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Somebody putting up offensive fliers around Dudley Square
By adamg on Tue, 06/23/2015 - 5:07pm
UPDATE: No racist running around Dudley. It's a local artists' group. Also see.
A correspondent forwarded a photo of a flier he spotted in Mr. G's Plaza in Dudley Square today.
Says they're on quite a few building in the Dudley area, adds, "So upset to know people that think this way live so close," really would love to know who's responsible:
Neighborhoods:
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Comments
How Do You Read This?
I actually read this as a critique, not an insult - maybe I've lived in Camberville too long?
To me, the poster is asking if Black Americans are truly being treated as fully equal citizens.
As with all the pearl-clutching responses to President Obama's use of "the 'N'-word," I feel compelled to point out that context and intent matter greatly. I also grant that simply seeing this poster does lack the necessary context.
Yes, the thing is missing context
The phrase is paired with a photo of what looks like a well off 1930s-ish family - with a maid. Not typical racist imagery.
So the question is what is the flier trying to say? And why is there no, for lack of a non-buzzword alternative that my mind is blanking on, a call to action?
I suspect this is a provocative piece of artwork
rather than some racist screed. The photo is interesting but I don't think the older woman is a maid. She looks related to the girls and toddlers in the photo (grandmother? Mother?) and I don't think a maid would ever be posed sitting down like this--I think it's just a dark dress with a white lacy collar, not a uniform.
Anyway, that's my art major's visual analysis on it. I'll be curious to learn the story behind these.
Yes, I Agree With You, Sally
With no other context, I see it as more thought-provoking than racist.
If it's intent was to further a racist agenda, I would expect it to have other symbols (e.g.: Confederate flag), language, or other references. Also, I suspect an actual racist individual would not have spelled the "high-voltage" word so it ends with an "a".
This might be just a picture posing a question. It succeeded in getting people here to talk about it.
If this is a meant to be "provocative piece of artwork",
and many do not see it as such and/or are just plain confused, than the "artist" has failed in his/her mission.
To The Contrary - One Way Or Another They've Been Provoked
Related?
UMass-Boston had a panel recently in May with this topic written exactly the same.
“Is a Nigga a Citizen? The Immigrant and the Dark Other in the Age of
Ferguson.”
https://www.umb.edu/editor_uploads/images/mgs/May_2015_Provost_report_re...
Looks like it's not racist,
Looks like it's not racist, it's some idiot anti-racist asking a "provocative" question.
I watched BillO last night on Fox newts
and he said there is no more racism in America. He said it really loud so its true.
I watched it too...
and he didn't say that. What did Brian Williams say last night?
Brian Williams is fighting ISIS
and has no time for real War hero's like BillO.
In the age of Ferguson?
Perhaps UMass should have a forum asking if a white police officer is still a citizen in the age of Ferguson. After all, an outstanding young police officer, Darren Wilson, had his career ended and reputation destroyed before he was fully exonerated. "Hands up, don't shoot" never happened but the media dutifully continues to peddle the catchy meme anyway. Shameless.
Awww
Just can't shoot people on the public payroll without all those ungrateful taxpaying citizens asking mean questions anymore, huh?
You poor little man!
Disgusting!
I hope they track down the racist fool (whatever race he is) who put these up and charge him accordingly. Yes it is against the law.
They should be able to catch
They should be able to catch him on the surveillance.
What law?
What law?
One he made up.
One he made up.
Why do I have a feeling
this was produced by the always publicity seeking local Black Lives Matter crew?
Or was Don Lemon in town?
Explain this
Explain this: how can an anonymous poster, with no information as to its origin and no explicit advocacy position, possibly, in the most fevered imagination, be said to be an act of "publicity seeking"? Exactly how can such a poster publicize anything?
Uh....
That would be the "I have a feeling" part.
more often than not
Those sorts of things are posted by African Studies majors, to be provocative.
I'm not saying that's good or bad, but people unfamiliar might think it was put up by some obnoxious white racist, and get upset for no reason.
What School?????
I'm a Morehouse College graduate and NEVER saw anything like this in my department.
Please let me know what school you've seen something like this, I'd love to know. Last time I checked my paternal and maternal grandparents moved away from Birmingham and North Carolina to escape racist pricks like Bull Conner and George Wallace that loves to use that word. I was also taught NOT to use it because the last word young men heard while they were hanging from trees was DIE N*gga!
I hear that word every day on
I hear that word every day on the Orange line. I wish I didn't but I have to be honest about it. And it ain't Southern rednecks using it.
I took African-American studies too. I thought it was interesting how the department's stated that not only was 'black' an inappropriate term to define people, but so was 'white' . You were to define people by their origin, i.e. African-American, European-American, Asian-American. Somehow the political correctness police still thinks it's appropriate to define white people by their color however.
I can't help but agree that
I can't help but agree that Orange Line riders hear the *N* word as a normal part of conversation amongst young gen., peers and students, etc. The word has also been published in public for $$$ bythe music industry. I'm confused.
Are you really confused?
Or are you just trying to make some sort of rightwing point here about how you should be free to use racial epithets?
Groups have long turned insults inside out - inside the group. Even "Yankee" started as an insult, as you might recall from your history.
Women have appropriated a particular word, there's a word that Irish people sometimes use that would be fighting words when uttered by an Italian, etc. And if some rightwing Christianist group started up a magazine called Heeb and filled it with articles about those wacky Jews, people would be outraged. But when a bunch of Jews do it, at least for consumption among their fellow landsmen, it takes on a different connotation.
I guess maybe I'm just too
I guess maybe I'm just too old. Sorry if I offended you. Look, people call me handicapped and it bothers me, but if I say something they start pity, which is even worse. Sorry again. By the way, Adam, don't get me wrong, you are very timely reporter of local news. Keep doing what you are doing.
Hymietown?
Emphasis on rightwing Christian. It seems that leftwing can say whatever they want about Jews and get away with it. Who can forget when the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson called NYC Jews "hymies" and his pal "Reverend" Al Sharpton referred to Jews as "diamond merchants" and "white interlopers" with a special shout to the "Greek homos"? Both clergymen are doing quite well for themselves leading the liberal left.
Seriously?
In what sense did they "get away with it?" My recollection is that they got called out on it, and that a lot of people who formerly took them seriously don't give them the time of day now.
Al Sharpton should be in jail
and anyone who EVER took him seriously at ANY point in time should be in a fucking loony bin.
For what, specifically?
For what, specifically?
Tax Evasion
.
Hymietown?
Emphasis on rightwing Christian. It seems that leftwing Christians can say whatever they want about Jews and get away with it. Who can forget when the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson called NYC Jews "hymies" and his pal "Reverend" Al Sharpton referred to Jews as "diamond merchants" and "white interlopers" with a special shout to the "Greek homos?" Both clergymen are doing quite well for themselves leading the liberal left.
Now, now Fish
Never let it be said that you can't make a nice living off of white liberal guilt. You a Communist or something?
Which Liberal Are They Leading Left?
You shouldn't talk about things you don't know
Just because you didn't read about all the criticism of Jackson doesn't mean it didn't happen. Also, could you show me where Sharpton was appointed leader of the liberal left in this century? I must've missed that cabal vote.
Yet these two people;
Yet these two people; Sharpton and, and to a much less extent,Jackson have access to the White House.
You can't overlook that. By having the President's ear, it gives Sharpton validity he shouldn't have.
I'm sure many of Sharpton's fans weren't even born yet during his NY performances.
I wonder if he's paid his back taxes yet....
Pretty much killed his campaign.
We forget that he was considered a very viable if long shot candidate until the Hymietown thing. He was on the cover of Time, like a Can Jesse Win? thing. So yeah...it didn't get out on Twitter but I'd say it was the coffin nail in his political career.
Sorry, but...
I haven't shared your experience. I most often hear that word from black people themselves.
Cite?
From the copious depths of your experience, please provide us with examples of "those sorts of things" that actually were posted by "African Studies majors". I'm willing to be disabused of my first impression (that you pulled this outta your ass) if you can provide the facts to substantiate what you say. I'm not holding my breath, though.
I'm thinking an ironic guerrilla publicity campaign...
gone horribly, horribly wrong.
when the radical left and the
when the radical left and the pearl-clutching left meet and don't recognize each other
Define radical left.
Define radical left.
Love your question
The radical left makes no effort to hide they do not live up to any morals or standards in reaching their agenda. Honesty and integrity are all thrown to the way side.
I don't use the term "pearl clutching left" but it sure did give me a chuckle.
Rather I use the term naive liberals. In contrast to the radical left, they blindly maintain their lofty social justice principles, even if it means they will get burned for it.
Well, then...
enlighten us as to the honesty and integrity of the far right? I'll wait.
And when you say naive liberals, would that be those same liberal Democrats the right likes to scream were duped by the duplicitous lies of the right when it came to voting for the immoral war in Iraq?
Context
Reminds me a lot of this story from Austin...
Like the sticker in Austin, this sign reads clearly to me as having a progressive slant; the Austin one by critically satirizing gentrification and this one in an "are we not men?" or Shylock kind of way. People shut off their brains when it comes to this kind of thing. Think for a second before knee-jerking offense. The person who hung this flyer is, I would think, on your side.
Painfully obvious trolling
The perp will probably turn out to be some college 'kid' who thought it would be a great idea to draw attention to racism.
Not art?
Can the "NOT ART" guy be far behind?
A year or two ago, somebody
A year or two ago, somebody put up a poster of a similar old black and white picture of an African-American family under the overpass on Cemetary Rd. (small street which connects Forest Hills St & Morton St in JP), only there was no text on that poster. The poster remained up on the bricks for what seemed like a long time until the elements finally got the better of it. Coincidentally, if my memory serves me correctly, I first noticed that poster a day or two after Juneteenth. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the work of the same person & I would highly doubt either comes from the mind of a white supremacist.
I wonder if it's the RESIST pineapple guy.
A very different style but similarly provocative, cryptic.
The web site, for the poster
https://www.reddit.com/r/roxbury/comments/3acmzg/the_black_citizenship_p...
It's a reference to the Dominican Republic
The first thing I thought of when I saw this flier was the Dominican Republic's planned expulsion of 200-500,000 Haitians. The court order came in 2013 that persons "in transit" (i.e. illegal aliens) must prove their citizenship or leave. Almost all illegals in the DR are from neighboring Haiti, and the deadline to prove their citizenship just passed.
It's been all over the news, although I am sure Anglos haven't been paying attention. As usual, Universal Hub is filled with well-meaning white liberals feigning outrage who aren't quite up to date on happenings outside of their hipster enclaves. Take the demographics of Roxbury and it's clear who the statement is aimed at.
DR, really?
Two countries that don't speak English? Using an image that doesn't really speak to either?
Oh for Pete's sake.
Yeah--some of us "Anglos" have heard of it. Are you staying up to speed on what's going on in Syria and Egypt? The TPP agreement? Climate change?
Seriously--the smugness doesn't help you. Neither, frankly, does a poster whose artsy mystery has to be decoded by anyone who looks at it.
Next time read all the comments, before saying silly things
An hour before you posted, the link to the web site for the flyer was posted. If you follow that link you will see it has nothing to do with the Dominican Republic.
Anyone posting before that link went up, is justified in what ever weird interpretation they want. Since there was no context to work from.
Same shit different day.
Same shit different day.
ITT
White people offended by the word nigga.
"Provocative", really? Lmao.
"Yeah they should have posted a manifesto in size 12 font so they could get their point across without coming near my delicate sensibilities! Oh no, a word!"
Those of you who said it was probably local folks making a point
Were right.
Jamarhl Crawford, who got photos of the fliers, as well, reports it's by a group of local artists trying to make a point, even if the point might be missed by people who don't realize they have a Twitter hashtag and all.
This remains me of an incident in the South End
Maybe a month ago, there was a report on the Sunday news about a black woman who awoke to find a racial slur spray painted on the wall of her home, in the back alley. The report noted that there was other graffiti that was not offensive, like smiley faces.
The next day in the papers, the offensive phrase was noted (with the offending word somehow shielded). The phrase was "every n*gger is a star". I had a gut feeling, so I let google do the walking, and sure enough it was the title of a reggae song from the 1970s. A crappy song, but a hit nonetheless.
No offense meant, most likely (the punks that did it most likely didn't know the property owner was black) but still a very wrong thing to do.