Has anyone unfriended anyone lately on Facebook over racism?

[gollygee]

I posted a thread yesterday with a Chris Rock quote: "Just found an app that tells you which of your friends are racist. It's called Facebook." That was inspired by an ugly exchange between me and a Facebook friend mainly about Michael Brown and protests that culminated in him saying that African Americans are not on average very intelligent, and the evidence for that is that most vote for Democrats. That earned an "unfriend" from me. Yes, I'm willing to lose friends over this. Comment on that if you will.

Is anyone else getting this crap from people they were unaware were racist? If you're white, racist people don't necessarily say racist things to you. Someone could be a KKK member but be nice to me. But wow are they coming out of the woodwork now. I'm definitely learning things about the people in my life and I'm disgusted and feeling down about it. Things are worse than I thought, and I didn't think things were very good.

[notadmblnd]

1. never got into Myface or Spacebook

Not sorry I didn't either.

[gollygee]

2. I thought it would be a good way to keep up with people I don't see all the time

but I'm just finding out how horrible the people in my life are. I think I'd rather know they're like this than remain ignorant to their true character, but it's sad to learn.

[nichomachus]

31. I'm very stingy with friend requests

I have only a few friends on FB and they're people I want to stay in touch with. They're all nice people. I have refused friend requests from people I know to be racist -- like my sisters. So I enjoy my time on FB and don't end up unfriending anyone.

[still_one]

11. same here. I do have linkedIN, but that is for career networking, not socializing

[etherealtruth]

3. No, I keep my "friends" list very tight

.... and use it to keep track of "the kids". (I keep under 100 friends)

Mercifully, this keeps me from having to read through the idiocy

[stone space]

4. Never tried facebook.

I guess I won't start using it now.

Bad enough here at times.

[still_one]

12. +++

[gwheezie]

5. I only have 8 friends

I have about 200 requests. I never like those people in 9th grade and 50 years later they still suck. So I haven't had to unfriend anyone.

[lonestarnot]

6. I have never befriended face book. Maybe you should unfriend it.

[gollygee]

10. Well

My kids' grandparents all live in different parts of the country. Far enough away that we rarely see them. My whole family is scattered. I do so better at keeping up with everyone with Facebook than I did before. I love it for that, but hate this. Of course, you can find racist stuff about anywhere on the internet. Avoding Facebook doesn't keep you sheltered from racism.

[lonestarnot]

14. Sheltered? Really? How does one shelter from racism? There is no fucking shelter from racism. If

there was, I'm sure all black and brown people would be there now.

[gollygee]

15. OK that's what I just said

Avoding Facebook wouldn't shelter me from racism.

[lonestarnot]

16. Your headline was a take on taking shelter by unfriending inquiry.

[gollygee]

22. No

It was about unfriending one person because I want to communicate what I do and don't find acceptable. It wasn't about finding shelter. Unfriending people on Facebook or not being on Facebook won't give shelter from racism, because it isn't limited to Facebook.

[lonestarnot]

26. Glad you recognize that unfriending like ignoring won't make it go away. Confront the sonofabitches

Call them on their ignorant shit, don't unfriend or whatever.

[gollygee]

28. I confronted for a good amount of time and then unfriended

I respect the opinion that unfriending wasn't a good way to handle it, but at some point I have to realize that I can't control what other people do, and can only control what I'm willing to accept. I felt like accepting his screeds onto my Facebook feed was not OK. I think he liked arguing with me - it just emboldened him. What's the saying - don't argue with a pig, because you both get filthy and the pig likes it?

[el_bryanto]

7. I did have a long talk with a friend about the issue

Most of my friends that I'm likely to get riled up talking to about this I've avoided the subject with - but in this case just had to get it out of my system. He's a law and order type personality, and tends to look at things dispassionately. It was a frustrating conversation because in his opinion it shouldn't have gone to the grand jury but should have been handled in internal affairs. So he feels like they already bent over backwards to appease the black community in Ferguson.

Very depressing.

Bryant

[lonestarnot]

18. So no recognition of the institutionalized racism by your little friend then?

[el_bryanto]

21. Not so you'd notice.

He did acknowledge the corruption inherent in the DA basically having to work with the cops so taking it easy when a cop comes up to be prosecuted.

Bryant

[bigwillq]

8. No (nt)

[yeoman6987]

9. I have 628 "Friends" and I haven't seen any

Racist discussions. Most talk about kids, food and some entertainment (vacations).

[gollygee]

13. We don't usually talk about politics

or I suppose this would have come up earlier. There has been lots of my Facebook feed about Michael Brown, and even more about the protests in Ferguson.

[yeoman6987]

17. So far nothing on my page

As long as they are respectful to Michael Brown and family, I would be are ok with them discussing it. But so far nothing. Last night was a big discussion on Jeopardy because many could answer the questions....it was the kids version. Lol. Yep we all so intelligent....

[dembotoz]

19. a couple who i should unfriend but have not

the trouble is that if no one challenges the bigotry it becomes ok

if you do not stand for something you stand for nothing

my ancestors come over on a boat from germany generations ago
i could never understand how distant relatives of mine would allow the atrocities of Hitler take place and not raise their voice.

i raise my voice and facebook is just one avenue

and it has cost me friends but those who know me understand that this is who i am.

and i am ok with that

[librechik]

20. I just troll the ones on my friends threads.

None of my friends are like that (excepting certain relatives lol)

[ileus]

23. Nope....I don't unfriend anyone.

sometimes I will get tired of folks who whine and just unfollow them...

[gollygee]

24. Isn't that the same thing?

I'm not up on tech stuff so if there's a difference, I'm unaware of it.

[ileus]

27. The still remain in you friend list, but none of their posts will appear.

[gollygee]

42. Hmm that might be helpful in some cases

especially with friends who use their Facebook mainly to sell Mary Kay makeup or whatever. But I was trying to communicate that I am not willing to accept his position as reasonable, and it seems like he'd have to know that I responded in that way.

[DonViejo]

25. Yes. I've unfriended my own brother....

over his racist attacks on President Obama, his anti-Islam tirades and his racist defense of cops.

[Recursion]

29. "I found this amazing app that shows you which of your friends are racist."

"It's called Facebook."

[Bigmack]

30. I don't have to unfriend anybody...

...if they post racist, homophobic, or RW bullshit...

I just post shit back. Times 500.

Then they unfriend me.

When somebody posts that Eric Garner had it coming, I just post this:


and they go away.

[RedCappedBandit]

32. No, I confront them.

I may have the luxury of ignoring racism because I'm white, but I won't. It is a white ally's responsibility to stand up when other whites are perpetuating racism.

[gollygee]

33. read #28

[RedCappedBandit]

38. Some people need to be defriended for your own sanity of course

but in general, I'd say standing up for what's right when you are able to do so is.. right.

[sharp_stick]

34. I dump racists right away

as soon as I see it I'll dump the connection. I only use Facebook to keep in touch with folks back home. I have a lot of friends from my school years on there and whenever one of them shows they grew up to be an asshole I'll hit the unfriend button pretty fast.

[L0oniX]

35. Posted "If you hate black people please un-friend me" & shared.

[logosoco]

36. No, but I have hidden one.

She was a former co-worker, kind of a fluff head. I keep sharing things and no one has unfriended me, so I am hopeful.

[ismnotwasm]

37. I unfriended anyone as soon as I saw it

I've only had fB for a year, and I don't tolerate that shit, so it was pretty clean when all this came down. One or two I have my suspicions, but no untoward comments. I'm careful who I add, my news feed is mostly silly things or progressive politics. Had a couple of people posting conservative things. I blocked the sources and they went away. I think I've been unfriended by a few. Too bad.

[lapislzi]

39. Yup.

Some, like my brother-in-law, I can't unfriend because it would be cause for a family uproar. So his nasty feed I just hide. But, yes, I've had to do it a few times. I'll give folks the benefit of the doubt exactly once. After that, you're toast. No regrets. I've found I don't miss those people at all!

[Dirty Socialist]

40. Yessir

I I friended a cousin from facebook recently. First he spread an erroneous video about Obama, then bashed all Muslims, then bashed Ferguson protestors and the St. Louis Rams players. Dude gets riled up too easily.

[liberalhistorian]

41. Yes. And I'd never, ever done that

before in the nearly seven years I've been on FB. But if you are going to suggest fire hoses to "handle those idiots", as several family and friends did, and then refuse to listen to a couple of history lessons as to why that is just so unbelievably horrible on so many levels, then I have HAD IT and we are DONE. Because I'm white, they think I'm with them and cannot understand how I could not think like them and why I don't just sweetly agree that we're in a post-racial society and that the n-word people are just being too greedy and if they're weren't such criminals they wouldn't have a problem. Then again, I live on an Indian reservation and they've never understood that either as, frankly, most whites I know don't. Fuck 'em, I'm done.

So I'm the bad gal because I (gasp!) unfriended them, which apparently appears to be akin to murder in too many people's eyes. But THEY are the bad ones and the problem and I've had it and I'm done. This liberal ain't gonna be so nice anymore.

[bravenak]

43. No more Ms. Nice Liberal!!!

I feel the same way. I have lost my patience for their bullshit too.

[liberalhistorian]

44. I feel like something has finally, truly, and

really snapped in me. I've had it with my lunatic RW fringe uncle's constant lunacy on FB (on seemingly all of my posts, which I always, always ignored and it's not an issue anymore because he's defriended and blocked) and IRL. Unfortunately, I cannot block and defriend him IRL, or the similar family that lets him rant all over me and others who feel similarly but get mad at US if we say anything. Fuck that now. I. AM. DONE. If they don't like it, tough shit. And my nice liberal mother is always oh, so very nice all the time even when her in-laws were trashing her profession (teaching) and going on their rants, and we weren't allowed to say anything but THEY could say whatever they wanted. FUCK. THAT. NOW.

Maybe that kind of "snapping" is what is necessary on a large scale for things to finally start changing.