September 20, 2012

"Lynching" Empty Chairs

At the Republican National Convention, actor Clint Eastwood performed a 12-minute skit in which he criticized an empty chair representing President Obama. The speech quickly became a hit with republican voters around the country. In a violent twist, instances of citizens "lynching" these symbolic empty chairs from trees began to pop up, often adding American flags and labels that referred to President Obama. When reached out for questioning, the citizens who hung the chairs defended their actions.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Symbolic lynching serves as a culture reminder of white supremacy and while they do not directly inflict physical violence, they inspire and reinforce discriminatory behavior that sometimes leads to physical violence.

For more on lynching see, "The Lynching of Empty Chairs".