Town's White Police Official Calls Obama N-word - Refuses to Apologize

originally posted by: captaintyinknots
a reply to: burdman30ott6

scared to death to stand up for themselves and put a stop to the bullying.

Oh the irony....its dripping off of this statement.

How so?

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: captaintyinknots
a reply to: burdman30ott6

scared to death to stand up for themselves and put a stop to the bullying.

Oh the irony....its dripping off of this statement.

How so?

To claim that people who are, by their own admission, racist, are being bullied, because society wont stand for bigotry, is laughable.

A little something to chew on:

“The vile epithet used and confirmed by the commissioner has no place in our community,” Romney said in a statement to the Boston Herald last week. “He should apologize and resign.”

Several local lawmakers and community leaders have also called for Copeland's resignation.

His resignation comes as several of New Hampshire's most prominent politicians — including Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R) and Jeanne Shaheen (D) and Gov. Maggie Hassan — had called for Copeland's ouster. “Commissioner Copeland’s reprehensible comments dishonor law enforcement officials across our state who work hard to ensure that all citizens are treated fairly, and the remarks do not represent the values of New Hampshire residents," said William Hinkle, a spokesman for New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan. "Governor Hassan believes that he should listen to the people of Wolfeboro and New Hampshire and apologize and step down in order to restore confidence in the Commission.”

www.washingtonpost.com...

Seems it wasnt just "100 towns people" that wanted him out.

As Ive said before...this whole thing comes down to social etiquette.

originally posted by: captaintyinknots
To claim that people who are, by their own admission, racist, are being bullied, because society wont stand for bigotry, is laughable.

1. Who in this situation is a self-admitted racist?
2. We've been through this for 40 pages now, it's entirely dependent on your personal definition of what constitutes racism/bigotry.
3. Yes, "laughable" is a very appropos word to use to describe this flap. I'd suggest people like Martin Luther King, Thomas Shepp, Abram Smith, Homer Plessy, and the parishoners of the Birmingham Baptist Church would find what you're calling racism and bigotry hysterical. perspective, where did it go and has anyone seen it?

ETA: Just saw your "social ettiquette" edit. I agree. That's where I've been with this all along. My problem is that I think we're seeing an agenda that would define slurping your soup at the table as being in-line with starting a food fight at Sunday Brunch by throwing a fistfull of mashed potatoes at Sister Anderson and chucking a dinner roll at the side of Brother Hernandez' head. We're seeing an attempt to escalate any verbal "offense" straight up the ladder to equal footing with heinous, violent, and tangible negative resultant actions and I think it's a bunch of phooey.

Well he resigned so you all can go dance a jig.


Link

I said that the terms "honky", "whitey" and "cracker" were never used to describe a white person as a sub-human animal, incapable of critical thinking and morality.

The whole "cracker" thing makes me laugh. Piers Morgan had a segment after the Zimmerman trial where he interviewed Martin's friend and she went on to explain why it's perfectly ok to call a white person a "cracker" Predictably, Piers didn't seem to have an issue with it either, nor did his audience. Seems like there are a few people here that don't see "cracker" & the "n-word" as equally derogatory, (or cracker as derogatory at all?) because of the history of the n-word vs. the history of "cracker"

So just to be clear, it would have been perfectly ok had the Commissioner shouted "f***ing burr head"? Or "f***ing spear chucker? (Don't think those terms have anything to do with slavery.) Please, the outrage would have been just the same and expressed by the same people.

The "n-word", "honkey", "cracker" & ect are all derogatory terms based on race. Personally, I don't think anyone should loose their job over an isolated racial slur and I don't interpret a racial slur as proof positive that someone is a racist in any meaningful way, but if one's bad and worthy of someone loosing their job over, they all are.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
We're seeing an attempt to escalate any verbal "offense" straight up the ladder to equal footing with heinous, violent, and tangible negative resultant actions and I think it's a bunch of phooey.

Some members simply refuse to see the bigger issues arising from this story and instead focus on the sensationalised one.

originally posted by: windword
a reply to: nenothtu

From you source:

The Establishment would rather weep over the poor persecuted Negroes, but leave the White working class "rednecks" and "crackers" (both of these terms of derision were first applied to White slaves)

If true, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, except for the fact that I've never heard that before, and I considered myself pretty well read in the American cultural literature of the era, can you provide a written citation or an example in literature, in context, proving the origin of the epitaphs "cracker" and "redneck" referring to white slavery?

Rich, White plantation owners joined with the Negroes in insulting White Slaves and poor White people, referring to them as "poor‑white earth scratching scum," "redshanks," "redlegs" [forerunner of the "redneck" racial insult current nowadays], "Hill Billys" and "Scotland Johnnies." "The servants were regarded by the planters as 'white trash.'"

Capatalism and Slavery, Eric Williams, p.17.

Demographics

Wolfeboro, located in the scenic Lakes Region in the central part of New Hampshire, has around 20 African-American residents among its population of 6,300.

originally posted by: roadgravel
Demographics

Wolfeboro, located in the scenic Lakes Region in the central part of New Hampshire, has around 20 African-American residents among its population of 6,300.

Reported by a white resident infuriated with the blatant racism she's never experienced until now in the 4 long months she's lived there.

Girl must want to take her town back.

Touché

originally posted by: FyreByrd
You are missing the Public/Private. This was a Public Person in a Public Place. Our public authorities/civil servants while in public are required to enforce AND MODEL respect and compliance with Public Norms. It is the definition of public servant whether their constituents are 10 or 70,000. The role doesn't change because the scope does.

This is a citizen, stating an opinion at a table to someone he knows, about one person. He has every right to that opinion, and to some expectation that waitstaff aren't eavesdropping on his conversations. What the waitress did was rude and thoughtless, and completely disrespectful. She ought to lose her job. I can't imagine anyone wanting to eat there, knowing someone like her will be reporting anything they overhear that they don't like to the press. Serving in a public office doesn't mean one loses their right to their opinions.

originally posted by: mahatche
Intentions matter, comedians are making jokes, everyone in the club goes with the expectation of hearing jokes.

He didn't lose free speech. Free speech only protects you from government persecution. It does nothing for public opinion of you.

The right to an opinion isn't a one way thing. He can be offensive, people can be offended. His job is a public position, if the public want to take it from him don't they have that right as well?

how do you know the girl just wanted lime light? maybe she's a good person who wants her police department to be run by better people?

His intention was to make a comment to a dinner companion, and he didn't make that comment in front of cameras, or with a microphone. His statement about Obama is about ONE person, too, not a race. There is no indication whatsoever that he's ever acted in a racist fashion in his work. If he did, that would be different, but he hasn't, as far as anyone can tell. Disliking Obama doesn't make him racist. I have called some people I know "trash" because that's what they are. They are white; does that make me a racist against whites? Of course not!

Someone in a position of service is supposed to respect people's privacy. He didn't commit a crime that needed reporting; he stated an opinion she didn't like. Her assumption that he's "racist" seems to indicate that she might be herself. Assuming a word means only one thing isn't sensible. I have heard that word used by blacks to describe blacks of bad character, in the same way "white trash" might be used to describe whites of a similar character. Neither is racist, when used in that fashion. Character, not color, is the issue.

His job is one he's been performing well, without complaint. If he isn't acting as a racist, then labeling him one and forcing him out of a job on that basis would be wrong. Where is the evidence of racist practices in his work? We have none so far.

If she was concerned with the facts, she would have privately looked into the matter. She could check hiring statistics, and that sort of thing, instead of jumping to conclusions based on her eavesdropping on a private conversation.

If she's so assured of her position, let her post her picture and the name of the place she works, and see how many tips she gets. Personally, I wouldn't trust her to wait on me.

a reply to: captaintyinknots

As Ive said before...this whole thing comes down to social etiquette.

Uhhhh . . . rather . . .

As Ive said before...this whole thing comes down to the OUTRAGEOUS DOUBLE STANDARD of social etiquette--blacks compared to whites.

It's a classic one-upsmanship game of !GOTTCHA!

A number of blacks must be dancing in the street that a crass stupid whitey fell in their trap. They'll EXALT in using the word "affectionately" 100 times a day.

Yet throw the first whitey to use it . . . essentially privately . . . in the wood chipper . . . and celebrate his disintegration.

How sweet.
How admirable.
How laudatory.

What a wonderful era . . . up is down; black is white; white is black; evil is good; good is evil.

/sarc

This thread has grown in proportion to the fire the "situation" was meant to inflame. That we are still fighting about racism since the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King's speeches, and "Mississippi Burning" is, to me, proof most of us are still falling prey to propaganda FROM ALL SIDES. We ALL face a far bigger threat than this measleyass crap of racism. Racism is a tool to keep us distracted, angry at each other, and to prevent real communication. If anyone, and I mean anyone is interested in real history, they might just want to research a bit. Today's justification for Black racism is slavery that happened ,what, 150 years ago,in which = all whites were slave owners. Actually about 3% of the Southern whites were slave owners. That means a hell of a lot of us are decended from "rednecks" ( a term that describes the poor white sharecropper who had a sunburned neck), and don't have the obligation of any burden of guilt at all. White justification for racism is the proganda they've been fed that since they have had an "unfair" advantage over Blacks they must assume the guilt of our ancestors, which most know that is a load of crap. The bare bones fact is this people: All of us, no matter who or where we are on this planet want the same thing: to work and provide for our family; to be left alone to do that very thing in peace without some tyrant coming in and taxing the hell out it, passing laws to make it illegal, and to have honest representation; and to dance around a bonfire with good food, friendship, music, and beer.
To me, the bigger question is this: How do we unite when this country was established in the name of Opportunity for the Individual? Every immigrant to this country since Plymouth Rock came here as a rebellious move away from tyranny. If we can't, as a whole, quit slogging it out in the mud pit of name calling, and start TALKING, then we are doomed. And if we aren't smart enough to figure that out, then we deserve our own doom.
There. My rant is done.

a reply to: windword

WEll that is not really true, white people have been suffering along with every other human for ever. What happened hundreds of years ago is the past, yet to continue to bring it into the present is just foolish. The same consciousness that were in the bodies of slave traders and slave owners back then are reincarnated into black bodies now and doing the same thing in reverse. Same with Native Americans, the same mentality that tortured and slain Indians back then are now in the bodies of the present day Indian. The same energy of Romans who slain the Christians are now Christians.

What you hate you become. It is a vicious cycle. The only answer is to stop the separation and hate.

originally posted by: TiedDestructor
Well he resigned so you all can go dance a jig.

Is that a thinly veiled, intentionally racially insensitive comment?

originally posted by: MrDesolate

originally posted by: TiedDestructor
Well he resigned so you all can go dance a jig.

Is that a thinly veiled, intentionally racially insensitive comment?

You must be ignorant to southern sayings.

Is that thinly veiled enough?

originally posted by: TiedDestructor

originally posted by: MrDesolate

originally posted by: TiedDestructor
Well he resigned so you all can go dance a jig.

Is that a thinly veiled, intentionally racially insensitive comment?

You must be ignorant to southern sayings.

Is that thinly veiled enough?

They never miss a chance to insinuate you are a racist.

People have gone completely off the deep end with this figment of their imagination.

Black = Good

White = Bad

Learn the rules...Sheesh

a reply to: whyamIhere

You aren't joking!

I can't believe how low some will stoop. Pathetic.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

1. Who in this situation is a self-admitted racist?

Copeland. He fully admits that he uses that label in a derogatory way.

2. We've been through this for 40 pages now, it's entirely dependent on your personal definition of what constitutes racism/bigotry.

Fair enough, though, whatever classification you want to put on what he said is irrelevant. He offended those that vote him into office. game, set, match.

3. Yes, "laughable" is a very appropos word to use to describe this flap. I'd suggest people like Martin Luther King, Thomas Shepp, Abram Smith, Homer Plessy, and the parishoners of the Birmingham Baptist Church would find what you're calling racism and bigotry hysterical. perspective, where did it go and has anyone seen it?

So, again, take the label out of it, as it was never my point to label this guy anyway. Does that make what he said acceptable? Do you think the townspeople were out of line for asking for accountability from an elected official?

Just saw your "social ettiquette" edit. I agree. That's where I've been with this all along.

As have I. This is about an elected official showing no social etiquette, and the people of his town holding him accountable for that.

I see no move toward violence. I see no 'heinous' action. I see the people who put him into power holding him accountable for his words and actions.

Again, isnt that what everyone in this country has been calling for for a couple decades now?

originally posted by: MrDesolate

originally posted by: TiedDestructor
Well he resigned so you all can go dance a jig.

Is that a thinly veiled, intentionally racially insensitive comment?

I don't think it was thinly veiled at all.

He said exactly what he wanted to say...and will claim it was an innocent phrase.

Remember people...context.