And We Thought We Came So Far: The Most Racist Moments Of 2014 was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
1. 2014’s Most Racist Moments
2014 was a rough year for racial politics and equality. We jeered, we cringed, and were outraged by a number of headlines, tragedies and decidedly reckless behavior from the media. Take a look at the racist moments that left us in disbelief. Here’s to a more balanced 2015.
2. Artie Lange’s Racist & Sexist Tweet
Comedian Artie Lange wrote some of the most disgusting fantasies we’ve ever seen. They were racist, sexist and just disturbing…and he shared it on Twitter. “I attempt to whip @CariChampion cuz she disrespected the Jefferson Plantation but she grabs whip & beats me I c*m like a fat founding father.” http://bit.ly/1ux3UBQ
3. Sephora Singles Out Asian Customers
We had sympathy for our Asian sistas when cosmetics emporium Sephora shut out any Asian-sounding names from making purchases during one of their massive holiday sales. They did so through their database and to prevent future bulk re-selling, but together, four Asian women filed a lawsuit against the company for their discrimination. http://bit.ly/1vt9C8i
4. Twitter Racists Hate The “New Annie”
The White Twitterverse was very upset to see America’s favorite orphan played by a cute little Black girl. “They’re redoing the Annie movie and making the little girl black. The f**k gonna be going on next? A black snow white????” on person tweeted. http://bit.ly/1weXp1y
5. People Magazine’s Lame HTGAWM Tweet
So who was the lamebrain behind this? During a fantastic episode of How To Get Away With Murder, from People Mag’s Twitter account someone tweeted (in reference to Viola Davis’ Oscar-nominated role in ‘The Help’): “Waiting for Viola to breaking into: You is kind. You is smart. You is important”. Tacky! Of course Black Twitter let ’em have it, and People deleted it, but we got screenshots. http://bit.ly/13r3
6. ’12 Years A Slave’ Headlines That Hurt
Say what you will about “No more slave movies!” but 12 Years A Slave from an artistic viewpoint was cinematic and beautifully executed. Please see it if you haven’t. While the film deservedly took home top honors at the Oscars, the tactless headlines really ticked us off. http://bit.ly/1CvzCQu
7. Fergson Protestors Labeled ‘Animals’
It was sad to see Ferguson turn into a war zone following the non-indictment of Darren Wilson. However, there were plenty of good-minded people present to protest on Mike Brown’s behalf, but everyone in the vicinity were unfairly labeled “animals” by much of the media. Little did those critics know, a large number of protestors were protecting their turf by encouraging rioters to stop the violence http://bit.ly/1zOd
8. Huffington Post’s Really Uncomfortable “Once You Go Black” List
We can be down with the swirl too, but HuffPost did the most with their awfully titled, “Proof Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back.” The list used celebrity couples from Bill deBlasio to Halle Berry as examples of why forbidden fruit or jungle fever was the way to go. But it was just plain awkward and almost seemed pro-fetishising of interracial dating and marriage. http://huff.to/QCZ6ZL
9. Ebola
Ebola is a disease that has plagued overseas for some time now, but founds its way stateside in the fall of 2014. As panic spread from East to West, there were reported cases of racism towards those of African descent because the disease is more prevalent in West Africa. It’s news like this that makes us wonder about humanity. http://bit.ly/1vgWJJV
10. “Breathe Easy, Don’t Break The Law” Shirts
As protestors and celebrities showed their support for the Eric Garner movement of #ICantBreathe, Jason Barthel, a police corporal, printed his own slogan on T-shirts that read “Breathe Easy, Don’t Break the Law.” So incredibly insensitive, we had to question his intelligence. http://bit.ly/1zNZJRT
11. Fraternity Uses Dark-Skinned Blow Up Doll As Beyonce Sex Doll
Don’t respect the Queen Bey! But UPenn’s Phi Delta Theta fraternity went there. In there annual Christmas card photo,not only included was a mail order blow up sex doll, they had referred to the dark-skin toy as Beyonce. Minority and women’s groups on campus were outraged and UPenn promptly cancelled any remaining activities for Delta, as they offered a lame mea culpa. You can keep that. http://bit.ly/1x30N3f
12. New Hampshire Police Commissioner Calls Obama The N-Word
Embarrassed residents called for the resignation of 82-year-old Robert Copeland who refused to retract his stance on calling Obama the N-Word. From the horse’s mouth, he wrote in an email: “I believe I did use the ‘N’ word in reference to the current occupant of the Whitehouse. For this, I do not apologize — he meets and exceeds my criteria for such.” We’re still waiting on him to step down. http://bit.ly/1qHcWu
13. Racist Halloween Costumes
Gross. We’ve seen this BS before, insensitive costumes for what’s supposed to be a fun Halloween, and this year was no exception. After explicit video of Janay and Ray’s violent altercation was shared to the world some found it plausible to mock their sad situation as costumes. http://bit.ly/1tf2Z7z
14. Richard Sherman Gets Called a ‘Thug’ By Media
After Sherman’s epic play with the Seattle Seahawks took them to the Super Bowl, the footballer gave his NFL peer and rival Michael Crabtree a fair warning. In an interview post-game, Sherman, went in on Crabtree, hollering to never underestimate him again. Yeah, he might’ve been feeling brand new, but that was no excuse for the media to start labelling him a thug. http://bit.ly/16IPXag http://thebea.st/1atdSLP
15. Watermelon Toothpaste Cartoon Featuring Obama
The Boston Herald is the Beantown’s equivalent of The New York Post. It’s obnoxious and sensational, and their lame Obama cartoon that featured a character asking the leader of the free nation if he ever tried watermelon toothpaste was so uncalled for. http://bit.ly/1AXuCTj
16. Shonda Rhimes Labeled “Angry Black Woman” By NYT
Haters tried to taint the greatness of ShondaTV. In a New York Times piece, discussing the Rhimes produced, not created, series “How To Get Away With Murder,” the writer unbelievably wrote this about the powerhouse: “When Shonda Rhimes writes her autobiography, it should be called ‘How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman.’” Clearly, some research should’ve been done. The creator of ‘HTGAWM’ is a White male.
17. Donald Sterling’s Rant
LA Clippers owner Sterling was heard on leaked audio lambasting his mistress V. Stiviano for associating herself with Black people. The gremlin said: “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with Black people. You can sleep with [Black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to bring them to my games.” He was soon fired.
18. Bill O’Reilly
Bill O’Reilly was a classic hot mess this year. He tried to downplay the extreme level of racism that Black people, especially men, face in America. With his pretending-to-care diatribes, his most racist moments included: suggesting Black people wear ‘Don’t Get Pregnant at 14’ shirts, accusing Queen Bey of being a bad role model for Black girls and arguing with Russell Simmons. http://bit.ly/1zFYxjz
19. John Boyega Responds To Racist Star Wars Fans
Boyega’s star is definitely on the rise with his upcoming role as the Imperial Startrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But like clockwork, the racist keyboard thug came out to try and belittle him. The actor took the high road in an IG post in while thanking fans, playfully taunted his naysayers. This also happened to Michael B. Jordan who was cast as Johnny Storm in the new Fantastic Four. http://bit.ly/1H6yZxF
20. Don Lemon Being Don Lemon
Lemon had moments that didn’t look too good on him as a Black man and as a supporter of Women’s Rights. We didn’t quite understand him when he singled out the scent of marijuana in the air while on the scene at Ferguson protests. CNN also chose to have the headline “Cars Vandalized In Ferguson underneath the telecast. http://bit.ly/1zIYBAh
21. New York Times Called Michael Brown ‘No Angel’
Another gem from the once awesome NYT, John Eligon was serious when in what should’ve been a more sympathetic post to the unnecessary death of Brown, referred to the 18-year-old as “no angel.” Eligon wrote this based on Brown’s usual teenage shenanigans with friends, and occasional swipe of alcohol and trying to steal cigarettes. Both Black and White commentators called it unfair. http://nyti.ms/1wrCfDJ
22. Booker T. Washington Walkout
A group of about a dozen Black students walked out of Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Virigina after learning of a racist tweet posted by the school’s assistant principal Amy Strickland in June. The students only wanted to get the attention of the administration,; they didn’t even want her to lose her job. Talk about the high road. http://bit.ly/1qX2OJp
23. Racist Stripper Goes On ‘N-Word’ Rant
Janelle Ambrosia is having the best day ever because it’s “White Privilege Wednesday,” a day she proclaimed on Twitter. The stripper made headlines after her racist rant was recorded inside the parking lot of a shopping plaza. The cause for her outburst? A black man startled her children when he started his car. http://bit.ly/1wX4adm
