What would you say to someone who made a statement like this?

[AllieB]

"An African-American’s irrefutable right to accuse Whites: Is that is what this is all about. Every day we have an argument because in the name of African-American’s equality we need to debate this case. African-American/Prosecutors have the right to go to the media, but when the accused/defense do it’s smearing the victim. African-Americans should be taken for their word, and all Whites are liars. African-Americans can be raped, but African-Americans are incapable of raping. I fail to see how this falls under “Equality Issues” any more. It is not about equality at all and becoming more oppressive every day."

Now replace African-American with women and Whites with men. Is this still hate speech? Why is it unacceptable for progressives to speak about race and ethnicity this way, but OK for progressives to speak of women this way?

[JuniperLea]

1. I really hate this kind of thing

I'd like to outlaw all forms of racial division... no more terms like white, black, hispanic... as long as we are given the tools to divide ourselves verbally, we will devide ourselves.

[smoogatz]

2. What's your point? n/t

[AllieB]

4. I added a bit to my post to explain

I'm trying to say that sexism and anger toward women is acceptable even in progressive circles.

[sendero]

5. Not anywhere near as accepted..

... as sexism and anger towards men, and that is a fact.

[AllieB]

7. I hate to tell you

but women are still discriminated against. And that is a fact. Maybe your personal experiences have colored your outlook, but it's still a fact that women don't earn as much as men and face discrimination in the workplace.

[sendero]

12. Whoa nelly..

... reread my post. I didn't speak to societal discrimination. I spoke to sexist attitudes right here on good old DU.

And there is plenty of sexism here and the preponderance of it is against men.

I don't disagree with your assertion a bit. That's not what I was talking about. FWIW, I'm against sexism of all flavors and in all situations.

[AllieB]

15. I don't deny there's sexism against men here

But the post that I paraphrased above is typical of what I've seen from men who post on the Duke rape threads. I've also seen pile-on, intimidating behavior toward anyone who disagrees with them. It's ugly.

[sendero]

16. I get very annoyed..

.... at people who decide a case based on "leaks" from the DA or the defense attys. Get a clue dumbasses, the facts will come out at trial. Right now, nobody is under oath and anyone can say anything.

Yeah, those threads are annoying. I stay the hell out of them :)

Yes, I've read some pretty ugly stuff, but most of it is pure conjecture. Other than pointing out that it is conjecture, there is not much one can do. Maybe fill out your ignore list :)

[AllieB]

17. No one has ever annoyed me that much on DU

until the Duke rape case. I generally stay out of the fray also. These threads have definitely brought out troglodyte behavior. Maybe I will fill my ignore list. :-)

[linazelle]

3. The point is lost on me totally. It's not a race issue but victim's

rights issue IMHO. The person who says this wants to make it a race issue and muddy the waters.

The sweeping generalities are astonishing. "Every day we have an argument because in the name of African American equality we need to debate this case." HUH? Are you and this person arguing daily? WTF are they talking about--who's arguing with them everyday?

"African Americans should be taken at their word...whites are liars...". Again, HUH?? I'm lost. What does this person base this conclusion on?

"African Americans can be raped but...are incapable of raping." That takes the cake. How many African Americans throughout history have been accused and convicted of rape--many unfairly because of their color?

I'd really not try to figure out much else about where this individual is coming from. As for what I'd say to them--probably "go fuck yourself."

[AllieB]

6. Well, I was trying to point out the hypocrisy among so-called progressives

I literally took a post from a so-called progressive denigrating women and replaced the words with black and white. It could easily have been Jew/Latino/Muslim.

[hanginthere]

8. Is this about the Duke trial?

[AllieB]

10. Yep

[Solo_in_MD]

9. Its not fair and is inherently racist to do word subsituions

that make hate mongers of any color or stripe look like what they really are. :sarcasm:

[AllieB]

11. I personally think it's despicable

but it exposes the poster's misogyny. WHy is that acceptable 'progressive' speech?

[applegrove]

13. Do we really have to discuss how unfair life is for White people. Isn't

that just petty GOP projection talking points? Do we have to? I mean somehow there are millions of African Americans in jail - so somebody somewhere didn't "believe one story - but did believe another story" (Mostly black on black crime in these cases). So their is some discernment going on on the ground. As opposed to in your post. Vague leaves all sorts of room for anxious projection.

Welcome to the DU :hi:

Under Bill Clinton, affirmative action finally began to show some results and a huge black middle class errupted. Took White folk a good 5 generations from indentured servants till middle class too (only AA were not indentured - or servants were they?). Took "white only" culture the same amount of time. And never did the Irish or the Italians or anyone else get out of the "tough life" until the overt racism for them stopped and the quiet racism slowed to a trickle.

[AllieB]

14. The post was about women

I took it from right here on DU and changed women and men to African-American and white. I don't express myself very well, so I can see where I'd confuse you. :-)

[applegrove]

18. Then why did you use AA as the analogy? Cause women get

defended and helped out these days by the justice system all the time.

[AllieB]

19. That's not the point

I could have easily used any ethnicity. My point was the post was misogynist, and it was posted here on DU, and it was acceptable. If it had been aimed at a particular ethnicity, it wouldn't be accepted.

My sister-in-law volunteers in a battered women's shelter, and your comment about the justice system helping women a lot these days is pretty off-base.