predominantly a black problem.
According to Bureau of Justice statistics, between 1976 and 2005, blacks, while 13 percent of the population, committed over 52 percent of the nation’s homicides and were 46 percent of the homicide victims. Ninety-four percent of black homicide victims had a black person as their murderer.
Blacks are not only the major victims of homicide; blacks suffer high rates of all categories of serious violent crime, and another black is most often the perpetrator.
Liberals and their political allies say the problem is the easy accessibility of guns and greater gun control is the solution. That has to be nonsense. Guns do not commit crimes; people do.
Deb also notes: If Guns Cause Crime, Why Aren’t All Communities Affected?
Now, I’ve touched on this cultural phenomenon before. And, notably, Useful Fools did some comparisons across countries and via race, noting that the US had a substantially lower violent crime rate than European countries but a higher murder rate. And that the homicide rate for blacks was 20.5 whereas the rate for whites was 3.3. And, while overall violent crime and homicide among non-blacks declined, among blacks it continued to rise.
And, according to the Justice Department, Firearms Violence 200% Higher for Blacks Than For Whites. Other race based stats:
* Firearm violence rates for blacks age 12 or older (8.4 per 1,000 blacks) were 40% higher than rates for Hispanics (6.0)
* 200% higher than rates for whites (2.8 per 1,000).
* Blacks were about 9 times more likely than whites to be murdered with a firearm.
* On average black victims of firearm violence were 3 years younger than white victims — 29 versus 32.
* From 1993 through 2001 blacks accounted for 46% of homicide victims and 54% of victims of firearm homicide but 12% of the U.S. population.
I guess all this indoctrination goes both ways:
A Metro Nashville middle school teacher with a long history of opposing gay bias was suspended without pay for asking a black student how she would feel if he called her by a racial slur.
Well, that’s gay.
Quiz: The men in charge of other men who patrol the streets with guns should be promoted based on . . .
1) performance and testing.
2) because they’re a certain color.
If you picked 2), The Tennessean agrees.
Policing is serious and dangerous business that can result in people getting killed or put away for a long time. I’m sorry, but I want the most qualified person based on their performance being in charge. And I don’t care what color they are.
Mike emails this story. Long and short: Two guys driving down the street and notice a man shooting at people. Two guys (who happen to have concealed weapons permits) turn around and draw down on the man (who is black - important later) and tell him to stop. Two men viewed as heroes.
But wait, there’s more: Turns out the original shooter also had a permit. He says his car was rammed and six men approached him, one with a gun. So, he was firing at them. He has been charged with reckless endangerment. Notes on this fellow:
He had a handgun carry permit.
He called the police.
That indicates he’s not a criminal and I don’t think his intent was criminal. But it was rather cowboy to shoot across traffic. And he did hit a bystander’s car.
Mediaverse thinks there’s a racist element to it, noting:
The brothers are being called heroes because they did something. Roberson, who did something too, is being called a “gunman,” a criminal. No, he should be called a hero too.
What did he do so differently than the Webbers?
Probably because he endangered others by firing across traffic. As a permit holder, you are responsible for any shot you fire. You can’t go shooting across traffic. I’ve seen no indication in the story that the assailant he was shooting at actually fired shots. I think his crime here is being a bit overzealous.
Me and some friends have a weekly [redacted] game. A bunch of guys sitting around drinking and [redacted]. We had one a bit back and one of my friends calls me up and says he’s got another player. I said Great, bring him on. My friend says He’s black. Is that OK?
There was a bit of silence. I was stumped. Is that something you have to ask these days? I really was uncertain how to respond. I, of course, have no problem with it but, obviously, at some point that was an issue for the guy. I, after recovering a bit from the awkwardness of that question, said that I had no problem with any new player. I surely have no problem with them based on skin color. Bring him on. I could use the [redacted]. I guess it may be an issue for some folks as racism is not a thing of the past.
Whenever we have our [redacted] game, we have a Hispanic dude that plays with us every week. No one ever asked if it was OK if he could come. And I hate Mexicans*.
* that’s a joke, for people that need to be told that sort of thing.
I figured that Biden’s comments about Barrack Hussein Obama would be defended with some righteousness from the lefty blogs. Instead, they came down on him. Good for them. Though some commenters are defending him.
But, here’s an observation: Biden basically said what the media have been pushing for a year or so now. After all, Obama is really a rather mediocre political candidate. His career has not been that long nor has it been particularly stellar. Why the love affair if not due to race, presence, and looks? Take out race, and he’s John Edwards.
I am guessing that Cohen did not get the memo about the Stacey Campfield fracas.
Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed
Freshman Rep. Stephen I. Cohen, D-Tenn., is not joining the Congressional Black Caucus after several current and former members made it clear that a white lawmaker was not welcome.
“I think they’re real happy I’m not going to join,” said Cohen, who succeeded Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., in a majority-black Memphis district. “It’s their caucus and they do things their way. You don’t force your way in. You need to be invited.”
Cohen said he became convinced that joining the caucus would be “a social faux pas” after seeing news reports that former Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, had circulated a memo telling members it was “critical” that the group remain “exclusively African- American.”
Other members, including the new chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., and Clay’s son, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., agreed.
“Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer. … It’s time to move on,” the younger Clay said. “It’s an unwritten rule. It’s understood. It’s clear.”
The bylaws of the caucus do not make race a prerequisite for membership, a House aide said, but no non-black member has ever joined.
Is there a stereotype about black people’s lawns always looking like shit? Because I’m thinking about starting one.
Update: Ok, ok, fine. It’s in bad taste. It’s a joke, get over it. BTW, the Mexicans who live up the street have an immaculate lawn.
Are there some voters who would not vote for an African America candidate because of race? I’m sure there are. Those are the same voters who probably wouldn’t vote for me because of my politics.
That’s as lame as me pointing out that his middle name is Hussein when it’s unnecessary. See, I don’t vote for big government, nanny-statists regardless of skin color. Rich says: I think I’ve learned all I need to know about Mr. Obama.
heh:
I just heard on CNN that Harold Ford, when pushed about the race issue, said that Black guys are undefeated in Tennessee.
Update: But that’s not as funny as this voter fraud.
The Tennessean says that the race between Ford and Corker will be seen as racial milepost. They also state that Tennessee voters may find out whether their state is ready to send a black man to the U.S. Senate. When he loses, it’s because you’re a racist. Smarminess aside, for me, I don’t care about the color of the candidates but I have wondered if Tennessee is ready to elect a black guy. I tend to think Tennessee is because Ford, a candidate with a record that is not supportive of who he claims to be now, has pulled this race much closer than I thought he would.
The latest Republican National Committee ad (scheduled to air tonight during The World Series on Fox) will assert that:
Harold Ford, Jr. can’t say the word Ask
He has a big schlong
He doesn’t, err, eat at the Y (if you know what I mean)
He may have once talked loudly during a movie
As for Bob Corker, well, he can’t dance.
Trollphylactic: I preemptively call myself a racist.
Update: Ford also doesn’t tip very well.
And can get uppity.
Seen at the KNS, The Tennessee Republican Party darkened an image of Harold Ford, Jr. Kinda lame. They also allegedly used code words. Though I’ve opined that I didn’t think Tennessee would elect a black senator, I haven’t seen race made much an issue until now. I’m disappointed it has now shown it’s ugly face.
Over VV, AC asks:
My question is: under what circumstance is it appropriate to print the word? Obviously, not as a slur but is it okay in other circumstances? Should it be asterisked as though it were a curse word or should one use the political correct term “N-word”?
Now, AC blogs for the man, the MSM, part of the problem. So, he has to cater to the delicate sensibilities of people. I don’t. He asked this question in reference to my post in which I (intentionally) said gays and godless heathens are the new niggers. You, if you were a smart person, probably realized that I was using inflammatory language to reference the widespread dehumanization of blacks by using a derogatory term. You, if you were a dumbass, thought I was a RACIST!!!! (for examples of such dumbassery, see comments at AC’s joint).
And Brittney, who also blogs the man, the MSM, part of the problem, has a pretty funny image here. I thought it was funny. And even thought I may snag a copy. I notice the name of the files was respectthecock.gif. I thought it was funnier. I commented on how funny I thought the name was and she said that was almost the title the post. I assume she thought the people who watch WKRN wouldn’t find it so funny.
If I worked for the man, I couldn’t say things like that. Or talk about a bunch of stuff I talk about here.
Apparently, gays and godless heathens are the new niggers. Via the Roginator.
I know people fear gay cooties but why not atheists? Just curious.
Something is missing from the list. I notice Middle-Easterner isn’t on there.
It has reached the point of comedy, this racism thing.
In the beginning, some DC politico got into trouble for using the word niggardly. Turns out, some ignorant twits just needed to buy a damn dictionary as it’s merely a synonym for stingy. Then, there was the time where some school official used the term yard-apes, and everyone called her a racist. Yard-ape, they said, was a derogatory term for black people. Well, it’s also a derogatory term used for children, which was her intent. Then I recall the time when someone asked if the phrase That’s Mighty White of You is racist. turns out, one definition of white is Honourable; square-dealing.
Now, comes the latest. It seems that George Allen called some Indian fellow a Macaca. I didn’t know what that was either. Turns out it’s a species of monkey. Kevin tells us:
Macaca, in case you did not know, is an old and well worn racial slur
Trouble is, when you hit that link, it says:
Macaque
(Belgium & France) a Negro (originally) or a person of North-African origin (more recently); derived from macaque monkeys
So, it 1) is spelled differently; 2) is slang in other countries; and 3) doesn’t reference Indians. The cool part, though, comes from the WAPO article which says:
Asked what macaca means, Mukherjee said: “What it means, I don’t know. But it’s going to cause him some grief.”
Muhkerjee called the comments hurtful but doesn’t have any idea what it means. Ah, feigned ignorant outrage. My favorite. Idiot.
Meanwhile, the Allen camp says it was a reference to Mohawk because this guy apparently has a mullet or some such.
Keep it moving people, nothing more to see here. Well, except partisan political hackery.
Update: In comments, kevin says:
First, the original article has the phonetic spelling. The phonetic spelling that is a common mispronounciation among racists.
And the racist certinaly seme to now what the word means:Here
And Allen speaks French and his mom is a French colonial from tunisia, where tword is a racist slur along the lines of n*gger.Any more excuses?
You be the judge.
Update 2: AC has video.
Gov. Bredesen repeated his request to the Judicial Selection Commission to select a new panel of three candidates to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court.
Bredesen rejected a panel of finalists in July, saying it was unacceptable to have to choose between two white candidates following the withdrawal of the only black finalist.
So, where’s the Asian, Indian, Hispanic, and Jew? To bad no one nominated a Hispanic, Hindu, French-speaking, physically-handicapped, communist, gay black woman*.
*Bonus for the reference.
There are plenty of reasons for me not to vote for Ford but this ain’t one of them.
Let’s go ahead and tackle this now (on Friday, late, when no one is looking): Can a black man win the Senatorial race in Tennessee?
I hate to say it but I think the answer is no.
Phil Bredesen basically says he judges them by the color of their skin and not the content of their character.
No, not Biden. The reaction to it (well, ok, Biden is dumb too but that’s expected):
Facing criticism, potential 2008 presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden has been forced to explain his recent remark that “you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.”
On a recent edition of the C-SPAN series “Road to the White House,” the Delaware Democrat is shown shaking hands with a man and boasting about his support among Indian-Americans.
“I’ve had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking,” Biden said.
Seriously, this is why people are upset?
Cultural sensitivity training, circa 1942: How To Spot A Jap. Apparently, you can tell Japanese from Chinese because Japanese people shuffle instead of walk. And Japanese people have buck teeth. Why not just say they can be identified by their laziness and devious oriental minds?
Via Brittney, comes MTA who tells us that the phrase That’s Mighty White of You is racist. Don’t know that I agree, really, as one of the definitions of white is Honourable; square-dealing - though it is possible that definition came about through racist intent, I suppose. So, no, I tend to not think such a phrase is inherently racist.
There are a few phrases that I hear quite often that are inarguably racist. I think these phrases are so ingrained in the local vernacular that people who use them do not really mean them in that racist way but they’ve just been used for so long that it’s acceptable. Heck, I’ve even heard my black friends (both of them) use them. One phrase is nigger-rigged (i.e., shoddy quality and thrown together haphazardly). And I hear it a lot.
But there is a bit of overeagerness in labeling things racist, which is what I think MTA has done here. For example, there was that time a public official was almost fired for using the word niggardly, which turned out to really be a sign that a lot of folks needed to buy a damn thesaurus. Then there was the time when a Tennessee school official used the phrase yard-apes, which I’ve always heard as being a derogatory term for children, not black folks. Some folks are just overly sensitive.
Where do we draw the line? Beats me. I hate racism and racist comments with one exception and it is: if it’s damn funny. Sure, some jokes are crude and offensive but if they’re funny, go for it. Hell, Carlos Mencia and Dave Chappelle made entire careers on that premise. And I think they’re hysterical. Feel free to make fun of Asians who can’t drive, black folks who can’t swim, Jews who complain a lot, or how white people can’t dance if it makes me laugh. But do it in a way that’s funny. If it’s just mean, I don’t want to hear it.
Also, I wonder what stereotypes there are about white folks that I don’t know about? I mean funny ones, not the ones about us being in league with Satan.
What’s white and 12 inches long?
Read the rest of this entry »
So, some folks decided to use Coretta Scott King’s funeral to make political statements. That’s to be expected, I think. Some folks took issue with using it as a platform for political posturing. And others took issue with others taking issue.
Personally, I think that (like the Wellstone funeral) such posturing for political gain is disrespectful to the deceased. But people can do what they want, I suppose. I think it lessens their message to do so at such an event. But TeeVee time is TeeVee time.
Amusing in all this is the side that decided to use racist caricatures to point out, well, I don’t know what:
Oh lawdy, lawdy, lawdy Miss Mellie, I do decleah these Democrats are so ungenteel! Why, they were talkin’ politics and singin’ and dancin’ and actin’ all Negro and everything!
[snip]
Typically, his supporters’ knee jerk response is to rhetorically lynch African Americans.
Emphasis added for those that need to be told that sort of thing. Digby ends with For shame. That’s an appropriate response to his own post, which consists of unfounded accusations of racism presented in a nice little racially divisive package.
In the past, I often wondered why America had a high murder rate compared to other Westernized nations. I eventually stopped wondering and began assuming that we Americans were just generally prone to killing. After all, this land was taken by killing the natives. Our country’s independence was gained by killing folks. I just figured that’s how Americans were and stopped wondering.
I’ve ruled out access to guns, because other countries with fewer guns have higher murder rights. And other Western countries where gun ownership is generally banned have higher violent crime rates. And some countries with access to more guns (or where owning military weapons is mandated by law) have a lower murder rate.
Then, I read this post by Kim du Toit. He was commenting on Kevin’s homicide stats. Kevin opined:
It suggests that the homicide by firearm problem is concentrated in a small, identifiable group. It suggests that homicide is heavily concentrated in the overall black demographic, and especially in young black men.
Kim stated:
The United States has always had a higher murder rate than other countries, not because there are more guns around, but because we are a nation of immigrants. When people have few or no ties to a community, their propensity towards lawlessness is much higher. (It’s why, for example, small-town sheriffs had a habit of telling strangers to leave town—they were playing the odds.)
I began to think that was nuts. Then, as the day wore on, that thought kept coming back to me. And I realized that it made a sick sort of sense. The nation of immigrants factor is just about the only thing we don’t have in common with other comparable western nations.
But what that doesn’t explain is why, in our country, the homicide rate is heavily comprised of murders of black people by other black people. After all, black people share a heritage and do have ties to the black community. I suppose another factor in that equation is the proximity to drug dealing and concentrated areas of poverty.
It’s very clear that America has a problem with black on black violence. But it will never be given the attention it deserves because examining the cause would be viewed as racist.