I say it's not possible to have a positive opinion of George Zimmerman without being a racist. If he were following a white kid around just for wearing a hoodie, everyone without exception would see Zimmerman as a thug looking to pick a fight. But if it suddenly seems reasonable, even responsible behavior if the kid is black, that's racism.

I'm going somewhere with this. Check out this poll:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/interactive/2013/07/24/fox-new s-poll-voters-are-unhappy-with-economy-say-repeal-obamacare/

On page 10, question 6 asks whether you have a favorable opinion of Zimmerman; 45% of Republicans have a favorable opinion. No other criterion -- not income, gender, age, education, or even race -- is a better predictor of having a favorable opinion of Zimmerman.

So there you have it: a poll that shows at least 45% of Republicans are racist. I say "at least" because there could be racists among the Unfavorables, Don't Knows, and Can't Says; but I'm content with "at least 45%". Even as a conservative (har har) measure it's damning enough.

I think the racism is real, though. The Republican renaissance (such as it is) started with the Civil Rights Act, where the Democrats pissed off most of their racists (and you may recall they used to have TONS of them, especially in the South) and left them for the Republicans to pick up. The Republicans quickly formulated the Southern Strategy and have used it ever since; racism in the GOP is no longer a bug, but a feature.

Take a look at all the ways the GOP has convinced people to vote against their own interests; they've usually done it by phrasing the question as, "do you support our plan to ____________ or are you some sort of nigger lover?" All they have to do is attach a black face to, say, public sector jobs and the Republican voter will hate public sector jobs for all eternity. At least 45% of them will, anyway.

He's literally defending a racist joke as though it were a legitimate position to take.

He had watermelon fruit juice cocktail and skittles. Neither are actually ingredients for purple drank. Nor is Robitussin, though if you're going to insinuate he was on his way home to peacefully ingest drugs in his own house, you could at least insinuate he was doing drugs that are at least arguably illegal.

So two legal items that could arguably be substituted for other ingredients (that almost certainly were available at the very same store) in an alleged unambiguously legal attempt to get high is enough evidence that we don't even need a judge or jury (just an executioner) but the dude standing over the dead body with a smoking gun and a story about how he was chasing a kid but he stopped and then the kid was behind him and said something to the effect of "I am an immediate, credible threat" before attacking him no that guy is clearly innocent.

His wacky shirt will help him connect with the young people.

Is there a "NO U!" tag?

Uncle Tom's shitty web series.

You're clearly not racist if you have multicultural "friends".

This needs a "white people of color" tag.

I like his set.

I tend to associate the mentality that leads to black Republicanism with the same mentality that leads white suburban kids to take up LaVeyan Satanism: latent masochism confused with the notion that rebellion is a good way to atone for unwarranted narcissism.

Boring and lame...

5:23 - "American blacks are encouraged to dress and behave a certain way to affirm their blackness, and it just so happens that such an image looks like someone you can't trust."


Haha. I listened to this bit about 10 times. It's still just barely sinking in