What part of this post is NOT racist? I concede this COULD have been a funny post w/o necessarily having to be racial, but then I looked at the byline.

What's racist about it?

Wow. Chundy. Did you get an internet account just to be butt hurt about everything in the world? Because you're awful good at it.

@CC Poll option #4: "Asusna's my girl, and if this no-good trifler and that 8th grade bitch ho wanna be fucking around on her? Maybe we see what my people in the Bloods have to say about that.


First, the use of African American vernacular in this post is rather disturbing. If I created a commenting persona whose comments were written in the voice of an inarticulate African American, would that okay? Ah hell naw, it wouldn't. So why is it put here as a humor option for readers (who presumably are not racist) to selected and therefore endorse a racist stereotype?


Second, Graham was right. (http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/Blogto…) "What's it take to get 4000 Portlanders to march against gang violence in North Portland?"

We can joke about gangs and gang related violence, but not violence against the LGBT community. (To be clear, making fun of either is unacceptable.) Why is the suffering and death caused by African Americans gangs an accepted topic for joke making?

My mock hatred for WSH aside, this post is racist. It wasn't intended to be and I'm probably just being "sensitive," but then again....

i find it both hilarious AND racist. great humor often offends.

For your information, Fruit Cup, I got on the Internet to point out other people's hypocrisy and to look at porn. More of the former than the latter, usually.

Right, Chundy. I get that. But there's context to the "African American vernacular" used in the post: it's mimicing the style of the found note for comedic effect. There's not even evidence that the writer is African American: I've known a lot of white kids who talk like this as well. So really, I think it's reaching to say this is racist.

@Super Chundy: Smoke my red hot pole, then turn around and violently sit on it. If stupid people, write stupid letters, do not be offended or surprised If someone whips out the 12inches of dialect and rams it straight up your imagination. If this offends you, their are other web sites with color shapes and sounds you may better appreciate. Ignorance and Bigotry come in EVERY RACE...I am offended you think they are black, maybe, maybe, an illiterate white person wrote it, with strong dialect...Super chump.

@ Chundy, So apparently then, to answer your question of "what part is NOT racist," the answer by your own admission is "everything but option 4 on the poll."

Soooooooo... what proof do we have that the letter writer is African American? The only thing we know is that the GIRL is a "a crip," which I think is black-only (racist-ass gangs!). SO YOU'RE THE RACIST.

See how dumb that was? That's why it's no fun to play this game.

What IS fun is making fun of stupid teenagers of all races, colors & creeds.

That is so sweet and noble. Wow and a cripple girl to boot. He let Ms. Asusna know that fell in love with someone else instead of keeping her on the downlow.

Wait I just goggled Asusna and found out it is Asus North America. This boy is sick he just wrote a break up note to his computer.

That note makes me little sad for the future of our society.

Chundy, Portland is traditionally the home of a ton of liberal white people who truly believe they aren't racist, but actually kind of are.

LEAVE ASUSNA ALONE! YOU'RE LUCKY SHE EVEN PERFORMED FOR YOU BASTARDS!

@CC maybe you're right. this little boy is probably an Asian immigrant from Laos and Asusna is most likely Latvian. I stand corrected. No racism to see here folks!

It's weird how I get accused of being a racist, when I point of an example of it. It's similar to when liberals point out the racism of the Tea Party and then the Tear Party accuse liberals of being the REAL racists.

The soft bigotry of low expectations that exists here at blogtown (more like racisttown, amirite?) is something that needs to be pointed out. Apparently, though, we now live in a post-racial society where all races can speak in a hi-larious, black vernacular.


Last point: Here's an example of a post about almost the exact same topic, but it was not done in a denigrating (i.e. racist) way. (Note the comment I made on it.)

http://endhits.portlandmercury.com/endhits…

Wait a sec, you mean to tell me the writer was black?

Okay Chundy. I realize you're trolling. But I'm bored and feel game. Let's look at how Merriam Webster defines racism:

1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2: racial prejudice or discrimination

(From: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/…)

I think we can agree that Merriam’s sets the standard meaning of racism for the discussion. So let's look at this rationally and determine whether Steve's post meets either of the criteria laid out above.

First, does Steve indicate in his post that race is the primary determinant of human traits and that racial differences produce the language of this letter? No, not by my judgment. Steve makes no mention of race in his posting: he simply presents the letter as an amusing found item.

On item 2, was there was racial prejudice or discrimination present in the post, or decision to make the post? Frankly, it doesn't reach my standard. Had Steve gone so far as to suggest race had anything to do with the poor quality of the letter, which he does not overtly do, I think the argument could be made. However, it's not present as the post is originally written. Arguably I think each individual reader brought their own prejudice to the post, which is out of Steve's control. Personally, I imagined a poorly educated, young white male, trying desperately to be urban. But that's been my experience more so than experience with African Americans.

The closest thing that could be interpreted racially is that there's a violent relationship between the Crips and the Bloods, which Steve uses in the poll. Regardless of race however, this is widely regarded as an established fact. There's no evidence that this determines the race of the writer, at best it determines the race of the writer's new girlfriend, and even this cannot be verified. And even so, Steve does not make a value judgment of the writing related to race. Again, the letter is simply presented as an amusing found object (which is what it is).

Lastly, I can't help but look at your stance as either extremely ignorant or intentionally confrontational (i.e., trolling). Neither of which I find very useful or informative.

That was entertaining. Thnx gais

this note is amazing on so many levels. what i find to be even more amazing is that white people are so hyped about racism here that a note presumably written by a black guy is deemed racist. i wonder what he thinks about being the epitomization of racism to the fine minds of bloggers sitting in coffee shops with nothing better to do.

I can't believe you didn't redact the recipient's name!!

Now some poor girl has to deal with snickering friends in school gossiping over her break up letter in Blogtown. Nice.

@18, I'm sure there's a lot of Asusna's in the world.

I would be great to read an example of a love letter from the young man or lady who wrote the note. (The note didn't seem to specify the gender of the author.)