racist dog whistles question

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  1. ptosis profile image67
    ptosisposted 7 years ago

    If you recognize racist dog whistles, does that make you a racist or a snowflake?

    Just like the emoji of the eggplant is a symbol for penis - what other types of 'dog whistles' have you heard or wondered what it was really means?

    "bad hombres," Pepe the frog, "law and order," "inner cities," "America First," "forced busing," "Inner City, " "Law and order, " "Criminal illegal aliens,"          "coincidence "

    https://mic.com/articles/145105/coincid … .zvLF4SJa8


    "white working class,"  "rural resentment,"  "drum major instinct," “Make America Great Again,”

    "Dog whistling far more than the personal prejudices of one individual — even a president — threatens the nation. It’s socially destructive, intentionally firing the ugliest passions and pitting people against each other. It undermines democracy, manipulating voters through appeals to their worst instincts while distorting the real issues of the day. It’s an economic catastrophe, convincing working people to fear other vulnerable populations and instead to cast their lot with the plutocrats. It shatters the “we,” destroying our commitment to the community and public and instead fostering frightened isolation and anomie." - http://billmoyers.com/story/dog-whistle … cs-racism/

    1. Kathryn L Hill profile image77
      Kathryn L Hillposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      "Dog whistling intentionally uses veiled terms to stimulate racial animosity, whipping up popular fears and stoking dangerous and misdirected resentments."

      "Linking dog whistling to personal prejudice reduces the issue to one of racial feelings. Accusations of dog whistling become a debate about someone’s soul, an issue of whether they are prejudiced or not — where no one can know what lies in the heart of another. Thus Trump’s retort: he assured the nation that he felt good about having opened a club in Palm Beach that did not racially discriminate. 'And I’m very, very proud of it. And that’s the way I feel. That is the true way I feel,' he said — and who is to say otherwise?"
      http://billmoyers.com/story/dog-whistle … cs-racism/

    2. Live to Learn profile image60
      Live to Learnposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Since a dog whistle can't be heard by the human ear, I'm not sure what this is all about.

      1. Credence2 profile image78
        Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

        A 'dog whistle' is in effect equivalent to a cipher that can be understood and decoded by certain audience and the message is not recognized for what it is by broader populace, as the general message appears neutral and innocuous on its face.

        1. Kathryn L Hill profile image77
          Kathryn L Hillposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          oh h h  h  h  !!!

        2. Live to Learn profile image60
          Live to Learnposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Oh. Well that must mean I'm not racist. Since I not only don't recognize them but didn't even know what the term meant.


          Yay!

          Edit. I will say that I am horrified to find out what an eggplant means. What is wrong with people?

          1. Credence2 profile image78
            Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

            "Oh. Well that must mean I'm not racist. Since I not only don't recognize them but didn't even know what the term meant"

            Yes, it certainly can mean that.

            For for the problem people that were antagonistic on race matters, everybody knew what the term "welfare queen", coined by Reagan, meant, or the 'law and order' cry being passed on by Nixon and George Wallace during the Sixties and seventies. It was anti-black message from those that knew that they could not mutter that sentiment directly. All of this stuff was a reaction to urban riots of the decade.

            1. Live to Learn profile image60
              Live to Learnposted 7 years agoin reply to this

              At the risk of irritating you, the definition for 'welfare queen' is:

              'people, usually women, who are accused of collecting excessive welfare payments through fraud or manipulation.'

              there is nothing racist in that definition. It can refer to anyone who engages in such activity. I think, there are times where people assume any criticism of the welfare system is somehow a critique of blacks, in general. One shouldn't have to tip toe around a term or a definition simply because others believe that the definition is more inclusive of one group than another.

              1. profile image0
                ahorsebackposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                "Tip-Toing"  around any and all  terms of  language and  slang IS WHAT the left wants of all social interactions  .   They want  everything said to be instantly qualified to be one of the following;
                - ignorance
                -racist
                - bigotry
                - sexist
                - one form of phobe or another.

                That way they never actually have to  qualify honesty or fact in any political debate .
                This practice is never going to unite any two ideologies .

                1. Live to Learn profile image60
                  Live to Learnposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  I would have to agree. I think all one need do is look at the last election. You couldn't support Trump for any reasons without being called racist, etc. Bullying tactics have become the way of the left and to justify it they call themselves 'elitist' or 'more educated'; implying that if one doesn't agree with them this makes one somehow substandard.

                  1. profile image0
                    ahorsebackposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                    The left political present and future is in almost total disarray ,   If I was of the left  I would be focusing  on the future  which they never seem systematically capable of doing- anyway .  For them on issues ; if its not a outright lie , its a politically correct stance , if its not a celebrity contrived issue  , it's a  fake one altogether  .   If the left can't even elect a viable candidate and maintain that  chairman [woman } of the DNC  then they don't have chance iota  of connecting  mission statement  to momentum .
                    -They've lost ever serious entity of political power in the federal and even state  governments..
                    -They're  political treasure chest is full of phonies .
                    -Howard Dean and the social media experiment , didn't work.
                    -Bernie Sanders copy-catting of the same , didn't work.
                    -Hillary's obvious   phoniness , didn't work
                    -With Trumps reinvented  Reagan-ism they might say  say goodbye to 2020 even 2028?

              2. Credence2 profile image78
                Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                Irritated? On the contrary, I am intrigued.

                This excerpt came from the Wikipedia article as as the late Paul Harvey used to say, "now, for the the rest of the story".

                There is a lot of truth in what being said here and examples of it are all over..

                ----------------------
                Political scientist Franklin Gilliam has argued that the welfare queen stereotype has roots in both race and gender:

                "While poor women of all races get blamed for their impoverished condition, African-American women commit the most egregious violations of American values. This story line taps into stereotypes about both women (uncontrolled sexuality) and African-Americans (laziness)."[2]

                The media's image of poverty shifted from focusing on the plight of white Appalachian farmers and on the factory closings in the 1960s to a more racially divisive and negative image of poor blacks in urban areas. All of this, according to political scientist Martin Gilens, led to the American public dramatically overestimating the percentage of African-Americans in poverty.[13] By 1973, in magazine pictures depicting welfare recipients, 75% featured African Americans even though African Americans made up only 35% of welfare recipients and only 12.8% of the US population.[13] In 2016, African Americans made up 39.6% of welfare recipients, and, in 2015, African Americans made up 13.3% of the United States population.[citation needed] However, in a study conducted by Van Doorn he suggested the media repeatedly shows a relationship between lazy, black, and poor suggesting why some Americans are opposed to welfare programs.[citation needed]

                From the 1970s onwards, women became the predominant face of poverty.[2][5] In a 1999 study by Franklin Gilliam that examined people's attitudes on race, gender, and the media, an eleven-minute news clip featuring one of two stories on welfare was shown to two groups of participants. Each story on welfare had a different recipient—one was a white woman and the other was a black woman. The results showed that people were extremely accurate in their recall of the race and gender of the black female welfare recipient in comparison to those who saw the story with the white female welfare recipient. This outcome confirmed that this unbalanced narrative of gender and race had become a standard cultural bias and that Americans often made implicit associations between race, gender, and poverty.[2]

                1. Live to Learn profile image60
                  Live to Learnposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  I've never really thought about it but since you were so kind as to throw those percentages out there, let me ask you this. Looking at your figures and doing the math would you say that a disproportionate number of black people are currently on welfare, when you look at the percentage of the population they represent? Do you think that a disproportionate number of black people should be on welfare? If so, why?

                  1. Credence2 profile image78
                    Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                    Yes, there is a disproproportionate of blacks on welfare as blacks as a group are disproportionately poorer relative to the rest of society. If you look at the stats for those that reside in Appalachia, you will most likely find a disproportionate number of whites on public assistance compared to the general population. Is it because they are just lazy or in dire economic straits?

            2. ptosis profile image67
              ptosisposted 7 years agoin reply to this

              Dog whistles is not a new thing, “Herrenvolk democracy", “The universal freckle”, “Washington playbook”, "Republican Motherhood" - the doctrine of innate and permanent inferiority of non-whites VS the unearned psychological and material privileges of white men. It's been part of the fabric of North American before the revolution.

              One of the main influences on the framers of the Constitution was the unwritten democratic constitution under which the Iroquois  - bu being British, "all men are created equal" did not include black men  who were considered a different species so OK to use them as livestock, and certainly did not include women who were also considered property just like children.

              https://www.indigenouspeople.net/iroqcon.htm

              "During and after the American Revolution, when the rich white men were writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, many people who were not rich, or white, or men thought maybe this was their chance to get equal rights too. They wrote to the men who were writing the Constitution and asked them to give women, and black people, and poor people, Jews, and Native Americans equal rights with rich white men. These people did win some rights for themselves, but they couldn't get equal rights with rich white men."- http://quatr.us/northamerica/after1500/ … htm#topbar

              https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS1mni8PwbwkOQHK1vFd3xoW-d0_vzPMz3wsuGhZEm4qToba6pV

              1. Credence2 profile image78
                Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

                No doubt, ptosis, that people have always equivocated to avoid the true intent behind the words, it is just in this day of totally literacy and mass communication the effect seems to be more broadly felt.

        3. GA Anderson profile image90
          GA Andersonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

          Cred, I like your definition, but, and I'm shooting from the hip here, could you consider that the term itself, "dog whistle," is a code word? A code word for 'Leftie's' use only.

          My perception of the use of "dog whistles" is that it is a Leftie's code for criticism of the Right. I don't think many of the terms that are labeled as "dog whistles" are code at all.

          For instance; 'inner cities' is an obvious, (to me), reference to Blacks and the problems of crime and poverty. No code or negative inference involved, just an understanding of what is implied. A sort of shorthand. Of course there are Whites, (and other ethnics), in inner cities, but consider the predominance of their populations. Doesn't a Leftie think of that description when they hear or use the term "inner cities?"

          One of my favorite examples is 'thug'. I frequently see that referred to as a "dog whistle" for Black hoodlum, yet to me, (my history shows I am more Right than Left), it is a definition of a dumb bad guy, a brute, a leg-breaker. My first thoughts would be of a gangster or Mafiosa - not a Black guy, (yes, I do think of Black hoodlums too), but in "dog whistle" conversations and writings I have seen, it is defined as a primary reference to Blacks.

          No secret codes or handshakes, just an understanding of what is generally implied. Does that mean I am part of the uncomprehending populace? I don't think so.

          The use of euphemisms is almost universal, and timeless, so I think this "dog whistle" thing is a Leftie concoction to denigrate Righties. . Am I wrong?

          GA

          1. Credence2 profile image78
            Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Cred, I like your definition, but, and I'm shooting from the hip here, could you consider that the term itself, "dog whistle," is a code word? A code word for 'Leftie's' use only.
            ------------
            GA, I never thought of it as a code word because its actual meaning could not be relevant to the discussion.
            ------------

            My perception of the use of "dog whistles" is that it is a Leftie's code for criticism of the Right. I don't think many of the terms that are labeled as "dog whistles" are code at all.

            For instance; 'inner cities' is an obvious, (to me), reference to Blacks and the problems of crime and poverty. No code or negative inference involved, just an understanding of what is implied. A sort of shorthand. Of course there are Whites, (and other ethnics), in inner cities, but consider the predominance of their populations. Doesn't a Leftie think of that description when they hear or use the term "inner cities?"
            ------------------------------------
            Yes, just like 'welfare queen', we all know that this refers to Black folks. Even being a leftie, I never associated the term with White females.
            ----------------
            One of my favorite examples is 'thug'. I frequently see that referred to as a "dog whistle" for Black hoodlum, yet to me, (my history shows I am more Right than Left), it is a definition of a dumb bad guy, a brute, a leg-breaker. My first thoughts would be of a gangster or Mafiosa - not a Black guy, (yes, I do think of Black hoodlums too), but in "dog whistle" conversations and writings I have seen, it is defined as a primary reference to Blacks.
            ---------

            Yes, 'thug' had a far more general meaning as a definition in times past. But, when they spoke of the 'Gay 90's', it wasn't about guys coming out of the closet. When you say inner city thugs, everybody knows to whom it refers to.. it is just a pc way of focusing on black men.
            ----------------------------
            No secret codes or handshakes, just an understanding of what is generally implied. Does that mean I am part of the uncomprehending populace? I don't think so.

            No, in truth the uncomprehending part of the population is probably small. We have all been conditioned, cleverly by media and the culture to understand what the terms mean. There have been a couple of posters who said that the teams had no special significance to them beyond the classic definitions. I believe that most of us know the code words, regardless. So why implied rather than expressed?
            ------------------
            The use of euphemisms is almost universal, and timeless, so I think this "dog whistle" thing is a Leftie concoction to denigrate Righties. . Am I wrong?
            -------------------
            Race issues are sensitive and whether they acknowlegde it or not the Right has been perceived as more hostile to racial issues then the Left. Reagan has been guilty of this with his 'young bucks' comment and Hillary Clinton, too, at one time committed the cardinal sin. It is an infectious part and parcel of American culture. Unfortunately, our perceptions about the Right go beyond code words. So, fairly or not they get more of the blame. Euphemisms that have racist overtones are not to be desired, the problem is universal rather than just Right and Left. You can't live here on either side of the political divide and not be touched by it.

  2. Kathryn L Hill profile image77
    Kathryn L Hillposted 7 years ago

    Why is "intentionally using veiled terms to stimulate racial animosity" called "dog whistling?"
    My dogs are offended. Doesn't anybody care about dogs?

    1. ptosis profile image67
      ptosisposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I download a dog whistle on my phone - I think it hurts their ears because dog hid in the corner of the living room. Uninstalled it  Now, I just make cat hissing sounds to make dog come to me. smilesmile
      https://c1.staticflickr.com/2/1151/4609603403_65a32de5a4.jpg

  3. profile image0
    ahorsebackposted 7 years ago

    I think it would be just amazing if the hues of skin color weren't  used by some to judge or signify anything at all ,  either within the assorted shades  of  color or outside of them .       Where I live , a  man or woman can actually make eye contact without forming one opinion whatsoever !
    That isn't possible in many parts of the country , for whatever reason .    And this is actually  2017 .  I have been actually known to listen to someone tell a racist joke and simply make eye contact  with  them without  a reaction -after the punch-line unblinking ,unsmiling , with a plain meaningless  look on my face .  I love the reaction .........Its like  they are wondering " Did he even get it "? And just walk away .

 
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