Presidential campaign bringing racism out into the open

[chimx]

Here's a video put together by Al-Jazeera that looks at the racism present at McCain/Palin rallies in white blue collar towns in the midwest. Race relations are really coming out of the closet in this election and I've seen a lot of surprising things. People shouting, "kill him [Obama]" at a Palin rally, a black reporter being accosted, and of course the stuff in this video. What are people's thoughts on this election in terms of discrimination?

zRqcfqiXCX0

[jake williams]

That video is terrifying. Al-Jazeera is win.

I wonder if they had to convince these people they weren't from Al-Jazeera to get this footage? It helps that their peeps in America are white.

[Decolonize The Left]

Here's a video put together by Al-Jazeera that looks at the racism present at McCain/Palin rallies in white blue collar towns in the midwest. Race relations are really coming out of the closet in this election and I've seen a lot of surprising things. People shouting, "kill him [Obama]" at a Palin rally, a black reporter being accosted, and of course the stuff in this video. What are people's thoughts on this election in terms of discrimination?


Good question. Given that Obama is the first African-American to potentially become President (I'm not sure if others have ran before, I assume they have), the conventional symbolic structures of white supremacy are being challenged. People are upset at the status-quo being changed, and react in violent/irrational ways.

As you put it, 'race relations are really coming out of the closet.' Indeed, given that these race relations are of seemingly tangible value (the presidency), the reaction is amplified accordingly.

- August

[Prisoner#69]

Wow, I don't know what to say? These people disgust me.

[Drace]

Thats just in the Red neck states.

[Yehuda Stern]

I love how some people try to deny that any workers, or at least workers outside the "redneck states," can be racist. It's a very crude form of workerism which just escapes the need of fighting reactionary racist / nationalist / sexists attitudes among workers.

[Module]

I watched a doco last night on TV about how some people in the US felt about Obama. A lot of McCain supporters were asked why they didn't trust Obama .. Distrusting somebody because they're a Muslim is one thing I was aware was common in the US .. but distrusting somebody because they think he is secretly a Muslim, and a part of a Muslim conspiracy? Now that is something I hadn't heard.

[Post-Something]

Given that Obama is the first African-American to potentially become President (I'm not sure if others have ran before, I assume they have)

Jesse Jackson.


Also, this is very scary. Does anyone else have any other videos like this?

[deLarge]

Between this and proposition 8, I am raging at the public right now. I need one of those stress dolls, the ones that have the eyes that pop out when you squeeze them..

[money for hunger]

I live in Arizona, US
so I have to deal with close-minded white christian Republicans all the time

The fact that those people believe all that is told to them by Fox News frankly scares the shit out of me.

[Invincible Summer]

These people are so goddamn disillusioned...

"I don't like the fact that he thinks white people are trash."
--- Uhhh care to back that up with sources?

"I dunno.. the whole Muslim thing..."
--- Don't you know the difference between a rumor and fact? Or do you still send thousands of dollars to Nigerian princes, idiot?

[money for hunger]

These people are so goddamn disillusioned...

"I don't like the fact that he thinks white people are trash."
--- Uhhh care to back that up with sources?

"I dunno.. the whole Muslim thing..."
--- Don't you know the difference between a rumor and fact? Or do you still send thousands of dollars to Nigerian princes, idiot?

Yeah and the whole "He's friends with terrorists."
there is a difference between the Islamic terrorist that he is afraid of,
and a former Weatherman

I hate it when people don't check their sources

[Psy]

I love how some people try to deny that any workers, or at least workers outside the "redneck states," can be racist. It's a very crude form of workerism which just escapes the need of fighting reactionary racist / nationalist / sexists attitudes among workers.
More immigrants are in the industrial centres thus most white workers in industrial centres have far more contact with non-white workers, thus racists tend to keep their racism in the closest and mostly keep their racism to themselves in mixed company.

[Dimentio]

Most generic racists are also rural people. Yet, there are racist sentiment amongst some workers.

My mother worked on a factory floor as a worker in the mid-90;s, and since she is an immigrant, she often got to hear that she had'nt anything to do in this country.