I meant to qoute you.
If I had to pick one post to sum up this god forsaken thread it would be this one. It’s almost cliche now, seeing one set of people mistake anothers set of people’s culture as “paramilitary” or “scary”. A bunch of teenagers stepping, talking in time, and speaking about being inspired to become (god forbid) lawyers or doctors, is suddenly hitler youth or “retarded” to quote one of the more… problematic posters in the thread.
Just when I think this country is making headway, I see another one of these dumbass threads and realize there is a million miles to go.
I don’t understand the mental disconnect in this thread but I was clear on my point. The image didn’t fit the message. While the kids were apparently trying to mimic something along the lines of the movie Stomp the Yard they visually missed it by a mile. Again, imagery is a powerful medium and the image didn’t fit the message.
People are reading too much into this thread. The op suggested it may be a right wing production. I think the video simply missed the mark somewhere in the making and wasn’t intended to link militant images to Obama. Since it was pulled by the owner it appears likely that this is the case.
Actually, it appears that it scored a direct bullseye, but that as noted
Had the performance and video been made with the explicit intention of running it on Good Morning America as a campaign message, I would have agreed with you. That would have seriously missed its target, visually. However, it appears to have originally intended to be nothing more than a local presentation to a group of people who would have recognized it for its actual intention without being frightened that young black males were perfroming without smiles while wearing camouflage colored pants. It did not visually miss its target; it has simply been shown to different targets who are not culturally disposed to see the actual message.
I disagree. If I saw the same thing done with grim faced white kids stomping about making a hand in fist gesture I would think KKK versus Black Panther.
Outrage of linking them (us) to Nazism.
Yeah, the Big H himself got his ideas of the power of mass rallies inspiring irrational devotion from observing Social Democrat (?) rallies and thinking that they inspired blind, unthinking political affiliation, military-like organization and a will for violence. So even he was an example of this.
Amen, dude. A-fucking-men.
tomndebb: Are you saying that the only thing that separates this from the Boy Scouts is that they aren’t smiling? So the production values are “sub-par”. Cry me a fucking river.
I can tell you that you are wrong. Stepping, in the same camo pants and black t-shirts shown in the video, is a standard part of many, if not most fraternities at traditionally black colleges and universities, and at traditionally black fraternities at other schools. Other uniforms are used, but stepping has a history and a tradition of using military style dress and military style formations.
Please attempt to fight ignorance by reading about stepping.
What is wrong with a fist bump or pump into the air? Are we back in the days of the Black Panthers? (wouldn’t they be Rogaine panthers now?). Is it the Mexico Olympics all over again?
It’s a gesture. They’re kids. Personally, I think they need some positive black role models and something to believe in. This teacher was doing a great job at inspiring them to BE something/somebody, and now will most likely lose his job for putting the video online. And if that wasn’t enough–we have intelligent people here who regard this as some kind of personality cult or the beginnings of Dumbledore’s Army. It doesn’t get any more ludicrous. Except that this isn’t a story; these are real kids who need good teachers and a decent place in society to aspire to.
Hamlet is right–we have fucking miles to go. :mad: 
I have made no comment about the production values.
The issue was raised that their appearance was “paramilitary.” My response is “So what?” There are lots of organizations that are “paramilitary” including several that are wholeheartedly embraced by mainstream white America. There needs to be more than a “paramilitary” feel to the group before I can get worked up about it. Since they were not idolizing Obama, comparisons to the Hitler Youth are, at best, strained, more realistically bunk, and, at worst, deliberate expressions of racism. Since they were expressing their own desires to succeed in pursuing the American Dream, my guess, (supported by watching my society for lo these many years), is that unsmiling young black males doing anything forcefully that does not include holding some sort of ball is threatening to some significant portion of white America. I hope that the number is well below a majority, but it remains significant.
I accuse no one in this thread of embracing the worst case scenario, but there are a lot of idiots posting to the web that do emberace that nonsense.
This started out as a pit thread, but I generally don’t have the written temperament, this is political in nature, and there were some secondary thoughts that don’t need profanity to express.
The target of the pitting would have been Drudge et al, those that are race baitingly promulgating the videos. The “outrage” is akin to the same feeling of repugnance some have expressed in the push poll thread. The Godwinization and vileness that spewed from them (note that the first Drudge video was captioned “Dear Leader,” what may be termed an Illification if it were not to make me think of the Beastie Boys).
I am not swayed by children singing for a candidate any more than I am when I see kids carrying Phelp’s signs. I’m not intimidated by them, nor do I think they are forming some sort of Obamador’s Army.
But, IMHO, it’s incredibly naïve to suggest that Drudge’s attacks won’t have an impact, just as it would be naïve to suggest that the dollars spent on push polling are wasted. If you can’t see how those children can seems somewhat Stepfordesque or that a group of black teens in combat fatigues stomping and chanting in time couldn’t freak someone out, you’re either being deliberately obtuse or lack a smidgen of imagination.
you might want to read my later posts where I acknowledged this.
But the fact that they are not “grim faced white kids” is an essential element in the interpretation of what is going on. Many people who viewed the video may never have seen stepping or been aware of the uniqueness of what is to be expected.
You are receiving a message that was not sent and declaring that it must have been the message that was intended based upon your own experiences. But your own experiences don’t include opportunities to witness stepping imagery first hand. It can get even more bizarre. But when you are familiar with it and with the young people involved, it is not scarey or intimidating at all.
The Gods don’t have to be crazy.
While I see some resemblance to stepping it still looks like a bunch of Nazi/Black panther wanna-be’s. As Rhythmdvl said: If you can’t see how those children can seems somewhat Stepfordesque or that a group of black teens in combat fatigues stomping and chanting in time couldn’t freak someone out, you’re either being deliberately obtuse or lack a smidgen of imagination.
This was on the internet for all to see so your point that it’s a message I wasn’t suppose to see is illogical. I saw it. The people who produced it understand my point even if you don’t because they pulled it.