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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBaseball Great Hank Aaron Flooded With Racist Hate Mail After Defending Obama
The Atlanta Braves have been deluged with hate mail after baseball great Hank Aaron's recent comments about racism in America and President Obama's critics.
According to USA Today, the Braves organization has received hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls since Aaron made his comments a week ago.
"Hank Aaron is a scumbag piece of (expletive) (racial slur)'' read an email from a man named Edward, according to USA Today.
Edward evidently used the racist epithet five times.
- more -
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/hank-aaron-atlanta-braves-racist-hate-mail
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)These same bedsheet racists (or their fathers, anyway) pestered him the whole time he was chasing Babe Ruth's home run record.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)Aaron himself downplayed the "chase" to surpass Babe Ruth, while baseball enthusiasts and the national media grew increasingly excited as he closed in on the 714 career home runs record. Aaron received thousands of letters every week during the summer of 1973; the Braves ended up hiring a secretary to help him sort through it.[30]
Aaron (then age 39) hit 40 home runs in 392 at-bats, ending the 1973 season one home run short of the record. He hit home run number 713 on September 29, 1973, and with one day remaining in the season, many expected him to tie the record. But in his final game that year, playing against the Houston Astros (managed by Leo Durocher, who had once roomed with Babe Ruth), he was unable to achieve this. After the game, Aaron stated that his only fear was that he might not live to see the 1974 season. [31]
He was the recipient of death threats during the 1973 winter season and a large assortment of hate mail from people who did not want to see Aaron break Ruth's nearly sacrosanct home run record.[32] The threats extended to those providing positive press coverage of Aaron. Lewis Grizzard, then sports editor of the Atlanta Journal, reported receiving numerous phone calls calling journalists "nigger lovers" for covering Aaron's chase. While preparing the massive coverage of the home run record, he quietly had an obituary written, afraid that Aaron might be murdered.[33]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Aaron
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,104 posts)A TV show covering Hank's achievement showed some of the hate mail he received. 40 years later much the same.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)some of the good citizens calling him the N-word were not racists at all ... they were merely hardcore Yankee fans!
I kid you not!
ETA: Correction ... It was only a few, not "some."
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)I'm not sure whether the Yankee fans used the N-word or not. And they were SOME of the good citizens. Many others were, in fact, bedsheet racists.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)Whisp
(24,096 posts)gratuitous
(82,849 posts)And, just because the hate mail uses uses the word "nigger," that in and of itself is certainly no indication that the person who wrote that is racist or anything. If you say it does, you're just avoiding the discussion and trying to wriggle out of the crushing grip of their superior reason by derailing things by introducing the topic of racism.
At least, that's what I think Jonathan Chait has been trying to say for the last couple of weeks. No, it doesn't make any sense.
agbdf
(200 posts)However, I have several Republican friends and some Republicans in my own family and I would say that the vast majority of Republicans are not racists. They are mostly well meaning people with misinformed and misguided beliefs. I work very hard to convert my Republican friends and neighbors and I have been successful in some limited instances over the years.
I'm not with those who would hastily compare all Republicans to the KKK.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)The dear departed Bartcop's rule of mistakes was that if someone makes a "mistake" that puts more money in his pocket, he'll probably keep making that same mistake over and over. It was in the context of the mortgage crisis, because all of those banks had somehow coincidentally kept making the same mistakes that resulted in all kinds of commissions and bonuses. Logic dictates that at some point, they weren't really making mistakes writing all those bad mortgages because it was so lucrative.
By the same token (npi), Republicans keep coming up with new policies and programs that just happen to disproportionately affect black people negatively (tax cuts, voting restrictions, refusal to raise the minimum wage, etc.). Jonathan Chaits fatuous column from last week excuses these political maneuverings because some white people are affected, too, so its wrong to call it racist.
EXCEPT that its pretty obvious from even a cursory analysis that the majority of the impact from these proposals is going to fall on black people, who vote about 10-1 in favor of Democrats. Chait and the Republicans are trying to peddle the line that its merely coincidental and nothing racist about it; it just so happens that Republican policies slam blacks time after time.
Which is flat nonsense. And while individual Republicans might be able to make a case that they are not racist, their party of registration clearly is. What are individual Republicans doing about that? Are they punishing their elected officials for advocating for racist policies? No? Then theyd better get used to being called racist, because their silence ensures a racist result, whether they like it or not.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)But the modern Republican Party has become so tainted with racism - assuming it wasn't already - that it's difficult to separate one from the other.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)and they'll come out with some mostly irrelevant rant about the supposed epidemic of black-on-white hate crimes. Shows pretty clearly that they think white people are the only people who matter.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Because,...ya know,...gotz to keep em in their place.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)you take my point nonetheless.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)always waving that bullshit meme around.
JI7
(89,177 posts)rocktivity
(44,555 posts)In The Course Of Hitting Enough Home Runs To Become A Baseball Great
rocktivity
alp227
(31,961 posts)Ishoutandscream2
(6,655 posts)What fucking idiots.
Hestia
(3,818 posts)and back then when he surpassed Ruth's record. I find it funny that these people take "racist" comments to heart and then write to a person with the exact racist comments the original commenter* was commenting on - whew! what a tongue twister
*yeah, I know, not a "real" word - just a forum one
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)way way way more!
malaise
(267,823 posts)TeamPooka
(24,156 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)when I was a kid.
On a team of stars he was like a burning comet....
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)and I'm totally not a sports fan. But I'd sure like to see that.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)but I didn't realize it at the time.
I also saw Willy Mays, Roy Campanella, Larry Doby.. and even a few white guys like.. Di Maggio, Mantle, Rizutto, Whitey Ford... they weren't slouches, either.
Man, I must be old !
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Gee I actually recognize three of those names. Guess I'm not as sports illiterate as I thought.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Looks like Aaron's 'uncomfortable truths' hit a little too close to home...
agbdf
(200 posts)When we engage in bigotry by using inappropriate names for people, of a certain race, who's politics we disagree with, we bring ourselves down to the same level of those on the right who use similar tactics. Either one is a bigot or they are not. You can't be an appropriate or good bigot just because you have the right intentions. Calling a lower-middle class or rural white person a "Redneck" is a slur. These are the very people who benefit from our Democratic policies and we should be reaching out to them not calling them names.
The types on our side who use the bigoted terms for ethnic groups who don't agree with us make me think that they too would make disparaging remarks about African Americans if the African American Community supported Republicans instead of our candidates.
The problems with names and slurs is that they have the intent or goal of dehumanizing those who are target by them. We are better than that and, even though there are plenty on the other side who engage in this conduct, we should not stoop to their disgusting level.
DisgustipatedinCA
(12,530 posts)Thank you for the lecture, and welcome to Democratic Underground.
dsharp88
(487 posts)Jackie Robinson and Lou Gehrig being the other two.
Here are two words that describe each of them - "quiet dignity". Or maybe, "courageous integrity".
How many sports stars can you think of you can apply either of those two phrases to? A few, sure, but not very many at all.
Initech
(99,915 posts)gollygee
(22,336 posts)That's what things are like.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Bluzmann57
(12,336 posts)What do you mean?
I'm a football fan and I truly admire Hammerin' Hank Aaron and love baseball too, if one considers the Cubs a baseball team anyway. Just sort of wondering if you are trying a (allegedly) humorous cheap shot a football fans. If not, then what?
Anyway, enjoy Jackie Robinson day all over MLB today.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Bluzmann57
(12,336 posts)Thanks for clearing that up. Sorta hard to tell what's going on sometimes when there is no real human one on one contact.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,104 posts)There were a lot of racist tweets directed at Richard Sherman after the NFC championship.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)hibbing
(10,076 posts)It is sad, but it is not really that surprising with the overt racism of the Republican party in this country and the fucked up teabaggers.
Peace
Ohio Joe
(21,656 posts)They seem to prove it day after day.
napkinz
(17,199 posts)heaven05
(18,124 posts)oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)Time for us to go to the Braves website and send some supporting emails. Please do not let this go without a response. I suspect USA used this for sales. Maybe we should let them know we are underwhelmed.
RainDog
(28,784 posts)yuiyoshida
(41,762 posts)Teabaggers getting press. Those white hoods seem to pop up every time some minority is in the news.. all you have to do is look at comments after each on line newspaper story or read the comments on youtube. com. This country has become worse and worse in terms of racism.
FreedRadical
(518 posts)Just becoming harder and harder to cover up what it has always been.
AND... Harder and harder for progressive's to ignore the deeper implications.
yuiyoshida
(41,762 posts)IT took Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and the election of Obama to bring this to a full head. During the Bush Era there was some voices saying racist things...but the Right wing hated that Obama was elected.. YOU see it all over the internet now.. that too has contributed to the nasty dialog. They don't even try to hide it any more... Oh and by the way...I grew up in San Francisco, a very diverse place filled with many people of different cultures. I never saw any racism at my high school. It wasn't till I went on the internet where I discovered I could be called a "Chink", a "Jap", a "Gook" ...as well as other derogatory names.
noiretextatique
(27,275 posts)and louder lately, but they have always been here. from oakland
yuiyoshida
(41,762 posts)Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)YouTube comments anymore. It makes me feel like I've been infected with cooties every time I read some. Normally the average YouTube comment is kinda idiotic, anyway, but I noticed that it gets boosted to the next level particularly on videos where there are mainly minorities, especially music videos or videos of random fights.
yuiyoshida
(41,762 posts)totally, Jammal
FreedRadical
(518 posts)Stay tuned right here on this one. Soon the chickens will come home to roost.
yuiyoshida
(41,762 posts)If so, they don't last long. That's why we have Hosts, and people volunteering on MIRT.
FreedRadical
(518 posts)What I care about is real and lasting change. I grew up with this shit. There is little that can be said to me that hasn't been said before.
The thing I find most repulsive about our country is the denial. The denial of hate. The denial of privilege. The denial of contempt. The denial of destructive psychology. The denial of the BIG LIE.
I will not support a new master in exchange for the old and call it good.
madashelltoo
(1,685 posts)Nothing new here.
a kennedy
(29,464 posts)TinkerTot55
(198 posts)"Flooded" and "deluged" does NOT equal "hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls."
Hundreds.
Over 300 million people in the USA, and the Braves organization received "hundreds?"
That comes nowhere NEAR the number of racists in Georgia alone.
But that's okay. Most of us know what a classy individual Mr. Aaron is, and expect that type of hatred toward anyone who points out to racists that they are, indeed, saying racist things.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Just how many daily e-mails and phone calls unrelated to ticket sales DO the Atlanta Braves get? Maybe a dozen??
NoGOPZone
(2,971 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)that not that much has changed since he received all the racist hate mail while he was going for the batting record. Now, in essence, he gets new racist hate mail.
It would be nice if all the racists could be outed.
randr
(12,408 posts)need to keep an eye on. A very close eye I hope.
Tarheel_Dem
(31,207 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)indepat
(20,899 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)with my dad when I was a little kid in the '50s. We lived in Milwaukee then so of course we were fans. Hank Aaron was the star player then, as far as I could tell. Because we didn't have TV yet and always listened to the games on the radio it was years and years before I learned he was black. Guess even in those days the Milwaukee fans (my family, at least) didn't care. Sounds like he's still a star, but it's sad that even after all these years he has to put up with crap from racist assholes.
Packerowner740
(676 posts)He played for my milwaukee team back in the day.
Cha
(295,915 posts)with hate because they feel so damn inferior.
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)Even here. Still, here. It is too bad HA's comparison of the pugs to the KKK spurred an in-kind response, people on both sides do stupid things. But he did all but call the opposition party racist for merely being opposed to Obama's policies. That's bs. I have repub friends and family, some lifelong repubs. They don't dislike Obama because of his "race." I have a few Democratic friends that dislike Obama as well. Still, no discernible racism. But then again, I'm not gifted to see it everywhere. What tells me HA's assertion that the gop's opposition to Obama's efforts is racist (let's quell all dissent, shall we?), is that the gop went after Clinton in a far worse fashion than they've gone after Obama. Was that race-based too?
Adenoid_Hynkel
(14,093 posts)You've ratcheted up racial hatred and paranoia about our president to the point that things look exactly like they did when Aaron got hate mail from southern rednecks in 1974.