Mike the Mad Biologist

The Ghosts of Tulsa and Rosewood and the Potential for Post-Election Violence

Posted by Mike on October 22, 2008
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Apparently, Digby and I are thinking the same thing. In a response to this post about the anti-Obama bear killing, I wrote that I was worried about violence against Obama supporters.


But, by way of digby, apparently the government is concerned that black people will riot if Obama loses. I’m far more worried about the opposite happening: if Obama wins, Obama supporters will be targeted with arson (or worse), black churches and Democratic party headquarters will be firebombed, and so on (I’m sure there are other ‘targets’ that I haven’t thought of). Given all of the low grade vandalism and harassment that has occurred so far (here’s a new example by way of Madame Wev), all it would take is the wrong set of circumstances and things could get ugly.

For all of the trauma associated with the 1960s riots, we seem to have forgotten that most race riots in the U.S. have been instigated by whites against non-whites–and that any one of these riots did far more damage in terms of lives lost and the annihilation of communities than the riots of the 1960s did.

Got Tulsa? Or Rosewood?

Let me make it clear: I don’t think we’ll see another Tulsa or Rosewood, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, in certain parts of the country, we see that things get very…unfriendly towards Democrats.

This is what happens after forty years of the Politics of the Other, the Politics of the Southern Strategy.

I hope I’m wrong about this, but, in my limited experience, when it comes to determining how badly people will suck, I’m usually not.

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Comments

  1. #1 Joshua Zelinsky
    October 22, 2008

    Frankly, I’m really scared of both possibilities (violence against blacks and blacks rioting). I’d be willing to say that there’s at least a 50% chance that there will be some serious racial violence in multiple areas in the country within a month after the election.

  2. #2 Melissa McEwan
    October 22, 2008

    Madame Wev

    LOL! Love it.

  3. #3 Mike Haubrich, FCD
    October 23, 2008

    Call me sick, or twisted, but part of the reason that I supported Obama was because of race. I knew that when a black candidate for the presidency of the United States was in a real position to win, the hidden racism would finally be brought out. We have been complacent about hidden racism for many years, and with a black candidate our society would have to face the racism that we have been trying to hide.

    We need this candidacy, and we need this catharsis. I really hope that when Obama wins, we finally deal seriously with racism and are able to deal honestly with its resolution.

    It’s going to be painful, and people may get hurt, but the longer it is allowed to fester the worse it will be.

  4. #4 Kelly
    October 23, 2008

    I am always interested in more info about the 60s. The 60s was simply ignored in my HS. In my honors core, the class developed one sememester’s class and we chose to study the 60s. Had some interesting speakers, read some interesting books and had some eyeopening, but I still didn’t feel like I understood it. All of us felt like it we didn’t learn from the past, we’d be doomed to repeat it but our elders seemed to want to hide what happened.
    My folks seemed to live in some kind of cocoon — they don’t remember any of this stuff happening

    Anyway you said: For all of the trauma associated with the 1960s riots, we seem to have forgotten that most race riots in the U.S. have been instigated by whites against non-whites–and that any one of these riots did far more damage in terms of lives lost and the annihilation of communities than the riots of the 1960s did. and gave the links to the Tulsa and Rosewood riots.
    Yikes, I didn’t know about those…people scare me :/