We talk a lot about the dream of a post-race America, but a bumper sticker reading “Don’t Re-Nig In 2012” proves we’ve got a long way to go.
There’s a photograph making its way around the Internet like wildfire.
A bumper sticker that proudly reads, “Don’t Re-Nig In 2012”.
We don’t know whose car this sticker is on… We don’t know who first took the photograph… But we know what it says about where we are in our country. As much as we want to believe that the election of Barack Obama somehow proves that we’re getting closer to a non-racist society, there is still enough racist sentiment that a product like this is manufactured, purchased and displayed.
Yeah, this may be the work of one unstable individual who thinks it’s okay to refer to anyone by the N-word, let alone the Harvard-educated President of the United States. But we have to wonder at the society that makes it possible, let alone comfortable, enough to cruise around displaying hate so proudly.
What is the proper response to this? What would you do if you met this person in a parking lot, if you looked them in the eye while passing their car where you can see this bumper sticker in plain sight?
Would you say something? Would it make a difference?
Photo courtesy of http://tetrazzini.tumblr.com/
This reminds me of something Malcolm X said. He was on a televised interview (if I weren’t so lazy, I’d find the clip). To paraphrase, he said, “What do you call an educated negro with a BA or an MA or a Ph.D.? You call him a nigger, that’s what you call him.”
Some people are beyond saving. I’m beginning to think that racism is something that must be bred out. Perhaps, her children will be slightly better people.
Maybe someone should start attacking the music industry which used the “n” work in a lot of music. Just as the feminists aren’t screeming about the rap music that continues to use the word “bitches” …
I’m color blind. Presidents race means nothing to me. I’m tired of this country promoting racism. MLK was against it. Some of my family m arched with him and I’m surfe he’s rolling over in his grave seeing what’s happening these days.
My wife is of Mexican heritage but she refuses to use that. When she’s asked, her response is “I’m an American”
Just a reminder that “America” starts in Canada and ends off the coast of Chile. So for all intents and purposes, your wife is more American than you.
It’s time like this when I have to ask myself, what would the Dalai Lama do? I consider myself quasi-Buddhist, and one of the things that attracted me to Buddhism in the first place is the message of tolerance. Buddhism aside, tolerating the intolerable is a struggle for a lot of liberal-minded people. We believe in free speech and at the same time are appalled by some of the things other people say. So WWDLD? Extend loving-kindness to even the worst of your “enemies.” Incidentally, I’ve noticed that people are a lot more rattled when you tell them “I’ll pray… Read more »
Like +1
I suspect the Dalai Lama wouldn’t do what the Duke recommends, namely “Kill’em all and let God sort’em out.”
No? Not so much?
Sad. It seems like such a simple solution. With everyone dead, there’s no problems of a pressing nature anymore. I live next to a cemetery so I know. Those dead people don’t get up for anything. Nothing. So much peacefulness and quiet. A whole planet of the same seems rather optimal some days…
Yeah…I just did an article at GMP allex Tolerating Intolerance. I’d link it and self-promote again but I’m on my iPhone. lol. Needless to say, I agree that everyone, liberal and conservative, have trouble tolerating those who aren’t tolerant of them. However, I also think we can go too far…we do need to identify and fight against intolerant ideas. I just think it’s important not to demonise the people who are saying the intolerant ideas; after all they’re still people. As for the I’ll pray for you thing…usually it annoys me because it sounds a little bit self-righteous. Like –… Read more »
I’m sorry, why are we tolerating the intolerable? Am I supposed to tolerate a bumper sticker that calls the President a nigger? I’m supposed to not demonize someone who uses that language about black people?
I must be misunderstanding what I’m reading here.
As for the Buddhist message of tolerance, from the 14th Dalai Lama: “Buddhist sexual proscriptions ban homosexual activity and heterosexual sex through orifices other than the vagina, including masturbation or other sexual activity with the hand… From a Buddhist point of view, lesbian and gay sex is generally considered sexual misconduct”.
This is a note from the moderating team. We are going to moderate this thread heavily. Please keep things on topic, fact based, and lower the rhetoric. We understand that this is a highly political topic, but we strive for civil discourse and dialogue.
You think this is bad. Wait until Obama and Derrick Bell and critical race theory and killing white babies makes it to the MSM.
Oh, wait. Never mind.
Dick, I’d appreciate if you actually read Bell before you tried to criticize him and CRT. One of my old professors told me that it’s doing violence to an idea when you argue with its caricature. Basically, if you don’t actually understand a theory and can’t trace its reasoning, you don’t have standing to criticize it. Here’s an excerpt from one of his law review articles that I think exemplifies how we should approach other’s point of view: Diversity is, then, not about the faculty composition or the school system’s structure. It is about the self. Can I become more… Read more »
I’d be willing to send you some full text articles if you want to know what you’re criticizing. Here’s another excerpt that I think is very applicable to this topic. His critique of racial division and a tacit ‘us v. them’ rhetoric in politics (for examples, see ANY recent debate about entitlements…it immediately devolves into the Reagan era, fear based, ‘welfare queen’ diatribe) is spot on. I think he’s right, racism is a contributing factor in why so many working class white people vote against their own economic interests. I think it has a lot to do with racism and… Read more »
Arguing facts and logic against Dick Aubrey is a waste of energy Drew, though I appreciated learning more about Bell as a result of your effort.
Can’t stop me from trying I suppose. I don’t think anything Bell said was all that radical, his observations are in line with what many people say when talking about race, power, and the law. I think the reason he’s been singled out is because he’s dead now and can’t defend his views. You wonder why this didn’t come up in the election or first three years of the term if it was really a bombshell (which it’s not…) and the only thing I can think of that’s changed is that he’s dead, and he can’t correct caricatures of his… Read more »
There should be a way to ensure these morons get tagged, in a bodily way, so that they are easily identifiable when not riding in their vehicles. The bumper sticker identification is a band aid at best. What if these cretins take a cab or public transit? How will we know who they are?
And it should be a nation border issue as well. Their passports should be stamped with this same bumper sticker so they are not inadvertently allowed into civilized countries.
I’m really not impressed with this first attempt.
Not a hoax. Worse, it may even be the least offensive of the anti-Obama stickers they sell. Huffington post has a slideshow with more pictures: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/racist-anti-obama-sticker_n_1349423.html#s786251&title=Racist_AntiObama_Sticker
It’s horrible and should be condemned by everyone, regardless of whether or not you happen to agree with Obama’s political views.
What’s up with the seemingly random moderation?
https://goodmenproject.com/commenting-policy/
I’m assuming using certain terms just ends up with posts being put into moderation automatically. It’s happened to be quite a few times too…but it’s no biggie. As soon as a moderator is on they get cleared through. 🙂
Good thought. Thanks.
If that’s the case it would be nice if they shared a list.
I’m pretty sure the fact of the matter is that all humans are scum and worthy of annhilation. That said, some humans hide their scumminess better than others. Needless to say, the scum bags who produce this product and those who buy and place it on their cars are less good at hiding their scumminess than others.
Annhilation to the scum!
Yes, someone did piss in my cornflakes this morning and I’m not very pleased with the result.
Coupla few things. 1. Racism is the systematic of oppression of a people via racial categorization. Criminal sentencing is racist eg. the death penalty. Social security is racist. When the most powerful person in the world is the target of an offensive, politicized, racial slur based bumper sticker by a relatively powerless citizen we call that bigotry, not racism. 2. Who cares that Obama is POTUS? He deserves no more respect/less respect than anyone else. I’m not a lawyer (thank god), but I wasn’t a transfer student. I went to a better undergrad university. And I had a higher GPA… Read more »
Why the FUCK are you people all talking about Obama? This post is about the fact that a human being in 2012 America can put a sticker on his vehicle referring to another human being as a “nigger” and get cheers from a whole segment of society – and, apparently ‘who cares, what about (insert irrelevant political issue here) from another.
The fact that overt racism is now just a minor sideshow of the ongoing, trumped-up “culture war” in this country is perhaps the most depressing part of this. Look at what we’ve turned into, people.
You might object to the wordplay because you don’t like certain words, but a bumper sticker isn’t “racist”. Again the word is flung around incorrectly on the internet which is why nobody takes it seriously anymore.
I’d like to hear how you can logically defend this bumper sticker against the definition of racism.
Obama is scum. I don’t care if people call him names. He sided with the bankers and wall street over real people, and for that, he’s a traitor as far as I’m concerned.
Take one look at the stock market, then take another look at a wage growth chart or the labor participation rate. When you’re done, try and tell me why I should care at all if people say mean things about Obama. If he spends the rest of his life with people spitting racial slurs in his face, it’s still a whole lot better than what he deserves.
Soullite, you might be surprised to know how many real progressives agree with your assessment of Obama as a man and a president. I do on many counts…and share your anger and frustration. However, this doesn’t make Racism OK.
If for not other reason, you may find the important thing about Racism is it is a tool, used by the ruling class of wealthy elite and politicians to keep the 99% divided.
Yeah, it’s racist. But I don’t care. I’m not wasting one breath on defending Obama under any circumstance. Obama just doesn’t care about people like me. If you aren’t rich, and you’re not hooked up in D.C., Obama doesn’t care about you, either. Obama left all of us to rot while he made sure the bankers and the insurance companies and the rest of his cronies got on just fine. Take one look at how well that stock market is doing, then look at the labor participation rate, or wage growth, and then tell me why I should care if… Read more »
The entire government doesn’t care because everyone was bought and paid for. Both parties can’t get shit done because the corporations have taken over. Too much lobbying. So either side really isn’t better than the other. Republicans don’t care, and Democrats don’t care. No one in the government cares. No matter who you vote in, that person will get sucked up into the beast and lose their sense of reality. They don’t live like we do anymore. They’re blinded by money. All three branches are corrupt, and it feels like the country is fighting to become incredibly fascist.
Is it racist? Yup. Do I think it’s horrible? Yup. But as with so many things that I find abhorrent I always try to find a bit of humor:
Renig – a common misspelling of renege – to revoke, to renounce or abandon
So “don’t renig,” = don’t renounce/abandon Obama in 2012.
So not only racist, but also linguistically describing a different message than the one intended. I heart language.
+1
The idiot is looking for attention and I would ignore him/her and not give him/her a moment of my time. Bigotry comes in all shapes and sizes.
Yes, politics is filled with hypocrites. Remember when Newt Gingrich led impeachment charges against Clinton while engaging in his own string of extramarital affairs and facing no fewer than 84 ethics charges for gross misconduct while Speaker of the House? If you recall, the press came down rather hard on Clinton, while letting Gingrich go off lightly. Speaking of affairs, I do recall that Anthony Weiner and John Edwards got plenty of flack – and worse – for their extramarital dalliances too. The media isn’t treating Obama with kid gloves, as far as I can see. I read numerous stories… Read more »
As an innocent bystander I stand the neutral ground and have to wonder if this is a hoax. Let’s look at some facts that have happened in the last few weeks and tidy this up. Polls are not favorable to the POTUS, Rush is persecuted for the same thing Bill Maher gets a pass on, Healthcare has hit the forefront as a new CBO forecast is over double its original cost, energy costs are skyrocketing and the list goes on. This is a head fake to divert attention from the real problems that this nation faces. And by the way… Read more »
My wife did Vista in PR. Had her own little slum and all. We have relations in Mexico, from exchange students several generations back. One of the girls, whom we had when she was twelve, got married. Sit down dinner for six hundred and fifty. Fox couldn’t make it. He’s like a second cousin or something. Been to where he grew up and met his mother. The only folks at the reception who looked Mexican were the help. So, other than demonstrating you would, or would not, have been upset with the SW Mississippi band, and that goose and gander… Read more »
What’s my point? Most of the time it is that you are feeble in the ways of logical argument. Or maddeningly sophisticated…I haven’t figured out which yet.
oh my god, we actually found someone who’s racist ?
Racism still exist and will always exist.
Stop wishing for a utopia because it’ll never come.
Well, when you want people to vote for a man who’s screwed them over time and time again, you can’t really point to anything he’s done and say ‘And that’s why you should vote for him!’.
So instead they point fingers at some random guy, start throwing feces, and scream ‘Vote for Obama to prove you’re not like him!!!!’.
A college BB game. The band–black–taunted an opposing player, Rodriguez, with comments to “get a green card.” Morons. Kid was from Puerto Rico. Doesn’t need a green card.
Jake, a bunch of your dem voter buddies were in that band, right?
Goose, gander. Right?
Didn’t think so.
Wrong again Aubrey. Assumption really is your strong suit. I’m politically independent, which you’d know if you read my comments and commentary instead of focusing so hard on what you are going to say next. My personal views probably share more in common with real Libertarians (not these entitlement queen tea partiers) than Democrats, though I have the radical notion that the government should put education and healthcare ahead of corporate interests and imperialism. I used to be a Republican, of the traditional conservative flavor, before the neocons showed up and ruined the moral high ground…And my head popped out… Read more »
PS- I don’t believe all Latinos think that way. What I shared was the world view of one fairly impoverished, generally uneducated family.
Jake, I actually share your socioeconomic views almost exactly. (I’m very, very left-libertarian socially, to the point where only Gary Johnson or possibly Dennis Kucinich would be acceptable for me.)
What’s sad is that while we’d be called crazy right-wing radicals in 1970, today, expressing those views gets you painted as a “communist” by the average American, who neither understands how communism actually works, nor what words mean. Thank you for pointing out how far gone the GOP is. I applaud you.
Thanks!
Being from the US but living in the UK, I’ve discovered just how socially conservative American politics has become. Some of my British friends laugh whenever a democrat gets labelled a ‘radical left wing blah blah blah,’ or whatever…because the political conversation in the states is all socially conservative in comparison.
Yeah the Democratic party is a right party, just compared to Republican who is very far right they seem left
And now imagine that even the “liberal” parties in the UK are still much more on the right compared to the left political spectrum of other central European countries.
Very true too…it’s always funny when I hear jokes about how stuffy and conservative the UK is. But, to be honest, I haven’t seen any crap like this in the UK…well except from the BNP.
It’s not that I particularly like this subject matter. It’s more of an appreciation of discussing it with intelligent folks, who know the pain that these types of statements cause. Evil. The word that has been resonating with me today is “feeble-minded.” It used to be applied to beautiful people (though the people who used it back in the day did not think so). On this day, I apply it more to the hateful, ignorant bigots who obviously are threatened by certain people. Just sayin’! Thank you for bringing this to light. Darkness (how ironic!) does not exist in the… Read more »
This is a little bit silly. Sure, this is definitely racist, no question. But is there any question that this picture is being circulated by groups that sincerely want to paint their opponents as racists? How many 9/11 conspiracists have the liberals in this country produced? I’ll give you a hint, at least one member of the house (look up Cynthia McKinney if you’re interested). Is 9/11 conspiracism really any less ugly (or crazy) than racism? Is it somehow inoffensive to people who actually lost loved ones on 9/11? The difference is that racism is the kind of crazy that… Read more »
Mike, the “9/11 Was An Inside Job” set is equally comprised of Nader Raiders and Tea Party voters. Like denial of the Holocaust and the moon landing, an inability to believe that terrorists from overseas wanted to attack America because of our foreign policy does not discriminate by party line. I think it’s legitimate for Obama voters to call their opponents out on what they are. If the GOP wished to distance itself from accusations of racism it would have, for example, done a lot more to denounce the Birthers within the Tea Party movement. Getting angry at the Democrats… Read more »
Birdie, two points. First, I’m really sorry to break it to you, but multiple polls showed that democrats are disproportionately likely to ascribe to 9/11 conspiracy theories. In a 2006 Scripps-Howard poll, as many as 1-in-3 democrats ascribed to a conspiracy theory, while the number for the general population was 1-in-5. This exactly mirrors the birther breakdown, where republicans are twice as likely to be birthers than any member of the general population is (According to a May 2011 USA Today/Gallup Poll). So yes, belief in this conspiracy DOES discriminate by party line. Second, it is not legitimate for Obama… Read more »
Did Obama author this article? No? Ok, then Obama’s not calling his opponents racist because of one bumper sticker. (I guess you didn’t read the article after all, because the article ISN’T about Obama – it’s about the fact that people are still openly racist in 2012.) In fact, given how vitriolic his opponents have been toward him, how many death threats and questions of his citizenship he’s gotten, and how often the anti-Obama crowd does play the race card, his grace and tact in confronting them ONLY on the issues has been commendable. My original point still stands: When… Read more »
Birdie, You have made it clear that polls are not important to you. This means that you clearly value your own opinions more than any attempt at objective measurement. If you have made up your mind and will not be swayed by actual data, there is no point in continuing a discussion: your reasoning is as sound as creationists and conspiracy theorists, who are also willing to substitute their own personal beliefs over attempts at objective measurement. Finally, and let’s be clear here, when I wrote “Obama” I was clearly using that as a stand in for his campaigners, not… Read more »
I would do the same thing the person who snapped this picture did, take a picture and post it online so all my intelligent friends can laugh at how backwards and ignorant some GOP voters still are.
Let’s face it, it’s not very likely that only one copy of that professionally printed sticker was ever sold.
You, my friend, have not spent much time in the Deep South.
Could you have misread Noah’s comment, Stephen? Because he seemed to be saying it’s unlikely *only* one copy would be sold, so if you’re saying he doesn’t know much about the South, that would mean you think he’s wrong – only one copy would sell in the South. I’ve only spent 5 minutes knowing about this bumper sticker based on this blog post and a little quick googling, but given that the only place it seems to have turned up so far is this exact same picture on the exact same car every time, it makes me wonder if there’s… Read more »
Marcus, I’ve seen the online store where it’s sold. Decided not to post it publicly though.
Nice work, Marcus. I laughed out loud.
Like the Snopes website, I view this “bumper sticker” with some suspicion. Because, you know, everyone who opposes Obama’s reelection is a racist, right?
That argument seems designed to squash legitimate issues with Obama’s leadership. You know, would the President rather talk about Raaaaacists or $5 dollar gas?
Yeah. I hate it when the president raises gas prices too. But hey, if $5 gas is your best criticism of the current administration I’d love to see a reason to vote for anything the GOP has to offer right now.
Also, most of the country disagrees with you on asking the president to answer for gas prices.
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2012/03/14/444512/poll-2-of-3-americans-blame-gas-price-hikes-on-big-oil-taking-advantage-of-the-situation-to-make-more-money/
Oh man, you racist apologists and your superior research skills are so great. Bro, the sticker is definitely real. They are sold by a place called Stumpysstickers, whose website is currently obliterated, hopefully by Anonymous.
Here’s the deal, conservative racism exists. It’s real…and conservatives who are racist don’t really go to great lengths to hide the fact. But, please don’t take my word for it:
Mississippi Conservatives Talk About Their Hatred Of Obama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7r2i6NrqNs
I wrote: It’s still a racist-as-hell photoshop job, and no doubt some people will now find it “clever” enough for the real thing to get sold to a niche audience, but this initial sighting sure smells like photoshop to me. What part of that screams “racist apologist” to you, Jake? My skepticism was about the bumper sticker, not the racism, and I was pretty clear that even if the one in the pic isn’t legit, I’m sure it will sell now to to that audience that is, you know…virulently racist. I also didn’t say “I’m sure this is photoshopped”, because… Read more »
Jake,
Do you think your characterization of that link as Mississippi Conservatives rather than as the cherry picked sentiments of several poor, anti obama Caucasians is fair?