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Since when did hanging become a racial statement?

OK, explain when a noose became a symbol of racism towards blacks? I mean, pirates were hanged. Witches were hanged. Prisoners were hanged. Outlaws were hanged.

Should you not be able to display a hanging dummy for Halloween because some people are so 'sensitive' that they might be offended by something?

What's next? Do we not display the guillotine because there may be some French people who are offended?

Take down all the crosses as that was a Roman execution method. Get rid of the giant executioner's axes because that might offend the British. Where does it stop?

When will people realize you do NOT have the right never to be offended?

Update:

Being called 'clueless' actually makes me laugh... especially when it comes from people who are thinking with their emotions and not their heads.

Look, do I think the Jena 6 noose was a racial statement? Yes. It was done to be racist. NOOSES are not racial statements, it was the INTENT that makes it so.

As one of you pointed out... it's WHERE it was placed.

But when Al Sharpton starts talking about making it illegal to hang a noose and when people are being accosted for hanging dummies for Halloween... it's gone too far. It's stupid.

ACLU activist fodder, this is... and I find it funny that they claim to be a Liberties Union since all they do is try to restrict liberties.

Update 2:

Britton, I would expect no less (or more) from you.

I've read your other replies.

Thanks for adding your completely meaningless drivel to a host of really insightful answers. You obviously are one of those PC fools who are ruining our country and I'm not much inclined to try to please you.

I'm glad SOME people were smart enough to get what I was saying.

12 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    I wonder about some of the questions posed on here. You question at first reaped of stupdity. But, as I read further, you expressed what your real motive is. It is not so much about the noose, but more about the way America interprets things now days.

    A noose hung on the door of a black professor say one thing in a stereotypical way. A noose on a white professor's door says another. So, I follow your line of reasoning.

    It comes down to stereotypes and history. The most recent use of nooses were whites versus blacks to send a clear message of fear. If the most recent use of nooses were instead used to hang rogue cowboys, we might have a different perspective.

  • 1 decade ago

    Nooses became a symbol for hatred against blacks in the southern US mainly because of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) lynchings of black men up through the 1960's. The KKK would burn crosses in the yard of a black man or hang him for many offenses - even for something like speaking to a white woman.

  • 1 decade ago

    Blacks were the most recent group to be hanged by mobs and are sensitive even when it wasn't a threat to anyone.

    We have riggers who tie ropes for a living and in their shops they always have bits of rope and tie knots while just sitting around. A noose was found in the shop it wasn't a threat and not even long enough to hang anyone but someone complained. They were asked not to do that again turned out the man complaining was black and as a teen a friend of his was lynched so it cause him distress. We now have been told we aren't allowed to tie nooses and it will never happen again.

  • 1 decade ago

    since the jena 6 incident.

    you know when they wanted to use the noose hanging as an excuse for the 6 black boys beating 1 white student. then come to find out that the noose had NOTHING to do with the 6-on-1 beating. and what do they do next? bring up some BS stories of a guy pulling a gun on some poor, black victims who apparently wrestled the gun from the owner and TOOK it home. since that story didn't work out they tried to use an incident involving black boy who was apparently badly beaten with bottles at a party, but never was taken to the hospital. hmmmmmmmmm

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  • 1 decade ago

    Bryan its obvious that you tripping over and intelligence quotient here. Pirates were hanged for stealing murder and mayhem. Witches weren't hanged they were burned at the stake and drowned... but even if they were hanged... it was equally wrong... Prisoners are hanged because of due process. Outlaws were hanged .... This comparison is to dumb to answer... Blacks were hanged out of pure hatred and fear. Never justified except in your own michael savage mentality. However I want you to keep posting such questions cause it allows us to identify such mental impetance when we see it. Your so wrong... you do have the right to be offended and if you offend some one you should make an effort no to do it again. I think this stuff is to deep for ya... For those of you who don't know this guy read some of his equally low level questions and answers... but only if you want to lower your self to the ingrate level. Consider yourself offended Bryan. the interesting think is that you did it to yourself for writing such a question in the first place.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    It's because some people think that nooses represent lynchings, which mostly happened to black men. Did you know that the largest mass lynching in US history was done to a group of Italian men?

  • toff
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    When a noose is hung in a tree unofficially accepted to be where white students gather, and it is done after a black student had the audacity to sit there then it is indeed a racial statement. You are correct in one sense, perhaps we need to be a bit less quick to react to some things. However, we also need to use common sense. When we see racism we need to call it racism. This act was pure racism.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    A noose hanging in a tree means - - - cattle and horse rustlers beware .

    If anyone else believes that he should be strung up , that's okay too .

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    James - lynching of 11 Italian men isn't the largest in US History. That is the largest in ITALIAN AMERICAN history. It says so on the same site you listed. Instead of just reading one line on a website, try reading the whole thing.

    Wow..first I was going to say can someone really be that clueless to ask this question, but never mind, because I see the kind of answers you're getting. You aren't the only clueless one my friend, you're in great company all across the US. Your president is right there with you as well.

  • so let me get this straight....those nooses that were in Jena six were put there because someone wanted to hang some pirates or witches? oh ok. thanks for clearing that up.

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