Articles here (Washington Post) and here (Huffington Post).
Whether or not the GOP is deliberately inciting it, more overtly racist language and acts at McCain campaign rallies are popping up in the news. Is it likely to continue? The footage of angry crowds booing and shouting “Kill him!” and “Terrorist!” are scary, but how likely is it that that anger and mob mentality will turn into action?
This is not at all a thread about the ethics of the McCain campaign’s tactics, but a discussion of how close America is to genuine violent civil unrest.
Fair question. I still think there will not be serious riots – but you may see a rise in the “white power” movement. And otherwise “normal” citizens may start to allow their ugly racist side to creep up.
That being said, you will probably see some overt ugliness in the first six months if Obama is elected – but probably not riots.
AM I the only one who doubts such riots will happen? There is a reason there are not more WHITE POWER demonstrations in modern contemporary America, and it has nothing to do with who is in the white house. I don’t see that changing when Obama gets elected.
This is already backfiring on republicans who are above the fray. Those who are voting party, and stickig with McCain, but are not fundy racists…It will keep a lot fo McCain voters home on Election day. I think more McCain voters will stay home and let whatever happens happen, than Obama supporters staying home.
With all respect to the OP, maybe a better topic would be – “Will an Obama presidency give rise to racism/racist factions in the US?”
My answer to that would be yes, but not to an extreme. Small, localised factions would arise that would inevitably be so blatantly racist that most Americans would ignore/dismiss. Though this would all also depend on how Obama performs as president (or, how he is perceived to perform). If things go really, really bad then a lot of Americans might let their ugly side prevail.
In any event, race relations will probably take one step back for the two steps forward – there will be a backlash, but the very fact that we have elected a black president within 50 yrs of the civil rights movement is pretty damn amazing.
I couldn’t have said it any better than this. We are in 2008, 50 years ago this would have been laughed at, Heck in the 80’s this would have been laughed at. But the relics from thos troubled times that one would think are championing this election [Sharpton, Jackson] are not. They remember the black panthers, etc…etc…Obama is not even in their generation, and frankly is so unlike either of them that its laughable.
I’m not saying Racism is passe, but it is the cultural equivalent of being on the threatened species list.
My BIL sent me a youtube video depicting some young black guys doing a military-style “routine” and then speaking about how Obama has inspired them to try to be lawyers and other high-aim professions. He’s convinced this is just like the Hitler Youth Movement and that all black people vote their “tribe.”
I think he’s an idiot.
I’ve been wondering if the people shouting “kill him” and “terrorist!” weren’t planted in the crowd by that sleaze bag campaign. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
But why plant them in the crowd? It makes the party look like bass ackward racists…seems that would backfire terribly in an election. I could be wrong. Then again, I’m a yankee so …
I don’t think we’re going to see riots, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see and increase in incidents along the lines of the Tennessee Unitarian Universalist church shooting, burnings of mosques and Black churches, and similar violence.
