A bizarre racist outburst at a Texas school board isn't an isolated event — it's part of a national pattern

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[–] 223 points 3 years ago (3 children)

When another trustee asked Dungan if she personally objected to an illustration of cross-racial friendship, she demurred, simply declaring that she was just trying to avoid "situations like that." Situations like what, exactly? She didn't say. Dungan's behavior is a perfect illustration of the "anti-woke" tap dance. The person alleging nefarious wokeness never admits to their own bigotry, instead pretending that they're reacting to "woke" people who are "pushing" an agenda, in this case through innocuous poster art. Of course, the entire premise of the argument is rooted in bigotry, as this example shows. It presumes that the feelings of real or imagined bigots who might take umbrage at such an image are of paramount importance, and that everyone else's freedoms must be curtailed to appease them.

Fucking thank you, Amanda Marcotte. Nail on the head.

And thank you for using the word “innocuous” because my god it’s a picture of people holding hands in a school. It probably had something like “teamwork makes the dream work” on it because holy fuck these people probably boil their eyeballs in piss before they stick them in their sockets.

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  • [–] 36 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Yeah, it's good to see reporters actually pressing back on these blatant trolls with their well understood tactics. It's a shame, however, that the more centrist media is rarely willing to do the same. It's a common trap that people think you must give equal time to both sides in order to be fair. Reality is that some sides are so dumb and inconsequential that they don't deserve any air time.

    It's stupid that the school district even moved the kid to a different class. They never should have caved an inch. That just empowers these maniacs to keep doing this racist, time wasting drivel.

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  • [–] 14 points 3 years ago*

    It presumes that the feelings of real or imagined bigots who might take umbrage at such an image are of paramount importance, and that everyone else's freedoms must be curtailed to appease them.

    I don't know why this made it click in my head but yeah, they think their imagined hurt feelings are more important than everyone else.

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  • [+] [S] 149 points 3 years ago (14 children)
  • [–] 60 points 3 years ago (9 children)

    Humans are animals...

    If we're not socialized with other races while young, then we grow up thinking of other races as "them" instead of "us". It's instincts from when we lived in tribes and anyone that you didn't grow up around was the enemy. But the same as a dog needing to be exposed to other animals while young so they're used to them as an adult.

    Which is why adult racists have an issue with non-segregated schools.

    They want kids to grow up and be racist like they are. They want the next generation to only look as deep as skin color to determine if someone is friend or foe.

    Same reason Alabama banned Sesame Street long after PBS had it in every other state.

    The individual racists probably don't understand it, but the ones leading the mobs understand the psychology behind this shit. Like how in American History X Ed Norton didn't understand what he was doing, but the old asshole in charge was playing chess. Dont discount racists as idiots that don't know any better. Some are actually smart and manipulating the mob of uneducated idiots.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (2 children)

    I firmly believe that lack of exposure to people of different cultures or races leads people to be racist and not necessarily realize it. If you're never around X, how can you know you have an inappropriate reaction to X?

    To illustrate this, I didn't know about my escalator phobia until I moved away for college. I entered the mall, saw these moving stair-things, and felt a deep fear in the pit of my stomach. I hadn't seen an escalator since I was a toddler and, if you'd asked me on high school, I'd have denied having a phobia.

    (I've successfully worked on my phobia over the last decade, showing that changing inappropriate reactions is possible)

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    [–] 94 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (2 children)

    Dungan's behavior is a perfect illustration of the "anti-woke" tap dance. The person alleging nefarious wokeness never admits to their own bigotry, instead pretending that they're reacting to "woke" people who are "pushing" an agenda, in this case through innocuous poster art.

    That is a very good take.

    Also: it's always projection. Conservatives push an agenda, so they assume everyone else does too.

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    [+] 90 points 3 years ago* (8 children)
  • [–] 18 points 3 years ago*

    Next step? They're already doing it. You don't need to be overtly racist to segregate communities fyi, income brackets and gerrymandering do a wonderful job at promoting racial segregation without the need to be outwardly bigoted

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  • [–] 60 points 3 years ago

    Fuck these racist bigots

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  • [–] 56 points 3 years ago (5 children)

    this is how it is for some people when there are non-white characters in movies, they consider it "pushing an agenda" when there's nothing like that happening. it's like they think people of other races just.. don't exist? therefore they should not be in movies? i don't really get it

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    [–] 52 points 3 years ago

    It's almost like conservatives are racist and want to indoctinate kids into their conservative ideology of hate.

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  • [–] 52 points 3 years ago (14 children)

    It is now woke to be in the same room as another race.

    Add it to the list.

    Hey, can we start calling things they like woke? Like Jesus Trump and church and flags n stuff? I bet we can destroy this word by just stealing it back.

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  • [–] 45 points 3 years ago (7 children)

    Jesus was woke AF by their own loose definition of the word.

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  • [+] 11 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)
  • [–] 18 points 3 years ago*

    Woke = empathy for people who are different

    It's what it's always meant.

    The rightwingers complaining about it haven't changed the definition. The people steering their anger just don't want "the poors" realizing they should be mad at the ruling class. It benefits the wealthy if "the poors" are fighting each other.

    "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."

    LBJ

    It's important to note he wasn't a proponent of it. He just realized that's what was happening and why people opposed the Civil Rights movement.

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  • [–] 38 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    Even disregarding all bigotry and racism that this screams of, it's dumb af because kids can be friends with FUCKING rocks. It's pretty much their superpower.

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    [–] 36 points 3 years ago

    Wow what a shocker. Just saying the quiet part out loud. At least they're consistent in their racism.

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  • [–] 26 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    Tell me again why they aren't nazis

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    [–] 26 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    thats not new at all, I remember there being traces of that still in everyday interactions as a kid. Theres nothing new about the hate they are spewing, thats what makes it extra vile to me.

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    [–] 25 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    My wife tells me she thinks that I am being over dramatic when I say we need to start thinking about exit strategies for fleeing the US, and then stuff like this pops up.

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  • [–] 14 points 3 years ago

    You’re not being overdramatic. I’ve been thinking about an exit since 2020. I plan to have it figured out in advance of the next election so that I can flip a switch and go. Don’t wait for disaster. Have an exit decided and hope you don’t need it.

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  • [–] 22 points 3 years ago

    We need to stop diminishing racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of bigotry by calling them anti-woke.

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  • [–] 21 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    Lol! I was born in Ukraine, my best friend was born in Venezuela.

    What a bunch of crap.

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  • [–] 17 points 3 years ago

    We wouldn't want kids' eyes opened by spending time with people different from them. We must keep them ignorant and hateful.

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  • [–] 16 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Bears deserve better than to be associated with these freaks.

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  • [–] 15 points 3 years ago

    That's just straight up racism.

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  • [–] 14 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Thats not "anti woke" thats just racism dumb ass

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    [+] 10 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago)
    [removed by mod]
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