# Blacks get lassoed by white men on horseback and paraded through Texas town... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 6, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278 "2019-08-06T23:29:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/41 "2019-08-11T13:24:15Z")
Tell me something: would we be having this conversation if the guy had been white? I think it probable the same events would have happened. I don’t think racism had to play a part in the decision. Of course we won’t know, as it was a one-off event. As for the OP title, it is a bit hyperbolic, but I guess it’s a form of clickbait. “Lassoed” implies the rope was secured around him, possibly his neck. The rope they used was tied to his hands which were handcuffed. He was not dragged by any means. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/42 "2019-08-11T13:44:00Z")
There’s no way this would’ve happened if the suspect was white. And what do you call that coil of rope hanging off of the western saddle? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/43 "2019-08-11T14:01:29Z")
It would be an interesting question for the police chief. “When was the last time you guys did this to a white guy?” ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/44 "2019-08-11T14:02:14Z")
Meh. What’s he supposed to have done? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/45 "2019-08-11T14:04:22Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > It would be an interesting question for the police chief. “When was the last time you guys did this to a white guy?” “Never, because none of our criminals are white” :rolleyes: Note: Just in case anyone doesn’t get it, this are not Asahi’s words, nor is this an actual quote; it’s a parody. I can never be too sure and assume people know. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/46 "2019-08-11T14:08:14Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > There’s no way this would’ve happened if the suspect was white. How do you know? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/47 "2019-08-11T14:17:31Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Meh. What’s he supposed to have done? Called for a fucking car. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/48 "2019-08-11T14:23:50Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Meh. What’s he supposed to have done? What cops do everywhere in the world ? Call for a car/paddy wagon, and wait. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/49 "2019-08-11T14:41:19Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > How do you know? Growing up in Dixie and decades, many decades, of conversation with Southerners (including my own family members). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/50 "2019-08-12T06:02:24Z")
Pretty soon, [_Texas Man_](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/james-ragland-black-man-ambushed-man-horseback-texas-roads-161618862.html) will rival _Florida Man_ for the top news spots. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/51 "2019-08-12T06:19:23Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Pretty soon, [_Texas Man_](https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/james-ragland-black-man-ambushed-man-horseback-texas-roads-161618862.html) will rival _Florida Man_ for the top news spots. Nah, Texas is predictable and screwed up. Florida is super crazy, like driving a riding lawnmower off an overpass while dressed like a giant chicken. Florida stories have that extra something. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/52 "2019-08-12T11:30:08Z")
I feel like this is a good litmus test. Anyone who can look at this and say, “Yep, not racist” or seriously try to defend it should be given the [approximate treatment present in this XKCD comic](https://xkcd.com/322/), if not far, far worse. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/53 "2019-08-12T12:14:37Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I feel like this is a good litmus test. Anyone who can look at this and say, “Yep, not racist” or seriously try to defend it should be given the [approximate treatment present in this XKCD comic](https://xkcd.com/322/), if not far, far worse. Excellent! Actually, I really wish certain groups in the United States would also exercise _their_ second amendment rights. That would be awesome when some jackass shows up at a mosque during Friday prayers with their weapon and sees about forty armed (open carry on private property) people to “welcome” them. Come to think of it, a year or few back, an American Muslim put it out on social media that he’d be doing just that. The bigots had the best meltdown. It would’ve been awesome if the driver in my link upthread had been legally carrying a weapon and then when the jackass on the horse raced towards him and reached like he was reaching for a weapon, yelling “This is a Texas road”, the driver whipped out his weapon and said, “Yep, and this here’s a Texas weapon. Ain’t that nice?” ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/54 "2019-08-12T20:59:33Z")
'cause what we really need is _more_ people pointing guns at each other. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/55 "2019-08-12T22:46:30Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > 'cause what we really need is _more_ people pointing guns at each other. Yeah. I know. But fantasies are really all that logical in the first place. I just like the vision of the villains getting their comeuppance. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/56 "2019-08-13T19:00:33Z")
Stupid? Yes. But the first headline I saw (Slate, I think) read “Cops on horseback drag man through Texas town”. I can’t find the article now but I’m certain the word “drag” was in the headline. I envisioned a man on his back or knees being, you know, dragged. The picture I saw showed the guy walking with the officers and the rope appeared slack. There was certainly no dragging going on. Maybe there are other pictures I didn’t see but those kind of inflammatory headlines are irresponsible, at best. Maybe racist, maybe not. I don’t the have ability to tell by a simple snapshot. Apparently, many here do. Just because it reminds people of runaway slaves being captured doesn’t make it inherently racist. The way I see it, in order to be considered racist there must be some evidence that a white suspect would not have been treated in the same manner. I fail to see any such evidence. Flamesuit is on. Now I’ll go look at the XKCD comic to see what fate awaits me. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/57 "2019-08-13T19:03:37Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > … The way I see it, in order to be considered racist there must be some evidence that a white suspect would not have been treated in the same manner. I fail to see any such evidence. … So you’ve looked and haven’t found such evidence? Or you haven’t looked and haven’t found such evidence? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/58 "2019-08-14T15:44:21Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > The way I see it, in order to be considered racist there must be some evidence that a white suspect would not have been treated in the same manner. I fail to see any such evidence. Flamesuit is on. Now I’ll go look at the XKCD comic to see what fate awaits me. That’s a bad metric, because, in most cases, you will not have a white control to test it against. There won’t be a nearly identical situation with the same people but a white person in place of the black person. The only practical way to test if something is racist is simply whether or not it is consistent with other racist acts, and possibly to check if the people involved have a history of racism. We have white cops reducing the dignity of a black prisoner, treating him like an animal. You have stated that it looks consistent with how lynchings were handled. There has also been no apology that what they did might seem racist. That is the evidence. Your metric is one that is unlikely to be met. With everything else in life, we look for patterns, and the more patterns we see that coincide, the more sure we are. We can’t expect there to be a scientific control to prove that someone would never do the same thing to a white person. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/59 "2019-08-15T18:35:28Z")
I thought that being racist meant treating or regarding someone differently because of their race. Its racist to make someone sit in the back of the bus because they are black, while whites can sit wherever they want. Or make black drink from a separate water fountain. Or charge higher interest rates or deny housing etc. etc. In each of these cases there is something to compare the treatment to (bad grammar, I know). Its not for me to disprove the claim of racism by seeking examples where whites were treated the same. Its the responsibility of the person claiming racism to support the claim by producing evidence. In the other examples I mentioned there is plenty of evidence to support the claim of racism. In this particular case, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278/60 "2019-08-15T18:38:16Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > I thought that being racist meant treating or regarding someone differently because of their race. Its racist to make someone sit in the back of the bus because they are black, while whites can sit wherever they want. Or make black drink from a separate water fountain. Or charge higher interest rates or deny housing etc. etc. In each of these cases there is something to compare the treatment to (bad grammar, I know). Its not for me to disprove the claim of racism by seeking examples where whites were treated the same. Its the responsibility of the person claiming racism to support the claim by producing evidence. In the other examples I mentioned there is plenty of evidence to support the claim of racism. In this particular case, not so much. It was racist in the context of America and American history. Even if the officers didn’t intend it to be racist. By their poor judgment and (possibly) ignorance, they did something racist. Most sorts of every-day racism are from ignorance rather than malice. This is a bit more severe than every-day mundane occurrences, of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blacks-get-lassoed-by-white-men-on-horseback-and-paraded-through-texas-town/838278.md?page=4)