Doc, have you ever seen the racism in the South? I mean, "mwa", "c'est magnifique." - Dave Chappelle on Dr. Katz' couch.
Yeah, Dave Chappelle was right, while there's racism everywhere, the brand of it practiced in the American South matches any practiced anywhere on earth, at any time. These folks, my neighbors, have raised it to an art form. It used to be that they used their expertise in racism to at times use code words so as to keep up a pretense of non-doucebaggery, but the election of a Black man as POTUS has truly "broken their brains", and they are just simply not capable of even hiding behind the most obvious forms of non-blatant racism. The response here in Texas where I live, and in much of the South, is not much above standing with their fingers in their ears yelling "Nigg#r, Nigg#r, Nigg#r, Nigg#r."
All those Dallas kids who celebrated when JFK was shot down have grown up, and they're rootin' for another shootin'. It is time that the anti-racists among us stand up and label these bigots what they are, open racists, the worst humanity has to offer.
Anyone who naively believes these people are just venting anger and pose no real threat to Obama or others just needs to come down here and live in our shoes for a day, and would have this ridiculous idea knocked, perhaps literally, right out of their head.
It is a hideous and horrible time to live here (altho in Ft. Worth i am personally in a place where people are less rabid than many Texans). Even here, the crowds at a nearby Colisseum where gun shows are held are overflow: gotta get some guns before that Commie Obama takes 'em! The "Take Back America" signs are out (despite the fact we just took back America in November!)The "Rush is Right" and "9/12" stickers dot the bumpers of cars. In the past, it might have been possible to write off these morons as just not knowing what they are supporting. But today, there can be no illusion: anyone who cheers Rush Limbaugh and the other Haters is now openly embracing racism. Thus, passing one the subhumans with these stickers is really a chilling experience, you can look right at them, and see directly into the face of American hatred and racism, the very worst this country has to offer.
The only thing about this that isn't a total disaster for our country and humanity is that most of these racists have dropped even the pretense of non-racism, thus exposing their vile and hateful beliefs for what they are, white supremacism, racism, xenophobia, the whole bleak inventory of a minds filled with hate. They have unequivocally and wholeheartedly embraced the racism of our fathers, the open racism we thought was long gone, or relegated to the minds of a few malcontents. And we cannot let this embrace go unnoticed, or un-called out. We cannot let those who are merely stupid continue to pretend that supporting racism does not make them racists, because it does make them racists, and they need to be labeled for all to see.
So other than the rant (thanks Kosiacs for giving me the space to vent in the company of those who know what I mean) the real point I'd like to make with this diary is that we have to stop the bullshit coddling of or apologizing for these openly racist pieces of shit and call out these virulent racists for the hideous human beings that they are. Barack Obama is unfortunately in the same situation Jackie Robinson was in 62 years ago (a sad reflection on the lack of progress), he has to take the racist bullshit without ever calling it racism, or face the backlash of the open racists and their apologists. But we do not have these constraints. It is up to us to call this nastyness by it's proper name, racism. Not political dissent, populist disenchantment, people who don't know any better, but open racism, the vilest of human traits. We need to do this in our political discussions, and in our personal conversations. We cannot allow people to make racist statements and arguments without being labeled by their racism. If they want to talk like a racist, we have to call them racists, to point out the aid and comfort they give to the worst haters our country can produce.
Please stand up to this racism. CALL IT WHAT IT IS! Resist the impulse to "play nice" with those who spread hate, or to avoid labeling with the labels they are earning. The racists are taking a stand on their principles, principles based on white supremacist beliefs. It is time we took a stand on our anti-racist principles. I think the first step up to the plate on these principles is to stop pretending that racists are just unhappy conservatives. Conservatives don't have to be racists, they choose to be racists. We need to use make them own that choice: if they are going to act and speak in a racist fashion, it's up to non-racists to not pull their punches, and labels these subhumans as the RACISTS they are.