Opinion
Hate on Social Media is Growing
“Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
B ERNIE F OSTER
Founder/Publisher
B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER
Executive Editor
T ED B ANKS
Advertising Manager
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J ERRY F OSTER
Account Executive
L ISA L OVING
News Editor
H ELEN S ILVIS
Multimedia Editor
D AVID K IDD
Graphic Designer
M ONICA J. F OSTER
Seattle Office Coordinator
J ULIE K EEFE
S USAN F RIED
Photographers
The Skanner Newspaper, established
in October 1975, is a weekly publica-
tion, published each Wednesday by
IMM Publications Inc.,
415 N. Killingsworth St.,
T
he legion of web sites, blog-
gers, talk show jocks, and
the occasional GOP official
that has teed off on President
Obama and at times Michelle
Obama with assorted borderline
racist digs, taunts, and depictions
have been relentless. The offen-
sive remarks quickly evoke a
storm of outrage, and the offender
gets rebuked. This happens
because they are public figures,
and their comments are publicly
aired. They fly high on the public’s
radar scope.
But that’s not the case with the
growing barrage of racist assaults
on Obama, and other minorities on
social media sites. Baylor Univer-
sity researchers, for instance,
recently tracked more than 20
Facebook page groups and users
and found them jam packed with
racist venom aimed at Obama,
blacks and other minorities. The
growing number of groups that
churn hate on social media sites
are secure in the knowledge that
they won’t be caught or called out
on it.
The signal that Obama would
trigger a titanic wave of race bait-
ing and stereotyping danger in
cyber space came the moment that
he announced he would seek the
presidency in February 2007. He
had the dubious distinction of
being the earliest presidential con-
tender to be assigned Secret
Service protection on the cam-
paign trail. As the showdown with
Republican presidential rival John
McCain heated up in the general
election in 2008, the flood of
crank, crackpot, and screwball
T HE L AST
W ORD
Earl Ofari
Hutchinson
threats that promised murder and
mayhem toward Obama continued
to pour in. This prompted the
Secret Service to tighten security
and take even more elaborate
measures to ensure his safety. As
let fly with the most grotesque,
offensive, and rabid hate depic-
tions of the president, blacks and
other minorities. Thousands of
respondents chime in with their
own racial haranguing broadsides.
They have defacto protection from
Facebook, not because Facebook
condones or even turns a blind eye
to racism on its site and by its
users. It has a very strict policy to
snatch any group from the site that
makes racial, gender, religious,
sexual orientation attacks against
individuals or groups. But Face-
Hate groups have honed in on
Facebook, Twitter, and other social
media platforms to influence and
even recruit others to their ranks
president, the threats against
Obama have been non-stop.
But the first real tip that hate
could also find a safe haven on
social media sites was the infa-
mous Facebook assassination poll
in September, 2009. The target
was Obama. Hundreds of respon-
dents dignified the question that
asked: “Should Obama be
killed?” by answering. If the poll
hadn’t been quickly yanked, thou-
sands more might have dignified
the bizarre and murderous ques-
tion with an answer.
In the nearly three years since
then, dozens of hate groups have
popped up on Facebook. They
have several things in common.
Their prime target is Obama. They
book bases its existence and
success on being a virtually, free
and open social media platform.
Facebook permits, even takes
pride, in letting individuals and
groups to poke fun, level ridicule,
and toss jibes at any and every-
thing under the guise of humor or
satire at others. It’s the old free
speech
canard.
Facebook’s
extreme reluctance to inhibit the
free expression of ideas and opin-
ions no matter how many persons
may be offended at the humor or
satire provides virtual open license
for groups and individuals to spew
racial hate. For example, in one
posting Obama is depicted in hip
hop garb with a bucket of chicken.
In another, a grinning Obama has a
bandanna on his head and a mouth
full of gold teeth with the caption
“Going for the African-American
vote.” The hate groups outwit the
Facebook policy enforcers by
avoiding use of the more blatant
racial slurs and epithets. They use
such neutral language as “Obama
is a lousy president.” They know
that this will stir an avalanche of
comments, many of which will be
laced with racial slurs and propa-
gate racial stereotypes.
The social media hate groups
also are adept at using innocuous
key words and race neutral titles to
give the façade that their criticism
of the White House has no hidden
racial animus. Many innocent
social media networkers stumble
on the hate group pages and are
appalled at what they see and read.
But they are still exposed to the
hate mongering and that insures a
wider audience.
Hate groups have honed in on
Facebook, Twitter, and other
social media platforms to influ-
ence and even recruit others to
their ranks. As the closely contest-
ed 2012 presidential election
further heats up, more groups will
skirt the social media censors and
ratchet up their hate filled vitriol
on their sites. They’ll pawn it off
as poking fun and satire at Obama,
and minorities. And for the most
part they’ll get away with it.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an
author and political analyst. He is
a frequent political commentator
on MSNBC and a weekly co-host
of the Al Sharpton Show on Amer-
ican Urban Radio Network.
P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228.
Telephone (503) 285-5555.
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Fax: (503) 285-2900
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National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ-
ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers
Association.
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© 2012 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED.
REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART
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Page 4 The Portland Skanner
Blacks, Latinos Support Financial Reform
B
lacks and Latinos support
financial reform more than
any other group, according
to a new poll released by Lake
Research Partners. When con-
sumers were asked if Wall Street
caused the financial crisis, eight
out of 10 African-Americans
agreed. Sixty-five percent of Lati-
nos agreed, compared to an overall
rate of 64 percent.
The telephone poll, conducted in
July by Lake Research Partners,
was jointly commissioned by the
Center for Responsible Living
(CRL), AARP, and Americans for
Financial Reform (AFR) and the
National Council of La Raza.
Considering that communities of
color have lost the most financial
ground during the greatest reces-
sion since that of the 1930s, racial
and ethnic differences in respond-
ing to the poll are not surprising.
In general, people of color tend
invest more in their personal resi-
dences than in stocks or bonds.
Unfortunately, many times our
communities are also the unfortu-
nate targets of predatory lenders
offering a range of high-cost prod-
ucts that often leave consumers in
worse financial shape than before.
For example, in a recent guest
commentary in The Hill, Con-
gresswoman Maxine Waters
[D-Calif.] said, “Many of us on
Capitol Hill who feel strongly
about the need for reform have
been struggling with the some-
times-subtle, sometimes-overt, but
always tenacious, attempts to
August 1, 2012
R ESPONSIBLE
L ENDING
Charlene
Crowell
undermine financial reform over
the last two years. And because
we’re sensitive to making sure that
the law we passed works in prac-
portionally affected Latino fami-
lies and the economic security of
the Latino community.”
The 2010 Dodd Frank Wall
Street Reform law was enacted in
the wake of the economic melt-
down to overhaul of the financial
regulatory system. The law creat-
ed the
Consumer Finance Protection
Bureau, which consolidates the
consumer finance protection
authority previously scattered
among seven different agencies
Our communities are also the targets
of predatory lenders offering a range
of high-cost products that leave
consumers in worse financial shape
than before
tice, even some allies of financial
reform are often too quick to
believe the industry when they cry
wolf about the unintended conse-
quences of Dodd-Frank.”
Similarly, Jose A. Garcia, policy
fellow, Wealth-Building Policy
Project, National Council of La
Raza, stated: “Latino voters,
regardless of party affiliation,
overwhelmingly support con-
sumer protections as a means to
ending decades of costly and
deceptive credit that has dispro-
into a single entity whose mission
is to protect consumers from
deceptive practices by banks,
credit card companies and other
institutions.
Consumers of color polled favor
a strong CFPB and also called for
the Bureau to:
Require clearer explanations of
lending rates, terms and fees;
Oversee non-bank lenders;
Write tough rules matched by
Bureau enforcement;
Create a searchable database
where consumers can report unfair
practices and/or view complaints
and
Protect military service mem-
bers who have been deployed from
mortgage and foreclosures.
In the aftermath of devastating
financial losses, followed by a
string of lawsuit settlements
against many of the nation’s
largest banks to resolve charges of
discriminatory lending practices
and lack of maintenance of fore-
closed homes, many people of
color are not just hoping for – but
expecting redress.
Mike Calhoun, CRL president
said, “Everyday Americans know
what’s good for their pocketbooks,
their families, and our economy –
that’s why a large, bipartisan
majority is calling for financial
reforms to take effect. Let’s hope
policymakers hear them loud and
clear.”
AARP Executive Vice President
, Nancy LeaMond, said, “During
the financial crisis, too many older
Americans lost their savings due
to the failure of an outdated and
compromised financial regulatory
system. That’s why most Ameri-
cans say they want clear, accurate
information so they can make the
best financial decisions for their
families, and a watchdog that will
protect them from financial abuse.
Charlene Crowell is a communi-
cations manager with the Center
for
Responsible
Lending.