Well, there is only one Vancouver, Washington in the US. But there is also a Vancouver, British Columbia.
We Seattlelites refer to them as Vancouver South and Vancouver North, respectively.
Wait, is that pro-racism or anti-racism?
I think theyâre going for âthought-provokingâ so I say anti-racism.
Yeah, hard to say. One could read it either way.
That sign is the TL;DR version of this weekâs Ta-Nehisi Coates article that is attracting so much commentary.
The tightly intertwined stories of the white working class and black Americans go back to the prehistory of the United Statesâand the use of one as a cudgel to silence the claims of the other goes back nearly as far.
Iâm definitely going to go with âanti-racismâ.
OK then. Iâll go with what you guys say. But itâs maybe not such successful messaging when you need to be a semiotician to decipher the signifiers of a simple fucking racism sign.
Forget about it, charmtrap. Itâs Boston.
From the above:
You win internet points!
Sign makers confirm the sign was intended to be anti-racist.
A banner reading âRacism is as American as baseballâ was hung over the Green Monster at Fenway Park during a game between the Red Sox and Athletics on Wednesday night. It reportedly remained in place for a few minutes before being removed by stadium security, and the fans who hung the sign were ejected.
âWe are a group of white anti-racist protesters,â the fans said in a statement to The Post. âWe want to remind everyone that just as baseball is fundamental to American culture and history, so too is racism. White people need to wake up to this reality before white supremacy can truly be dismantled. We urge anyone who is interested in learning more or taking action to contact their local racial justice organization.â
[âŚ]
A member of the group, who spoke with The Post via email on condition of anonymity, said the group at Fenway consisted of five individuals, with the fifth member âdoing documentation across the stadium.â The person said the quintet was ânot associated with any particular organization although all of us do work as organizers in various Boston groups that combat white supremacy and racism.ââWe are responding to a long history of racism and white supremacy in the United States that continues to pervade every aspect of American culture today,â the protester said, adding of the decision to stage their demonstration at a nationally televised Red Sox game, âWe deliberately chose a platform in an attempt to reach as many people as possible.â
Some observers Wednesday were left confused as to whether the banner was a condemnation or an endorsement of racism. âI guess we should have seen that coming but we also didnât think of it as an ambiguous message,â a group member told CNN NE. âItâs kind of telling that it is being interpreted as one.â
Racist or anti-racist, the sign is simply factual. Anyone with even the vaguest understanding of American history must acknowledge that.
It may not align with the aspirational America, but it sure as hell aligns with the historical one.
I suppose thatâs their point, that to be the America we strive to be, we must acknowledge the reality of the America we have been. Otherwise, itâs the America we pretend to be, instead.
I think the racist signs are easier to parse: âF*#$# N@*$#RS!â
Flush Nascars?
Fish? No, sirs!
Nah, people like Spencer specialize in making palatable racism for the masses.
âWe just want to protect our heritage!â
Doing it at a Red Sox game, where thereâs a history of racism from baseballâs past (and continues into the present⌠read the whole article), does make it tougher to parse. They want to rename Yawkey Way after all.
So Breitbart is attempting to sell itâs readers on the idea that somehow there is a direct connection between the Washington establishment and black magic.
Next week they will publish an article that theorizes the only way we can fight black magic is, of course, with white magic.