Site takes no action over hate posts against UK politicians including Kemi Badenoch, Shabana Mahmood and Zia Yusuf
X has refused to take down dozens of social media posts reported as “hate, abuse or harassment” in which prominent UK politicians, including Kemi Badenoch, have been racially abused.
In May, researchers from the social inclusion thinktank British Future reported 30 posts from this year in which the Conservative party leader was called the N-word. In each case the researchers used the platform’s “hate, abuse or harassment” reporting option. X refused to act in the majority of cases, despite repeated requests.
The Guardian understands X routinely takes action only when posts are reported to it as illegal under the UK’s Online Safety Act. In those cases, it restricts visibility in the UK, leaving the post unrestricted in other jurisdictions.
Tarnation, and tar baby.
In historical context can be read as not racist, but I wouldn’t use them personally unless I’d already established an old timey southern character.
Here’s an example of the Citizens Council (a whites only organization) using a tar baby to illustrate their views on whether Eisenhower could desegregate black schools:
https://museumofprotest.org/portfolio/arkansas-white-supremacist-group-challenges-racial-integration/
So these terms whilst they might have benign origins (in this case tarnation is sometimes explained away as a contraction of eternal damnation) have since been used for racial culture war purposes.
I don’t expect everyone to be a scholar of this stuff, but given the context of our conversation… Well, sorry if you felt penned in, and had no where else to go but to try to get a rise out of everyone. These things happen (it’s a natural reaction when you feel talked down to). But no one is ever “right” on the Internet… And it’s just some dumb comments section. I’d just move on, and I have many heavily downvoted comments in my comments history myself. No biggie.