The legion of websites, bloggers, talk show jocks, and the occasional GOP official that has teed off on President Obama and at times Michelle Obama with assorted borderline racist digs, taunts, and depictions have been relentless. The offensive remarks quickly evoke a storm of outrage, and the offender gets rebuked. This happens because they are public figures, and their comments are publicly aired. They fly high on the public's radar scope.
But that's not the case with the growing barrage of racist assaults on Obama, and other minorities on social media sites. Baylor University researchers, for instance, recently tracked more than 20 Facebook page groups and users and found them jam-packed with racist venom aimed at Obama, blacks and other minorities. The growing number of groups that churn hate on social media sites are secure in the knowledge that they won't be caught or called out on it.
The signal that Obama would trigger a titanic wave of race baiting and stereotyping danger in cyberspace came the moment that he announced he would seek the presidency in February 2007. He had the dubious distinction of being the earliest presidential contender to be assigned Secret Service protection on the campaign trail. As the showdown with Republican presidential rival John McCain heated up in the general election in 2008, the flood of crank, crackpot, and screwball threats that promised murder and mayhem toward Obama continued to pour in. This prompted the Secret Service to tighten security and take even more elaborate measures to ensure his safety. As president, the threats against Obama have been non-stop.
But the first real tip that hate could also find a safe haven on social media sites was the infamous Facebook assassination poll in September 2009. The target was Obama. Hundreds of respondents dignified the question that asked: "Should Obama be killed?" by answering. If the poll hadn't been quickly yanked, thousands more might have answered the bizarre and murderous question with an answer.
In the nearly three years since then, dozens of hate groups have popped up on Facebook. They have several things in common. Their prime target is Obama. They let fly with the most grotesque, offensive, and rabid hate depictions of the president, blacks and other minorities. Thousands of respondents chime in with their own racial haranguing broadsides. They have de facto protection from Facebook, not because Facebook condones or even turns a blind eye to racism on its site and by its users. It has a very strict policy to snatch any group from the site that makes racial, gender, religious, sexual orientation attacks against individuals or groups. But Facebook bases its existence and success on being a virtually, free and open social media platform.
Facebook permits, even takes pride, in letting individuals and groups to poke fun, level ridicule, and toss jibes at any and everything under the guise of humor or satire at others. It's the old free speech canard. Facebook's extreme reluctance to inhibit the free expression of ideas and opinions no matter how many persons may be offended at the humor or satire provides virtual open license for groups and individuals to spew racial hate. For example, in one posting Obama is depicted in hip hop garb with a bucket of chicken. In another, a grinning Obama has a bandanna on his head and a mouth full of gold teeth with the caption "Going for the African-American vote." The hate groups outwit the Facebook policy enforcers by avoiding use of the more blatant racial slurs and epithets. They use such neutral language as "Obama is a lousy president." They know that this will stir an avalanche of comments, many of which will be laced with racial slurs and propagate racial stereotypes.
The social media hate groups also are adept at using innocuous key words and race neutral titles to give the façade that their criticism of the White House has no hidden racial animus. Many innocent social media networkers stumble on the hate group pages and are appalled at what they see and read. But they are still exposed to the hate-mongering and that insures a wider audience.
Hate groups have honed in on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms to influence and even recruit others to their ranks. As the closely contested 2012 presidential election further heats up, more groups will skirt the social media censors and ratchet up their hate filled vitriol on their sites. They'll pawn it off as poking fun and satire at Obama, and minorities. And for the most part they'll get away with it.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is a frequent political commentator on MSNBC and a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on American Urban Radio Network. He is the author of How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK-Radio and the Pacifica Network.
Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/earlhutchinson
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 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
How do you explain to your child of color, that, yes, the POTUS has played by the rules. He has excelled at everything he's ever done. He seems to be fair and willing to listen. He educated himself and used his knowledge to help poor people. He married a lovely, intelligent woman and they have raised, two picture-perfect and poised little girls. A quintessential American 'bootstrap' story. But somehow, its not enough for some. What chance would a less talented, less educated, less collegial, black man ever have with these people?
Fortunately, my teenage son will be the last generation, where parents like myself will have to ponder such questions. My son's children, will be born to a country, where they will be the majority. And there is nothing anyone can do to change the trajectory. What we are witnessing today, are the last throes of a defeated compendium of lost and misguided souls, who fear the inevitable.
"What we are witnessing today, are the last throes of a defeated compendium of lost and misguided souls, who fear the inevitable."
... is absolutely brilliant. thank you. i've been saying things like this for a while, but never so eloquently.
I have no idea how you would do that. I couldn't bring myself to tell outright lies to a child.
unfortunately, plenty of people continue to use racist language and hate speech when talking about this president.
As a Canadian I dont vote, however I would have voted for him 4 yrs ago(even told American friends to vote for him) but I am very concerned about the results over the last 4 yrs. We are the tail and what happens in the US affects us, and I just see 4 more years of the same except worst since there will be no concern for a 2nd term.
Yesterday morning, Grinling Gibbons and I challenged you provide facts to support your claim that you could come up with page after page of instances showing Barack Obama was a poor president. You replied with personal OPINIONS – which were not only devoid of FACTS but in almost every instance, you didn’t understand (or have correct information about) the issue you were criticizing! Wherever you’re getting your information, Mighty Servant, and I’m guessing it’s the BLAH-BLAH-bloviators [Beck-Limbaugh-And-Hannity], they’re doing you a terrible disservice.
1) You said: “His speech of July 13. Picking on business owners, you could almost feel his hatred. Combine that with the desire to punish success by taxing top earners at a different rate. He doesn't represent those citizens.”
Are you aware that Romney admitted he only paid “around 15%” of his earnings in taxes in 2010? Actually he paid only 13.9% of his earnings, which I KNOW was less than I paid...and was possibly lower than what you paid. Do you REALLY believe it’s punishing success to require the very wealthy to pay “at least” the same tax rate paid by the average middle-class worker? And the July 13 speech that spawned that “you didn’t build your business” lie Republicans have peddled, is debunked here.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/an-unoriginal-obama-quote-taken-out-of-context/2012/07/20/gJQAdG7hyW_blog.html
Continued below...
2) You said: “Black education-new dept from last Thursday....again, separating a portion of our citizenry and flagrant Misuse of tax dollars and the beneficiaries are solely decided on by what race they belong to? Doe's Obama know we already have a dept of education?”
There is no new department. There is no misuse of tax dollars. Obama merely extended an initiative, WITHIN the Dept of Education, that President HW Bush put in place for Hispanics. http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/07/obama-to-launch-african-american-education-initiative-130099.html
3) You said: “Road work- Diane Sawyer reported road work I-35 to I-45 being done by a Chinese firm for 5 billion. Don't bother representing us when you can display favoritism towards the Chinese, what about our jobs?”
Wrong again! California contracted with the Chinese – and rejected Federal money because had they taken it, they would have been required to ‘Buy American’ and pay more for materials. http://www.factcheck.org/2012/02/did-obama-approve-bridge-work-for-chinese-firms/
4) You said: “Stim funds- well, it kept unions happy but did little else.”
40 economists from across the political spectrum disagree with you on the stimulus.
http://www.igmchicago.org/igm-economic-experts-panel/poll-results?SurveyID=SV_cw5O9LNJL1oz4Xi
Obama 2012!! The right choice
Sure, what they are doing is wrong, but it seems like such a teensy-tiny segment of the population.
Wouldn't a better subject be the 15% black unemployment rate?