this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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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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[–] Lemmylefty@lemmy.world 219 points 1 year ago (2 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.

[–] CoderKat@lemm.ee 36 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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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[–] InputZero@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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.

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 148 points 1 year ago (4 children)

According to ABC 13 Eyewitness News in Houston, things started when school trustee Melissa Dungan declared that she had spoken to parents who were upset about "displays of personal ideologies in classrooms." When pressed for an example, according to the news report, "Dungan referred to a first grade student whose parent claimed they were so upset by a poster showing hands of people of different races, that they transferred classrooms." … Some other members of the school board did, in fact, argue that there was nothing objectionable about such a poster. But Dungan was backed up by another trustee, Misty Odenweller, who insisted that the depiction of uh, race-mixing was in some way a "violation of the law." The two women are part of "Mama Bears Rising," a secretive far-right group fueling the book-banning mania in Conroe and the surrounding area. At least 59 books have been banned due to their efforts.

WTF

[–] DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world 138 points 1 year ago

Oh shit, new Klanned Karenhood just dropped!

So I guess 'Mom's for Liberty' had to start the rebranding process after getting caught quoting Hitler?

Mama Bear Rising, fuck this Sarah Palin sounding bullshit.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 61 points 1 year ago (6 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.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

My mother would edit our episodes on VCR with all the spanish parts and visiting other countries out. So we could only watch that show on tape, never off the TV itself.

There is a reason why I have never felt the need to introduce her to her grandchildern.

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[–] grysbok@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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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[–] YaaAsantewaa@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So it wasn't the student, it was the kids PARENT that was offended

These people are mentally disturbed and they probably shouldn't be allowed to have kids

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[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 96 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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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[–] octavio_dingus@lemmy.world 88 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

This sure sounds like their next step will be insisting on segregation.

[–] pingveno@kbin.social 78 points 1 year ago (6 children)

We all know what "Make America Great Again" means.

[–] Buffaloaf@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago

Same thing as when Reagan used it for his campaign.

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[–] YaaAsantewaa@lemmy.blahaj.zone 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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

[–] akai@kbin.social 59 points 1 year ago

Fuck these racist bigots

[–] uxia@midwest.social 56 points 1 year 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

[–] uniqueid198x@lemmy.dbzer0.com 31 points 1 year ago

Replace "do not exist" with "should not exist" and you are right on

[–] agoseris@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago

There are only two races, white and political

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[–] Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world 51 points 1 year ago

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

[–] GreenMario@lemm.ee 50 points 1 year ago (3 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.

[–] StarServal@kbin.social 45 points 1 year ago (4 children)

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

[–] teft@startrek.website 32 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Radical compassionate homeless asexual socialist. He's woke af. I'm not a 100% sure on what woke is yet but I'm certain Jesus is woke.

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[–] YaaAsantewaa@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Trump voters would've been the Romans crucifying Jesus because he was "disrespecting Roman authority" at the time and being a nuisance.

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[–] cedarmesa@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)
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[–] AnonStoleMyPants@sopuli.xyz 38 points 1 year 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.

Rocks, butterflies, smear on the window or imaginary. But a different skin colour? Oh my gosh, never!

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[–] mojo@lemm.ee 36 points 1 year ago

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

[–] Ubermeisters@lemmy.zip 26 points 1 year 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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[–] _sideffect@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Tell me again why they aren't nazis

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[–] Riyria@sopuli.xyz 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 1 year 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.

[–] Sabin10@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago

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

[–] mechoman444@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

What a bunch of crap.

[–] Sunroc@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm mixed and I get along pretty well with myself. Suck it Texas.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

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

[–] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Bears deserve better than to be associated with these freaks.

[–] pingveno@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago

Freaks deserve better than to be associated with these... entities.

[–] QHC@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

That's just straight up racism.

[–] Idubz@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thats not "anti woke" thats just racism dumb ass

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