2023 Thread of Racism in America

[DDD Dad 14,571]

19 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

Im saying you’re a mouthy bitch on a football fan site. I’m quite certain your mouth wouldn’t write these checks outside the safety of your living room.  

 

[Nivek 17,330]

20 hours ago, TexArcher said:

 

It is strange how dumbfucks always point to themselves as a line of credit.  "trust me"  Why?  Why would anyone trust a moron who is trying to act tough?  

[EuroHorn 3,287]

10 hours ago, Willfully Horn said:

Physical intimidation and threats (even virtual, it turns out) make me dig in my heels and stick out my jaw. Dumb, I know.

[Brisketexan 106,618]

1 hour ago, HamsterHookah said:

It can be traced back to a) social media and b) rise of a unique brand of American Secularism where each individual is his/her own idol/god.

Oh, I do LOVE the "blame it on secularism" trope.  It's awesome, because it requires the proponent to turn a blind eye to the fact that a huge chunk of the meanest, cruelest motherfuckers in American culture today are....vocal and aggressive "Christians."

The crisis of pure individualism at the expense of - actually, in open combat against - any notion of the commonwealth is indeed a thing, no question.  "Fuck any concept of the common good, me, me, me" is our national brand.  But that only accounts for the pure selfishness.  What accounts for the cruelty?

It's actually the phenomenon of creating another group/club, NOT individualism.  Asshole Jones is cruel to people because it makes him feel like he belongs to the cruel club, the bunch who celebrate their cruelty, who brag to each other about how they "made libs cry" or whatnot.  If our culture of cruelty was just a collection of one-offs, people being dicks because they are selfish, we would be much better off than we are under the current circumstance of cruelty being its own group ethos.

We're fucking broken on multiple levels.  But the fact that we've made cruelty a virtue, and empathy and decency vices, is the kind of cancer that kills a society.

[C-Man 27,685]

No way this was accidental: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/us/aramark-black-history-month-menu-school-reaj/index.html

Quote

A middle school in New York and its food vendor, Aramark, apologized after students were served chicken and waffles, along with watermelon on the first day of Black History Month.

The lunch menu offered on February 1 at Nyack Middle School in Rockland County was “inexcusably insensitive and reflected a lack of understanding of our district’s vision to address racial bias,” David A. Johnson, the school’s principal, wrote in a letter to parents.

“We are extremely disappointed by this regrettable situation and apologize to the entire Nyack community for the cultural insensitivity displayed by our food service provider,” Johnson wrote.

The incident is the latest example of Black people continuing to battle misguided stereotypes about their fondness for certain foods and racist tropes against them, experts say.

Johnson said the lunch menu changed from what was originally planned. A lunch menu for the month of February posted on the school’s website shows the food vendor had planned to serve Philly cheesesteak, broccoli and fresh fruit on February 1.

James Montesano, the interim superintendent for Nyack Public Schools, told CNN the district has a longstanding commitment to equity.

“It is our hope that this incident on February 1st will be an opportunity to expand collective knowledge – beyond ‘sensitivity training’ – regarding the racialized systems in which we all live; and ultimately work towards undoing the negative impacts of these systems on our students, staff and school community,” Montesano said in a statement.

In a statement, Aramark apologized for the “unintentional insensitivity” shown by the company but said the menu was not intended as a cultural meal.

“We apologize for the unintentional insensitivity shown on February 1, the first day of Black History Month. While our menu was not intended as a cultural meal, we acknowledge that the timing was inappropriate, and our team should have been more thoughtful in its service,” the company said.

“This was a mistake and does not represent the values of our company, and we are committed to doing better in the future,” Aramark added.

Neither school officials nor Aramark discussed why and when the lunch menu was changed.

Aramark said the company will partner with the school district to ensure its employees “participate in training that aligns to the Nyack School District’s vision and commitment to equity-driven work.”

“We believe this will provide a good learning opportunity to deepen understanding on the impact of systemic biases and negative stereotypes concerning the African-American Community,” Aramark said in a statement.

Nicole Hines, president of the Nyack branch of the NAACP and a parent in the same school district, told CNN that some parents and students were upset and confused about the lunch menu choices. She said parents have discussed calling for Aramark’s contract to be dismissed.

Hines said the lunch menu served to students shows a lack of knowledge that needs to be addressed.

“We need to educate the folks who are in those spaces of doing these things on cultural competency, right, and knowing that adding these items together is going to cause harm for the students in the school and families and community,” she said. “I think the district has an opportunity here to do a couple of things and the community as a whole.”

Aramark has previously been criticized for offering food menus that were offensive to Black people. In 2018, two employees were fired after the food vendor served a Black History Month special lunch menu at a New York University dining hall that included ribs, collard greens, cornbread, smashed yams, mac and cheese and two beverages, red Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water.

The university’s Black Student Union described the menu as “problematic due to the inherent stereotypes associated with black people and southern soul food cuisine.” NYU no longer contracts Aramark as its food vendor, according to the university’s website.

 

[HamsterHookah 112]

15 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Oh, I do LOVE the "blame it on secularism" trope.  It's awesome, because it requires the proponent to turn a blind eye to the fact that a huge chunk of the meanest, cruelest motherfuckers in American culture today are....vocal and aggressive "Christians."

The crisis of pure individualism at the expense of - actually, in open combat against - any notion of the commonwealth is indeed a thing, no question.  "Fuck any concept of the common good, me, me, me" is our national brand.  But that only accounts for the pure selfishness.  What accounts for the cruelty?

It's actually the phenomenon of creating another group/club, NOT individualism.  Asshole Jones is cruel to people because it makes him feel like he belongs to the cruel club, the bunch who celebrate their cruelty, who brag to each other about how they "made libs cry" or whatnot.  If our culture of cruelty was just a collection of one-offs, people being dicks because they are selfish, we would be much better off than we are under the current circumstance of cruelty being its own group ethos.

We're fucking broken on multiple levels.  But the fact that we've made cruelty a virtue, and empathy and decency vices, is the kind of cancer that kills a society.

1) I said a unique brand of "American Secularism" which-- don't miss this-- includes a "huge chunk of the meanest cruelest...vocal and aggressive Christians". We are in agreement here.

2) I think the reason we have the cruelty is because we as a nation are land locked and thus locked into a fight in a zero-sum game where at stake is the prioritization and elevation of core values and beliefs. Because there is no option to separate and co-exist, you see the cruel conflict. My opinion, at least.

Make no mistake about it, we are in a cultural war. Maybe always been. Oceania at war with Eastasia, as it were.

[Hermanator 7,570]

13 minutes ago, C-Man said:

No way this was accidental: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/us/aramark-black-history-month-menu-school-reaj/index.html

 

While stupidly bad timing on that I'm sure wasn't coincidental... Kids get fried chicken and waffles at school? I would have been ecstatic for something that was better than "barely edible" served at school and these little fuckers are getting chicken and waffles. 

[Incredulity 11,861]

Fried Chicken was on the school lunch rotation during my school days.  It SUCKED.  

[C-Man 27,685]

1 hour ago, Hermanator said:

While stupidly bad timing on that I'm sure wasn't coincidental... Kids get fried chicken and waffles at school? I would have been ecstatic for something that was better than "barely edible" served at school and these little fuckers are getting chicken and waffles. 

 

46 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

Fried Chicken was on the school lunch rotation during my school days.  It SUCKED.  

Look, I buy fried chicken but you start to lose me with waffles and once you throw in watermelon, it ain't a fucking coincidence any longer. Now whether whatever asshole put that together knew it was the first day of Black History Month or not, ok you got me there.

[DDD Dad 14,571]

8 minutes ago, C-Man said:

 

Look, I buy fried chicken but you start to lose me with waffles and once you throw in watermelon, it ain't a fucking coincidence any longer. Now whether whatever asshole put that together knew it was the first day of Black History Month or not, ok you got me there.

Fried chicken and waffles is greatness.  Fried chicken and watermelon during BHM is Fuzzy Zoeller tone deafness.

[HamsterHookah 112]

9 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

Fried chicken and waffles is greatness.  Fried chicken and watermelon during BHM is Fuzzy Zoeller tone deafness.

 

[Incredulity 11,861]

38 minutes ago, C-Man said:

 

Look, I buy fried chicken but you start to lose me with waffles and once you throw in watermelon, it ain't a fucking coincidence any longer. Now whether whatever asshole put that together knew it was the first day of Black History Month or not, ok you got me there.

I agree, its something between seriously misguided effort to completely fucked up.

[Brisketexan 106,618]

3 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

I agree, its something between seriously misguided effort to completely fucked up.

But.....still delicious, right?  We can all agree on that and sing kumbaya about that, right?

Shit, if my school lunches had been fried chicken and waffles and watermelon, I might have intentionally failed a year to keep on eating that goodness.

[Pancho 46,054]

 

[Poe It Up 126]

I learned at young age not to fuck with the lunch lady. Good luck Mr. principal. 

['stache 22,117]

36 minutes ago, Pancho said:

 

Just remember that a whole bunch of people here are going to vote Desantis for President of the United States. And they're totally "not racist," just ask them.

Edited February 7, 2023 by 'stache

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,707]

54 minutes ago, Pancho said:

 

I guess we can't talk about how African-Americans weren't allowed in the major leagues when Aaron was young.

[WhatTheBuck 28,904]

20 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Just remember that a whole bunch of people here are going to vote Desantis for President of the United States. And they're totally "not racist," just ask them.

Other than his discrimination against the black, LGBTQ, and immigrant communities, what other policies is he known for? Speaking out against vaccines (after originally supporting them)? Seriously, what else is he known for? Anything positive at all?

['stache 22,117]

20 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I guess we can't talk about how African-Americans weren't allowed in the major leagues when Aaron was young.

CRT CRT CRT!!

[Macanudo 13,254]

1 hour ago, HamsterHookah said:

 

The gentleman on the left looks like he should be working at McDowell's.

[HamsterHookah 112]

24 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Other than his discrimination against the black, LGBTQ, and immigrant communities, what other policies is he known for? Speaking out against vaccines (after originally supporting them)? Seriously, what else is he known for? Anything positive at all?

He trolled Disney and took away their honeypot of low taxes or whatever (though not for any virtuous reason, like just trolling Disney for the sake of it or for taking away their sweetheart deal, but it was to play politics because he was mad at them over Don't Say Gay). If you don't count the reasoning or the means, the result is positive and funny.

Edited February 7, 2023 by HamsterHookah

[DDD Dad 14,571]

19 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

He trolled Disney and took away their honeypot of low taxes or whatever (though not for any virtuous reason, like just trolling Disney for the sake of it or for taking away their sweetheart deal, but it was to play politics because he was mad at them over Don't Say Gay). If you don't count the reasoning or the means, the result is positive and funny.

[mdmost 43,850]

21 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

He trolled Disney and took away their honeypot of low taxes or whatever (though not for any virtuous reason, like just trolling Disney for the sake of it or for taking away their sweetheart deal, but it was to play politics because he was mad at them over Don't Say Gay). If you don't count the reasoning or the means, the result is positive and funny.

Not really. He started something he knows will be thrown out in court because it's red meat for people like you.

 

[HamsterHookah 112]

27 minutes ago, mdmost said:

Not really. He started something he knows will be thrown out in court because it's red meat for people like you.

 

That is why I said he trolled them.

Then- Florida voted to revoke special benefits that, since the 1960s, have given Disney the ability to essentially self-govern a vast area around its Disney World theme park and issue tax-free municipal bonds

Now- Disney nears a compromise with Florida over its special tax zone. Under legislation proposed yesterday, Gov. Ron DeSantis would be able to appoint all five board members overseeing an arrangement that allows Disney World to tax itself to cover services like water, roads and firefighting. The confrontation arose over Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay bill.

So Ron is going to appoint all the board members overseeing this-- do you think that is a win? What sort of people do you think he will be appointing? It's also interesting that when I went to twitter to find tweets like you posted about people celebrating this as a huge win, it's people decrying that Disney will now have fascists on this board and they should move out of Florida. Maybe our algorithms are different.

[Brisketexan 106,618]

1 hour ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Other than his discrimination against the black, LGBTQ, and immigrant communities, what other policies is he known for? Speaking out against vaccines (after originally supporting them)? Seriously, what else is he known for? Anything positive at all?

He gargled Trump's balls and chugged the gravy during his previous gubernatorial campaign -- shit like pretending to "build the wall" with his kids and whatnot.  He's 100% a pandering, racist piece of shit.  100%, as in there is not a single molecule of his being that is anything BUT a pandering racist piece of shit.  But he'll get support from plenty of "I'm not racist, I just like his policies" types, even though all of his fucking policies are racist/hate-based pandering.

[mchookem 16,728]

2 hours ago, 'stache said:

Just remember that a whole bunch of people here are going to vote Desantis for President of the United States. And they're totally "not racist," just ask them.

...and they are totally "not aggy" either even though they agree with 90% of what's posted on texags, except for football i suppose. 🙄

[wildcat09 29,556]

Can people stop posting Ron Filipkowski shit? The man is a moron.

[hpslugga 4,096]

58 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

He gargled Trump's balls and chugged the gravy during his previous gubernatorial campaign -- shit like pretending to "build the wall" with his kids and whatnot.  He's 100% a pandering, racist piece of shit.  100%, as in there is not a single molecule of his being that is anything BUT a pandering racist piece of shit.  But he'll get support from plenty of "I'm not racist, I just like his policies" types, even though all of his fucking policies are racist/hate-based pandering.

Well yeah, as long as that voter base happens to include “the civil war was about states’ rights” types. Blatant dishonesty is in their DNA.

Edited February 7, 2023 by hpslugga

[sidis 9,990]

2 hours ago, HamsterHookah said:

He trolled Disney and took away their honeypot of low taxes or whatever (though not for any virtuous reason, like just trolling Disney for the sake of it or for taking away their sweetheart deal, but it was to play politics because he was mad at them over Don't Say Gay). If you don't count the reasoning or the means, the result is positive and funny.

no he didn't you fucking moron.

[WhatTheBuck 28,904]

17 hours ago, wildcat09 said:

Can people stop posting Ron Filipkowski shit? The man is a moron.

Thank you!

If I wanted to read everything he tweets, I’d sign up for Twitter and follow him. I know how to do that. I don’t need anyone’s help to see his tweets. I’m just not interested. 

[wildcat09 29,556]

14 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Thank you!

If I wanted to read everything he tweets, I’d sign up for Twitter and follow him. I know how to do that. I don’t need anyone’s help to see his tweets. I’m just not interested. 

He has a real problem with posting shit that people on the right WANT people on the left to circulate. I don't think it's a sinister thing, I think he's just kinda dumb and doesn't understand the purpose of much of what they say and do. That Sabatini tweet is a perfect example. Sabatini doesn't actually think DeSantis lost the fight with Disney, he's saying what they think they need to say to keep the right motivated to continue pressuring Disney, so that Disney will keep caving to more and more of the right's demands.  

He's also really bad about driving people straight to Alex Jones' content and it infuriates the Knowledge Fight guys.

[HamsterHookah 112]

28 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

He has a real problem with posting shit that people on the right WANT people on the left to circulate. I don't think it's a sinister thing, I think he's just kinda dumb and doesn't understand the purpose of much of what they say and do. That Sabatini tweet is a perfect example. Sabatini doesn't actually think DeSantis lost the fight with Disney, he's saying what they think they need to say to keep the right motivated to continue pressuring Disney, so that Disney will keep caving to more and more of the right's demands.  

He's also really bad about driving people straight to Alex Jones' content and it infuriates the Knowledge Fight guys.

@mdmost are you seeing yourself in the bold? You seemed to have bought the schtick. 

I also ask because you didn't answer this:

Quote

 

Under legislation proposed yesterday, Gov. Ron DeSantis would be able to appoint all five board members overseeing an arrangement that allows Disney World to tax itself to cover services like water, roads and firefighting. The confrontation arose over Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay bill.

So Ron is going to appoint all the board members overseeing this-- do you think that is a win? What sort of people do you think he will be appointing? It's also interesting that when I went to twitter to find tweets like you posted about people celebrating this as a huge win, it's people decrying that Disney will now have fascists on this board and they should move out of Florida. Maybe our algorithms are different.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by HamsterHookah

[mdmost 43,850]

And I’m saying that is exactly what will get thrown out in court. He wants to keep Disney out of their own district but still tax them. There’s typically a phrase associated with that. Disney is sitting back letting him do what he wants because they don’t have to do anything yet. Their tax rate will not change. They can fight him in court and will most likely win. The bill even delays the name change and appointments for 2 years. It’s style over substance which is his hallmark. But lolz, he sure trolled one of the biggest companies in Florida.

['stache 22,117]

Did they stop saying gay? DeSantis did not win except with the small brained idiots the right can easily manipulate with this bullshit.

Edited February 8, 2023 by 'stache

[HamsterHookah 112]

6 minutes ago, mdmost said:

And I’m saying that is exactly what will get thrown out in court. He wants to keep Disney out of their own district but still tax them. There’s typically a phrase associated with that. Disney is sitting back letting him do what he wants because they don’t have to do anything yet. Their tax rate will not change. They can fight him in court and will most likely win. The bill even delays the name change and appointments for 2 years. It’s style over substance which is his hallmark. But lolz, he sure trolled one of the biggest companies in Florida.

I see, so you think Disney is the big winner for having to deal with the meddlesome moth now and to divert resources and attention to possibly (though still might be a net negative, depending on...courts?), maintaining a status quo which was a given a year ago, before Desantis started trouble because he got mad?

[mdmost 43,850]

Are they a big winner, no. Are they continuing on like nothing has changed, because is hasn’t and won’t for 2 years, yes. They have an army of lawyers so I doubt this changes much of how they normally operate. They don’t give him or most Republicans money now. There’s plenty of time to blunt what he does in court. Meanwhile, park revenues are doing just fine. 

['stache 22,117]

The Disney Corporation could buy the State of Florida if it really needed to, they ain't scared.

[sidis 9,990]

7 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

I see, so you think Disney is the big winner for having to deal with the meddlesome moth now and to divert resources and attention to possibly (though still might be a net negative, depending on...courts?), maintaining a status quo which was a given a year ago, before Desantis started trouble because he got mad?

why do you keep projecting what that dipshit anthony sabatini said in a tweet on to posters here?  he's the ultimate maga cheearleading moron who does not believe that desantis went far enough in this bill.  no one here has implied that disney is some "big winner" by having to deal with desantis's pandering to idiots.  sabatini was saying that because he believes that desantis was full of shit in saying he was going to go after them and then trotting out this fairly weak bill relative to his bluster.  disney having to navigate addlepates engaged in political retaliation is certainly not a win for them and i am not sure why you've decided to crusade projecting sabatini's words on to posters here and asking them to defend them.

[Pancho 46,054]

 

[HamsterHookah 112]

5 minutes ago, sidis said:

why do you keep projecting what that dipshit anthony sabatini said in a tweet on to posters here?  he's the ultimate maga cheearleading moron who does not believe that desantis went far enough in this bill.  no one here has implied that disney is some "big winner" by having to deal with desantis's pandering to idiots.  sabatini was saying that because he believes that desantis was full of shit in saying he was going to go after them and then trotting out this fairly weak bill relative to his bluster.  disney having to navigate addlepates engaged in political retaliation is certainly not a win for them and i am not sure why you've decided to crusade projecting sabatini's words on to posters here and asking them to defend them.

Because this poster ( @mdmost)  originally posted the tweet (unironically, thinking it was in earnest) and is still defending it. It's just strange that Disney stan's will defend anything and never admit fault.

Edited February 8, 2023 by HamsterHookah

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

If one looks at Disney's global total revenue, (save perhaps for the pandemic/travel restriction years for their theme parks specifically) while the US/Canada leads, the other regions have grown a lot over the last decade. The company makes the decision to create *content that represents global perspectives,etc so as to increase their $82.7 billion in revenue (2022)  and a certain portion of US customers lose their shit over a private company's market research. DeSantis decides to capitalize on that situation and here we are. DeSantis is and always has been an opportunist. IMO, he is not particularly bad at that when it comes to people who like to believe what he's selling. However, he lacks charisma and that is something that is hard to overcome when the stage gets bigger.

 

*their media & entertainment division earns a lot more than their theme parks.

[TwiceHorn 31,987]

On 2/7/2023 at 8:19 AM, HamsterHookah said:

It can be traced back to a) social media and b) rise of a unique brand of American Secularism where each individual is his/her own idol/god.

The biggest problem is earth is built out. Look at human history, being able to pack up your things with likeminded community— from Abraham to Goodie Smith the American pilgrim— and get away from people you think are horrible allowed people to coalesce around others with shared beliefs and worldviews which informed behaviors and culture.

Now we have nowhere to escape one another, and the question of core beliefs and worldviews is so personal to people that they cause disgust and contempt, and we are forced to co-exist with one another and live among each other with that disgust and contempt. 

Thus the rise of the upper middle class suburb 😂 

Some truth to this.  But most of the colonizers here didn't flee people they "didn't like," they fled actual government persecution or oppression, and many were of the "live and let live" persuasion rather than necessarily trading places with a government that oppressed them.

Self-interest, or "Looking out for number 1," does not require actively shitting on numbers 2, 3, and 4.

[sidis 9,990]

20 minutes ago, HamsterHookah said:

Because this poster ( @mdmost)  originally posted the tweet (unironically, thinking it was in earnest) and is still defending it. It's just strange that Disney stan's will defend anything and never admit fault.

he posted the filipowski tweet which pointed to sabatini's bullshit and provided opinions regarding the legal validity of the bill.  it seems you are the one that did not understand what sabitini was saying...not mdmost.  particularly in light of this post:

Quote

Cross posted on another thread but what this tweet seems to bury or downplay, is that the "different board" is one made up entirely of appointments by Ronnie D.

What type of people do you think those 5 board seats will be filled with?

How is that a HUGE win (emphasis his)? 

Especially considering less than a year ago, Disney had all this plus 5 board members they got to choose.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,987]

28 minutes ago, Pancho said:

 

So bizarre.  Creating an unelected court system for the white part of town don't make no sense.  Is the already pro-white justice system somehow inadequate?

It would be just as, if not more, disgusting to create an unelected court system for the black part of town.

WTFF?

[TwiceHorn 31,987]

20 hours ago, wildcat09 said:

Can people stop posting Ron Filipkowski shit? The man is a moron.

Not a complete moron, but for a lawyer, he gets a fair amount of legal shit off.  And it's just the kind of thing twatterers spiral out on.

[YGIFS 19,456]

So in two years, I can spend a few bucks more and not have to share space at Disney assets with MAGA mouth breathers due to their boycott? Holy shit, where does my family sign up?  Disney passes along a 10% fee increase to offset the losses, but I don’t have to wait in longer lines with the stupidest fat people?  Count me the fuck IN

[Catdaddyhorn 3,462]

On 2/6/2023 at 9:01 PM, Satchel said:

When was the last time this country was in such a dark place culturally? I’m not sure we’ve ever had so many in your face mentally unwell people roaming the country.

When was the last time this country was in such a dark place culturally? Not sure if serious. When have we not?

Ever hear of the lynching of Willie James Howard. He was a 15 year old kid who was lynched in the 40s for making the unforgivable mistake of giving Christmas cards to all his co-workers. One of whom happened to be a white girl.  She told her father about it who happened to be a  state senator.  He rounded up the boys picked up Willie and his father by gun point. They tied up Willie by his hands and feet took him to the foot of the Suwanee River and had his father watch as they gave him the choice of dying by a bullet to the head or jumping in the river.  His father watched on helplessly as his son jumped into the river and drowned. 

When was the last time this country was in such a dark place culturally you ask. 

[WhatTheBuck 28,904]

On 2/8/2023 at 12:03 PM, Pancho said:

 

I didn’t have to look it up to know that this bill was written by Republicans. But I did and it was.

Principal author John Thomas "Trey" Lamar, III

Co-authors Fred Shanks and Price Wallace

[TheStoicPaisano 9,948]

Evil Kevin Malone.

[Satchel 6,982]

8 hours ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

When was the last time this country was in such a dark place culturally? Not sure if serious. When have we not?

Ever hear of the lynching of Willie James Howard. He was a 15 year old kid who was lynched in the 40s for making the unforgivable mistake of giving Christmas cards to all his co-workers. One of whom happened to be a white girl.  She told her father about it who happened to be a  state senator.  He rounded up the boys picked up Willie and his father by gun point. They tied up Willie by his hands and feet took him to the foot of the Suwanee River and had his father watch as they gave him the choice of dying by a bullet to the head or jumping in the river.  His father watched on helplessly as his son jumped into the river and drowned. 

When was the last time this country was in such a dark place culturally you ask. 

Many of us read or heard about the kind of atrocity you describe, but living through that kind of hatred in real time is jarring. The same is true on the world stage. We read about Hitler and now we are seeing a malevolent war criminal made in his image operate before our very eyes.