Hanging lawn chair across from Grand Haven school sparks claims of racial insensitivity

Mlive.com ^ | September 28, 2012 | John Tunison

[cripplecreek]

GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP, MI -- An Ottawa County diversity group is claiming that a Grand Haven area man's political statement -- a lawn chair hanging from a tree -- is racially insensitive and should be taken down.

Leaders of the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance have scheduled a "community conversation" public meeting next Thursday at the Grand Haven Community Center to discuss the issue.

The lawn chair is suspended by a rope from a tree along Comstock Street near Peach Plain Elementary School and, according to the homeowner, is simply a take-off on Clint Eastwood's much-ballyhooed "empty chair rant" speech at the Republican National Convention where Eastwood was pretending to talk to President Barack Obama.

[cripplecreek]

Ignore or ridicule, both are fine.

[tumblindice]

The First Family:

[cripplecreek]

PeeWee Herman gets a photo op with the vice president.

[CatherineofAragon]

"I think we could probably get even a snarky message across with the chair without invoking lynching. sorry but the image is pretty evocative."

Oh, please, just stop. Evocative of what, exactly? Something that any blacks today experienced themselves? I'm sick to death of tiptoeing around so people don't get their feelings hurt. If it's unpleasant to them, that's really tough, but life can be unpleasant. We've had enough of making federal cases out of sensitive racial feelings.

[CatherineofAragon]

They’re not freaked out by nooses. It’s just an effective way to get self-hating whites to jump through hoops.

[cardinal4]

I love Harbor Springs. We went to a wedding there. I really liked Traverse City, too. Detroit, not so much..

[tumblindice]

Samuel L. Jackson is escorted to his reserved chair: and Attorney General Holder's reserved chair:

[SpaceBar]

according to the homeowner, is simply a take-off on Clint Eastwood's much-ballyhooed "empty chair rant"...

Bzzzzzt, wrong answer! The correct answer is that you were preparing to give it a coat of spray paint. Dark helmet was right, good is dumb.

[Age of Reason]

And another thing:

Whenever you have a campfire, be sure no two logs form a ninety degree angle, lest you be accused of a hate crime.

[muir_redwoods]

I have a two word response for the leaders of the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance; “B__e Me”

[cripplecreek]

You should read 'The Language of the 3rd Reich'. Its about how the nazis used speech to manipulate the German people.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-Third-Reich-Imprerii/dp/0826457770

Under the Third Reich, the official language of Nazism came to be used as a political tool. The existing social culture was manipulated and subverted as the German people had their ethical values and their thoughts about politics, history and daily life recast in a new language. This notebook, originally called LTI (Lingua Tertii Imperii) - the abbreviation itself a parody of Nazified language - was written out of Klemperer's conviction that the language of the Third Reich helped to create its culture. As Klemperer writes: "it isn't only Nazi actions that have to vanish, but also the Nazi cast of mind, the typical Nazi way of thinking, and its breeding ground: the language of Nazism".

The left in this country has had an alarming degree of success at doing exactly the same.

[adorno]

A new standard has been set.

All of the talk shows at night, are highly insensitive and racist, because, they all start with an empty chair next to the host. NBC and CBS and ABC are nothing but a bunch of racists. ;)

[Slyfox]

[omegatoo]

This might indeed be a serious case of racial insensitivity, so I’m reserving judgement until I have all of the facts...

What color is the chair?

:-p

O2

[CatherineofAragon]

You’re right, they have had enormous success, and it frustrates me to no end that some of our own have made it so much easier because they’re afraid of being called intolerant, racist, etc.

Thanks for the book recommendation, BTW.

[cripplecreek]

Remember when the word “Militia” conjured up visions of patriotism and honor?

[GeronL]

Stabbed PB&J Investigated by FBI as Possible Hate Crime

[GeronL]

its a LAWN CHAIR

[GeronL]

LEDA?

That town has about 14,000 people, why do they need LEDA?

[DouglasKC]

If the chair is just sitting on the lawn then it’s simply a lawn chair. Hanging it from the tree makes the point that it’s a political statement.