When comedian Michael Richards made headlines by launching into a racist diatribe full of hate speech, there was a lesson to be learned: any toleration of this sort of language only increases its currency. In the ensuing debate over this incident, some people made the point that some black comedians and rappers frequently use the term N-word in their acts, and that this gives the impression that the term is acceptable. In the wake of the "Kramer" incident, there is a growing consensus: this is a word that should not be used by anyone and never be tolerated, wherever it appears.
I believe this would be a good principle to be followed here at DKos. It doesn't matter whether racist hate speech is being used by actual racists or by freeper trolls trying to smear this site as racist: it should never be tolerated, whenever it appears.
Unfortunately, I have seen a definite increase in the use of hate speech here on DKos recently. Toleration of this language will only make it worse and lead to a toxic atmosphere of acrimony and hostility among us. We are all supposed to be on the same side here, we are all supposed to be liberals. Hate speech is a violation of the deepest liberal principles. Let's put a stop to it.
On DKos, the troll-rating system is supposed to catch hate speech when it appears and hide such abusive comments from casual viewers. Some times, this system works as it is supposed to. Earlier this week, for whatever reason, there was a sudden surge of racist and hate language, and the TRs were liberally applied.
But there are other posters whose comments regularly contain hate speech, racist slurs, and personal attacks, which still remain unhidden, or which were dragged back out of the Hidden Comments to pollute the open air of discourse. There are many un-hidden references to "JOOOZ," to "Islamofascism," and people using the term "dhimmis," which is now current at Little Green Footballs and other hate-sites to mean "Islamofascist-lover." There are now many posts attacking other Kossacks as anti-semitic, and references to members of this site as D(uke)Kossaks.
This sort of language should not be tolerated. Why is it being tolerated now? Why are people freely using such perjorative, racist language without being troll-rated for it? Why are people recommending such abusive statements?
I believe that one reason is a proliferation of trolls on the site, drawn here to disrupt discussion of the recent book on Palestine by Jimmy Carter. One of the worst abusers is UID # 112837, Red Tulips. This poster has admitted that she has come here from LGF, and I believe she may have been previously banned from this site.
Nope (0 / 0)
In fact I was on DKos for two+ years, until I was driven off here by anti-Israel trolls, and started posting on LGF.
I decided to come back here to see if I can help salvage things in the Dem attitude towards Israel, and also to see if it was the same old bullshit.
Hehe, nothing's changed!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 09:48:02 PM CST
This is the very definition of a troll.
This is her profile on DKos:
Unabashed Democrat, liberal and zionist. I am an atheist, a social liberal, an economic moderate, and a strong supporter of the war against Islamofascism. I do not apologize or pretend to be what I am not.
"Islamofascism" is hate speech, and "the war on Islamofascism" comes straight out of the mouth of George W Bush.
A search for the racist term "JOO" and its variants reveals numerous comments by Red Tulips using this term, usually to falsely smear other Kossacks. I note that many of these posts have gone entirely un-troll-rated, while in other cases the efforts of TUs to hide these comments has been thwarted by others -- the same names appear repeatedly as reccomending this hate speech. [In some cases, I have included the intervening posts.] I note also that she complains in this cases that she is being "censored" -- a typical complaint of trolls whose comments are hidden. Except that none of these comments remained hidden.
LMAO (4+ / 1-)
Recommended by:
JNEREBEL, dvo, shergald, word is bond
Trollrated by:
Eiron
Personal responsiblity goes out the window, eh? It's all Israel's fault! Blame the Jooooz!!!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 01:14:30 PM CST
*
Blame the Jooooz!!! (7+ / 1-)
Recommended by:
mattes, shergald, word is bond, RAZE, hypersphere01, callmecassandra
Trollrated by:
Red Sox
I find that statement abhorrent. It is anti-semitic and racist.
Those who hear not the music-think the dancers mad
by Eiron on Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 01:53:10 PM CST
o
check out his blog (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
anonymousredvest18, RAZE
this guy/girl is from LGF.
http://cultureforall.blogspot.com/
Don't fight it son. Confess quickly! If you hold out too long you could jeopardize your credit rating. --Brazil (1985)
by hypersphere01 on Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 02:38:04 PM CST
+
From site...ugh. (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
anonymousredvest18
I believe that the Palestinians should get their own state only when they Walid Shoebat-ize themselves. In other words, when I see that the Palestinians have given up all desire to genocide, and have turned from hate to love, and have actively apologized for their past, then I say they deserve their own state. In other words, their entire society has to change from top to bottom before I say that they deserve their own state, and before I believe it is even in the best interests of the Palestinians to HAVE their own state.
A brief summary of the Palestinian sins which MUST be apologized for and the culture disavowed prior to Palestinian statehood: a) Palestinian recruitment and support for Hitler; b) Palestinian attempted genocide of Jews prior to even Israeli statehood; c) Continuous attacks on Jews from day one of Israeli statehood (no citation necessary as this is widely known); d) A culture which teaches children to hate and genocide from age 0 onward; e) The total rewriting of history done by the Palestinians; f) Support for worldwide terrorism; g) The total degradation and ill treatment of minorities, women, and gays within the Territories; h) Calls for Islamic Fundamentalism and lack of freedom of religion within the Territories; i) The total and complete terror inflicted upon the kind, decent, and freedom loving Palestinians in the Territories by those wishing to commit genocide.
This is just an abridged list of the sins committed by the Palestinians. These sins are very real and incredibly extensive. However, the Germans asked for forgiveness after WWII. They currently are one of Israel's few real allies. The Japanese asked for forgiveness after WWII. They ar
Any force left unrestrained, has the power to become the opposite of it's original intent.
by mattes on Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 03:29:41 PM CST
#
i know... Red Tulips shouldn't be here (3+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
mattes, anonymousredvest18, RAZE
Red Tulips is an interesting moniker.. i can't recall where that is from, but it is very familiar.
Don't fight it son. Confess quickly! If you hold out too long you could jeopardize your credit rating. --Brazil (1985)
by hypersphere01 on Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 03:44:01 PM CST
You are the one... (3+ / 2-)
Recommended by:
dvo, Pumpkinlove, Democritus
Trollrated by:
curmudgiana, Opinionated Ed
Who said that Israel controls foreign policy. (or at least the UN veto)
That is so absurd that it requires ridicule, hence my earlier comment you tried to censor, about how you love to blame the JOOOOOOS!!!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 10:53:45 AM CST
AIPAC is the evil cabal! (4+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
redcardphreek, DemocraticLuntz, GoldnI, Red Sox
Damn Jooooz!!!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 08:17:41 PM CST
[ Parent | Reply to This ]
*
Red Tulip (0 / 0)
Do you just follow me around?
I have asked you before have you been to Israel, because I have.
"My brother & his wife live in Israel and work as human rights attorneys. Yes they are Israeli citizen and Jewish"
You give me links to Jewish New Papers- I give you links to Human Rights, the UN, unicef...
You and your "truthiness"
"History is a race between education and catastrophe" H.G. Wells
by npbeachfun on Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 08:39:05 PM CST
[ Parent | Reply to This ]
o
None of your links dispute mine (4+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
DigDug, diplomatic, redcardphreek, GoldnI
None of your links spoke of loyalty oaths at all.
So I fail to see your point. And the link I gave you is one that is well researched and subject to executive editing. It is an acknowledged source.
As far as whether I have been to Israel - it is not relevant. What is relevant are the facts, which you seem to ignore.
And don't flatter yourself - I do not follow you around. Rather, I simply gravitate towards threads about Israel.
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 08:45:38 PM CST
OH riiiiiiiight... (0+ / 1-)
Trollrated by:
Opinionated Ed
The Zionist lobby runs this country. When in doubt, blame the JOOOOOOOS!!!!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Fri Dec 15, 2006 at 11:36:06 AM CST
[ Parent | Reply to This ]
*
"When in doubt, blame the JOOOOOOOS!!!!" (0 / 0)
The Zionist lobby runs this country. When in doubt, blame the JOOOOOOOS!!!!
That is not civil discussion on a critical and devisive issue, that was a TROLL post.
- Israel has the right to exist, and responsibility to coexist.
by Opinionated Ed on Fri Dec 15, 2006 at 11:42:20 AM CST
[ Parent | Reply to This ]
o
You claimed Israel is in charge of foreign policy (0 / 0)
That is itself blaming the JOOOOOOS and is itself a troll comment.
Please come back with a modicum of rationality and join the REAL WORLD.
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Fri Dec 15, 2006 at 11:48:44 AM CST
That's right! (0+ / 1-)
Trollrated by:
weasel
And on top of that, AIPAC is made up of those nasty JOOOOS!!!
Damn AIPAC!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 10:52:58 AM CST
Of course it is a nefarious cabal (0+ / 1-)
Trollrated by:
weasel
After all, AIPAC is made up of the JOOOOOZ!
I mean, duh!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 10:51:55 AM CST
Of course! (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
Pumpkinlove, angrytoyrobot
When in doubt, there is always a simple thing one should do...blame the JOOOOOZ!!!! (even when the issue has absolutely nothing to do with Jews)
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Mon Dec 18, 2006 at 12:52:58 PM CST
You are the one... (3+ / 2-)
Recommended by:
dvo, Pumpkinlove, Democritus
Trollrated by:
curmudgiana, Opinionated Ed
Who said that Israel controls foreign policy. (or at least the UN veto)
That is so absurd that it requires ridicule, hence my earlier comment you tried to censor, about how you love to blame the JOOOOOOS!!!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 10:53:45 AM CST
[ Parent | Reply to This ]
*
You were TRed for perpetuating a lie (3+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
anonymousredvest18, npbeachfun, curmudgiana
Do it again, and you will be TRed again.
- Israel has the right to exist, and responsibility to coexist.
by Opinionated Ed on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 11:22:46 AM CST
[ Parent | Reply to This ]
o
I already documented where you said it (1+ / 0-)
Recommended by:
Democritus
Trollrated by:
curmudgiana
Right here.
But keep troll rating me - this is fun!
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 11:26:14 AM CST
This troll's own site: http://cultureforall.blogspot.com/
where she promotes such positions as:
Why I support Israel's 'settlements'
b) Rachel Corrie was an active terror supporter and aiding and abetting those who wished to genocide Israelis. She was not just stupid. She was aiding terrorists.
This brings me to the current Islamofascists. They use terrorism as a means to an end, and the justification they use for it is that they are only doing what they can to fight against an enemy with disproportionate weapons. But then we have to look at what the world would be like if they win. There would be no religious freedom (save for the surviving dhimmis), no freedom of thought, women's rights would be nonexistent, human rights would be a joke, and a brutal dictatorship would be in power. They claim that a benign form of an Islamic Caliphate would be in control, but there is no such benign Islamic government in the WORLD at the moment, and it is clear that they are only fooling themselves when they say such ludicrousness. In short, life would not be worth living if they win. Their cause is NOT worthy of their despicable tactics!
This is not the kind of language we need on DKos, and this kind of troll is not the kind of person we need posting here. Her own words reveal her as an enemy of the liberal values of this site, a person whose purpose here is entirely to disrupt:
And in fact I am NOT a troll from LGF (0 / 0)
As I have said, I have been a longtime lurker and Daily Kos has specifically turned me from a hardcore leftist Democrat into a DLC Democrat.
DKos specifically changed me. People like you specifically changed me.
I am here to combat the blood libels about Israel perpetuated by you and your ilk.
If you get me banned, this will only further prove my case about the hypocrisy of far too many Kossacks. You claim to believe in free speech, but if you do not like something, you seek to censor it.
Soon we will face the choice, between what is right, and what is easy. (Dumbledore, Harry Potter)
by Red Tulips on Thu Dec 21, 2006 at 12:41:03 PM CST
Let's not tolerate hate speech and abuse here on DKos. Let's not tolerate the people who use it, and particularly not the trolls who come here to spread it. And the people who recommend these comments should keep in mind that they are keeping this language current and contributing to the degradation of the discourse on this site.
UPDATE:
I just saw a piece that I think supports my point about the dangers of tolerating hate speech:
French far-rightist Le Pen says anti-Semitic jokes can be 'funny'
By Reuters
French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who has been trying to soften his image to attract new voters before next year's presidential election, said on Thursday he believed anti-Semitic humor could be funny.
Le Pen, leader of the National Front who shocked France by finishing second behind President Jacques Chirac in the 2002 election, recently attended a show by controversial comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala.
The black comic was fined by a French court for anti-Semitic comments in 2004.
Asked on BFM radio whether it was Dieudonne's anti-Semitism that he found funny, Le Pen responded: "Yes, that can also be funny. There should be no subject that escapes criticism or irony. It all depends on how it is treated.
"You know the people who mock Jews the most are Jews themselves. There's a Jewish form of humor that is very famous and well-known."
Le Pen, who received 16.9 percent of votes in the 2002 election, was convicted and fined in 1990 for inciting racial hatred and for saying in 1996 that the gas chambers used by the Nazis were "merely a detail" of World War Two.
[UPDATE:] Here's another bit of that Red Tulips is a sock puppet, formally here under another username and probably banned:
- My entire political outlook changed. At the start of 2006, I was a regular Kos Kid, who thought Bush was the biggest threat to world peace. I have since had a total political awakening, probably most attributable to my ex-friend qrswave's paranoid antisemitic rantings, combined with the Danish cartoons. This inspired a few things...
From her website, cited above.