Monday, January 27, 2014

Conservatives, and Racism in Minnesota

This is the Geography of Hate map for the nation, reflecting an analysis of the use of the word Nigger, as well as other racial and ethnic slurs, sexual orientation slurs, and a slur on the disable, in Minnesota tweets done about a year ago by  Humboldt State University in California.  One survey of the data in the study noted:
Areas in Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, and Alabama show up bright red on the map, as do areas in more central states Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Twitter ‘Hate Map’ shows where racist, homophobic, and offensive tweets originate

It shows that we have as severe a problem as any southern part of the nation, even worse than some parts of the deep south.  We have other racist problems, notably derogatory Asian prejudice, as well as hateful references towards people by sexual orientation.

The mapping of tweet slurs in the state of Iowa to our south  reflects similar pattern of intolerance and bigotry.

I took those maps, and compared them to where the conservatives are most populous, and which towns and cities provided the largest Republican donations. I looked at the representatives in the legislature for those parts of Minnesota -- and they were Republicans.  I looked at which areas were clearly conservative, as well, regardless of party affiliation, for example, based on votes, in Congress.

We have seen racist social media in Minnesota, and now recently we see the same thing in Iowa:

iowa gop


And of course, we have the Popsie Sarah Palin, darling of the ignorant Tea Party:
Mr. President, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all who commit to ending any racial divide, no more playing the race card.
The unpleasant reality is that we have disparities of race and ethnicity, between people of color and the white dominant majority. And the equally unpleasant reality is that the conservatives in that white majority have perceptions and assumptions and beliefs about people of color as well as people who are part of the LGBT segment of our population, that are inaccurate and horribly derogatory.

And of course, no survey of right wing racism is complete without mentioning the birthers, who include an estimated 64% of Republicans.  Nothing says racism like asserting a black man could not possibly be American, the ultimate in us vs. them thinking along racial lines.

In order to try to deflect accountability, conservatives whine about playing the race card. That is their disparaging term for the reality of racism, a reality that like so many other aspects of reality, that they try to deny, in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary - including their efforts to deny people of color the opportunity to vote.

It is not only that conservatives appear to routinely deny anything they don't like,regardless of evidence and fact, it is also that they appear to be incapable of acknowledging their own hypocrisy and double standards that they apply to white people they see like themselves, versus the standards and accountability they apply to those they see as different.

They are ideologically incapable of admitting fault, while they are equally dishonest about assigning it to others.


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