Is anyone else shocked by the amount of racism on the internet?

[Spungo]

There has always been racism on the internet, but I thought most of it was relatively harmless. Some people like to say jokes that play on race, some people like to stereotype, but then there's that group of crazies who cross the line and seem to have an unbelievable amount of raw hatred. I experienced that for the nth time yesterday. Yesterday, I was having a discussion on a forum about drug policy and I raised the question of why drugs were banned in the first place. I posted several links showing where newspapers and politicians said things like "drug crazed negroes" and relied on race baiting and fear mongering to pass these laws. (This was similar to the bath salts zombie scare a few months ago even though the toxicology report showed that the face eating zombie only had marijuana in his system at the time). I ended the post by saying we shouldn't hold on to laws that are based entirely on racism. A couple hours later, my post had been edited by a moderator. All links to examples of racism had been removed, my closing comment was removed, and my account was suspended for a week. Blowing the whistle on racism is off limits.

That's not the first time I've seen posts edited by racists. On a forum for women, someone said something like "it's great to see women getting their share of the pie" in response to some job statistics. I said something like "it's unfortunate that blacks and hispanics are still struggling with this same issue". Banned forever. Talking about women getting their share of the pie = good. Talking about blacks and hispanics getting their share of the pie = banned.

I don't even know what to say about this. The racism is so deep that we can't even mention problems faced by ethnic minorities, either past or present. Simply acknowledging history is taboo. Has anyone else encountered problems with extreme bigotry on the internet? This isn't just racist youtube comments. This would be more like people flagging a youtube video as inappropriate simply because a black person made it.

 

[atotnine]

you must be new here...

 

[Hugo Drax]

What amazes me is there is no NAAWP but there is an NAACP.

 

[Scotteq]

you must be new here...

Naive, too...

 

[Ichinisan]

(This was similar to the bath salts zombie scare a few months ago even though the toxicology report showed that the face eating zombie only had marijuana in his system at the time).

I still want clarification on that. It was consistent with other bath salt incidents (compulsion to remove all clothing). I suspect that the guy simply wasn't tested for bath salts. I think the stuff still wasn't (isn't?) a controlled substance in most places since manufacturers pretend it's not meant for human consumption.

 

[sandorski]

More Disappoint then Shock.

 

[Ichinisan]

On a forum for women, someone said something like "it's great to see women getting their share of the pie" in response to some job statistics. I said something like "it's unfortunate that blacks and hispanics are still struggling with this same issue". Banned forever. Talking about women getting their share of the pie = good. Talking about blacks and hispanics getting their share of the pie = banned.

I'm guessing someone quickly glanced at your post and completely misinterpreted it.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Welcome to the real world, where all people do have preconceived notions regarding people of different cultures. As culture and race do correlate (not perfectly by any means), this stereotype often comes out as racism.

Why you were banned from the other forum, I don't know. I'm sure there is more to the story though.

 

[Spungo]

I still want clarification on that. It was consistent with other bath salt incidents (compulsion to remove all clothing). I suspect that the guy simply wasn't tested for bath salts. I think the stuff still wasn't (isn't?) a controlled substance in most places since manufacturers pretend it's not meant for human consumption.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout...e-eating-killer-miami-cannibal-143149305.html

According to the Miami-Dade County medical examiner's office, toxicology tests performed on Eugene found marijuana in his system, but no street drugs, prescription drugs or alcohol. Eugene also tested negative for adulterants commonly mixed with street drugs.

"The department has also sought the assistance of an outside forensic toxicology reference laboratory, which has confirmed the absence of 'bath salts,' synthetic marijuana and LSD," the medical examiner said.

At least they didn't the play the race card as much. BLACKS ON BATH SALTS! ARE YOUR CHILDREN SAFE? It really was that bad at one time.

Here's one of those examples I mentioned:
New York Times, September 29, 1913

Drug-Crazed Negroes Start a Reign of Terror and Defy Whole Mississippi Town

 

[Spungo]

Why you were banned from the other forum, I don't know. I'm sure there is more to the story though.

You'd be surprised how strict some forums are. Reality is strictly prohibited.
On a relationship forum, a guy was venting frustration about girls only dating douchebags (not true btw, I only date nice guys). I posted a link to wiki's articles about Stockholm Syndrome and Battered Woman Syndrome and said there's the solution. That seems like the most obvious reply in the world, IMO. A guy complains that women only date douchebags, I post information confirming what the OP just said, and I get banned. That doesn't even count as racism or sexism. Factism? Is that a word? People who hate facts?

 

[Engineer]

No. The internet is faceless.....people say all kinds of stuff towards everyone on the internet because it's faceless. Of course, many times, they wouldn't say it in real life but they still feel it. The ole "drunk words are sober thoughts" comes to mind when posting on the internet.

 

[shortylickens]

Its an indicator that in real life, theres tons of racists. They've just been shutting their mouths in public since the 70's.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

What amazes me is there is no NAAWP but there is an NAACP.

That would be racist.

 

[jagec]

What amazes me is there is no NAAWP but there is an NAACP.

Umm...they may not go by that name, but there are PLENTY of organizations that are de facto NAAWPs.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

That's not the first time I've seen posts edited by racists. On a forum for women, someone said something like "it's great to see women getting their share of the pie" in response to some job statistics. I said something like "it's unfortunate that blacks and hispanics are still struggling with this same issue". Banned forever. Talking about women getting their share of the pie = good. Talking about blacks and hispanics getting their share of the pie = banned.

Link? I want to join this white-supremacist forum full of Aryan ladies.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

you must be new here...

And you aren't? Wwybywb?

 

[Sonikku]

The internet is humanity unfiltered. Take a good look.

 

[T9D]

Drugz r 4 retards

 

[SlitheryDee]

Nope. There's less racism on the internet than there is in my home town. I'm talking about direct outspoken "I hate n*****s" racism here, not "I said something to bring attention to the plight of the colored folk and was snubbed" racism. Also, I think you're incorrect in your assertion in the first example and stupid to think the second one was ever going to gain any traction in a womens forum.

 

[shortylickens]

Nope. There's less racism on the internet than there is in my home town. I'm talking about direct outspoken "I hate n*****s" racism here, not "I said something to bring attention to the plight of the colored folk and was snubbed" racism. Also, I think you're incorrect in your assertion in the first example and stupid to think the second one was ever going to gain any traction in a womens forum.

The biggest problem with this forum and many other forums is that the 2nd type of racism is all too often believed to be the first type.
And thats where all the arguments start.

 

[Spungo]

Nope. There's less racism on the internet than there is in my home town. I'm talking about direct outspoken "I hate n*****s" racism here, not "I said something to bring attention to the plight of the colored folk and was snubbed" racism. Also, I think you're incorrect in your assertion in the first example and stupid to think the second one was ever going to gain any traction in a womens forum.

I like to think of it as being the same as denying things like evolution or the holocaust. If you delete enough posts and ban enough people, history disappears! Let's just rewrite our own history. Laws based on racism? Didn't happen. Dinosaur bones? They don't exist. Holocaust? All of those pictures were photoshopped. Anyone who says otherwise gets banned.

He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past. We have always been at war with Eastasia. Anyone who says otherwise will be banned.

 

[Platypus]

The internet is humanity unfiltered. Take a good look.

yep

 

[ElFenix]

greater internet fuckwad theory

 

[PlanetJosh]

I don't think I'm racist. I'd look foward to dating a woman of a different race than mine which is white. Whether or not her friends of her race approve of it could be an issue, not to mention my family's approval. And I don't even have a gf and I'm not dating. Just saying what if.

Of course it bothers me about the racism on the net. I was in OffTopic.com until my registration expired last year. It charges a fee to join so racist comments and slurs of the worst kind are allowed there on their main OT forum. Was a mess. Never going back to the site unless it's for their forum that doesn't allow insults or racism. It's one of their politcal forums and is tiny compared to the flame fested main one.

Edit: That probably sounds funny coming from me considering accusations I made in the Anandtech politcal forum. Accusing someone there of bigotry/racism. No slurs or anything like that. But I said it without proof. So that could be construed as racsim itself.

 

[Mide]

Go look at the comment section on cnn.com. That is the main nuttiest racist place I've ever seen. It's like they have no moderators at all.

But yeah it's the Internet...you can say anything that you want.

I personally thought that most peeps were OK on this forum but just wander over to the P&N section...you'll find a whole slew of people who are very anti everything you may believe in.