This appears to be another case of a new generation outgrowing a racist term, and then unwittingly using it, thinking it is innocent. It’s a phenomenon I find interesting. The people who are most likely to use such a term are the ones least likely to mean it in a racist way, so they often get a shocking surprise when they do, much like a toddler saying a curse word without knowing the meaning.
“Tar baby” was once a specific derisive term for a black person. That’s not something that someone made up right here and now based on the resemblance of tar to black skin, it’s something people actually said, widely, to refer to blacks in an insulting way in an earlier era. Since it is rarely used that way today, people have forgotten the racist use, but still remember the non-racist use, such as “quagmire.”
I think it’s a good sign that people use words without knowing their racist connection - it’s a sign of progress. It means we aren’t using racist terms as often. We shouldn’t get made at people who do that. And, of course, a term that can be used in a racist way may also have non-racist uses, so we shouldn’t automatically assume racism every time such a word is used, even if the user is aware of the racist meaning.
Even if you’re not trying to say something racist, it’s better to know about the racist meaning of words, since it can get you into awkward situations. Now you know, Bryan. Be careful, there are still people out there who remember the racist connotation or at least know about it.
I agree. It’s a way of enforcing, rather than breaking up, racial stereotypes or divisions. It’s a bit like black high school students sometimes criticizes fellow black students for being ambitious in school and studying hard by saying they’re “acting white,” which, for obvious reasons, only harms blacks.
I just wanted to thank you for commenting on this one item. I explained this to him repeatedly. Still, while he admitted—and admits—the error, he steadfastly refused to apologize. This has nothing to do with his stance on any issue (which he now lamely tries to find some cover in), this goes to character.
Alas, he’s revealed the type of person he is at his core. Given that, I’m not surprised one iota that he’d continue sticking to those guns, by golly. What a wonderful position for a person to cling to, “Yes, I made a mistake… I attributed someone else’s words to you and insulted you after doing so. But I will not apologize for my action.” Yep, march forth with that flag, bro.
Amazingly, he brought it up here, not even seeing that his actions reflect very poorly on him. I guess people with the moral defect he has don’t care when they reveal themselves to be of low character or to whom. ::shrug::
Again, thanks for chiming in on this. It is amazing that one would have to point the obvious out to him. Maybe he was sickly the entire year of kindergarten, when people learn some basic things: how to share, it’s not nice to hit, to apologize when you do something wrong, etc. Oh well, one, maybe two people on ignore after ten years isn’t too bad. No great loss.
Tar baby, tar baby, tell me true
Who is really the jigaboo?
Is it the white man, the white, talkin’ that jive,
Or the black man, the black, tryin’ to say alive?
You can’t trust a tar baby, everybody knows
All dressed up with a bone in his nose
That’s the way my story goes
That’s the way my story goes
Thanks for demonstrating that what I said is entirely true. All criticism of Obama is due to racism, in what passes for the liberal mind.
are exactly what I said they would be. Automatic repetition.
In a funny way, Obama might even be moving us towards a post-racial world. Not for the dummies and race pimps, but for the rest of us. The dummies demonstrate the emptiness of their knee-jerking, and therefore the discussion can move on.
Obama promises that no health care funds will go to illegal aliens. Someone points out that this is false. The only thing the liberal morons have to say is screams of racism.
At least we know when you have run out of arguments. It is just a little surprising that it happened so soon.
Factually incorrect, as has been pointed out to you. Obama did not promise “no health care funds will go to illegal aliens” – he simply said that the claim that the ACA insures illegal immigrants is false. And it doesn’t. Illegal immigrants are only mentioned in the ACA once (for the “affordability credits”)-- and the ACA specifically says illegal immigrants will not be eligible. There are no provisions in the ACA that make illegal immigrants eligible.
The ACA doesn’t cover illegal immigrants, unless they lie and cheat and manipulate the system. So it’s in exactly the same category as Social Security, Medicare, etc., with regards to illegal immigrants.
Joe Wilson was wrong (and extremely disrespectful) – the President did not lie here. You are wrong too.
I’m not screaming racism – I’m screaming “WRONG!”. You are wrong, and Joe Wilson was wrong.
The point made by Politifact is that the law is not geared for that, even Michelle Malakin (that should never be used a a source) had to mention in passing the fact that the few illegals will lose the benefits when found, and in Oregon they will be put back where they were.
As usual the humanitarian reasons of why those immigrants are in the system are not reported by right wingers like Malakin:
Besides the state not giving a hoot about what Malakin thinks how they should treat future Americans (healthy new born Americans are less of a burden than unhealthy ones), Malakin is wrong by telling her readers that there is no good reason why Oregon will not correct this. There is indeed as the state program for pregnant undocumented immigrants has not been canceled.
Impressive! I thought that most people here were smart enough not to draw conclusions in this manner. To take a single post by a single poster claiming that Obama gets more flack and more flack directed specifically at him because he’s black and because there’s a lot of racists in the opposition party (a dubious assertion, to be sure) and infer from there that that poster thinks that all criticism is because of racism and that all liberals think that. Turns out you can be a colossal clod and stick around this forum for ages. There’s hope for me yet! Seriously, dude, what the hell? I know you’re not a complete moron, why would you say something that ridiculous?
Yeah–anyone who suggests that the Democratic party is mostly empty of racists is almost suspiciously sanguine about the state of racism in our country. It’s certainly seems true that people most affected by racism see it disproportionately among the Republican party establishment, and it’s certainly true that, despite some particularly absurd revisionism, the Republican party of the 1970s and 1980s made some conscious and obvious decisions to court the racist vote. But to suggest that racists confine themselves almost exclusively to the Republican party is ridiculous.
When African Americans choose to vote so overwhelmingly for Democrats, it seems highly doubtful that they do so believing that Democrats are all nonracist. It seems much likelier that folks do so knowing that they’re choosing the lesser of two evils.
During the eight years of the Bush administration, you have only to re-read the number of threads here that discussed “Bush.” (And “Shrub,” and “Chimp,”).
No one believed that the need to emphasize opposition to one man implied anything except opposition to one man.
I dunno about “racial group,” but what about the GOP’s poor-white base? That’s a case of suspended thought right there! What’s the matter with Kansas?!
So some Dems are busy making baseless accusations of racism, and some Republicans are busy making baseless accusations that all Dems make baseless accusations of racism, and on it goes…
Here’s an idea for everyone - only make accusations that have actual, good evidence. Aim them at specific people to whom the evidence applies. IF AND WHEN you see a specific, credible case of racism, call it out. Otherwise, don’t. If and when you see a liberal/Democrat making an unsupported accusation of racism, call it out. Otherwise, don’t.
If the racism is very mild, I would agree with you. Kinda how like the Irish enjoy being the butt of booze jokes. But black people in America have endured four centuries of serious abuse from slavery to being uniformly called “thugs” and lazy by “Republicans”. When everyone of your race votes against Republicans (within the margin of error) and you don’t, you need a very special reason to pass muster in my book. Colin Powell, Clarance Thomas, Juan Williams, Thomas Sowell and company have career and prestige as tokens. That’s not a special reason, that is a sell out.