Thursday
Oct042007
Nooses: When Retro Goes too Far
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 16:35
(cross-posted to Jack & Jill Politics)
When bellbottoms came back, I was ok with it. When 1980s style jeans and hair made a comeback, I was annoyed, but I let it go. However, it seems we've got the return of a much more powerful and painful symbol of the past to contend with nowadays: the noose.
photo by thetombstonesnake courtesy of Flickr
Of course, there's Jena, LA over a year ago, and the idiots who brought nooses back during the recent protest, but there are a frightening number of noose sightings all over the nation. I was watching CNN a few minutes ago and found this story
October 4th at the Coast Guard Academy: Coast Guard tries to deal with noose incidents
Hanging a noose, like burning a cross or blowing up school children (whether on a city bus or in a church) is an act of terrorism. It forces people to change their habits, quit their jobs and live in fear. It is a threat on one's life. Black folks in America have been living with some form of terrorism since we arrived here, but somehow, I don't expect the government will be sending the troops to Hempstead and Louisville and Pittsburgh anytime soon.
P.S.
And then there's this incident on the campus of Grambling State: GSU president orders 'hanging photo' off Web. Apparently black parents wanted to dramatize the significance of the noose to their children in the wake of the Jena protest.
When bellbottoms came back, I was ok with it. When 1980s style jeans and hair made a comeback, I was annoyed, but I let it go. However, it seems we've got the return of a much more powerful and painful symbol of the past to contend with nowadays: the noose.
photo by thetombstonesnake courtesy of Flickr
Of course, there's Jena, LA over a year ago, and the idiots who brought nooses back during the recent protest, but there are a frightening number of noose sightings all over the nation. I was watching CNN a few minutes ago and found this story
October 4th at the Coast Guard Academy: Coast Guard tries to deal with noose incidents
The head of the U.S. Coast Guard and a congressman planned to travel to the Coast Guard Academy on Thursday to speak to cadets about the discovery this summer of two small hangman's nooses on Coast Guard properties.October 4th, outside of Pittsburgh: Nooses Left At O'Hara Township Work Site
A third possible incident of racial workplace intimidation in the Pittsburgh area this week was reported on Thursday morning. Errol Madyun told WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Ari Hait that he found a noose on Wednesday at the construction site where he's working in O'Hara Township.October 4th, outside of Pittsburgh: Local Verizon Worker Says She's Target Of Racial Threat
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, claimed someone left a noose around a doll's neck with a note saying she didn't deserve a promotion. The doll was left on her desk in an inner-office envelope at the Verizon Wireless complex in Cranberry.October 3rd, near Ft. Wayne, IN: Noose found on utility pole at Army Depot
Authorities are trying to determine who tied a noose to a utility pole in the industrial area of the Anniston Army Depot. A passerby spotted the noose yesterday at about 10 a.mOctober 3rd, near Louisville, KY: Woman quits job after twice finding doll with noose around its neck
A year ago, Carla Hinkle says she found a doll with a rope wrapped around its neck in a plant at her job.October 2, Pittsburgh: Racist Threat Found In Port Authority Garage
Officials said a black baby doll, with a racist threat, was found hanging Monday in a hallway at PAT's East Liberty garage. The threat was directed at an unspecified black woman.September 30th, in Hempstead, Long Island NY: Noose Found Hanging In L.I. Police Station; Called 'Intolerable'
A noose was found dangling in the headquarters of a suburban police department that prides itself on its diversity, the police chief said.... <snip> Corey Pegues, a New York City police captain and the president of the Long Island chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, said members believed the noose may have been directed at a high-ranking Hempstead police official who is black.This doesn't include all the incidents brklyngrl posted about on OpenLeft this weekend. Like the word "nigger" a noose can be used by any white person to bring down any black person. Doesn't matter if we're talking about high school students or Coast Guard officers, construction workers or police chiefs. I'm sure many of these incidents are copycats "inspired" by the Jena 6 story, but let's not forget that George Allen kept one in his law office long before that famous "schoolyard fight" in Louisiana.
Hanging a noose, like burning a cross or blowing up school children (whether on a city bus or in a church) is an act of terrorism. It forces people to change their habits, quit their jobs and live in fear. It is a threat on one's life. Black folks in America have been living with some form of terrorism since we arrived here, but somehow, I don't expect the government will be sending the troops to Hempstead and Louisville and Pittsburgh anytime soon.
P.S.
And then there's this incident on the campus of Grambling State: GSU president orders 'hanging photo' off Web. Apparently black parents wanted to dramatize the significance of the noose to their children in the wake of the Jena protest.
The Gramblinite's Web site Friday included a comment from a woman who identified herself as Irene Booker. She said in her posted comment, "Yes, it was a rope around the little girl's neck. It was a (safe) demonstration as to what the rope symbolized to blacks. This was my granddaughter and she along with so many of the other students did not understand the intimidation of the noose. I held her in my arms and she knows that I would not harm her or put her life in danger. In order to understand racism one must experience it to make the connection."Thoughts, readers and fellow bloggers? Does the popularity of the noose indicate some resurgent racism, an increased comfort among racist people, a misguided set of "pranks" triggered by the Jena 6 case or something else altogether?
Reader Comments (10)
for me, that hempstead story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21051541/) is particularly disturbing because hempstead's population is about 90% black and hispanic.
scary to think that the cop investigating a criminal case could be the one who hung the noose.
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Thought Merchant
Baratunde,
Great article. I've definitely noticed. Of course some would be inane copycats, but I'd bet more than just a handful of these instances are part of a/the fear-based campaigns o'er the world. As you know, some entities have been praying for a race war in the States for...ever.
When so many acts of this nature are 'discovered' my feelings tend toward diversion and manipulation over all other theories. That is to say, they divert attention away from just how deep-seated and hidden (in plain sight) racism truly is, and how difficult it can be to discern when it's so rampant.
For instance, I've always wondered about the Jack-in-the-Box restaurants, and all the in-the-box 'toys' and other ephemera. Growing up I was told by more than one individual a different history of the Jack-in-the-Box toys. After reading your article I headed over to the wiki and what I'd been taught is included there as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_in_the_box
Does this parallel your perspective and teachings?
Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you for posting this blog. I just read about some of the noose incidents on Global Grind this morning and when you read them all at once like that, its more disturbing than when you hear about them here and there....What is happening to in our country that people are that racist they need to send out threats like this to innocent victims?
This whole noose thing is ridiculous. I don't believe that there is a more blatant act of cowardice on the planet. If you're going to be a bigot - be a proud bigot instead of throwing up a hate symbol in the cloak of darkness and running. It's really an ignorant thing to do and the number of nooses appearing in recent months should show the rest of America what we've been saying for decades: Racism is alive and kickin' in the good old U S of A.
Very nice blog you have here. Bookmarked! :)
That is to say, they divert attention away from just how deep-seated and hidden (in plain sight) racism truly is, and how difficult it can be to discern when it's so rampant.
Growing up I was told by more than one individual a different history of the Jack-in-the-Box toys. After reading your article I headed over to the wiki...
Thanks and Regards
It is a threat on one’s life. Black folks in America have been living with some form of terrorism since we arrived here, but somehow, I don’t expect the government will be sending the troops to Hempstead and Louisville and Pittsburgh anytime soon.
Those really are very disturbing. The noose should be used on the perpetrators who did such queasy acts. Ugh.