# Was Stewart's/Colbert's rally racist because there were no nonwhites? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 1, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090 "2010-11-01T14:47:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/1 "2010-11-01T14:47:14Z")
Take a look at this photo of Jon Stewart’s and Stephen Colbert’s rally in Washington this past weekend: > **[Scenes from the Rally to Restore Sanity](https://www.salon.com/2010/10/31/rally_sanity_slide_show/)** > > Slide show: Tens of thousands of Americans answered Jon Stewart's call to come to Washington. So did Salon A scant 2 or 3 black faces visible in a sea of hundreds. During all the Tea Party gatherings and Glenn Beck’s rally, the media presented us with various photographs showing how overwhelmingly white the crowds were, and we heard a lot from the left about how this was obvious evidence of these groups’ vile racism. Was the “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” racist because it was almost entirely white? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/2 "2010-11-01T14:51:01Z")
The rally was not “almost entirely white.” You are misinformed. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/3 "2010-11-01T14:52:01Z")
Incidentally, the teabaggers don’t get called racist because they are virtually all white, they get called racist because they are racist. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/4 "2010-11-01T14:52:49Z")
Maybe. But there were fewer racists in the crowd. Fair or not, John Stewarts demographic is white because of the whole college thing. The Glenn Beck demographic is white because of the whole “pheer the black president” thing. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/5 "2010-11-01T14:54:29Z")
I think a more accurate analysis would be the number of racist signs at the rallies. So far I haven’t seen any from the Stewart rally. The same can’t be said for the Tea Party events. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/6 "2010-11-01T14:55:07Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Incidentally, the teabaggers don’t get called racist because they are virtually all white, they get called racist because they are racist. Yes but their almost entirely white composition has been used as evidence of their racism. Why isn’t the lack of diversity in John Stewart’s crowd evidence of HIS racism? Just because he had two black muslims on stage (Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Yusuf Islam) doesn’t mean he doesn’t secretly hate them (and is using code words to appeal to the racists out there). BTW on further review, John Stewarts’ crowd was noticably more diverse than the Glenn Beck crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/7 "2010-11-01T15:00:46Z")
Not only were there Muslims in the crowd, some of them carried signs identifying themselves as such. Flip ahead to slide 21 in the OP’s link. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/8 "2010-11-01T15:06:21Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Yes but their almost entirely white composition has been used as evidence of their racism. Why isn’t the lack of diversity in John Stewart’s crowd evidence of HIS racism? Because the teabagger’s almost all white composition is only _one small part_ of why they get called racist. They aren’t called racist just because of that. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/9 "2010-11-01T15:13:59Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Yes but their almost entirely white composition has been used as evidence of their racism. It’s really their signs and their rhetoric and their screaming the word “nigger” at black Congressmen that is cited as the evidence for their racism. > [@](#): > > BTW on further review, John Stewarts’ crowd was noticably more diverse than the Glenn Beck crowd. Yes, the OP’s premise is erroneous. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/10 "2010-11-01T15:16:56Z")
I have no hard numbers, obviously, but the section of the crowd where I was seemed pretty diverse on racial/gender/sexual orientation lines. The teabagger rallies I have driven through have seemed completely non-diverse on at least racial grounds. They did seem to have a fair number of women, and I didn’t stand shoulder to shoulder with them for 3 hours so I was less likely to see hand holding/kissing to be able to determine sexual preferences. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/11 "2010-11-01T15:19:40Z")
I think the whole “Tea Partiers are racist” thing is a bit overblown. But liberals don’t have a reputation for racism to begin with. Liberals are “politically correct”, remember. This is just another example of how conservatives have no logical consistency. They just throw whatever mud they can get their hands in hopes some will stick. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/12 "2010-11-01T15:28:22Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Yes but their almost entirely white composition has been used as evidence of their racism. Why isn’t the lack of diversity in John Stewart’s crowd evidence of HIS racism? Just because he had two black muslims on stage (Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Yusuf Islam) doesn’t mean he doesn’t secretly hate them (and is using code words to appeal to the racists out there). > > BTW on further review, John Stewarts’ crowd was noticably more diverse than the Glenn Beck crowd. Yusuf is a Briton of Greek and Swedish ancestry. It _is_ wrong to use “white composition” of a crowd as evidence of racism, just as it is wrong to suggest that a predominantly black crowd must be anti-white, et cetera. Wasn’t Stewart’s point that we shouldn’t be slinging poisonous accusations? Actual racists will reveal themselves by what they say and do–we need not infer them by the appearance of their company. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/13 "2010-11-01T15:30:14Z")
Like the teabaggers with their signs and their screaming of the N word. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/14 "2010-11-01T15:30:57Z")
RW’s are just pissed because Stewart & Colbert got [well over twice Glenn Beck’s turnout.](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021284-503544.html)😃 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/15 "2010-11-01T15:35:15Z")
How many signs you see at T Party rally self-identifying as a muslim? ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/16 "2010-11-01T15:36:39Z")
> [@villa](#): > > The teabagger rallies I have driven through have seemed completely non-diverse on at least racial grounds. Is it completely wrong of me to read this and immediately picture you driving through tea party rallies Blues Brothers style? I hate Illinois Nazis. _vrrooom_ ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/17 "2010-11-01T15:37:55Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > RW’s are just pissed because Stewart & Colbert got [well over twice Glenn Beck’s turnout.](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20021284-503544.html)😃 Wow. That means, by various Beckian references, Stewart/Colbert at about 3million people there. That \*is \*impressive. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/18 "2010-11-01T15:37:56Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > Was the “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” racist because it was almost entirely white? Nope. I think Jon said it best at the rally > [@](#): > > There are terrorists and racists and Stalinists and theocrats, but those are titles that must be earned. You must have the résumé. Not being able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Partiers and real bigots and Juan Williams or Rick Sanchez is an insult, not only to those people but to the racists themselves who put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate, just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslim makes us less safe, not more. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/19 "2010-11-01T15:41:43Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Is it completely wrong of me to read this and immediately picture you driving through tea party rallies Blues Brothers style? > > I hate Illinois Nazis. _vrrooom_ I wanted to. Believe me I wanted to. Trouble is, teabagger blood is awful tough to get off the Challenger grill. At least there wouldn’t have been too much brain matter to hose off. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090/20 "2010-11-01T15:49:36Z")
The Democrats look to be a couple of days away from some fairly significant defeats. They need an excuse to rally the True Believers around, and “look at how much we have accomplished for the country” is not going to cut it. Even the dimwits in their party who are too dumb to cut with scissors aren’t going to buy the “election fraud” twaddle this time, so what do they have to fall back on but cries of racism? It’s better than nothing. Regards, Shodan [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-stewarts-colberts-rally-racist-because-there-were-no-nonwhites/559090.md?page=2)