Racism and Obama

[joseftu]

Is racism in this country a factor that Obama will have to face? Of course. Will it be significant? I'm not sure.

Some troubling news (http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/05/04/publiceye/entry2761854.shtml) on that front from CBSNews today.
Today CBSNews.com informed its staff via email that they should no longer enable comments on stories about presidential candidate Barack Obama. The reason for the new policy, according to the email, is that stories about Obama have been attracting too many racist comments.

"It's very simple," Mike Sims, director of News and Operations for CBSNews.com, told me. "We have our Rules of Engagement (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/20/utility/main959709.shtml). They prohibit personal attacks, especially racist attacks. Stories about Obama have been problematic, and we won't tolerate it."

CBSNews.com does sometimes delete comments on an individual basis, but Sims said that was not sufficient in the case of Obama stories due to "the volume and the persistence" of the objectionable comments.
Myself, I don't think that shutting down the comments is a good answer at all--better to expose the crap than try to hide it away. But it's disturbing that "the volume and the persistence" of these remarks was so overwhelming--for this candidate and no other.

The news that Obama is now receiving Secret Service protection because of a threat on his life looks even more ominous in the light of that.

[drntdrtydg]

Shamefull, I really thought we were over the race thing for the most part. Sad day for America.

[Steve]

We should keep in mind that in this day of relatively anonymous registrations, "volume and persistence" could be the work of a very small number of crackpots.

At least, I hope so.

[ethics]

While I am sure there are still plenty of racists, how much you want to make a bet this one was a left fringe, putting shit out like that in order to garnish support for Obama? Racism on the boards? Has anyone seen anything like that? Even Haywire wouldn't go to that length to put something like that on that.

There's plenty of stuff to attack Obama on than race.

[joseftu]

While I am sure there are still plenty of racists, how much you want to make a bet this one was a left fringe, putting shit out like that in order to garnish support for Obama?
That seems like a hell of a stretch to me. I've seen plenty of real racism, not agents provocateurs, on plenty of boards.

[ethics]

And I know too many assholes who want to garnish support by playing racists. Reminds me of the Black couple who moved to a white neighborhood and said they were attacked with a brick through the window with a note to tell them to leave.

At the end, it was manufactured to get support.

See, this doesn't jive for me.

1. Most internet users are not ignorant. They are more aware than most people. MAJORITY of people on the net, vast majority, are not ignorant.

2. A racist KNOWS that he will play in to Obama's support and their racist comments would be used in order to promote Obama higher in to the campaign.

I've seen the same shit being done on Left Wing sites like Huffingtonpost, DailyKos, Reddit, etc... It's nothing new.

[Steve]

I think I'm just going to have to disagree completely with you on this one, Leon.

What is it that makes you believe the Internet base of users is less representative of the general population?

[ethics]

It's increasingly becoming more and more representative of the gen pop, but it's not there yet. 66% of all Americans are on the net. Most people who get on the net don't just hang out at White Pride.com, they lurk, they learn, and eventually they become less ignorant.

Just mho.

[drntdrtydg]

And I know too many assholes who want to garnish support by playing racists. Reminds me of the Black couple who moved to a white neighborhood and said they were attacked with a brick through the window with a note to tell them to leave.

At the end, it was manufactured to get support.

See, this doesn't jive for me.

1. Most internet users are not ignorant. They are more aware than most people. MAJORITY of people on the net, vast majority, are not ignorant.

2. A racist KNOWS that he will play in to Obama's support and their racist comments would be used in order to promote Obama higher in to the campaign.

I've seen the same shit being done on Left Wing sites like Huffingtonpost, DailyKos, Reddit, etc... It's nothing new.

Tawana Brawley

[joseftu]

Well, I can't say it's impossible, but it doesn't seem too likely to me. Just mho!

(I will say that Steve's point about "volume and persistence" is well taken. It needn't necessarily be very many people at all. Like Steve--and all of us--I hope not.)

[Plunge]

Well, I can't say it's impossible, but it doesn't seem too likely to me. Just mho!

(I will say that Steve's point about "volume and persistence" is well taken. It needn't necessarily be very many people at all. Like Steve--and all of us--I hope not.)

I don't see why it is so hard to fathom. It happens often on milblogs. Amazing the number of 'people' who claim to be military in order to bash the war and then are exposed as frauds.

[Violet1966]

I don't know why they just don't filter any comments that are racist. I guess it's too much of a job to set up some kind of filter.

Racism tends to be contagious when it comes to comments on the internet, anywhere you go. You see one racist comment and others follow. Like the hitler art thread's link. The comments there were just insane, how many crazy hitler lovers are out there. These sites aren't excusive to the usa though, so who knows who's really posting the comments?

[Techie2000]

I'm siding with Steve and Joe on this one. I'm not saying its impossible that they decided to pretend to be racist to boost Obama's rankings, but that such an explanation defies Occam's Razor, and without proof should be treated like any other conspiracy theory.

[ethics]

That MO is becoming Occam's Razor. This whole thing defies simple explanation and when it comes to CBS... well, I am not buying it.

[Coot]

That MO is becoming Occam's Razor. This whole thing defies simple explanation and when it comes to CBS... well, I am not buying it.

Yep, CBS stands for Cock 'n Bull Story.

[drntdrtydg]

, so who knows who's really posting the comments?

Mr. Weintraubs 7th grade computer class in 5th period.

[drntdrtydg]

Yep, CBS stands for Cock 'n Bull Story.


They could stop this the same way they stop everything else:

WE WILL SUE YOU!!


.....a fate worse than death. you'll have those Klansman and Skinheads wearing oversie T-shirts with one pant leg up recieting MLK's "I have a dream" in no time....sue a couple of the degenerates and make a media circus out of it. Works for everything else. :tantrum: