Screenshots of hateful racism and bigotry in the US

[OneGrassRoot]

Last edited Thu Feb 12, 2015, 11:30 AM - Edit history (1)

I'm amazed when white people my age (50-ish) express shock when I share insight into the prevalence of bigotry and racism ingrained in our culture here in the US. Yes, racism is systemic, but individual racist, bigoted views and behavior are also much, much more common than many people want to admit. Our culture is still pretty much steeped in "othering."

It needs to be exposed to the sunlight more, not ignored. The screenshots are from a public page on Facebook, so I didn't hide the posters' info; no doubt they're proud of their commentary.

It's a pus-filled wound that has been part of our history from the very start; it just went below the surface over the last several decades, festering and seething...until Obama's election. Pus has been oozing out ever since 2008.

This pus is present in every region, every state. No area in this country is free of this hatred.

After the horrific killing of the three students in Chapel Hill, NC yesterday, I do what I always do when I want to take the pulse of those with more right-wing conservative views: I check out Glenn Beck's "The Blaze" Facebook page and website.

The articles posted at the site are usually neutral, but the comments tell the tale. Again, these views are not uncommon, but for those of you here (and those lurking and reading) who doubt the level of racist, bigoted views in this country, the screenshots I took from ONE FACEBOOK POST from earlier today are a mere sample of hate-filled (fear-based) comments. (This is from one post...imagine the number of comments when there are 1.6 million people there, and also a ton of people commenting on the website, which I won't link to, but the comments there are worth perusing to see the breadth of the hatred and ignorance.)

I've pasted a sampling of the comments found in that one Facebook post below.

Of course, racist, bigoted views are not limited to right-wing conservatives; DU has its own issues with that. I'm sharing this here in the hope that people who aren't usually exposed to this overt hate can see -- because ignoring it or acting like it's only a few people who are like this DOES NOT HELP THE SITUATION. Again, these views are NOT uncommon at all, nor are they new. I heard "We need to nuke the Middle East and make it a parking lot" 30 years ago countless times.

[Dont call me Shirley]

1. Stunning the utter willful ignorance

[randys1]

2. This country will not, cannot survive this way. Comfort is the only reason

we dont see violent revolution against the one percent and why you dont see the racists shooting everybody else, yet.

When the Koch Bros successfully kill off what little is left of the middle class, and they will no matter who is in the WH, them and our trade policies, the violence will get real.

There is a reason righty is so very intent on having not just guns but lots and lots of them.

Your typical dem gun owner maybe not, maybe has less violent thoughts about using them, but righty has guns for lots of reasons and this one is at the top of the list.


I really wish we could save our economy and sanity and avoid violence.

The only question is which happens first, violence or climate change.

[freemay20]

3. k&r nt

[Hoyt]

4. I'm amazed at how many folks I grew up with are oblivious to bigotry. They don't care and

are used to it.

[OneGrassRoot]

6. That's what gets me, too. n/t

[cate94]

5. Frightening

and very sad. The level of ignorance and hate astounds me. Unfortunately, it is the same as it ever was..

[marmar]

7. The "muslim takeover" ?

What f**king loonball universe do these people inhabit? .... Oh yeah, the Fox News Universe.

[JHB]

8. Oh, it started even before then...

In 1990 (FOX News was launched in 1996) there were similar people (probably some of the same individuals) who were so immersed in Hitler-Saddam analogies that they spun tales of how Saddam would take over area after area in his drive to take over the world.

They could never answer "with what?", because the actual logistics of military conquest, the necessary industrial base, the fact that even if he somehow "had nukes" his prospective opponents had thousands of them, etc. ad nauseum never entered their magical thinking.

They also weren't exactly clear on the point that Saddam's regime descended from secular pan-arab regimes of the 60s and 70s, not Islamic extremism. Al Queda and others hated him as an apostate. But that didn't slow down those letting their bigot-freak flag fly.

[salin]

10. and half a decade before... The Commies were going to take over via Nicaraugua

Lot's of Bigotry and FEAR!!! that the Soviet Union (who was facing big economic trials - pre collapse) was using Nicaragua and was going to march through (taking over?) Mexico and cross our southern borders and try to take over the US.

Yes it was an absurd position. No, not everyone bought it - and Congress voted to stop funding the Contra's (who were rebelling against the Sandinista government).

But - the belief was so strongly adhered to in the Reagan White House - that behind the scenes we sold weapons to Iran (who had held US hostages less than 7 years earlier) in order to raise money to send (via back channels) to ILLEGALLY fund the Contras.

[Mr Dixon]

9. SMH

The hardest thing to reform is a person’s belief; people hold on to the core belief’s no matter how often their proven wrong. The human race is hopeless; it is a black hole of willful ignorance, arrogance, selfishness and most of all Fear.