# NAACP makes "more money off of race than any slave trader ever" comment **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 16, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856 "2010-07-16T00:17:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/141 "2010-07-19T14:31:51Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, we’re talking about _them_, and Williams is a _him._ Are you under the impression that there are no Tea Party racists left now? No, I’m under the impression that there were very few to begin with. And that the leadership, as much as there is one, is doing what it can to distance themselves from such people. This is one case of that. It seems like you’re all going “They do nothing to make racists unwelcome! They love having them in the party. TPers (or teabaggers, har har, ain’t I funny?) are all racists”. “But they denounce them in the media, and look here: they even kicked out Williams.” “Yeah well, that doesn’t count.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/142 "2010-07-19T14:37:44Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > No, I’m under the impression that there were very few to begin with. Oh, **I** get it now! You’re an idiot! It all makes sense now! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/143 "2010-07-19T14:38:16Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > No, I’m under the impression that there were very few to begin with. And that the leadership, as much as there is one, is doing what it can to distance themselves from such people. This is one case of that. > > It seems like you’re all going “They do nothing to make racists unwelcome! They love having them in the party. TPers (or teabaggers, har har, ain’t I funny?) are all racists”. “But they denounce them in the media, and look here: they even kicked out Williams.” “Yeah well, that doesn’t count.” :rolleyes: No, we’re saying _most_ of them do nothing to make racists unwelcome, and they appear to be willing to let them stick around, for the most part. You keep claiming “that _they_ denounce _them_ in the media”, but all you’ve pointed to is the Williams thing. I’ve seen one or two anti-racist comments (I wouldn’t characterize them as denunciations) from TP leaders; there are hundreds of Tea Parties, however, and most don’t seem to give a shit. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/144 "2010-07-19T14:52:04Z")
I’ve got a challenge for you, **Chessic Sense**. Do you think that I am unreasonable to believe that Carl Paladino\*, the Tea Party gubernatorial candidate here in NY, has shown himself to be a sexist and a racist? If you do think so, why the Hell shouldn’t I feel that the Tea Party here in NY is tainted by its willingness to support him for gubernatorial office? Further, if that’s the sort of filth they’ll support locally, where I can get more of the details of the individuals involved, why shouldn’t I assume that the rest of the Tea Party is just as bankrupt? \*Just in case you missed it, here’s a [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12691870&postcount=39) to the post in this thread where I laid out my objections to Carl Paladino. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/145 "2010-07-19T16:49:51Z")
I was going to comment, but then I noticed I had misread the title. It’s not “NASCAR makes more money off of races…” ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/146 "2010-07-20T02:33:20Z")
Most of the Tea Party sorts I know deny Williams was any sort of leader for the Tea Party. He’s just someone who the press pays attention to, not nearly as important as Glen Beck or anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/147 "2010-07-20T04:21:41Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Most of the Tea Party sorts I know deny Williams was any sort of leader for the Tea Party. He’s just someone who the press pays attention to, not nearly as important as Glen Beck or anyone else. The Tea Party Express (William’s group) was the one that Glen Beck and Fox News flogged endlessly last year, even sending their anchors and personalities to report from their rallies. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/148 "2010-07-20T04:52:57Z")
So, what has the Tea Party done to repudiate the likes of [Billy Roper?](http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/15/2087023/tea-party-rejects-racist-label.html) > [@](#): > > Billy Roper is a write-in candidate for governor of Arkansas and an unapologetic white nationalist. > > “I don’t want non-whites in my country in any form or fashion or any status,” he says. > > Roper also is a tea party member who says he has been gathering support for his cause by attending tea party rallies. > > “We go to these tea parties all over the country,” Roper said. “We’re looking for the younger, potentially more radical people." > > \ > > Indeed, it’s difficult to answer the racism question because the tea party is split into hundreds of shards, and the issue of racism depends somewhat on perceptions. > > Still, it’s clear that some with racist agendas are trying to make inroads into the party. > > In several instances, tea party members with racist backgrounds such as Roper have played a role in party events. At the same time, The Kansas City Star has found, white nationalist groups are encouraging members to attend tea parties. One organization based in St. Louis is sponsoring tea parties of its own. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/149 "2010-07-20T06:52:38Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > It seems like you’re all going “They do nothing to make racists unwelcome! They love having them in the party. TPers (or teabaggers, har har, ain’t I funny?) are all racists”. “But they denounce them in the media, and look here: they even kicked out Williams.” “Yeah well, that doesn’t count.” :rolleyes: No, I think this is a very good move on behalf of the Tea Party. Good for them for kicking Williams to the curb. I hope it’s the beginning of a housekeeping trend that entirely marginalizes the racist elements of the Tea Party. However, it remains the _first_ example I’ve seen of the Tea Party acting against its own racist elements. Is this a sign that the Tea Party is finally taking responsibility for reigning in their extreme wing? Or did Williams get thrown under the bus so they can have someone to point to in conversations just like this one? What is the Tea Party going to do the next time someone who identifies with their group says something explicitly racist? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/150 "2010-07-20T07:23:49Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Because that name wasn’t used by the party. It was made up in a disparaging way and some TPers that didn’t know better used it for about a week. Now you’re using it disparagingly. It’d be like if I said “Hey, what’s my name in Japanese?” and a Japanese guy lies to me, so I go around all week going “Nice to meet you. My friends call me ‘ass licker’.” And when someone finally says “Hey, that’s a bad word,” you keep calling me ass licker. > > But, like I said, you knew that. No, I don’t know that. That is, in fact, almost entirely contrary to what I know about the situation. What I know is that early on, the Tea Party had a lot of slogans that involved using the word “tea bag” as a verb, usually (but not [not always](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tea_Party_Protest,_Hartford,_Connecticut,_15_April_2009_-_050.jpg)) in ignorance of the double meaning. The term wasn’t applied to them by liberals, it was invented and circulated internally well before outsiders picked up on it and began making fun of them for it. Bringing up the gaffe repeatedly this long after it happened isn’t particularly nice, but this is politics. Wear a fucking helmet. So, having resolved the question of what I know, we are left with the question of what you know. Between this and the story that **Frank** linked to, you don’t seem to know a hell of a lot. Having made two demonstrably untrue claims about the Tea Party, can you give me any reason I should regard anything else you’ve said as being remotely reliable? ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/151 "2010-07-20T12:52:14Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I think there’s more the party/group leaders could be doing to make clear their distaste at racism. I can’t be the only one picturing Williams and others beating himself up ala Ed Norton in Fight Club. When the leaders are the ones who are racist, it’s a safe bet they’re not going to be doing much to “make clear their distaste at racism”. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/152 "2010-07-20T14:48:26Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Only if you’ll rethink your side’s “They don’t expel them from their ranks” comments. Which is it? Does that count as an expulsion or not? No need to rethink. When I said “they don’t expel racists from their rank” they hadn’t done it yet. So back to the question of whether the tea party can be held at least somewhat responsible for racism among its membership… ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/153 "2010-07-20T14:55:17Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > No, I think this is a very good move on behalf of the Tea Party. Good for them for kicking Williams to the curb. I hope it’s the beginning of a housekeeping trend that entirely marginalizes the racist elements of the Tea Party. However, it remains the _first_ example I’ve seen of the Tea Party acting against its own racist elements. Is this a sign that the Tea Party is finally taking responsibility for reigning in their extreme wing? Or did Williams get thrown under the bus so they can have someone to point to in conversations just like this one? What is the Tea Party going to do the next time someone who identifies with their group says something explicitly racist? If the tea party does in fact expel the racists, I’ll stop calling them tea baggers and just call them Republicans again. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/154 "2010-07-20T15:13:13Z")
Mr. Williams: > [@](#): > > WILLIAMS: It’s impossible – it’s impossible for there to be a racist element in the tea party, you don’t get it! The tea party is about human rights, it’s about the United States constitution. The United States constitution mankind’s foremost human rights document. > **[Mark Williams Rewarded With More Television Appearances Following Racist...](https://crooksandliars.com/heather/mark-williams-rewarded-more-television-app)** > > So if you're a Tea Party leader and you post a racist online screed mocking NAACP "Coloreds" what does the media do? Why reward you with television ap Man, he’s good! ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/155 "2010-07-20T15:43:02Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Nope, I see them largely as manufacturers of outrage. They twist any disparate impact on black folks as intentional discrimination against them. > > I agree that there will always be racists, but manufacturing outrage doesn’t help matters. Remove the raw material & the manufacturing will stop. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/156 "2010-07-20T16:41:46Z")
**Rand Rover** , you seem to admit that racists, and if I can correctly infer from that, racism, will always be present. Does that not preclude or suggest that a group refuting racism and racists will be present as well? The other flaw with the NAACP=KKK is that _White_ folks were involved in the establishment and membership of the organization. Albert Einstein and Dorothy Parker were members of the NAACP. I’m not super aware of the Klan’s membership rolls, but I somehow doubt that any Blacks ever sat on the executive board or held membership. I’m just a random Black guy on the internet, but can I point something out to my non-Black brethren/sistren out there? If you drop terms like “race card,” “reverse racism,” or announce to the word that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are the most evil men alive… I have serious questions about you. Not saying you can’t discuss these issues and people intelligently and criticize them. But if you fail to understand why there’s an NAACP, why Jackson and Sharpton are still important in some communities, I have to believe you are intentionally keeping yourself ignorant of issues of disparity and racism in America. Look at any health care or economic indicators and Black Americans trail Whites. That can’t all be bitter, lazy, blame Whitey attitudes at work. Something systemic is in place and while it might have been altered somewhat, it ain’t gone. And sure there is a great deal of economic disparity… but you’re either ultimately arguing that Black folks are inferior in some way or that there has been both intergenerational deficits passed on to Blacks and intergenerational advantages passed on to Whites. Last point: I resolutely believe that in America, it isn’t enough to not be racist. You have to be anti-racist, because racist is the default position in American society. As is sexist, homophobic, and being generally intolerant of religions outside of Christianity. To overcome that cultural and historical programming, you have to be actively against it. It isn’t sufficient to simply keep your mouth shut about it, which is what the Tea Party is trying to pull. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/157 "2010-07-20T17:26:20Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Last point: I resolutely believe that in America, it isn’t enough to not be racist. You have to be anti-racist, because racist is the default position in American society. As is sexist, homophobic, and being generally intolerant of religions outside of Christianity. To overcome that cultural and historical programming, you have to be actively against it. It isn’t sufficient to simply keep your mouth shut about it, which is what the Tea Party is trying to pull. Hear, hear. My mother-in-law is a racist person, and she learned really early on that she could bait me into anger with racist slurs or jokes. I had a lot of people, I think including some people on this board, who thought I should just go along to get along. I should ignore that sort of baiting because it didn’t really affect me. After all, I’m not black. No one in the room was black. So what did it hurt? But for me, it’s not enough just to say that I wasn’t joining in. I’m not just not for it. I’m against it. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/158 "2010-07-20T17:39:24Z")
There is a deep-running streak of Calvinistic misanthropy in American conservatism: they just don’t trust people. Sometimes this peaks out from under their petticoats, unthinking, unblinking. Like the opposition to unemployment benefits, because it will benefit the lazy and shiftless. By which they mean, the unemployed. And while that class of persons is (unjustly) disproportionately colored, it is largely white. To this sort of conservative, when blacks achieve complete equality, they will be on a par with their equally undeserving white counterparts. And equally in need of the firm guidance and stern criticism of their social betters. That they not decline into slothful pleasure seeking, which they do not deserve, and, more importantly, cannot afford. So, to a degree, the plaintive cries of the misunderstood conservative has merit, they are not specifically racist. You are black, I am a radical hippy, they hate me a lot more than they hate you. Unless you are a radical black hippy, in which case, stop by for a beer and some pecan pie. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/159 "2010-07-20T18:40:51Z")
> [@](#): > > WILLIAMS: You’re dealing with people who are professional race baiters, who make a very good living off this kind of thing. They make make more money off of race than any slave trader ever. Maybe I’ve missed it amongst all the outrage, but has anyone tested the veracity of these statements? Because some people would sure look foolish if they turned out to be true. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856/160 "2010-07-20T18:48:07Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Maybe I’ve missed it amongst all the outrage, but has anyone tested the veracity of these statements? Because some people would sure look foolish if they turned out to be true. Why would they look foolish? Firefighters make a lot more money off fires than arsonists, but no one suggests we should shut down the firehouses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naacp-makes-more-money-off-of-race-than-any-slave-trader-ever-comment/546856.md?page=9)