# Is this a racist political ad? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 1, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268 "2014-11-01T14:44:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/1 "2014-11-01T14:44:09Z")
The Democratic candidate for Secretary of State in Ohio, Nina Turner is accusing her Republican opponent of running a “vicious, racist and sexist” TV ad (the 30-second ad can be seen [here](http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2014/10/nina_turner_calls_ohio_secreta.html#incart_m-rpt-1)). Do you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/2 "2014-11-01T15:19:43Z")
[This one?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6DiRlS1krY) If that’s viciously racist and sexist I really wanna live in whatever world the accuser is, as I can’t see where her race and sex are even mentioned? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/3 "2014-11-01T15:34:28Z")
Nowadays, a “vicious racist” is a witness who, if asked by the police to describe a bank robber, might mention skin color. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/4 "2014-11-01T15:46:04Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Nowadays, a “vicious racist” is a witness who, if asked by the police to describe a bank robber, might mention skin color. OH, horsepuckey. Anyhow, I don’t see anything racist or sexist about the ad. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/5 "2014-11-01T15:46:08Z")
It’s certainly vicious but I don’t see it as racist or sexist. It’s attacking Turner on things she’s done not because she’s black or female. It’s harsh but within the bounds. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/6 "2014-11-01T15:47:28Z")
It’s a regular attack ad. This lady is just desperately trying to deflect the criticism. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/7 "2014-11-01T15:58:51Z")
I watched the ad without reading the article. The arguments against Nina Turner sound similar in structure and content to the ones being made against Seth Fleetwood, who is White, here. The only thing remotely ‘racist’ that I see, is that Nina Turner’s footage is in black-and-white, and Jon Husted’s footage is in colour. But I don’t see that as racist. Using B&W while depicting an opponent is a common technique that has nothing to do with race. Nowadays people prefer colour footage, and B&W has a negative connotation for them. (I know more than one person who has said, ‘I won’t watch black-and-white movies. I don’t like them.’ I took a photo once that I was pretty proud of. My sister asked, 'Why is it black-and-white? 😕 ') In this case, the opponent just happens to be Black. ---
**Author:** ![babygoat666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@babygoat666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/babygoat666)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/8 "2014-11-01T16:26:42Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Nowadays, a “vicious racist” is a witness who, if asked by the police to describe a bank robber, might mention skin color. Do you really hold that view? That’s quite a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/9 "2014-11-01T16:56:52Z")
It’s nasty, but I didn’t find it racist. I do wonder how much of it is true. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/10 "2014-11-01T17:04:02Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I do wonder how much of it is true. I assume it’s essentially true, or she wouldn’t be screaming “racistsexistgollumgollum” so hard. She’s apparently tied or nearly so in the polls, and is running scared. No doubt much of it is spin, but the part about her not paying her taxes and the code violations on her rental properties I expect is literally true. Regards, Shodan ---
**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:** [November 2, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/11 "2014-11-02T00:21:19Z")
I not only think it isn’t racist, but I think the issues being brought up are legitimate. It’s not like the Mark Pryor ones we get where they photoshop him with a bad picture of Obama and state they are snuggly buddies. It’s legitimately about her position on the issues, like the ones we get that say that Tom Cotton is the only state representative that voted to reduce funding of Medicare. Still an attack ad, but one is legitimate, while the other isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/12 "2014-11-02T00:35:52Z")
Race card. STFU Ms. Turner. ---
**Author:** ![JesterX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JesterX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JesterX)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/13 "2014-11-02T00:38:08Z")
The issues mentioned in the ad are fair political games. As well as calling the ad itself racist and sexist. It’s election season, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/14 "2014-11-02T00:49:52Z")
I saw a standard political ad. Not addressing the issues brought up and calling racist when it obviously is not would push me towards the other candidate. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/15 "2014-11-02T00:53:03Z")
Standard political ad - and in fact a pretty tame one at that. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/16 "2014-11-02T01:53:00Z")
Well, he does keep saying bad things about his opponent while showing pictures of a black woman. It is pretty racist and a little sexist to associate your opponent with that stereotype. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/17 "2014-11-02T03:11:51Z")
She’s black; he’s white. She’s female; he’s male. There’s nothing racist or sexist the fact that the two candidates are of different races and genders. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2014, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/18 "2014-11-02T03:51:42Z")
Husted is probably a douchebag, but this is standard negative ad fare. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/19 "2014-11-03T15:44:44Z")
Race wasn’t mentioned. Gender wasn’t mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268/20 "2014-11-03T15:56:21Z")
I kept waiting for the racism and sexism, and then the ad was over. Apparently I’m voting on this race tomorrow, what should I do? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-racist-political-ad/703268.md?page=2)