On Sunday, December 1, the GOP posted a photograph of the late civil rights activist Rosa Parks alongside a tweet that would confuse and anger the internet.
Because Sunday was the same day 58 years ago that Parks was arrested for her refusal to move to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama bus, the GOP decided to acknowledge her role in obtaining civil rights with these words:
Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in ending racism. pic.twitter.com/uxIj1QmtkU
— RNC (@GOP) December 1, 2013
Which first indicated that Republicans somehow believe Rosa Parks ended racism and secondly, that we live in a totally post-racial world.
Well, Twitter wasn’t about to let that slide.
Enter Twitter user @FeministaJones and her creative hashtag, #RacismEndedWhen, which (yes, you guessed it) made a mockery of the RNC’s ignorance.
#RacismEndedWhen Hip-Hop culture was born not out of socioeconomic and racial oppression, but of White suburban middle-class ingenuity.
— A$AP Feminist (@FeministaJones) December 1, 2013
#RacismEndedWhen black was in vogue and colorblind was a term of endearment.
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) December 1, 2013
#RacismEndedWhen Congress apologized for slavery & Jim Crow … in 2008 http://t.co/LF5hox3Mn4
— Shareef Jackson (@ShareefJackson) December 1, 2013
See what we mean?
And although the GOP cleared up the original tweet with this follow-up:
Previous tweet should have read “Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in fighting to end racism.”
— RNC (@GOP) December 1, 2013
We think there’s still some evidence out there that proves that Republicans and Democrats alike believe that this whole “racism” thing is over.
For example? Any politician who has ever remarked on the color of the president’s skin as an indication that black people aren’t discriminated against anymore, aka…the whole GOP.
Or that time Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) said there was no objective evidence of racial discrimination in elections, without giving thought to current voter I.D. laws that disenfranchise minority voters or the hyper-incarceration of black males for non-violent charges, which automatically disqualifies one from voting.
“The interesting thing about voting patterns now is in this last election African-Americans voted at a higher percentage than whites in almost every one of the states that were under the special provisions of the federal government. So really, I don’t think there is objective evidence that we’re precluding African-Americans from voting any longer.”
Or that time the Supreme Court said we didn’t need the core part of the Voting Rights Act that protected minority voters in the past because, well…you guessed it…we live in a post-racial world.
“The problem here, however, is suggested by the comment I made earlier, that the initial enactment of this legislation in a — in a time when the need for it was so much more abundantly clear was — in the Senate, there — it was double-digits against it. And that was only a 5-year term.
Then, it is reenacted 5 years later, again for a 5-year term. Double-digits against it in the Senate. Then it was reenacted for 7 years. Single digits against it. Then enacted for 25 years, 8 Senate votes against it. And this last enactment, not a single vote in the Senate against it. And the House is pretty much the same. Now, I don’t think that’s attributable to the fact that it is so much clearer now that we need this. I think it is attributable, very likely attributable, to a phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement. It’s been written about. Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes.”
– Antonin Scalia
Or any time Sarah Palin opens her mouth…but especially this surprising quote about slavery ending centuries ago…
“And who caused slavery? The government. Our democrat friends need to accept that slavery could never have existed without the government. Instead of blaming Southerns they should put the blame where it belongs: people who rely on the government for everything. They want free houses, free healthcare, free everything while they leech the Southern man dry. Is… this Obama’s method of reparations? Slavery ended two centuries ago yet he still wants people to apologize?”
Apparently, the people who cry racism need to just get over it. It’s been a long time since any of that has happened.
For a little more comic relief after reading those infuriating quotes on the whole “racism thing,” head over to #RacismEndedWhen and thank @FeministaJones for being so brilliant.
SOURCE: Twitter, Think Progress | PHOTO SOURCE: Getty
