I don't see a meaningful difference in your three possible motives. "Trolling" and "shock value" are merely convenient delusions for people who want to believe they are not racist.

It does to volition

By Roman on Sat, 03/12/2016 - 10:57am.

a hypothetical troll votes for Bernie and puts up the graffiti as some kind of ironic protest. Or as a false flag or something.

A hypothetical delinquent kid does it because there's really no thought process there, kind of like yelling out a profanity that he just picked up from somewhere else without a sense of meaning or context.

I have a hard time picturing those two putting on white hoods for real.

The real white supremacist? They exist, I just have a hard time picturing them in Brookline, all quiet and stealthy until they just couldn't resist the urge to assert themselves on a traffic control cabinet. That's why they get the low score from me.

Nope

By anon on Sat, 03/12/2016 - 5:49pm.

I went to high school in a town as Jewish as Brookline. The school district took anti-Semetism very seriously. There was a Holocaust education curriculum starting in the 4th grade, and any allegations of anti-Semetic behavior or saying were dealt with through harsh punishment, Very Special Assemblies, and Facilitated Class Discussions about the ramifications of anti-Semetic slurs.

While I was in high school, there were three large "outbreaks" of anti-Semetism. One was a Jewish fourth grader who drew a swastika in the bathroom because she wanted to see what would happen. The other was a group of Jewish high schoolers who spray painted a swastika on the outside of the school because they wanted to take a nap during the Very Special Assembly that the school would call to discuss it. The third was a group of Jewish students who wrote what they felt was a tounge-in-cheek musical sketch for a talent show that the administration felt was outright ethnically offensive, but the students said "But we're Jewish and we think it's funny and we can't be racist against ourselves."

Now, I'm not saying that it's impossible that this wasn't someone who was really into White Power. Those people exist and they're getting bolder by the day. However, if you live in a town where that kind of behavior guarantees a big public reaction, of course irresponsible teenagers will utilize it as a means for goading other people into upset so they can laugh at them.

Yes yes yes...

By Mjolnir on Sun, 03/13/2016 - 9:19am.

Jews draw swastikas everywhere, black people falsify all accounts of racist verbal and physical attacks, women lie about sexual assault, etc etc etc. You can find anecdotes that support each of those statements and still, overwhelmingly, authentic incidents far outnumber false ones.

And some people are

By Roman on Sun, 03/13/2016 - 11:22am.

spring-loaded to cry "help! help! I'm being repressed!" at the slightest slight. If you think there's such a thing as ground-truth statistics for all of these anecdotes, I've got a bridge to sell you.

Chalking off stuff like this to irresponsible teens

By mplo on Tue, 03/15/2016 - 12:13pm.

Chalking off this stuff as the work of irresponsible teenagers has at least a couple of negative affects:

A) It affectively lets the adults/parents of teenagers off the hook, thereby absolving them of all responsibility for the instillation of such bigoted attitudes in their kids

B) It dismisses the fact that teenagers are old enough to know better, and essentially lets them off the hook, encouraging them not to take responsibility for their actions and behaviors.

This kind of stuff is often

By Tedymac on Sat, 03/12/2016 - 11:53am.

This kind of stuff is often done by the opposite of who you assume did it. An anti Trump person could have done this because it is the narrative they want to promote. It happens quite often.

"Quite Often"

By Irma la Douce on Sat, 03/12/2016 - 12:07pm.

I would not say it never happens, but actual racist activity is far more likely.

Or....

By Aaron Gray on Sat, 03/12/2016 - 1:53pm.

Someone could be getting the impression, in light of recent, events that this is becoming more acceptable. I don't quote understand the logic pretzels. Seems defensive.

It's a natural defense

By Roman on Sat, 03/12/2016 - 3:22pm.

learned against generic accusations of racism made as shorthand for "I disagree."

Cite?

By lbb on Mon, 03/14/2016 - 9:08am.

How do you define "quite often", and what are your data supporting your assertion that hate graffiti is "quite often" produced by members of the targeted group?

(you don't have to answer, but if you don't, I think I'm going with my initial impression that this is denial/wishful thinking on your part)

Lunenburg, MA. last year.

By Tedymac on Mon, 03/14/2016 - 4:13pm.

Lunenburg, MA. last year. Somebody painted racist graffiti on the foundation of a black players house. The football team was blamed,and punished but it turned out to be kids own mother.

Photo

By Charla on Sun, 03/13/2016 - 9:17pm.

I took it. Am of white european folk and raised christian. So not Jewish or brown. This graffiti really pissed me off. Thoughts?

A little inflammatory graffiti in Brookline

Comments

Support Universal Hub

In other Brookline news