Republcans and Racism

Racism outrages me. I grew up under Jim Crowe and had a Georgia little white child's perspective of it. It wasn't pretty and innocent then either. I have recently been outraged by the GOP's supposed attempt at satire by using a song with racist lyrics. While the word, "Negro" is still used by some African American organizations, such as the NAACP and the United Negro College Fund, the word is now more commonly thought of as pejorative in common American usage, especially if used by a non-African American. [Wikipedia]

When Republicans, in particular, use the term, it is really a "hot potato." Most Republicans are white, whether they like that or not. Many Republicans are Southern, where slavery and Jim Crowe thrived for generations and racism still persists today. Is it any wonder then that some Republicans and most of the rest of us are outraged at a song, which at best is a poor attempt at satire, and at its worst is pandering to racism.

The NY Times, in an editorial today, said it best:

The Republican Party paid a steep price for race-baiting in the presidential campaign. Remember the ferocious backlash against the California Republican group that produced a racist newsletter depicting Barack Obama on a food stamp, surrounded by images of fried chicken and watermelon?

Then there were those two congressmen who were rightly excoriated for condemning Mr. Obama’s candidacy in the language of the Jim Crow South — one describing him as a “boy” and the other as “uppity.”

We thought after all that — and, oh yes, losing the election — everyone in the Republican Party leadership would have figured out that race-baiting alienates young, minority and all reasonable voters.

Clearly, not everyone has.

It is fine by me if the Republicans implode. I haven't considered voting Republican since the right wingnuts took over the party and Reagan came to power, but I do not want to hear any more of their racist bullshit either. Go crawl under a rock, would you?

Read the full NY Times editorial here.