As I have noted on a number of occasions on this blog previously, Dennis Marks (AKA dmarks) is one of those racists who actually believes himself to not be racist. Fact is, he often accuses others of "racism" when they violate his own personal moral code. A code under which Dennis can refer to Black teens (Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin) as "violent thugs" (TADM #56 and SWTD #170) and Black leaders (Al Sharpton and various African American members of Congress) as "devout racists" and "race hustlers" (SWTD #244 and TADM #27).
But, despite the fact that Dennis denies his racism (to everyone including himself), the fact remains that it is deep-seated. Dennis, for example, buys into the stereotype that most Black people are lazy and would prefer to live on the public dole instead of working. That, or, if they are accomplished, their accomplishments are the result of Affirmative Action programs under which the lazy Black individual was wrongly afforded an opportunity that should have gone to a more deserving (White) person.
Specifically I refer to a response by Dennis to the following (racially biased) commentary from the blog "Contra O'Reilly by one Willis Hart...
| Willis Hart: On the Fact that Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington Were Both Born into Slavery and Yet Neither of Them Ever Asked for Preferential Treatment from the Government and in Fact Were Adamantly Opposed to Such Policies (Asking Instead Only for Equal Opportunity)... Now THAT is an "inconvenient" truth, folks. (3/25/2015 AT 9:53pm). |
So, two African Americans who were obviously of genius level intellectually felt they didn't need help getting ahead. That is all well and good - but most people (of all races) are not geniuses. Also, if African Americans HAD indeed been given EQUAL opportunity following the abolishment of slavery, well then Affirmative Action wouldn't have been necessary. But the fact is that racism continues and there is not equal opportunity. Affirmative Action programs were an (imperfect) attempt to address this FACT.
Yet we have people like Willis arguing against doing anything for African Americans to help them overcome the racism that still exists today. As Martin Luther King put it, "A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro" (Source).
Me, I agree with MLK, although I recognize the truth in the views of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. *If* the Whites had offered equal opportunity instead of racist policies designed to keep Black folks down... that would have been preferable. But, as we all know, that didn't happen. And that, I think, is the real "inconvenient truth"... that people like Willis ignore.
In any case, what I'd like to highlight here is the response (to the above Willis commentary) by Dennis.
| Dennis Marks: Indeed. They weren't greedy and lazy. (3/26/2015 AT 9:24pm). |
So they're weren't greedy and lazy... like the average African American was and is. This is what Dennis really means. He subscribes to this racist stereotype because Dennis is a racist. And we know that Dennis believes this stereotype to be accurate based on past comments.
For example, in regards to our president, Dennis has (on a number of occasions) referred to Mr. Obama as "lazy"... and implied that Obama is one of those accomplished African Americans who got where he is due to unfair advantages given to him via Affirmative Action.
| Dennis Marks: When one points out the facts of this exceptionally indolent and lazy man, who shows passion for few causes other than really nasty ones (like his attempt to abolish the secret ballot for union elections) ... look at any poll of the problems facing the nation, and you will never find "not enough executive golf" and "a shortage of campaign funds" to be on the list. Very misplaced priorities. (7/31/2014 AT 07:51:00 PM EDT). |
Obama exceptionally indolent and Lazy? Yeah, I think we all recognize these racist dog-whistles. "Thug" is another racist dog-whistle. And, as I pointed out at the top of this post, Dennis has used this pejorative to refer to the murdered Black youths Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin (See SWTD #275 and SWTD #170 in which I defend my use of the word "murder").
"Thug" is a word that the racists of today use in place of ni**er. In a discussion with Wendy Williams in regards to football player Richard Sherman saying "Thug is accepted way of calling someone N-word", Charles Barkley said "thug... is pseudo for the N-word. Every Black person knows that" (see video below).
Dennis would, of course, totally deny that he was/is using "thug" in place of the N-word, but I don't buy it given his previous (and continued) use of all the other dog-whistles he employs. If someone quacks like a racist they're probably a racist. And Dennis quacks like a racist very frequently.
And, in addition to the quacking (dog-whistling), Dennis frequently rails against Affirmative Action - calling it "racist" (against Whites) and, get this... he actually defends the GOP racist ploy (of pandering to racist Whites for votes) known as "The Southern Strategy".
| Dennis Marks: The Southern Strategy? Quite defensible. When the Dems became racist, favoring "affirmative action" policies which tilted the playing field in favor of blacks and instead of whites, people who wanted a fair, level playing field were understandably disenchanted with the Dems. A ripe time for the GOP, which then and now pushes for a level playing field to come in. (5/5/2013 at 4:53pm, comment on the blog My Daily Trek). |
Right. Dennis argues that the Democrats became racist by OPPOSING racism. And Dennis can't possibly believe this BS, given that the first Republican (Richard Nixon) who employed the strategy SPECIFICALLY noted that the purpose of it was so "Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans".
But Dennis is probably lying in order to convince himself he isn't racist. And he likely believes this lie. Despite how utterly ridiculous it is. The "playing field" has never been tilted in favor of Blacks. And the "people who wanted a fair, level playing field" were actually the Negrophobe whites who wanted the playing field to be continued to be tilted in their favor. This is something that all of us who aren't racists know.
Something else that all of us who aren't racially biased (like Dennis) know is that the GOP has not been pushing for a level playing field "then and now". The GOP continues to employ tactics to disenfranchise Black voters. Even the former Republican National Committee chairman acknowledged this fact. Although he incorrectly (and naively) claims that when he became chairman he announced "we're not doing that anymore" (SWTD #274).
"We're not doing that ANYMORE" is an admission that prior to Steele being elected chairman the Southern Strategy WAS being employed (which is VERY recent history, folks).
So Nixon said the strategy was used specifically to win the votes of Negrophobe Whites and a former (and recent) Republican National Committee chairman affirms this (even if he wrongly claims "we're not doing that anymore") while Dennis sez the GOP NEVER had a strategy designed to win the votes of Negrophobe Whites? He says it was an appeal to those who desired a "level playing field". Sure, that's believable. As opposed to laughable.
No, wait, Dennis claims concerning the Southern Strategy are laughable. As well as racist, as it puts a spin on the tactic that is categorically false, historically inaccurate and should anger those of us who acknowledge the moral wrongness of the strategy (of pandering to racists). That Dennis defends this strategy is reprehensible, but just the kind of delusional thinking you'd expect from a deep-seated racist... which the facts show that Dennis clearly is.
All the facts - the dog-whistling, the continual reference of BLACK people as "racist" (when they aren't), and the defense of the racist Southern Strategy PROVE that Dennis is a racist. An in-denial racist, but a racist none-the-less. Case closed.
By the way, my purpose in authoring this commentary was to push back against a recent claim from Dennis that it is *I* who has a problem with "deep-seated racism and prejudice". This because I pointed out that he continually refers to Black youths as "thugs" and "violent felons" (although I didn't mention his frequent dog-whistling and slandering of Black leaders as racist when they aren't).
Sorry, Dennis, but the evidence of your racism and prejudice is vast and irrefutable (as I have documented on this blog).
Video Description: Former NBA star Charles Barkley explains why he agrees with Richard Sherman on the meaning behind the word "thug" (2:38)
