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No not really but there are those who are using it as such. I guess it depends on the intent. If a noose is displayed for the purpose of intimidating black people then it is racist.
I'd be more concerned about things that are perceived by blacks to be racist where there is no intent to be racist. Things such as saying that something disappeared into a black hole. I seem to recall an incident where traffic tickets were disappearing when they were sent in to be processed. Someone said they disappeared into a black hole and several blacks began to complain that it was racist where no racist intent was involved. We've got enough problems without making things up.
sounds to me some are looking for something that isn't. will tar be deemed racist with its connection to the tar babies? The bandana was an apparel item associated with Mamies... yet no one finds offense when the young wear them and use them in their gangs.
Nothing has power unless you confer power to it. No symbol means anything unless you ascribe a meaning to it. it you want to remove a racist item how about get guns out of the hands of the young as so many young black men die from their use.... there is a "racist" item to be concerned with. A noose means nothing to the majority, except a sign of capitol death.
What agenda? The question was, and correct me if I'm wrong, is it a racist symbol? The answer to that is yes, and here is why it is considered a racist symbol. If you do not know that history then here it is. That would be recent history. I'll get back to that in a sec.
The question is not ban all weapons of mass destruction or ban crosses or ban the noose. Use the knot but don't hang it in a tree. If you read the articles, the NAACP said, no this guy was villified for no reason. That guy stated that he was not aware of the symbolism or the history and now he is.
Now, why did it get blown out of control? Why is that happening now? Largley due to the media. Conflict is news. Also, we saw or I saw, specifically, an increase of those who did not like Obama prior to his election because he was Black. I watched this on a specific forum. We have had race relationship problems for quite awhile. Simmering in some areas. But here is what I truly believe is the problem: lack of education. I think that is the biggest problem. This lack of awareness. This lack of recognizing triggers.
The thing about Jena is that it was done to get a specific reaction and there is no justification for the reaction that he got. Its a trigger, its a hot spot, be aware. Be aware of the history of symbols be aware of the names. I read history all the time, in doing so, I have learned that time is relatively short. So, Jena is not "my" version of recent history.
For example: A white female and a black male that I work with had a discussion. It seems that someone from his department climbed over something and should not have but it was necessary at the time. So, she says to him, "Which little monkey climbed over?"
He was shocked and had the most horrified look on his face. It took about 60 seconds for him to recover enough to leave the scene. So, what was the problem? She was not saying it in a racist manner. He was not looking for something to be racist. She truly was not aware of the negative impact of what she was saying. He knew exactly the negative connotation of that word. Therfore, my agenda is this: if you do not know what the history is........then here you go. Now, you know. Once you know then you cannot pretend that it doesn't exist.
I would call my kids "little monkeys" for climbing all over stuff...never thought much of it. Then there were all the Bush - Curious George comparisons for 8 years and yes...he does look a little chimp-ish. Those were even presented on major networks for comedy.
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