Comments on: Two Dog Whistles (UPDATE)

By: Thomas Jackson

Thomas Jackson — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:44:02 +0000

Of course welfare is a dog whistle, just like sub prime mortgages, affirmative action, and Rev Wright. Because only minorities get these things right?

Robeson and DuBois were communists because they were black, they were c0ommunists because they were brain dead. Obama lacks the brains and courage to admit what he truly is, although a look at his friends and positions make this clear to the casual and interested observer.

By: Kyle E. Moore

Kyle E. Moore — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:13:03 +0000

Well, in my defense, I’m not necessarily coming out and saying the socialist charge is irrefutably a dog whistle, and in fact I do make that remark further down in the post. What the point of this post is to show that that is what this could be. Certainly the dovetailing of socialism and welfare lends credence to at least the possibility.

As for the animal house reference, I didn’t know that. One of these days I’m going to actually watch that movie. Again in my defense, Crittenden could have used quotes or made reference to those of us geeks who haven’t watched it. Not when you are participating in a blogosphere full of people who are going to challenge you on historical accuracy and use anything and everything they can to pick you apart.

I’m just saying.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:39:25 +0000

I hate to say it, Kyle, but I think you’re way off-base on this one. For starters, Robeson (who, FWIW, is the most prominent alum of my high school), for all his heroism and bravery, was not only a socialist, but was in fact secretly a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. I don’t mean this in a perjorative sense – after he died, the American Communist Party acknowledged his membership*. Similarly, A. Phillip Randolph was a devout and open socialist. DuBois, in his later years, was also openly a Marxist.

Also- J. Edgar Hoover’s use of the term “socialist” as a perjorative for these specific individuals is hardly fresh in people’s minds; in fact, I can’t find a single instance of him using the phrase for any of these individuals, although he did, at least early on, investigate MLK for Communist sympathies. That’s not to say he never made such comments – just that, if he did, that usage is long since forgotten.

The other thing is – in Hoover’s eyes, anyone who was a potential enemy of the state/”troublemaker” was considered a socialist/communist. So you can’t interpret Hoover’s use of the term to be a synonym for “black leader”; instead, he really used it as a synonym for “dissenter.”

* Despite my personal devotion to free-market capitalism, I don’t think Robeson’s Communism in any way tarnishes his status as a man of principle, especially considering the circumstances that led to his Communism.

(NB: Crittenden’s quote about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor is a clear reference to the legendary John Belushi line in Animal House).

By: Jules Crittenden » Etymoronology

Jules Crittenden » Etymoronology — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:52:18 +0000

[...] Comments from Left Field, longwindedly, “Socialist” and “welfare” … racist dog whistles! [...]