Here we go again. Another "poor Thaddeus is getting threats" and a story to go along with it. Well, that's exactly what it is. A STORY. I suspect that this is another Thud spun lie to gain listeners and readers alike. Remember several months ago Thud had text messaged himself, took pictures of the text message, put it on his blog, and claimed that it was the Memphis PD sending him these messages? Then he went on to say that he made an official complaint to the FBI who were looking into the matter for him. (Yeah, the same FBI that he thinks are "terrorists".)
Well, what happened Thud? What happened to the complaint? What happened to the lawsuits? What happened to your IP tracking software you claimed you were putting in place?
Now, even if it were true that Joe Cooper was sending him threats to "Fuck him up." I doubt very seriously Joe Cooper is capable. Have you seen this guy? Not to much of a threat there fatboy. It's his "associates" you might need to be afraid of.
Bottom line: Thud put himself in this position by running that pie hole of his. I have seen the postings in his blog by readers that have warned him about this very thing. Everyone kept saying that he needed to watch himself with the MPD, WMPD, and SCSO. The fact is that these law enforcement agencies aren't going to harm Thud. (Unless of course he CAUSES them to)
It's the "non-law enforcement" people that Thud needs to be concerned with.
And anyone want to guess who Thud comes crying to when these threats start to materialize?
Yeah, I am guessing Law Enforcement and the FBI...."True terrorists of the American People."
Here's Thud latest from his toilet bowl:
The infamous Joe Cooper the crying witness used by the FBI to attempt to set up former city councilman Edmund Ford sent me a message through Randle Catron Director of The Beale Street Development Corporation. In a conversation on yesterday while he was trying to get Catron to give him a $100 he stated his disgust for me and how he was going to try "To Fuck Me Up".
Since he told Catron who has no plans of giving him one dime that he didn't care if he told me what he said,Catron did just that. It seems that Cooper is upset over the reports that I wrote about him on this blog and my relationship with Ford.
I told Catron who like many have known Cooper for years that he should tell Cooper if he calls again that he does not wish to have any conversations with him. Joe Cooper became associated with Catron through his dealings on Beale Street. Cooper has had at least four failed businesses on the street over the years. Is it possible that Cooper is trying to set up Catron for John Elkington who has to know by now that the FBI is investigating Beale Street?
Catron who is in his 70's and a former song writer for Stax Records states that he has fought to hard over the years to survive on Beale to allow the likes of a Joe Cooper to even think that he would do anything illegal, because if he was after money he would have taken money years ago when Elkington and Former city councilman Ricky Peete were trying to get him off the street.
Since Cooper was able to set Peete up and send him to Federal prison,and since Cooper also has a relationship with John Elkington, Doesn't it seem possible that cooper may also have played a role in the missing millions from Beale Street? And since Cooper is hoping for a deal to cut his prison time,and Rickey Peete would love to cut some of his time, Should John Elkington be concerned about who may give him up first. ............As for Cooper's threats to me, he can kiss my ass.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
66 comments:
How can anyone have ANY sympathy for this f**ker after what he has done and said. This man deserves what he gets. He is a disgrace to the human race.
I would personally like to see him as the FINAL installment on the First 48.
Try this on for size and I bet it won't get posted on his site:
The problem with Catron, Cooper, Elkington, and even that old dead Keltner grifter, is the fact that early on they tried to railroad Paul, Joe, and Marti Savrin out of business on Beale.
The Savrin's tried very hard to have a Blues Foundation to capture the Hall of Fame, Museum, and several other notable fixtures.
These frogs would sic the cops on them during a couple of the festivals, and even sic the cops on the little kids doing the break dancing and let's not forget the old guys like "Uncle Ben" playing on the street out in the open. They were too low down to even confront these people face to face!
The chickens came home to roost with Catron!
Paul, Joe and Marti had to open their stuff up on Front street and made a go of it, until it caught fire. Even then, these Beale Street thugs tried to shut them down.
So don't throw any "poor old Catron" at us Thaddeus....he is just getting his just due, and may very well end up sitting in the dock with his snake assed cronies!
Cooper may look dim but he certainly wouldn't risk getting the full prison book thrown at him, for suggesting going after you!
Maybe you should ask Catron about his relationship with "Miss Ruby" and why she really sings the blues! I wonder if he has come clean with Mssrs. Steve Cropper and "Duck" Dunn and the money owed?
BRUHAWHAWHAW!
BHUHAWHAWHAWHAW!
What is that! Can you find something else to say like "Yeppee", "Hi 5" or "BullsEye"!
Everyone kept saying that he needed to watch himself with the MPD, WMPD, and SCSO. The fact is that these law enforcement agencies aren't going to harm Thud.
__________________________________
I know they're a bunch of Bozos themselves. I don't know why they're even wearing uniforms. They should wear yellow skintights, with pink lace tutus!
June 4, 2008 11:20 AM,
I bet you aint got the balls to even utter anything remotely like this to any of them. You coward...
Hide behind the blog and talk shit and then cower like a little bitch when someone calls you out.
You're on the same level with Thad.
FROM THE DESK OF THE ANTI-NEWSHOUND:
Crime Report: Two overnight shootings
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
A 34-year-old colored man who was capped multiple times in the legs was taken to the Regional Monkey Center at Memfrica Tuesday night in critical, low sick, condition.
The incident occurred at 10:30 p.m. in the 900 block of Porter in South Memfrica.
Police had no information on suspects as everyone scattered when they saw a job application in one of the officers hands.
#######################
Police are investigating a capping early today in the 4200 block of Eastwind in the Peppertree Cages in Blackhaven.
Officers were called to the scene at 2 a.m. after a 32-year-old colored man was capped in the abdomen.
He was taken to The Monkey Med in low sick, wrecked, critical condition.
Police had no suspects. Officers said that this might be attributed to the negro habit of wandering about aimlessly in the dead of night. They added that if he had been home in bed instead of prowling the streets, he might not have gotten himself into this mischief.
Call CRIMESTOPPERS at 528-CASH with any information. You can be the shooter and still collect the money and get a free block of cheese.
Raven be gone soon...If your religion doesn't promote hate then how can you be on this blog saying hateful things about Thaddeus and calling him Thud.you are a big ass lier,every thing you say you lie.I bet the witches know you lie and they don't want you claiming to be one of them.your whole life story is a dam lie.why not tell the one about your daddy.LOL lol you be tripping,what kind of drugs are you on.Tell us another one of your sad ass lies.
11:24 you a dam froot loop. I'm not hiding anymore than you. Pink tutus and blue eyeshadow. Your momma!
Tonight at Anti-Thad promises to be a treat, 3:07 is workin up on some drama that'll promise to bring 20 comments! TKO
"Cooper may look dim but he certainly wouldn't risk getting the full prison book thrown at him, for suggesting going after you!"
Thud is so desperate to run with the big dogs that he makes up lies to make himself look like he is important in these issues.
A fat dumbass is what he is.
I want to know when his ignorant ass is going to pay for his most crime (2/14/08) against society.
"You're on the same level with Thad."
Stupid Thud don't even rank a level. This fat fucker is on the ground.
Look at his record for proof.
What level are you on? 1,2, or 3
5:59 didn't I tell you to get your ass back in that kitchen and flip those flapjacks and get those 7 order of grits that your bell shaped ass was supposed to have served up 15 minutes ago. Hurry we got customers waiting. No wonder I pay you 2:15 an hour and been working here since 2006.
5:59 put that dam toy cop up and cook that food. I'm not going to give you a raise no matter how much your mama Jessy begs.
Anti, I beg to differ. There are a LOT of officers after Thud...we'll just do it the right way...watch him til he screws up. THEN we'll get him.
Thank you 8:13.
To anonymous at 8:13pm--
What is he (Thad) doing now?--
As far as him flip flopping--that is no surprise--Seems like he does that alot--
By the way--what is going on with Herenton's supposed 'stepping down as mayor to be on MCS Board'--what ever became of that?--I have not heard any more about it--
:)
Hecate hecate I am making a stew. It will be called "witch voodoo QooBoo". You take one big mac, filet-o-fish, quarter pounder, french fries, icey coke, milkshake, sundaes and applepies. Mix that with a ham bone, Anti-Thad's dishrag, Thaddeus Matthews' gold from the pawn shop, just say no weave, and 2 slices of pizza. Mix that up let it shimmer on 400 and you got a gotdam bomb. Put it in a tupperware tuck and pour it over every MLGW CEO's yard and Willie Herenton's yard and his office downtown and watch that brew set all them motherfuckers on fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To 10:27pm--
Big mac--fish filet--milkshakes???--GROSS!!!--that stuff sucks--
Tofu--vegetables--fruits--rye bread--and soy milk--now THAT is more my style--
I am a vegetarian--I don't eat that crap--
Funny how you think you know me--but you don't--Pizza is another crappy food--not good for you at all--niether is fried foods--causes the cholesterol and blood pressure to get out of whack--
:)
Moono:
that poster at 10:27 is none other than "Troofses Bees Tolt" who said once before that she wouldn't ever bring her ignorant ass back here. A damn lie!
It is also the notorious Lady D who has been thrown off every site in Memphis.
10:27.....you keep using that white man's computer like yu do and sooner or later your black ass is going to be caught and fired.
Sorry wrong again. Lady D is too busy going up the dial calling Bobby O'jay at WDIA and Truth call 103.5 and 95.7. Get your ass off the white's man computer and and plug those Avon orders in. Looking like a mule eating tack! Hecate make that brew even if that ain't your style cook it up them jerks need it and throw on this cow sitting in front of a computer that's old as E.T. J.L.
Sorry wrong again. Lady D is too busy going up the dial calling Bobby O'jay at WDIA and Truth call 103.5 and 95.7. Get your ass off the white's man computer and and plug those Avon orders in. Looking like a mule eating tack! Hecate make that brew even if that ain't your style cook it up them jerks need it and throw on this cow sitting in front of a computer that's old as E.T. J.L.
And since you want to be a smart ass let me show you how off your ass really is? I'm Rick James, Bitch. I come on here and fuck with all you dumbmothers especially 10:58 I get a good laugh off of this dumbfuck at least 3 times a week with his Lady "D"ick and Tricky Bitch Toes. Like I said you all on here are just a bunch misinformed SOB's like the misinformation that Papa Smurf 10:58 here. I will do anything to stop hereing you old fashion ill-minded dumb ass fucks stop with the white, black, black, white. I'll say it and I'll say it again you motherfucks need to lighten up have fun and just some old bitches that let a 26 year. old come in and fuck with your minds. Goodbye bitches drink up be merry and as for you 10:58 stop using one hand to jack off and the other to do what My Harrison said, "tap, tap,tap". You motherfuckers got me on the floor laughin tonight! I pick and start shit on here all the time and you chimp asses all fall like the finest of dominoes! I'm outcold laughing.
Tap tap tap tap. Gotcha!!!!! Where's Charlie Murphy (eddie murphy's brother).
Papa smurf is laid over sleep he must was drinking too much corn whiskey at 10:58. Slump over like a nigga on a bench well in his case a white nigga in Tom Lee Park.
WTF!?!
12:43..12:40..12:34..12:15 are all the same "Lady D" and "Troofses Bees Tolt" all one in the same. Sometimes it uses "Rick Jones" or something like that. Always going after Bobby O'Jay or his private parts. A dead giveaway.
Same one who keeps getting hung up on or call blocked, on the talk shows.
Sad part is the AIDS virus attacks the brain first in homosexuals and then they die.
Thus the deranged/disjointed posts made.
HIV/AIDS in 2005
* According to the 2000 census, blacks make up approximately 13% of the US population. However, in 2005, blacks accounted for 18,121 (49%) of the estimated 37,331 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States in the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting [2].*
* Of all black men living with HIV/AIDS, the primary transmission category was sexual contact with other men, followed by injection drug use and high-risk heterosexual contact [2].
* Of all black women living with HIV/AIDS, the primary transmission category was high-risk heterosexual contact, followed by injection drug use [2].
* Of the estimated 141 infants perinatally infected with HIV, 91 (65%) were black (CDC, HIV/AIDS Reporting System, unpublished data, December 2006).
* Of the estimated 18,849 people under the age of 25 whose diagnosis of HIV/AIDS was made during 2001–2004 in the 33 states with HIV reporting, 11,554 (61%) were black [3].
On a newer post Thaddeus Matthews brings up Lasimba Gray and Operation PUSH. Both are connected to Jesse Jackson. I submitted the following:
"Okay, so you say, this man who says his name is Lasimba Gray (which translated means:"Feces of the constipated Lion.") is connected to Jesse Jackson in some form.
Well, my question of you is relavent to this post and to clear up any confusion.
When Jesse Jackson came to town during the DeAuntae Farrow situtaion, why were his security people advised to keep you away from him?
I trust you are not just being vindictive toward PUSH."
I think it is funny as hell that Thaddeus Matthews has to keep his blog on moderation in perpetuity!
Maybe because some truths got through he didn't want put there!
8:54
It wasn't Jesse Jackson that came to town after the JUSTIFIED shooting of Deaunta Farrow. It was Al Sharpton. And yes, Al Sharpton's security will not allow Thud anywhere near him. It is also rumored that he is considered a low level LOCAL risk by the US Secret Service because of his unstable demeanor.
"In the know"
I really take offense to whatever point that you are making regarding blacks and HIV/AIDS whatever beef don't try to make a point to shoot someone down because you can't do anything else. Basically you're even more foolish than the other comments simply because you respond to it. You should ignore it as we all do. Nothing makes a clown angrier than to be ignored. You play right into stupidity.
"Al Sharpton's security will not allow Thud anywhere near him."
That's probably because two loudmouths in one group won't work. Al is the King and they can't have a local societal misfit trying to steal the spotlight.
By the way--what is going on with Herenton's supposed 'stepping down as mayor to be on MCS Board'--what ever became of that?--I have not heard any more about it--
_____________________
That stupid son of a bitch Willie Herenton is just dying to get into the school system so he can add 1 more year to his 19 year school service so that he can LEECH off the taxpayers and get another retirement package. All he needs is 20 years service.
But because he could keep his humongous dick in his britches, the stupid cocksucker was ran out of his superintendent job with a 200,000 buyout and told not to return.
Now the skinny PRICK is trying to run his ghetto game on the unsuspecting to let him come back to the scene of his crime.
FUCK YOU WILLIE, YOU THIRD-RATE PIECE OF SHIT!
Anonymous said...
I really take offense to whatever point that you are making regarding blacks and HIV/AIDS whatever beef don't try to make a point to shoot someone down because you can't do anything else. Basically you're even more foolish than the other comments simply because you respond to it. You should ignore it as we all do. Nothing makes a clown angrier than to be ignored. You play right into stupidity.
June 5, 2008 9:54 AM
You can't be offended by statistics from the CDC. This is real life. The previous post mentioned homosexuals and AIDS and that is what most people only think of. We work or live in a predominately black city and blacks have an ever increasing rate of HIV infections. It is important to know since some on here are law enforcement and have to fight these people daily. The statistics show that you will have a greater risk of exposure when dealing with blacks.
"Rev. L.Lie-Simba Gray and his organization attempted to overthrow the vote of the city council on Wednesday by filing for injunctive relief in Chancery Court." Mad Thad
Dummy, and your stupid friend Javvie Bailey filed the damn thing.
YOU ALL ARE IGNORANT with your color card bullshit.
Apparently there is truth to the "keep Thad away" order as he just acknowledged it on his blog!
Note: I said "DURING" the DeAuntae Farrow situation and not because of it.
It is thus apparently true that both Jackson and Sharpton's teams have explicit instructions to keep Matthews away.
Funny! Very Funny!
I thought he was supposed to be the chief spokesman for all blacks in Memphis and West Memphis?
BLOG POLICE PLEASE NOTE: I didn't use BRUHAWHAWHAW! this time. Thad knows who I am anyway and hates that too.
!WAHWAHWAHURB
11:12 ok well if that's how we're doing it & you call yourself helping me. Then I'll help you.
White Women Three Times More Likely
to Commit Suicide Than Black Women
David Williamson
CHAPEL HILL -- White women in North Carolina commit suicide at nearly three times the rate of minority women across the state, a new University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study shows. No one knows why.
Some say black women, for example, may have a larger circle of nearby family members and friends to help them through trying times, but study leader Dr. Carol Runyan says she prefers not to speculate.
Runyan directs the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and is professor of health behavior and health education at the UNC School of Public Health. Her study is one of the largest of its kind ever conducted. The key finding was that not enough information is available through reports by law enforcement officials and the state’s medical examiner system to fully understand the problem, she said.
"We found that medical examiner records varied in completeness," Runyan said. "Law enforcement interviews frequently did not yield information about the factors we had hoped to examine, probably because the investigations were conducted primarily to rule out homicide."
A report on the study appears in the current issue of Injury Prevention, a quarterly professional journal. Besides Runyan, authors are Dr. Kathryn E. Moracco, former research assistant professor of maternal and child health; Lisa Dulli, graduate research assistant; and Dr. John Butts, N.C. chief medical examiner and clinical professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the UNC School of Medicine.
The team focused on suicides among women age 15 and older from 1989 through 1993 as identified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. They reviewed all case files and tried to interview investigating law enforcement officials for all 177 cases in 1993, completing 135 interviews.
Examination of the 882 suicides meeting the study definition showed a fluctuating age-adjusted suicide rate of between 5.53 and 7.26 per 100,000 women. Women under age 45 were proportionally more likely than older ones to have recently broken up with an intimate partner.
Women's suicide patterns seem to vary by age group, suggesting the possible need for prevention programs targeted to specific populations, Runyan said. Consistent with prior research, a history of mental illness and previous suicidal thoughts and attempts were risk factors for suicide.
"One of the factors we were looking for was a prior history of domestic violence," she said. "While the numbers were not large, we did find that interpersonal conflict preceded some of the events (17.7 percent) and of these, 76 percent were with current or former intimate partners. However, it is important to realize that these analyses are all looking backwards."
But many more depressed people and people who have conflicts are not suicidal, Runyan said, and future research needs to try to disentangle what can help identify risk factors and prevent suicides through public health and mental health approaches.
More than 40 percent of the deaths involved handguns, more than 21 percent resulted from taking prescription drugs, more than 13 percent involved other guns and almost 10 percent resulted from carbon monoxide poisoning, researchers found.
"The high proportion of cases involving firearms, particularly handguns, and the occurrence of suicides in the home environment signals the need for greater attention to gun storage practices in the home," Runyan wrote.
"The main thing that is important about this study is learning what is and isn't available in the data sources that we examined," she said. "While they were not designed to look specifically at suicide -- particularly the law enforcement data -- it would be desirable if they would provide more information that could help guide prevention efforts."
The researchers recommend that investigating units adopt a standard protocol for investigations that would include gathering more details of each suicide. Consideration also should be given to organizing a formal suicide fatality review process similar to the review process for child fatalities.
Almost 6,000 U.S. women ages 15 and older take their own lives annually, making suicide the second leading cause of injury death among women, earlier research showed. The risk of suicide was five times greater in homes where the victim had ready access to a gun, according to one study.
Grants from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control supported the research.
By DAVID WILLIAMSON UNC News Services University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-04/uonc-wwt042203.php
___________________________________
Let this help you to.
Who's using meth?
There are 1.4 million meth users in America, and the number is rising. Although meth has generally been associated with white, male, blue-collar workers in rural areas of the western United States, with meth's spread to the East Coast there's now more diversity among users. The National Association of Counties reports that users are both high school and college students and white and blue collar-workers as well as people in their 20s and 30s who are unemployed. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that more men than women have tried meth in their lifetimes, and vastly more whites than African-Americans, Latinos and Hispanics.
LOOK WHO IS NOT DOING ANY STUDIES TO SEE HOW MUCH METH IS USED BY BLACKS! THEY LOVE THEIR COCAINE MORE!!!
There are no studies of African Americans’ methamphetamine use in the South where it is widespread among whites. We describe factors that inhibit or facilitate
the diffusion of methamphetamine use among African Americans based on qualitative interviews with 86 drug users in rural Arkansas and Kentucky. Results suggest
low prevalence of methamphetamine use among African Americans, and interviewees cited several barriers to its diffusion which were linked to the drug’s ingredients,
psychoactive and physiological effects, difficulty in accessing distribution networks,
and established African-American preference for cocaine.
Rocky L. Sexton, PhD
Robert G. Carlson, PhD
Harvey A. Siegal, PhD
Russel S. Falck, MA
Carl Leukefeld, DSW
Brenda Booth, PhD
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
__________________________
BUT GAY BLACKS ARE OPENING THAT DOOR FOR YOU
New York fights meth use among black and Latino gay men...
A recent New York University study of meth users showed 32% were white, 23% were Latino, and 22% were African-American. At New York City’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis, about 10% of members of a support group for meth users are African-American, up from just 2% in 2001.
The rise in meth use among minority gay men has health officials worried. HIV already Disproportionately affects African-Americans; studies have shown nearly half of urban gay black men are HIV-positive.
WHUUUUTTTT?
Reparations and Jesse Jackson's 'illegitimate children'
By Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
"And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country." President John F. Kennedy
Reparations for slavery, another illegitimate offspring of has-been civil rights "leader" Jesse Jackson, have hit the news.
The fading and desperate Jackson, who for over 30 years has built a lucrative career on the backs of black Americans, has paved the way for some of his "offspring" to push for reparations, a plot that if hatched will destroy the black community and divide our whole country. Among Jackson's chief "descendants" are trial lawyer Johnnie Cochran, Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree, and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., who, among others, have banded together on this unholy crusade.
Masterfully, they have performed the two tasks on Jackson's lifetime "To Do" list:
1. Indict contemporary white America for something of which it is not guilty.
2. Demand money, and lots of it.
I can almost see a single tear roll down Jackson's cheek.
For blacks who live in the most opportunity-rich country in human history to demand money for the sins of 140 years ago is absolutely shameful. For white Americans or any Americans – many of whose ancestors weren't even in this country at the time of slavery – to pay reparations is a deep injustice.
A closer look at reparations shows it to be a divisive and evil plot. It is only the latest in a long list of ploys by the modern-day black civil rights movement to control the black community and divide the races. First of all, very few whites even owned black slaves, yet the reparations movement indicts all whites by virtue of their skin color. If this isn't racist, what is?
Second, the debt of slavery has already been paid through a major war. For all those in failing public schools, I am referring to the Civil War, where many, many whites died so blacks could be free.
Third, blacks benefited enormously from American slavery. I have often said that I thank God that my ancestors were taken to America in boats. Had this not happened, I could be in South Africa right now with Nelson Mandela, and really be in trouble.
America has granted every wish of black Americans. It has made government the head of the black family; it has integrated the schools and neighborhoods; it has given blacks welfare and affirmative action; it has even apologized through Bill Clinton. There is simply nothing else that America can or should do. Blacks should feel fortunate to be citizens of this country. We are blessed, not enslaved, and those who say otherwise are enslaved only by their own hatred.
Here we go again with "Drama Racist Games" 101? Is anybody signing up for this class?
Just Utterly Foolishness!
Well let me get in where I fit in: I'm putting my dam 2 cents in to! Let's go!
Language of Closet Racism:
An Illustration
by Paul Gorski
Any person who has grown up in the American public school system has been educated to hold racial prejudices. To illustrate this point, ask any child to tell you about the first date in history he or she remembers learning: "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue." What happened in 1492? "Christopher Columbus discovered America." Did he? The history books I prefer to read have informed me that people were actually already here. Remember, the people who would eventually be driven from their sacred lands, forced to surrender their native tongue and customs, and "American-ize"? The result of children learning such "facts" is a depreciation of an entire people--in this case, Native Americans.
So the American education system (with strong reinforcement from the media) has bred a nation of what I will call "closet racists." Closet racists are unaware of their prejudices. They have learned from text books presented to them by people who are supposedly knowledgeable enough to choose the best possible materials. They are trained, or more precisely, coerced into believing in "the system." If a child were to question a teacher's assertion that "Columbus discovered America," it is more likely that the child would be chastised for showing disrespect than the possibility of the teacher initiating a discussion on the discrepancy. A closet racist is defined, then, as simply a person with racial prejudices who is unaware of those prejudices as such, usually because he or she has never been afforded the opportunity to discuss racial prejudices as such.
The question arising from this assertion is clear: Where is the evidence of this nation of so-called "closet racists?" What links them? What are their characteristics?
The answer, emerging from years of experience facilitating conversations on race issues, interviewing specific cases, and participating in a variety of cultural diversity workshops, is equally clear: language. Closet racists share a distinct and surprisingly easily detectable language when observed in a discussion about race or racism. The intention of this paper is to explore this language through the case study of Jen, a third year college student who participated in Multicultural Education, a class designed to help students find, face, and battle their own prejudices. In order to analyze Jen's closet racist language, interviews were conducted and reaction papers written at the end of each class were collected and analyzed.
Based loosely on research conducted for a Master's Thesis completed four months ago, though more focused, this paper will refer to data, analysis, and conclusions from that thesis. The lack of citations from other scholarly sources reflects the lack of material available concerning the language of race issues and unaware racists.
Who Are Closet Racists?
Though everyone who has experienced the American education system is in some degree a closet racist, certain people, and indeed, certain groups, tend to portray the characteristics more than others. At the most basic level, people who have experienced consistent racial discrimination tend to be less assignable the label of closet racist. Such people have, through their personal experiences with discrimination, been afforded opportunities to discuss race issues. As Kim, an African-American student in a Multicultural Education class during Spring semester, 1995 explained,
I live these issues every day. I can't escape them anywhere: stores, classes, the gym. Three, four, five things happen everyday to remind me that, no matter what white people believe, there is still a ton of prejudice out there. It reminds me to think about the things I do and say, and the prejudices I have.
In short, closet racism is a continuum. Those with the least exposure to racial issues fall toward the high end. Experience suggests that those falling on this end are usually "white," or "European-Americans," while "African-Americans" fall toward the low end. So-called "middle-man minorities" tend to be spread between the extremes.
Jen, a white woman, was chosen for the case study because her sheltered home-life and general unaware-ness of race issues have served as catalysts in her formation as a high-end closet racist. An admittedly extreme case, and for that reason purposively chosen, Jen illustrates clearly the language patterns of a closet racist.
The Three Strands of the Language of Closet Racism
Three language indicators of closet racism are evident across the continuum. These are what I refer to as "strands" because, when woven together, they form the language web of closet racists. Again, strength of language and degree of racist attitudes change dramatically across the continuum, and as a result, these strands, or indicators are more readily observable in certain individuals and groups than in others. They include fear, unaware-ness, and dis-ownership.
Consider the following excerpt taken from Jen's reaction paper from the first class meeting of Multicultural Education:
The idea of political correctness with the black race astounds me. I found it extremely interesting that some blacks in our class prefer to be called African American. In all of my classes...I have felt like I was stepping on egg shells as to not offend the blacks in my class. I am honestly glad it is not that big of an issue to my fellow classmates--it promotes a more comfortable, genuine environment for me to be totally honest and carefree.
Jen reflected each strand of the language of closet racism within this short passage. These strands can be un-woven as follows:
1. fear: "I have felt like I was stepping on egg shells as to not offend blacks in my classes..."
2. unaware-ness: "I found it extremely interesting that some blacks in our class prefer to be called African American."
3. dis-ownership: "I am honestly glad it is not that big of an issue to my fellow classmates."
Some would argue that Jen's statements as pulled apart above are arbitrary, or taken out of context. But as we consider a year's worth of interviews and written reactions, and as we discuss each strand separately, a language pattern--the language of a closet racist--undeniably emerges.
Fear
We consider fear first, because it is, on the surface, the most surprising strand to find in the language. If closet racists do not consider themselves racists, then why would they show fear in discussing race issues? In the most simple terms, closet racists do not want other people to consider them racist, either. This is why white people developed "political correctness." The idea was to develop a system in which everyone knew what to say in order to allow everyone to avoid, as Jen mentioned, "walking on egg shells."
Fear also becomes the catalyst for many closet racists' decisions on what information to offer (and likewise, what not to offer) during a discussion of race issues. As Jen explained in her second reaction paper:
I was apprehensive to tell my group that my prejudice experience was within my family. I thought they would think that because my grandfather and father were racist, that I am as well--I thought they would dislike me.
She tended to elevate this apprehensive-ness during interviews, sometimes to the point of censoring herself. In one particular case, as she discussed the racial make-up of her hometown, her fear emerged quite blatantly:
...and where I'm from there were two different types of black...there were...I don't want to say this. Is it all right if I say this?...
Her fear was clear, especially as she continued, deciding, in fact, to "say this":
Blacks and niggers, that's how it was defined where I'm from. There were no niggers at my school, they were all black, no niggers. The niggers were at [James Monroe], and that's just how it was, and we knew that.
Jen feared being labeled a racist. Again, it is important to note that she did not consider herself a racist, which leads us to the second strand or indicator: unaware-ness.
Unaware-ness
Closet racists are unaware on several levels, illustrations for which can be found in language patterns. On the first level, as emphasized above, they are unaware of racial issues as racial issues. (How many white people insisted that race was never an "issue" in the O.J. Simpson trial?) Illustrating this point, Jen, in her first interview suggested that at her high school, "there was not any sort of black/white issues or anything like that." She made this statement minutes before offering her story about the "two different types of black." In between the two statements she related stories of "some Ku Klux Klan there," "crosses burning, and stuff like that." But nonetheless, just as she did not label herself as a racist, she was unaware that the very issues she discussed were very racial in nature, and as such she did not label those issues in terms of race, either.
On another level, Jen failed to see the racial prejudice as such in the language of others. For example, she defended her grandmother: "...my grandmother on my Mom's side is not prejudice..." But as she continued, Jen, in her unawareness, all but labeled her grandmother a racist:
...but she refers to black people as 'colored.' Like when we have a Christmas party every year and Mark, a guy who lives around the corner from me, came to the party...and was the only black person there and she was like...'Who was that colored boy there?' She doesn't refer to him as 'Mark,' always 'that colored boy.'
On a third level, while Jen could sometimes point out racial prejudice in other places, she was quick to distance herself from that prejudice, as if she was somehow shielded from its permeation. In this sense, Jen was unaware of racism as it exists at the institutional level. Like many closet racists, Jen believed that racism could be found "here, there, and there," but that, in the correct circumstances, racism could be completely avoided. Again, this naivete could be recognized in her language, as in the following passage in which she compared her high school to the "other public high school" in her hometown:
James Monroe was a predominantly black school, and the only white people that did go to school there were wealthy, and so there was like the wealthy and then there was African- Americans. There was a huge line between them, but there wasn't anything like that where I was.
This passage leads directly into the third strand of the language of closet racism.
Dis-ownership
Closet racists tend to avoid owning their views on race. They often point to other groups, using terms such as "they," or "those people," instead of refering to themselves. In the previous passage, Jen clearly utilized the language of dis-ownership, thus assessing blame to others. "There was a huge line between them.." "I thought they would dislike me."
Closet racists, in avoiding using "I" and "me" statements in discussions of race issues avoid accepting the responsibility for their perspectives, and in many cases, prejudices. Recent articles in the Cavalier Daily about so-called self-segragation at the University of Virginia have been drowned in this language. White columnists posed questions such as "Why do the African-American students sit together at lunch, congregate at the 'black bus stop,'" etc? "Why do they have organizations like the Black Student Alliance?" In shifting the responsibility to "the African-American students," the columnists dodged the intimidating possibility of accepting equal responsibility for the separation.
The Result of Closet Racism
As is most clearly illustrated by the dis-ownership strand of the language of closet racism, closet racists will observe other groups segragating themselves, and suddenly race becomes an issue. But, for example, white students fail to notice that white students do not approach tables filled with African-American students during lunch. And white students clearly have congregation spots (i.e. Rugby Road).
The attractiveness--even if it exists at a subconscious level--of closet racism to those who retain it is that if one never labels himself or herself a racist, then (s)he is free from the obligation of doing something about it. For Jen and many others, closet racism becomes routine, easy, and comfortable. With blinders on their eyes, and the shield of manipulated language in their repertoire, closet racists can live a full life never confronting their own prejudices.
In fact, if the assertion holds up that white people tend to be toward the high end of the closet racist continuum, then the result of closet racism is clear. The phenomenon of closet racism is yet another catalyst in the cycle of discrimination experienced by racial minorities in America since the conception of this nation. Only individuals have the power to change themselves. In the socio-political structure in this country, it stands to reason that those in power will at all costs attempt to retain that power. In "coming out of the closet," labeling their prejudices as such, owning those prejudices, thus placing on their shoulders the responsibility to address those prejudices, those in power fear the loss of their comfortable seat atop the nations's socio-political hierarchy. The status quo is maintained.
So how, then, is the study of the language of closet racism useful? Sometimes people I've labeled as closet racists want to change themselves. Jen was one such person. The study of the language she used when discussing race (and other multicultural) issues, and how this language changed, helped me understand the stages she experienced on her trek toward race awareness and appreciation.
Valuable further study concerning the language of closet racism would include the metamorphosis of the language as an individual becomes more aware, thus working toward the lower end of the closet racism continuum. Also, further study is necessary in addressing the meshing of the strands, and the meanings that derive from such meshing.
Is racism a mental disease?
The American of today is heir to a society which is, if nothing else, based on a strong tradition of individuality. In politics, our personal freedom is paramount; each citizen's right to hold and express her own opinions is upheld above all else. In culture, our strength is our variety; our populace is composed entirely of people coming from other lands, bringing their own unique beliefs and customs. In every aspect of daily life we think and act as individuals and treat others accordingly. Thus it is often said that there is no such thing as a "normal" person; everyone is different in her own way and deserves special consideration.
This poses a problem for psychologists, for if there is no "normal" then how can we hope to define what is "abnormal"? Indeed, our conceptions of abnormality have changed drastically throughout history, from the demonology of the Middle Ages, to the bloodletting practices of the 1800s, to the inkblots of the psychoanalytic paradigm and up to the new fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual in use today. And the DSM, as it is commonly referred to, has itself been through many changes since its inception in 1953. Although at present it is the best tool we have for diagnosis, it is by no means infallible or even complete.
The admission that the DSM is still imperfect leaves open a legitimate debate as to exactly what constitutes a mental illness, and what conditions should be considered abnormal. Asa Hilliard, one of the country's foremost Afro-centric scholars and currently a professor of urban education at Columbia University, has argued that racism should be included in the manual as a diagnosible mental illness. To my knowledge this has never been seriously proposed, but the suggestion raises a lot of intriguing questions about the nature of racism, the characteristics of mental illness and our perceptions of both. No doubt racism has been referred to many times before as a disease, but only in a metaphorical sense; it remains unclear as to whether it fits the profile of a true pathology and whether it can effectively be treated as such.
Davison and Neale's "Abnormal Psychology" identifies five general guidelines for recognizing mental illness: statistical infrequency, violation of social norms, personal distress, unexpectedness and dysfunction. Not all mental illnesses must exhibit all five characteristics, but if a certain behavior shows several of the characteristics at once there's a good chance it's abnormal. Racism qualifies on three counts. It is relatively infrequent and it is a clear norm violation, although there was a time in the recent past when that was not the case. It almost always brings suffering on those it targets, and in that sense it is very much an abnormal condition. However, it doesn't come on unexpectedly and it doesn't cause dysfunction, at least not in the sense that other pathologies do. Although racists may have trouble developing healthy relationships with other people, they can still hold jobs, eat and sleep normally, drive cars and live without a caregiver.
As to the generally accepted guidelines, the results are inconclusive. At any rate, we must consider carefully the ramifications of changing the way we view this issue. How will we treat the disease, if indeed we agree to begin calling it that? Will we develop 12-step programs for recovering racists? Should we establish legislation giving us the right to institutionalize known racists alongside schizophrenics and psychopaths? Would a move like this have the effect of introducing a witch-hunt mentality into our culture, opening the door to indiscriminate accusations and subsequent recriminations from every sector of society?
From another angle, an official classification might bestow victim status upon racists, who would lay blame on their disease instead of on themselves. Are we prepared to offer racists sympathy and compassion as the prey of a monster they have no power to resist? Will perpetrators of vicious hate crimes use the NGRR (Not Guilty By Reason Of Racism) defense to avoid jail time? Will we refuse to hold racists responsible for acting on impulses they can't control?
Of course not. The metaphor of racism as a mental illness offers a unique perspective on the issue and may help us to deal with it more effectively, but we can't afford to legitimize bigotry by giving it an official classification. We would do well to continue administering the treatments we already have, in education and community awareness programs geared toward prevention, and we should redouble our efforts in developing new interventions for those people in which racism has already taken root. Under no circumstances should we take the risk of losing sight of the problem by relegating it to an obscure corner of the DSM, to be dealt with by a handful of trained specialists. This is everyone's fight. If we need a formal declaration to motivate us to do our part, then we are already defeated.
what does "boogery" mean?
12:43..12:40..12:34..12:15 are all the same "Lady D" and "Troofses Bees Tolt" all one in the same. Sometimes it uses "Rick Jones" or something like that. Always going after Bobby O'Jay or his private parts. A dead giveaway.Same one who keeps getting hung up on or call blocked, on the talk shows.Sad part is the AIDS virus attacks the brain first in homosexuals and then they die.Thus the deranged/disjointed posts made.June 5, 2008 8:27 AM. xoxoxoxoxox. You a dump dipshit. I have got your drawers in a wad again. Big chief dumb fuck. I'm like a fucking magician on your ass all I have to do is wave my wand and there you go with 1 of the 3 black white black black black black whitewhite, or Lady "D"icky or Tricky C. Toes. You easier to fool than getting a retard to bite on a dookie sandwich. Fuck you and like I said YOU got 1 hand jacking off under that white man's computer and the other hand like My Harrison said, "tap, tap, tap" Beeeooottchh tap on these nuts in your mouth. Dumbass you a prime candidate for sucker of WM!
7:39....are you a swallower or a spitter? Do yo mammy be a swallower or spitter?
THADDEUS MATTHEWS
She's neither cuz I told yo mammy bitch I can't but u shit just put deez nutz in yo mouth! Or get dah fuck out. Tap tap on dat beootch don't role play ho 8:39. U wanna play go play wii. Like I said drink up be merry! Recat make dat stew I told u bout last nite
I think women should rule the world so we don't have to deal with these the following asswipes: Rollcall here we 12:43, 12:40, 12:34, 12:15, 3:08, 12:53, 11:12, 8:51, and 8:27. You shits are all suspended! I don't care if you are 1 or 500 assholes!!
FROM THE DESK OF THE ANTI-NEWSHOUND:
Police seek man who stabbed, ran over colored woman/doe.
Memfrica police are searching for a 43-year-old colored man/buck they say brutally attacked a colored doe and then ran it over with a car.
The incident occurred in the 900 block of Maury near Vollintine, an area of the Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood where unruly, wild animal, rampaging, Memphis nigger, animalistic behavior has become common, said residents.
The 32-year-old doe was assaulted as she tried to leave a gathering at about 1 a.m., police said. Her attacker first hit her with a stick, then stabbed her in the chest, leg and arms after she got into her car following an altercation in the street in front of 927 Maury, according to a police report.
She then tried to escape on foot, but the man got into a Nissan Maxima and ran her down before crashing into a fence and tree on the north side of Vollintine.
He jumped out and ran away, leaving the car behind after someone threw a job application into the car window.
The victim was taken to the Regional Monkey Center at Memfrica in critical, low sick condition. She was discharged Thursday morning after being wormed and given her shots.
Police know the suspect’s identity, but they haven’t made an arrest yet. They believe his name may be "Retardius" or "Cornholio."
A 24--year-old colored man/buck was shot to death at the same spot Feb. 10.
Chancey "Rectumus" Trice, 24, was capped as he sat on a porch at 927 Maury with several other colored people, police said. Jerrelle "Felacio" Davenport, 25, has been charged with second-degree murder and hunting out of season in that case.
A colored resident who was afraid to give her name Thursday morning said the area draws plenty of all-hours traffic, loitering and typical down low negro behavior.
“The cars drive by slowly, and you know what that’s about,” she said.
And, she said, pointing at a neighbor’s house, “The stench from the negroes and joints they smoke is so bad you can’t breathe.”
Call CRIMESTOPPERS at 528-CASH with info. You can be the shooter and still get the money and free block of cheese.
I second that.
Give up 9:33, they blew your cool monkey!
Hot Monkey
Hot Monkey
The white man is our mortal enemy, and we cannot accept him. I will fight to see that vicious beast go down into the late of fire prepared for him from the beginning, that he never rise again to give any innocent black man, woman or child the hell that he has delighted in pouring on us for 400 years
-- Louis Farrakhan, City College audience in New York
Reverend Jerry Wright and his flock bestowed their highest award for GREATNESS to this man.
9:57 go to hell. Not all people of color agree with Louis F. just as I am confident that all whites don't agree with David Duke. You are a primetime shit starter and I won't be surprise if you are intertwined in this stupid shit going on throughout this blog. I do not feel the white man is my enemy. Do you want to know something, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickness. You are a lying wonder to get mess started and I cast down any phony setups antics you try to get stirred.
New! Complimentary "Copacabana (At The C…" Ringtone Her name was Lola, she was a showgirlWith yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to thereShe would merengue and do the cha-chaAnd while she tried to be a starTony always tended barAcross the crowded floor, they worked from 8 til 4They were young and they had each otherWho could ask for more?[Chorus:]At the copa (CO!) Copacabana (Copacabana)The hottest spot north of Havana (here)At the copa (CO!) CopacabanaMusic and passion were always in fashionAt the copa.... they fell in loveHis name was RicoHe wore a diamondHe was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancing thereAnd when she finished,he called her overBut Rico went a bit to farTony sailed across the barAnd then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in twoThere was blood and a single gun shotBut just who shot who?[Chorus]At the copa... she lost her loveHer name is Lola, she was a showgirl,But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a showNow it's a disco, but not for Lola,Still in dress she used to wear,Faded feathers in her hairShe sits there so refined,and drinks herself half-blindShe lost her youth and she lost her TonyNow she's lost her mind[Chorus]At the copa... don't fall in loveDon't fall in love
You are a lying wonder to get mess started and I cast down any phony setups antics you try to get stirred.
June 5, 2008 10:11 PM
____________________
Why in the hell are you getting mad at me and calling me a shit started? It's the truth! Where did I say that all black people agree with Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan? You need to chill out.
In 1982, Trinity United Church of Christ launched Trumpet Newsmagazine; Wright’s daughters serve as publisher and executive editor. Every year, the magazine makes awards in various categories. Last year, in October 2007, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to a man it said “truly epitomized greatness.” That man is Louis Farrakhan.
I would never visit or be a member of any church that honors hate mongers and thinks they're great.
I suggest if reality and facts offend you or are inconvenient, then skip over them. Badgering me won't change the facts.
10:11 PM said "9:57 go to hell."
One tells the truth and then gets told to go to hell. That's real mature.
Something for the haters to ponder:
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
I LOVE ANDREW CLARKSENIOR!!!!
Why in the hell are you getting mad at me and calling me a shit started? It's the truth! Where did I say that all black people agree with Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan? You need to chill out. In 1982, Trinity United Church of Christ launched Trumpet Newsmagazine; Wright’s daughters serve as publisher and executive editor. Every year, the magazine makes awards in various categories. Last year, in October 2007, it gave the Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter Award to a man it said “truly epitomized greatness.” That man is Louis Farrakhan.I would never visit or be a member of any church that honors hate mongers and thinks they're great. I suggest if reality and facts offend you or are inconvenient, then skip over them. Badgering me won't change the facts.June 5, 2008 10:45 PM. ++++++++++ do not try to place games. You posted just to get some messed stirred. No opinions no reason for posting it. What's your reason for posting it? I would really like to know. There is enough hate posts up in here but if that's your flavor and you feel like you a making a major contribution well then that's on you. We have enough fools arguing and going on here. I guess I should just find some profounded statement from a white jerk and hollar, "well it's truuuuue". Go head on!
Anti Had...who do you think you are fooling,nobody but the couple of fools who hang around on this sorry ass blog.you are mad because Thaddeus didn't think you were important just like these other 3 and the rest of the posts on here are from none other than your sorry hating ass.Stop crying because Thaddeus is better than you,because all the talking in the world is not going to make you better than he is.maybe you should drink some of his koolaid since you want to be him sooooo bad.at the end of the day guess what......he is still BETTER than your sorry ass.
do not try to place games. You posted just to get some messed stirred. No opinions no reason for posting it.
What's your reason for posting it?
________________________
TWO REASONS: IT'S ELECTION SEASON and IT'S THE TRUTH.
If John McCain were a 20 year member of a church whose mission statement says they're devoted to white interests and they gave the leader of a hate group KKK, David Duke an award for Greatness just 8 months ago, I'm sure you'd want to know that.
Or would you accept John McCain as your President with a clear KKK connection?
I know you wouldn't so don't lie. The majority of white folks wouldn't accept it either. He'd already been ran out of town by his own people.
_________________
"There is enough hate posts up in here"
And giving Hate Leaders awards for greatness was none of my doing. Be pissed at that church and church members (Obama included) for their horrible judgment.
Signed,
The Messenger of Truth
You are the messenger of Corruption.
You are the denier of reality!
We don't need anymore hatemongers in the oval office.
Go John go!
Anti...You have to stand for something or you will fall for anything...I bet you are wondering why you keep falling,and falling and never able to stand.Calm down,stop being in such a hurry,that's what got you in this mess from the start.Remember the doctor told you,that you were in such a hurry to be born into this world,that you rushed out of your mammy's ass and forgot your LEGS.Scooter Boy,you will NEVER stand for nothing and you will forever FALL for everything.What part of this that you don't understand,how can you stand when you don't have shit to stand on.Dam!how many times will I have to tell you,that we can't make plastic legs to fit you.Where will they screw into,for you only got a head,chest and waist...no bo bo we don't make legs to fit into your waist.So you can either stay in your fucked up chair or just keep falling...maybe Thaddeus will come by and pick your ass up,cause i'm tired of you,you are getting on my nerves,even a baby knows it can't walk.Keep on busting your ugly ass face...you'll learn that you aint got no LEGS.Bye Scooter-tell your mammy I said hello
Post a Comment