Comments on: Fox Runs Racist New Year’s Message From Viewers

By: corwin

corwin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:38:38 +0000

But seriously GG.
Can you give me some insight into your thought processes that link ‘Negro”,or “Magic Negro” to murders.
First,which is the offensive word?
Secondly,how is this hate speech?
Thirdly,how does one link this to violence?
And finally,what would you consider an adequate fine?
I do think FN is kind of a humourless lot,but would anyone care to chime in on the
“Hate Spech” aspect,and the fine?

By: corwin

corwin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:31:10 +0000

GG,
Well,Dean wormer,if you’re going to falsely criticize fraternities,aren’t you implicitly criticizing the college students?And ,If you’re criticizing students,aren’t you criticizing the United States/I don’t know about you,but I’m not going to sit here and let you criticize the United States of America! (Rises,marches out with the Delta’s following.)
I think you’ll understand this kind of logic.
And,reme3mber,I did say,if ti offended you,it shouidn’t be allowed on the airwaves.

By: GallingGalla

GallingGalla — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:12:39 +0000

Corwin #12, can you please explain exactly how this is NOT hate speech, when it is exactly the kind of language that dehumanizes Black people and encourages others to do the same, hence giving them the excuse / permission to kill / rape people of color?

By: RyanRutley

RyanRutley — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:06:56 +0000

mapaghimagsik, that’s not a dogwhistle. That’s a fucking airhorn.

By: sonia

sonia — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:31:39 +0000

Manju: I agree with most of what you said. The original Ehrenstein article was ridiculous. (I had not read it before this whole fiasco went down.) By the end of the thing, I wasn’t sure if Ehrenstein was pissed at Obama or white people or white people who feel bad about being white or what. The huge leap in logic and reason it made by arguing that Obama was like Sydney Porter in terms of how they addressed race; just so much pile of nonsense. This is what happens when columnists try to be clever. It doesn’t work; then fools like Limbaugh make fun of you and it spreads.

By: corwin

corwin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:29:31 +0000

G G (#2).
It’s not hate speech.It’s mockery speech.But,if it ofends you in any way,it shouldn’t be allowed on the airwaves.

By: Manju

Manju — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:02:32 +0000

oops, my #10 was in response to Kristen in #3, specifically the “terrorist fist pump” ref

By: Manju

Manju — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:00:06 +0000

the origination of this term is a little more complex and more than a little funny. part hate spepch, part fake hate crime:

http://www.slate.com/id/2195347/

By: Manju

Manju — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:47:56 +0000

it should be noted that the “obama as magic negro” meme stared with the LA times by one David Ehrenstein, who, as far as i can tell, is a progressive.

although presumably criticizing whites for needing racial redemption, ehresntein’s contempt for obama not being progressive enough, a contempt rooted in obama;s race, shines right thru. he’s repeatedly criticized obama, especially on the warren issue, in racialized terms.

its classic progressive racism, like the over-use of the the term uncle tom. in this closed system, poc who don’t embrace progressive views are really just enablers of white supremacy. but this view is also racist b/c it denies to poc a full diversity of opinion that whites take for granted. and in reality it has restricted to poc to some of the world most failed and oppressive ideologies, in a misguided belief that such systems would liberate us from western dominance.

i don’t necessarily begrudge people for using such terms as magic negro. and in the hands of subtle thinkers (like fanon) these concepts are worth exploring. but in the hands of ehrensten and rush (limbaugh and bobby) something else happens, not unlike the peculiar misogyny sarah palin had to endure at the hands of feminists (wendy doniger doubting her womanhood comes to mind)

i guess it took fox for so many to realize the new racism looks much like the old.

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:46:13 +0000

This whole “magic negro” thing has gone way too far. I doubt that most of the people angry over it OR defending / propagating even remember what the phrase “magic negro” was originally about or why it was brought up — now it’s just floated loose from its moorings and has become a “hilarious” (offensive) way of saying “negro” over and over again.