WHDH reports on the It’s Okay to Be White sign that hung over the Mass Pike eastbound at Lewis Terrace in Newton Friday morning.
For anyone who is questioning the sign maker’s intentions, here’s some context from the Anti-Defimation League:
The phrase “It’s Okay To Be White” is a slogan popularized in late 2017 as a trolling campaign by members of the controversial discussion forum 4chan. The original idea behind the campaign was to choose an ostensibly innocuous and inoffensive slogan, put that slogan on fliers bereft of any other words or imagery, then place the fliers in public locations. Originators assumed that “liberals” would react negatively to such fliers and condemn them or take them down, thus “proving” that liberals did not even think it was “okay” to be white. Whether the original trollers were white supremacist or not, actual white supremacists quickly began to promote the campaign—often adding Internet links to white supremacist websites to the fliers or combining the phrase with white supremacist language or imagery. This was not a surprise, as white supremacists had themselves used the phrase in the past—including on fliers—long before the 4chan campaign originated. The original flier campaign occurred in late October 2017 and a similar campaign took place at the same time in 2018, but use of the phrase has extended far beyond the flier campaigns.
More from Wikipedia here. Or just Google the phrase and you will find many other news reports. This is not just an isolated thing some teenager just invented.
First thanks to Village 14’s Sean Roche for his efforts to rip this sign down as quickly as he could yesterday morning.
We did post photos about this yesterday but without the historical context behind this slogan. Some of the comments can be read there. But we also removed a number of anonymous comments from participants using a pseudonym who had never commented on Village 14 before.
Thank you for providing that context and historical background. It’s new to me and both illuminating and disturbing.
We are a few days away from Newton’s municipal elections. I hope that all candidates for city council or school committee will renew their commitment to zero tolerance of racism or anti-semitism.
Thanks to Sean, and to Greg for providing the historical context lest anyone think the sign was ‘no big deal’. I’m grateful to be in a community that knows how important it is to call out acts of racism and that is committed to being inclusive and welcoming.
I wrote this on a now-closed comment thread that Greg referenced in his post: “Money says it’s a teenage boy being edgy and having no clue to the wider context of how that message can be interpreted by minorities”
From the ensuing comments, it’s clear to me now that this was interpreted as minimizing the severity of putting up hate speech in our neighborhood. Let me be crystal clear: hate speech should be condemned swiftly and clearly, and I applaud Bryan Barash for doing the right thing taking it down immediately.
…I’m a minority. I’m not white, so I’m not sure exactly how white people should “feel” about this. Upset, angry, sad I imagine. In terms of actions, it would be great if everyone condemned it, full stop. No need to delve into national politics. Race issues are already difficult enough without having to inject even more divisiveness into the subject.
[Start of racism personally experienced as follows:]
Most of the explicit racism I experienced was during my childhood and teenage years. Neighborhood boys (it was always boys) would park themselves on their bikes on the sidewalk near our house and sing-song racial slurs until they got bored, or one time when my older brother was around, he screamed at them to GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE and they rode off.
Another time, “fuck you” was scrawled in Sharpie on front siding just a few feet back from the sidewalk. I knew why we’d been targeted. I fantasized about catching the person in the act and all the ways I would have hurt the person who did this to us while I cleaned it off.
When I was walking to elementary school, an older boy walking behind me was saying something to me. I didn’t know what one of the words he directed at me meant, so I used it several times while speaking to my brother until he blew up at me and told me that I was using a racial slur and that I should stop saying it. I was stunned. I felt extremely guilty and foolish for having used a racial slur against my own brother.
One of my elementary school classmates would make fun of a boy who just joined our grade for being Polish and calling him dumb and all sorts of other racist garbage. I’m ashamed to say that I joined in, not knowing what a “Pole” was. That boy lashed out at me during recess and punched and kicked me, screaming at me to stop calling him that. That was a quick lesson learned, and thankfully, as children do, he didn’t hold it against me and we became friends.
We ran through a certain hilly neighborhood during cross country practice in high school. I ran by a 6 year old boy riding his tricycle in front of his house and he dropped a racial slur on me as I passed. This was a hill loop, so we had a few more to go, so I ran by him the second time around, and he did it again. No. Something had to be done. I ran 10 feet back to where he was, sitting on this tricycle, and threw a punch directly at his face. I stopped just short of his nose. I’ll never forget how his face scrunched up, eyes closed, getting ready to take a punch full on in the face.
Later, perhaps shortly after college, my friends and I were in Cape Cod hitting golf balls at a driving range. We were all of the same race and having a good time and minding our own business at the far end of the driving range when I noticed a 16 or 17 year old boy a few stalls down from us making fun of us in a racist manner. Maybe he didn’t think we would notice, but I certainly did. I walked over and sat on the bench behind his stall and just looked at him, daring him to continue. He got flustered and stopped playing after a few seconds and left the golf range, driving off in his pickup truck in a huff.
[/end]
For me personally, I’ve had to shrug off these experiences in order to move forward with my life and not let things like this upset me so much. It’s a learning experience for me that white folks don’t actually have this privilege of just shrugging it off (paradoxical, right?), and I’ve come to understand that in the end, regardless of WHO – teenage boy or a hardened white supremacist in our midst – or WHY this hate speech was put up – unknowing ignorance, willful ignorance – doesn’t change the fact that it needs to be condemned always and absolutely.
Nelson,
I believe that Sean Roche took down the sign, not Bryan Barash.
Thanks go to Sean!
Race should never be used to deride or divide!
Thank you Greg. Newton is a Welcoming City, an inclusive community. We must condemn and denounce such hateful, divisive acts.
It is very sad. We are falling so low. How come we agree to brand “racist” everything that a double-digit IQ scumbag allegedly said, touched or liked, no matter how uncontroversial that is? Even the very sign OK is declared “racist”. https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/764728163/the-ok-hand-gesture-is-now-listed-as-a-symbol-of-hate What is next? To condemn beer, because some supremacist thugs love it? What if tomorrow, for the sake of provocation, KKK creatures will be holding a placard “Eating icecream is OK”? Can we abandon that slippery slope or it is too late?
Those who are shoving taboos upon you and demanding to obey that “no-no” are controlling you totally. Most of you were born in a free country and as such, unlike me, didn’t need to develop early detection of the Big Brother presence. I am telling you – he is nearing but you still don’t feel that. Here is another example. In Newton, at the high schools, they are brainwashing your children with the materials supplied by a theocratic dictatorship. And those materials are very reminiscent of what Soviet Agitprop created in order to wage a propaganda war against Israel and Jewish people.
I know all those tropes and misrepresentations – they are there.
The “History course” is so controversial that the Superintendant is refusing any transparency so the public can see what is there and where it originated from. But the MA Departement of education said it is OK (because some obscure Harvard “scientists” from a Department heavily subsidized by the very theocracy I mentioned above) – and that is enough the Newton public. Let them harm your children.
Summarizing: if they said the sign OK is not OK – no contest. But if they didn’t say that a piece of hatemongering propaganda is bad for your children’s education – you OK that poisoning.
People, I have been thinking about moving to Newton where my parents spent more than 10 years. But I am scared now. What else they decide to teach children in schools? What if the theocracy would like them to step further?
And you just proved Tucker Carlson’s point, unfortunately.
So it’s not ok? Where you going with that? What if it said ITS NOT OK TO BE WHITE?
GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT! ITS ONLY A PROBLEM BECAUSE SOMEONE MADE IT A PROBLEM! Personally I don’t see the problem
Hey Michael, that OK sign is no longer just the ok sign. It’s been co opted by white supremacists. Since we don’t want to be confused for white supremacists we don’t use it and we’re fine with it since it’s worse being a white supremacist than missing out on a hand signal. Racism is much harder to live with than not getting the full extent of white privilege. You’ll be ok. (See what I did there?)
Kudos to Sean for doing the right thing.
How bout it’s OK to be right?
Is that OK OK?
BTW, my wife who is left told me that OK is not OK.
Thankfully white supremacists have had to resort to murky and ambiguous symbolism to promote their hate speech because overt signs are stomped on and shunned by wider society quickly.
Take a look at this and tell me that things like this are OK, that it wasn’t purposefully done to a biracial couple:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/01/universal-orlando-resort-fires-despicable-me-actor-after-ok-symbol/3791483002/
The first amendment guarantees the right to free speech. There is no such thing
as “hate speech” in our country. While everyone agrees that racism is terrible, it seems
as though anti-white racism is being given a pass in the press these days, as though liberals and
minorities have permission to call all whites racists, white supremacists, white nationalists, etc. Those are
all racist attacks on people because of the color of their skin. Celebrating the taking down of that sign is just
as wrong as if a bunch of white people were celebrating taking down a black lives matter sign.
While one can argue that censoring political speech in secondary schools is educational, to do so in public spaces is a dangerous, social slope, and a violation of the 1st Amendment rights of sign maker. Moreover, a better strategy would be to reclaim the phase “it’s ok to be white (or brown, yellow, black, blue, camel, chartreuse or polka dot.” ) One easily forgets that our unfettered 1st Amendment is remarkable achievement.
The sign maker certainly has a 1st Amendment right to make the sign and to display it – on their own person, or on their own property. But the city/state doesn’t have to host their sign, or any other political sign, on their overpass. That’s not censorship.
@Laura, Tricia: please take the time the time to do some research and work through the complexity of this issue before digging yourself into a super deep hole.
@Dennis, yours is easiest to respond to as you’re right to a certain degree. However, those folks who use hate symbols and speech are much much more invested in claiming these symbols and speech and as such it takes a whole lot of effort to counter them. To be honest, most folks aren’t that interested in reclaiming them; it’s just easier to shun them and point them out as racist.
@Tricia, sorry, edit error, just meant to direct my comment at Laura, not you. I agree with your statement.
A comment has been removed from this thread as has a comment pointing out how awful the removed comment was.
The author of the original post lost commenting rights here long ago for violating our rules. Tonight’s (now removed) comment reminded us why.
Hopefully the police can identify the person(s) who put up this sign.
Tarik,
You pose an interesting inquiry.
It would appear that any violation would be simply tying a banner to the bridge, not for anything which was written on it (or at least what was written in this case). And since flags etc. are routinely tied on bridges over the Pike, and are routinely removed without criminal enforcement, it would seem disparate treatment to single out this sign.
At least that would be an argument against enforcement.
The OK sign and “It’s OK to be white” is speech co-opted by white supremacists.
But go ahead, keep defending white supremacists, it just shows your true colors.
Nelson,
If you’re talking about my last comment, you’re UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY misreading it. I’m NOT defending what is said on the sign. I said above “Race should never be used to deride or divide!” I wholly reject and oppose the sign; I wholly reject and oppose the words on the sign (because of their association with things I reject and oppose).
Nor do I defend white-supremacists the slightest bit.
All I’m saying is that the words on the sign are not illegal and violate no law. If there’s any illegality, it is the posting of a banner on the bridge over the Mass Pike.
Since Greg is on a roll deleting comments, I couldn’t decide whether to bother writing a comment because what I intend to say is not politically correct. However, I think it is worth saying, just as a means of getting people to think more about this issue, rather than resorting to a knee-jerk reaction.
Unlike the Liberals who dominate this blog, I believe that there is more than one explanation for why someone might want to display a sign saying that it is “OK to be white.” I also believe that whoever put up that sign knew that Massachusetts Liberals would respond by claiming that it was “racist” and “white supremacist” without considering whether the culprit was referring to anything else going on in our society.
As I have said before on this blog, I am an Independent, and I do a lot of reading across the political spectrum. One of the things I have become aware of is that many moderates and conservatives say that Liberals do not listen to them when they try to express ideas that disagree with Liberal ideology.
When I read about the sign featured in this blog post, I wondered if that might not have been the motivation for someone to shout out in exasperation that it was OK to be white to Liberals who fervently believe in marginalization/white privilege ideology. Perhaps some of you are unaware that concepts such as “White Privilege” and “Institutionalized Racism” are not universally believed and accepted. To learn more about other perspectives on this issue, you might want to read a two-part article entitled “Why White Privilege is Wrong” written by two Cambridge University scholars.
https://quillette.com/2019/10/16/why-white-privilege-is-wrong-part-1/
https://quillette.com/2019/10/16/why-white-privilege-is-wrong-part-2/
It is members of the far left who hold these views and who apply them in real world situations as if they were irrefutable truth. This has resulted in numerous cases of white people experiencing racial discrimination. Some white people are growing tired of this discrimination, and perhaps what we’re seeing now is a desire to express their frustration with the situation.
For example, this past spring, three white female executives in the New York City School System were demoted by the new school superintendent and replaced with less qualified people of color because his primary goal is to rid the school system of “toxic whiteness.” The three white women have filed a $90 million lawsuit against the New York Education Department for racial and gender discrimination. https://nypost.com/2019/05/28/bombshell-suit-claims-carranzas-toxic-whiteness-purge-cost-doe-execs-their-jobs/. This is not an isolated incident because the same thing happened in the school district where I grew up. However, the white school administrators who were forced out there did not file a lawsuit.
Another example of a situation which could antagonize white people is the ethnic studies curriculum that was proposed recently for the state of California. Among the proposals that enraged members of the public was a requirement that white students be forced to take a “privilege walk” as a requirement for graduation. According to an article about this published in the Boston Herald (https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/08/21/ethnic-studies-left-wing-attempt-to-control-curriculum/)
“The curriculum tars white students — by virtue of their whiteness — as oppressors. The course outline calls for “the privilege walk,” an exercise to teach white students about privileges they take for granted. “Whiteness,” defined as “more than a racial identity marker,” apparently “separates those that are privileged from those that are not.” White kids will have to endure this harassment to graduate.”
I could provide more examples of discrimination against white people, which Liberals feel is justified, but which most moderates and conservatives feel is not. As someone already commented above, discrimination and racism against the white race has become acceptable in society. Whites are the only race who are treated this way. Do Liberals believe that all whites will endure this treatment indefinitely without pushing back?
When white people get demoted with no evidence of poor job performance, based solely on Liberal Ideology, they lose income, along with authority. They and their families are harmed by the loss of income. And it is illegal to treat any other race this way.
I think that we, in America, need to revisit the topic of racism and look for explanations and solutions to racial inequality that do not include blaming and penalizing one race for the problems of another. In recent years, we have been unable to propose new ideas because Liberals have a stranglehold on society with the weapons of Political Correctness and Identity Politics.
It’s really time for Liberals to stop telling everyone what to think and what to say and to engage in dialog with others who disagree with them. Only in this way can we end long-standing problems such as racism and other ills of our society.
What do you say Liberals? Are you willing to listen to others and entertain new ideas so that we can all move forward to a better place?
Hanging a banner in a highly visible public space anonymously with no idea as to the intention of the person hanging the sign, with the OK sign used by white supremacists as a dog whistle, and you want us liberals to listen?
Yeah, no.
There’s so much more evidence refuting your points on white privilege and institutional racism that it’s laughable. Flat Earthers might have stronger evidence in fact.
Conservatives (I edited this from “white conservatives” as it’s redundant) like to point out this vague liberal agenda in the media and elsewhere about white racism but rarely can they cite personal and specific racist incidents. I’ve listed plenty in my early comment above. Can you?
Black History Month is February, White history is everything else.
I see the pattern here. A non-leftist post – one per a poster – and that is it. everything else deleted. Race-baiting welcomed (Nelson all over the place), no attempts to address it allowed. Got it. I have something better to do but type the posts (it takes more time than if I was a native speaker) and see them immediately deleted.
Once again – “freedom of speech” at its beauty. Well, “Pravda” was worse. Thanks, everybody.
😉
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