A kiss is just a kiss — well, not this one

[bananas]

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS — Their kiss launched an online frenzy.

This particular kiss wasn't the first for Chris Spencer and his girlfriend, Emilee Murphree. In fact, they are hundreds of smooches into their 21/2- year-old relationship.

But this kiss, captured in a photo April 10 in the Post-Dispatch's Go! section, quickly attracted 350-plus comments on the newspaper's race blog. Specifically, it wasn't the kiss so much as those doing the kissing that created such buzz.

Spencer is black. Murphree is white.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/531E0FABF1369B2A8625759B00823F58?OpenDocument

[applegrove]

1. That is so sad. You think people could just enjoy young lovers smooching. Cause it is cute.

[MineralMan]

2. Amazing...

I couldn't find a link to the original article and the comments to it, though.

It doesn't suprise me at all, though, that racism raised it's nasty-looking head. It's very thinly concealed out there.

[bananas]

6. Here's the photo

[MineralMan]

7. Thanks. They look like nice folks to me.

[FloridaJudy]

20. Thanks

I think it's a charming picture. When will this country finally grow the hell up?

Of course, I suspect the outrage would be even more pronounced were it a same-sex couple.

{{{{{ sigh }}}}}

If they'd been pointing guns at each other, that would make it okay, right?

[Number23]

27. Every single word of your post is spot on

Depressing, isn't it??

[quickesst]

28. "I'm sensible pro-gun....

..."If they'd been pointing guns at each other, that would make it okay, right?"

....and I think the photo is nicely done. You must not know that much about racists or you would know that it wouldn't matter if they were pointing fifty caliber machine guns at each other. It is not the presence or absense of guns that determine racism, and putting a gun in someones hands doesn't automatically make someone racist. Sometimes it's better to just quit while you're ahead. Thanks.
quickesst

[polmaven]

30. Can you just IMAGINE

the reaction to a same sex mixed race couple? ....But you are right....If they had been pointing guns at each other, it would have somehow looked normal.


I seem to have forgotten....What year/century is this again?

[Lithos]

24. Sad this picture bothers people

A couple in public, hands obviously in plain sight, having a sweet kiss.

What's the problem?

Yeah, I know, I know. Seems to me the real problem are the racists who just can't accept people beyond simple stereotypes. I bet you find the same people who are complaining about this picture also in support of teabagging.

L-

[Ian David]

38. Ahhhh! How do we explain this to our children???

Seriously though...

I can't wait until all the old conservative generation is dead and buried, so we can get on with the 21st Century already.

[flobee1]

43. We will never get on already

The old generation is being replaced by the new Iraq war generation.
Talk with any military family that had a member over there for more than 1 tour-Most are loyal neo-conservative Bush/Reganites who just cant comprehend anything but war and greed

[timtom]

45. They're a beautiful couple

[CBR]

3. On our local online paper it is the same ten people

posting comments and it always turns in to the worst racial diatribe. I used to work in the homeless sector and there was a story regarding a woman, her boyfriend and their children who were experiencing homelessness -- white woman, black man. The vitriol was amazing.

[rrneck]

4. I wish

all I had to worry about was who was kissing who.

A lot of people need to read a book. With footnotes. Or at least go outside once in a while.

[MadMaddie]

5. The reaction from the hate mongers is not surprising

they are losing control of their bubbles and they are angry.

The rest of the country is moving on without them in many different areas.

The Repugs have self inflicted another wound on their party, they can no longer hide the racist, women hating, gay hating tendencies of their supporters and it is destroying them.

I hope this couple has an everlasting life together.

[Auggie]

14. Right on

[biscotti]

8. Every time I think

mankind is evolving then I read something like this article. Will there always be bigots and racists, homophobs and hypocrites?
Some day down the road of discovering humanity to one another surely, we will live and let live.

[angstlessk]

9. I met my husband 18 years ago and thought at that time in VA that racism was 'fixed' in the 60's

boy was I wrong!!! no crosses burned on our lawn, but not exactly what I thought it would be...I saw prejudice I was not aware of before on almost a daily basis. ;(

on edit: he is black and I am white...forget to say ;-)

[Hepburn]

35. Sorry that anyone has been mean or nasty to you.

I wish to hell people would just accept love for being a good thing.

[gauguin57]

49. Well, congrats to you both, for rising above the prejudice for 18 years.

18 years together is something to be proud of, for any couple. When other people have made your lives difficult and you're still together after 18 years, I think that's something to be even PROUDER of.

[BlueJazz]

10. I'm not surprised about this at all. Anybody want to bet that the 35 percent..

...of people who Love/Loved George Bush are also >>>

The Tea-baggers
The ones who think black/white marriages are evil/disgusting
The ones who hate gays
The ones that think Rush is "A pretty neat Guy"
...and so on & so on...

[liberalmuse]

11. It's incredible that there are still so many racists.

We're moving forward, but unfortunately these assholes (they are assholes because everyone on this planet should know better-there is no excuse for this kind of ignorance and bigotry anymore, not that there ever was) are teaching their children to be racists, and it will stick with some of them, so it will never completely die out with the older generations. The good news is, a large number of kids raised in homophobic and racist households will not become homophobic or racist, in spite of how they were raised.

[madaboutharry]

12. That really is sad.

They look like a nice couple.

[Irishonly]

13. That's too bad

A young couple in love is to be celebrated. You think things are getting better then a reality check hits you squarely between the eyes.

[kedrys]

15. One of the things I like best about living in Montreal

is that interracial couples and gay couples and non-homogeneous couples of all stripes hold hands and smooch in public and nobody gives a shite. The way it should be.

[AwakeAtLast]

16. They look like a great couple

who are truly in love. Happy to give this a 5th K & R!

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Racism is ascendant once again. And I am hopeful it is for the last time.

Electing a black president seems to have inspired a fair bit of overt racism that had been tamped down in recent years. I am hopeful this is the last gasp of it.

We are changing as a people. We will soon no longer be majority pure-white.

This handsome couple are the vanguard of our new cultural complexion. I wish them all the very best.

And they can to my house and kiss and time they want to.

[shanti]

33. really now!

i wonder how these racists think that OUR PRESIDENT was conceived?!

[rocktivity]

18. Are they kidding?

A quick glance, and you could mistake her for a light-skinned black!



:eyes:
rocktivity

[Cha]

21. Thanks for the

pic!

[FrenchieCat]

19. Hey....that looks like my parents 52 years ago...when they first started dating!

:)

[Rhiannon12866]

22. K&R. Yikes!

Haven't people got more serious things to worry about, these days? This brouhaha seems ridiculous to me, but I guess that there are still bigots out there. And how is this anyone else's business, anyway? :eyes:

Reminds me of what I told a friend who was new to politics and kept asking me the difference between liberals and conservatives. Finally I told him that the conservatives are those who want to tell everyone else what to do... :grr:

Spencer said it best: "It's amazing. I can't believe there are still people out there like this." Nor can I...:-(

[Q3JR4]

23. I thought we as a society had outgrown this

hatred of interracial couples.

Wasn't the issue firmly decided 50 odd years ago?

Q3JR4.
Enraged by outright stupidity.

[MadMaddie]

36. Not really you still had states in the 80's that had no

interacial marriage on their books.

I think when Reagan rolled in the Repugs manipulated media tried to put out the message that all is well and racism didn't exist. Their message said one thing but their actions - feeding the extremist paranoia proved another thing.

We see that in today's hate mongering environment with the Repugs, they have lain with the Devil and they will pay for it dearly...they already are.

[Fla Dem]

25. The vitriol and hatred expressed is exactly what the DHS report

was alluding to. All these people who hates anyone who isn't like them just need a spark to set them off. And that spark can be Limpballs, Hannity, Beck or Robertson.

[Butch350]

26. A kiss goes out to Spencer and Murphree...

[Ohio Joe]

29. Unbelievable

That anyone would even give a crap in 2009. sigh... so much further to go, sad.

[llmart]

42. Don't kid yourself.....

There are still people out there who find this appalling, including my 70-year old sister-in-law from West Virginia. Her comment on being invited to my nephew's wedding (he married a black woman): "I don't believe in that sort of thing" (said in her best hillbilly accent).

[shanti]

31. oh, good f-ing grief!

:eyes: what is this, 1900???? we have a biracial president and there are STILL stories like this??

[JerseygirlCT]

32. Wow. Still. Very sad. nt

[Hepburn]

34. It's 2009....

...who in his/her right mind is upset about a romatic relationship between persons of different races???

:shrug:

Unbelievable!

Right now...I am getting ready to visit with one of my all-time favorite couples ~~ she is white and he is black ~~ and, frankly, most of the time it does not even cross my mind what the heck race either of them happens to be. They just are who they are.

How sad that anyone is upset about love! Nice looking couple who seem to really care about each other ~~ and people are upset?

Sheesh!

[JayMusgrove]

37. Some people live as though it is 1859. They think salvery

is a cool idea, to get rich of the backs of people of color.

Or they think it's 1909, when black folks didn't really have very good schools, and he to use separate bathrooms, doors, drinking fountains, couldn't stay in some hotels.

Or they think it's 1959, when folks of color STILL were not going to the same schools, five years after Brown v Board of Ed, when state universities routinely denied entrance to people of color.

Or they think it's 2001, when Bush was elected, and they thought life would return to 1859 soon enough.

I wonder who these people are, but they are out there, we know it.

[Hepburn]

39. Some times I forget that there are some real...

...Neanderthals still running loose in our nation! Sad, isn't it?

[JayMusgrove]

44. Just don't let your scottie anywhere near them, he will bite them...

and then be sick from their bile.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

40. I can't speak to St Louis 'proper,' but across the river in Southern Illinois there's a LOT of ...

...brazen racial stuff that would seem anachronistic to most-- Southern Illinois is a really fucked up part of the country with only spotty little areas (like college towns, to an extent) providing islands of tolerance.

[olddad56]

52. You let an interracial couple kiss and the next thing you know, they will want to marry.

and then gay people will want their civil rights also.

[Blue_Tires]

41. you stay classy, STL

[surrealAmerican]

46. It's not a very good photo.

The lighting is bad, the background is much too busy, etc., but it is certainly not in any way offensive or controversial. It's very discouraging to find that there are still people out there who would find it worth objecting to.

[krabigirl]

47. Unbelievable. Those idiots need serious help if they think anything is wrong with this.

[gauguin57]

48. Up here in the "Alabama" part of PA, we get racist comments on our local newspaper's talkback, too.

So, unfortunately, I'm not surprised by this stuff in St. Louis.

Look how CUTE these two are!


Chris Spencer and his girfriend Emilee Murphree joke with each other Wednesday evening while preparing dinner in their apartment in the Central West End.

"... Emilee Murphree said she was focusing on the good that had come from the brouhaha. 'There were two times I came close to crying — once when I read what my friends had said about us, and my dad's comments. If this hadn't happened, I don't think I'd hear those kinds of things.' ...

"... Spencer says it serves as a wake-up call that there is still hate and racism, specifically in the town he feels comfortable living in. Even after the photo flap."

[Barack_America]

50. What a sweet couple. nt

[MissMillie]

51. I imagine those who were offended would rather see

the races warring w/ each other. I guess they find that much more appealing than an expression of love.