Melissa Harris Perry Says Stating 47% of American's Don't Pay Income Tax is Racist

While discussing racism is certainly a worthy topic, calling everything racism diminishes the valid points she may wish to make. It simply makes her look ridiculous to call that tax point (when the topic is tax rates) racist or to suggest there is a hidden 'code'.

Well, that's your opinion. Mine is that this meme is definitely being used with underlying racial dog whistling by some. It's definitely something everyone should be aware of. Now more people are.
 
.

That's because we don't speak stupid with a thick victim accent. It's a simple fact. 47% of the nation doesn't pay federal income tax. That isn't code, it simply is.

Oh no...you didn't "call" her stupid...you just implied it.

I didn't call her stupid. I called what she said stupid. It is stupid to dismiss facts for any reason, but especially when you twist it into a racist "attack" so that nobody would be willing to discuss the facts.

She literally says we cannot speak of actual facts. That is nonsense, it's babble. Really smart people can say incredibly foolish things, and do so regularly. You speak of her perspective. What perspective is it that makes simple factual information, given as simple factual information, into racial epithets?

Now begins the backtracking...nowhere does she "literally say we cannot speak of actual facts".

Any chance that just THIS ONCE you put away the idiotic hyperbole?
 
Well, that's your opinion. Mine is that this meme is definitely being used with underlying racial dog whistling by some. It's definitely something everyone should be aware of. Now more people are.

How the fuck are we ever going to have an honest discussion of the tax code if this type of bullshit that she is promoting is the result? It is a pathetic attempt to deflect from reality. It is an assigning of a 'code' by HER. SHE is creating this out of nothing.... and I do mean NOTHING. The bottom 50% demographically is going to fall very close to the total demographics. To suggest this suddenly means that talking about the bottom half is racist 'code' is nothing short of absurd. Only a complete hack would believe such nonsense.
 
.

That's because we don't speak stupid with a thick victim accent. It's a simple fact. 47% of the nation doesn't pay federal income tax. That isn't code, it simply is.

I didn't call her stupid. I called what she said stupid. It is stupid to dismiss facts for any reason, but especially when you twist it into a racist "attack" so that nobody would be willing to discuss the facts.

She literally says we cannot speak of actual facts. That is nonsense, it's babble. Really smart people can say incredibly foolish things, and do so regularly. You speak of her perspective. What perspective is it that makes simple factual information, given as simple factual information, into racial epithets?

Are you taking lessons from Dung in being a dishonest hack?

Did ANYONE state that the 47% don't have any federal taxes taken out of their check? NO.

No one even stated that with regards to federal income tax.

We are discussing the FEDERAL INCOME TAX and the percent of the population that ends up paying it in a given year. If you pay $4000 in federal income taxes over the course of the year and you get back $4000 at the end of the year when you file... then you DID NOT pay federal income taxes for that year.

No...I just had to make due with $4,000.00 less than I would have had if I didn't pay any federal taxes during the year like Damo claimed.
 
No...I just had to make due with $4,000.00 less than I would have had if I didn't pay any federal taxes during the year like Damo claimed.

Now if that same thing happens each year.... did you have to 'make due' with less? No. Bottom line you did not pay federal income taxes in that scenario. If you don't like HOW it is taken out of your check, that is an issue with the Federal government. Feel free to take it up with them. But Damo is correct to state that 49% don't pay federal income taxes.
 
Now if that same thing happens each year.... did you have to 'make due' with less? No. Bottom line you did not pay federal income taxes in that scenario. If you don't like HOW it is taken out of your check, that is an issue with the Federal government. Feel free to take it up with them. But Damo is correct to state that 49% don't pay federal income taxes.

Why do I even bother?

Of COURSE you're going to go with which ever choice allows you to demonize those you disagree with...namely the 49% Damo falsely claims pays no federal income taxes...even though you just admitted they do indeed pay federal income taxes.
 
How the fuck are we ever going to have an honest discussion of the tax code if this type of bullshit that she is promoting is the result? It is a pathetic attempt to deflect from reality. It is an assigning of a 'code' by HER. SHE is creating this out of nothing.... and I do mean NOTHING. The bottom 50% demographically is going to fall very close to the total demographics. To suggest this suddenly means that talking about the bottom half is racist 'code' is nothing short of absurd. Only a complete hack would believe such nonsense.

No one is saying that you are using it as code. She is saying that the very smart people who are paid by representatives of the interests of billionaires, are utilizing this dogwhistle which has always been highly effective with a good portion of white America and which they have no reason to believe won't be again.
 
There's been a half a dozen posters on these boards tell their own anecdotal stories about watching some "welfare queen" drive up to the grocery store in her Escalade with the big rims to buy T-Bones and booze with their food stamps.

Oh I remember there was a poster on our old board who was famous for his "single, fat, black, mom with her ebt card stories. Seems he was just always behind one trying to buy stuff she wasn't supposed to buy.
 
That's a lie right there.

So this 47% don't have any federal taxes taken out of their checks each week?

If you can't speak honestly about this, then we're never going to advance the discussion.

That isn't what was said, they pay net zero because they receive back. If I pay $100 for a book, and get a $100 rebate, what did I pay for the book?
 
Why do I even bother?

Of COURSE you're going to go with which ever choice allows you to demonize those you disagree with...namely the 49% Damo falsely claims pays no federal income taxes...even though you just admitted they do indeed pay federal income taxes.

Because he didn't "just admit" that, and you have deliberate "misunderstanding" issues.
 
Why do I even bother?

Of COURSE you're going to go with which ever choice allows you to demonize those you disagree with...namely the 49% Damo falsely claims pays no federal income taxes...even though you just admitted they do indeed pay federal income taxes.

If I give you $10 and you give me back $10.... what is your net position?

The stupidity you are positing is quite frankly amazing. 49% DO NOT PAY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES..... just because they prepay in case they owe doesn't mean they ACTUALLY paid taxes in that given year. Those are not made up numbers, they are FACT. If you prepay and then you get what you pre-paid back, then your net position is ZERO and you will not have paid taxes in that given year. FACT.

There is no choice. I am not demonizing anyone. I am stating a FACT.
 
No one is saying that you are using it as code. She is saying that the very smart people who are paid by representatives of the interests of billionaires, are utilizing this dogwhistle which has always been highly effective with a good portion of white America and which they have no reason to believe won't be again.

Again, what she is saying is purely fabricated nonsense. This isn't a dogwhistle. It isn't pointing to any racial demographic. This is simply an excuse for her to deflect the topic. To pretend, just as you just did, that these 'secret efforts of billionaires to create racial divide' blah blah blah.....

That portion of 'white America' you reference (amazing how race continually is the foremost thought of liberals).... they are mostly part of that bottom 50%.
 
Again, what she is saying is purely fabricated nonsense. This isn't a dogwhistle. It isn't pointing to any racial demographic. This is simply an excuse for her to deflect the topic. To pretend, just as you just did, that these 'secret efforts of billionaires to create racial divide' blah blah blah.....

That portion of 'white America' you reference (amazing how race continually is the foremost thought of liberals).... they are mostly part of that bottom 50%.

Race has always been a driving force in American politics. I've already agreed that whites make up the majority of the bottom 50%, why are we backsliding? Are you becoming angrier as the day goes on?

Does anybody know what the DOW did today?
 
Back
Top