Ebay still selling racist materials

[The Straight Story]

Ebay still selling racist materials

Sunday, February 01, 2009
By Thomas Serafin


“Yes we can” were the words spoken by President Obama as Oprah and Jesse Jackson stood quietly and proudly in an audience of tearful Americans. Our nation put aside its color differences and voted into office a man based on his ability, charisma, dignity, and most of all a hope for a better future.

I am absolutely sure President Obama will do his best and that America as a whole is better off as a result of this historic electoral process. Yes we can make a difference as individuals and as a whole. It would be an injustice to every American who voted to not address another issue in this season of “yes we can” hope.

Unfortunately, racial and ethnic prejudice still permeates some sections of society and is tolerated by one of the largest corporations in the world. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week on any computer around the world any individual regardless of age can go on www.eBay.com and post or purchase racially and ethnically insensitive items.

Just days after the inauguration of America's first African American president, Barrack Obama and the first Catholic vice-president, Joseph Biden, eBay is hosting items offensive to both groups and most of the nation.

Items for sale include "coon" songs, a piece of piano music entitled "n-----" blues, anti-Catholic post cards and tracts from the Ku Klux Klan, and even the bones of Catholic saints.

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=34&idsub=127&id=17964&t=Ebay+still+selling+racist+materials

[MadHound]

1. Ah yes, the collectibles market in racist material

I used to get bent out of shape about this until I actually met some collectors, African American collectors. Some thought it was utterly hilarious to have the lawn jockey out front and Aunt Jemimah knick knacks on the shelves. Others collected as a way of witnessing this era in our history. People collect this sort of stuff for many different reasons other than racism.

Are there racists out there collecting this stuff, sure. But back in the nineties, when this issue first came up, I read an article that stated it was African Americans who were doing the majority of buying of this stuff:shrug:

I even have a friend of mine who, despite the color of his skin, was able to get onto the mailing list, and then join by mail, a KKK group in the Midwest. He thought it was hilarious to be a card carrying Klan member. He was going to show up at a gathering, but sadly before he could go the group was busted up by local law enforcement. He still has the paperwork though, just for laughs.

[The Straight Story]

2. Don't see a problem with collecting it either

History, good or bad, is still worth studying and remembering.

I used to know someone who had one of those lawn jockey things, and there is still one I see often about 2 miles from here.

[hlthe2b]

14. I always had fond memories of a picture that hung in my grandmother's

kitchen... I remember it from chlidhood and it did not have connotations of any kind at the time. Now, if I had it these many years after her death, I don't know that I would be comfortable at all with it... I don't know whatever happened to it, but I often wondered how I would feel if I came across it in an antique shop. It so reminded me of my grandmother and a much simpler time in my life and it never had racist connotations at the time, but certainly would raise eyebrows with many now... It was just considered to be a cute picture.

I'd be curious what others think. It was a small framed print from the 1920s--and it portrayed a very small image of a little black boy all wrapped up in his coat and scarf so that only a bit of his face was showing outside his light colored scarf and bundled clothing. The image is very small with the entire rest of the print being a snow field. The tiny figure of the child is barely visible in the snow field. The picture had its title at the bottom that I recall clearly: "A huckleberry in a bowl of cream..."

Would this item be intrinsically racist and nonredeemable to most here? I am curious...

[rangersmith82]

15. Sorry as much as we are offended by it it is a free country..

And they should be allowed to sell it.

Should the ban pornography? Devil worshiping material??

We are a free nation, as long as it doesn't violate any current law it should be freely available.

Never try to create something that can be used against us in the future.

[Blue Dog Dominion]

6. Dave Chappelle?

[MadHound]

8. Nah, my friend did this years and years ago before Chappelle hit the scene

[hlthe2b]

12. Yes... it is hard to know how to feel about some of the old stuff

The unpleasant stereotypes behind even the "cutest" item makes it a little hard. But, I think there is a whole spectrum of stuff and I guess the reactions to it run the gammit as well.... But I learned a long time ago that many collectors are African Americans who have their own very perspective on its intrinsic value...

Some of it to me is just repulsive, but those items that mark a historical era and don'tintrinsically degrade any person or group, no matter how outdated-- perhaps, less so.

[MineralMan]

3. Most of the collectors of the racism-related memorabilia are

black. There's a whole genre of the stuff, and it's widely collected.

As for the Catholic relics, that trade has gone on for decades. Again, it's mostly Catholics who buy it.

Racist stuff was made. It exists. Someone collects it...usually as exemplars of a time gone by.

The Catholic Church itself was once in the business of selling holy relics, you know. That's where the come from.

[WillowTree]

4. eBay's "Offensive Materials Policy"

"Sellers may not list items that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial or religious intolerance, or items that promote organizations with such views.

Sellers wishing to list items that may be covered by this policy must review the “Examples” section for detailed information about items that may and may not be permitted on eBay.

Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

Listing cancellation

Limits on account privileges

Account suspension

Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

Loss of PowerSeller status

Examples:


Items that Promote Hatred, Violence, Racial or Religious Intolerance

eBay has always exercised judgment in allowing or disallowing certain listings consistent with the spirit of a worldwide community. Therefore, eBay will judiciously disallow listings or items that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial or religious intolerance, or items that promote organizations (such as the KKK, Nazis, neo-Nazis and Aryan Nation) with such views. For example, eBay will generally remove items that bear the marks of such organizations, such as relics from the KKK or certain Nazi memorabilia.

Under this policy, eBay may in its discretion, remove items when the item or description graphically portrays violence or victims of violence, and lacks substantial social, artistic or political value......"

So, when you see these offensive items, do you report the listings? There's a "Report this item" button at the bottom of every listing. I've reported any number of listings over time and eBay's been pretty good about pulling them once they know about them.

Oh, and eBay doesn't sell these items. eBay is only a venue, like a hall that rents out booths for a craft show. And it's gotten too big. They can't possibly read and monitor every listing before it goes up. But they do respond to reports when people take the time to make them.

[MineralMan]

5. Lots of sexist stuff on ebay, too, BTW.

Old copies of Playboy. Even battery-powered sexual devices.

Ebay reflects the marketplace. You can find anything there, if you look hard enough.

[customerserviceguy]

16. What's sexist

about battery-powered sexual devices?

[MichaelHarris]

19. It's

bigger than mine?

[customerserviceguy]

20. Funny!

OK, I see where you're coming from! (pardon the pun!)

[pipi_k]

17. One of the funniest/weirdest things I ever saw advertised there

was old, beat up, smelly house slippers.

Technically, they're not supposed to be sold, so I don't know if there are any more ads for them, but for a while they were there.

Women selling their bedroom slippers in the most horrendous condition imaginable, and guys (I presume they were guys) were going crazy over them. What was really funny/gross was that some of these ads even mentioned how smelly they were...and the bidding was going crazy.

I could kick myself when I think of all the pairs of old bedroom slippers I threw in the trash...

[Vinca]

7. During the campaign I made frequent visits to ebay for the sole purpose

of reporting these auctions. I'd report something, a few days later it would be gone, then a few days later it would be back. I give up. ebay cares about only one thing: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[Clareman]

9. Check out Without Sanctuary

Some of this collecting does have real value, and no one should attempt to censor or inhibit it. One example of such collecting is the exhibit "Without Sanctuary":

http://www.withoutsanctuary.org

It documents the postcards of lynchings that were once a popular trade item in America. It sounds bizarre today, but lynchings were public events to which crowds would even come by chartered train, and photographs of the victims became souvenirs. It goes without saying that the material is disturbing, but it should be known that it happened.

Incidentally, the "postcards of the hanging" that Dylan sang about in Desolation Row would have been, quite literally, postcards of lynchings.

[MineralMan]

11. You're right...

If this type of material is not collected, it would be easy to forget the times when it was prevalent. That's why so many people collect examples of material that commemmorates a time in the past when terrible things were done to members of their own group.

Most people, for example, are unaware that postcards of lynchings used to circulate through the mails. And yet, they did, and people collect these things and keep the memories alive. It's important that we do so.

That ebay allows such items to be sold has nothing to do with current racism or anti-catholicism or any other such thing. It's history. We must remember our history so we don't repeat the evil parts of it.

[slackmaster]

10. eBay doesn't sell anything except advertising space

It's an auction site where individuals and businesses sell things.

[Warpy]

13. Ah, that pesky first amendment

As much as I loathe the racist garbage out there, I loathe censorship far more.

As long as it's not inciting some loon to violence, and that has to be specific, I'm afraid the first amendment protects it.

I'd rather have this garbage out in the open so we can keep an eye on the people who produce and buy it than drive it underground, in any case.

It's not going to go away, you know. Not ever.

[Doc_Technical]

18. The collection of these items was mentioned

in the Spike Lee movie, "Bamboozled"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215545/