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Racist Fireworks Found Being Sold in Wis.

Some of you may recall me mentioning that MN has the largest Somali Muslim community in the US. As with most people in MN who like fireworks, they drive to WI to buy them for the 4th...


Story and newscast video

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1011199.shtml?cat=1


Racist Fireworks Found Being Sold in Wis.

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Read the Letter to the Company
</td></tr></tbody></table>You may be used to seeing fireworks with names like 'Seaside Garden,' 'Burst and Bloom,' or 'Red, White, and Boom.'
But the product names of fireworks at one Wisconsin fireworks stand are nowhere near as benign. Some say they're more than inappropriate--they're racist.


Some of the novelties sold at Fireworks City in Baldwin, Wis. are sparking controversy in the Arab and Muslim communities.


On one side of the packaging for 'Run Hadji Run' fireworks, men of Middle Eastern decent are riding on camels with a bomber plane flying above them. On the other side is an angry-looking Uncle Same yanking the beard of what looks like a Muslim man.
"This is just outrageous," said Kenya McKnight. What comes in my mind, is that people will get idea to pop fireworks at Muslims."


The fireworks were being sold for $30. While the owner didn't want to comment on camera, customers had a lot to say.


"To me it sends a clear message that Muslims are terrorists. ‘Run Hadji Run’—I’m going to throw some fireworks and I want to see you run," McKnight said.


The Council of American-Islamic Relations of Minnesota issued issued a statement about the fireworks, explaining "Hadji is an honorific term for those who have completed the pilgrimage to Mecca, but has been often used as a derogatory term by U.S. Soldiers during the Iraq War."


After 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS visited the store and brought attention to the offensive fireworks Friday, they were pulled off the shelves.


The manufacturer, Missouri-based Red Rhino Fireworks, says they haven’t sold the product in several years. CAIR-MN also wrote a letter to the company's president, asking for him to offer an apology to the Muslim and Arab community.


The fireworks with the questionable names are illegal in Minnesota.
 
That's messed up.
 
Not that I condone this in anyway, but I am curious what statement The Council of American-Islamic Relations of Minnesota issued when al-jazeera, cnn, abc, nbc, nickelodeon shows burning of American Flags in middle eastern countries.
 
I don't think news footage of something mildly unpleasant, like burning a flag, that actually happened is quite comparable to a fictional cartoony endorsement of genocide on the packaging of a holiday item. Apples and oranges.
~Joe
 
They are all quite relative. Burning of a flag is the most offensive statement one can make of a country. It is symbolic for destroying the country... utterly. A very large number of people in the US take real offense to this. Not too long ago you could get arrested for doing so.

My point is that here there is a moral fiber that recognizes offensive statements and tries to put a stop to it. But it seems to be encouraged elsewhere.
 
yet if they showed a drunk Irish man and it was named Gaelic Thunder no one would say a word........
 
No Irish need apply! LOL!

I just haven't seen any racist anti-Irish fireworks, If you show them I'd say "Man that's not cool" to that too.

The Colbert Report last week said with Sotamayors nomination us Whites were finally well on our way to oppression:
"Caged at Last! Caged at last! Thank god almighty we're caged at last!":D
 
  • #10
[REMOVED BY AUTHOR DUE TO PEOPLE'S REACTIONS]. Let's not like this become like the MJ thread.
 
  • #11
Burning of a flag is the most offensive statement one can make of a country.

While it is an offense, and to some a significant one, I think "most offensive" is definitely a matter of subjectivity. Would you say that burning a flag was more offensive than the 9/11 attacks? Or how about hogtying naked prisoners and taking humiliating photographs of them? Let's not forget the US military's own home-grown strategy of airdropping Islamic nations with butchered pork to force their citizens to violate their religious codes of conduct.
Really - a flag is an effigy of a country, a symbol for that country's intents, accomplishments, and history. There are all sorts of people in the Middle East who have perfectly good reasons to be angry at the USA, and I'd much rather have them burning a flag to express their anger than hijacking planes or sending mailbombs.
~Joe
 
  • #12
Rattler, some groups are more sensitive then others. Let's not like this become like the MJ thread.

Yes, I have that feeling as well about this thread. But don't worry about me. I wouldn't intentionally do anything outside of the bounds of the rules of this forum. Plus I like all of you guys and gals. :)
 
  • #13
While it is an offense, and to some a significant one, I think "most offensive" is definitely a matter of subjectivity. Would you say that burning a flag was more offensive than the 9/11 attacks? Or how about hogtying naked prisoners and taking humiliating photographs of them? Let's not forget the US military's own home-grown strategy of airdropping Islamic nations with butchered pork to force their citizens to violate their religious codes of conduct.
Really - a flag is an effigy of a country, a symbol for that country's intents, accomplishments, and history. There are all sorts of people in the Middle East who have perfectly good reasons to be angry at the USA, and I'd much rather have them burning a flag to express their anger than hijacking planes or sending mailbombs.

I couldn't agree more at just cause for being angry at the US. If you follow US history you will know that there was a time when we were like Switzerland. Why we got off of that path, I have no idea.

Of course these are all more significant, physically. I am talking symbolic.
 
  • #14
Er - I wrote the following as an addendum to my last post but I'll move it here for clarity:

Also, what you first cited was the media coverage of flag-burning. Isn't that a little off base? Why should any legitimate news outlet be criticized for showing an event that actually happened? I don't follow at all; that's not offensive - it's called reporting. Sometimes the news is unpleasant.
Even if you are talking about flag-burning itself, I don't think that's on the same level as racist cartoons that encourage violence against a particular racial group. Flag burning is usually a message of anger, so of course it isn't something to be happy about, but it also isn't a direct and literal endorsement of violence. The packaging of these fireworks is both an endorsement of violence, and an endorsement of racism, and I think that's much more dangerous and narrow-minded than the myriad reasons one might have to burn a flag in protest.
Besides which, what does persecuting Arabs have to do with the fourth of July? As far as I'm concerned, this is the antithesis of what Independence Day is about. This should be a holiday where, above all else, we remember core American values; freedom, brotherhood, and the right to peacefully pursue our lives without discrimination and undue interference.

I guess I'm having trouble seeing what you're getting at, dashman.
~Joe
 
  • #16
OK. My last post, I am going out of town tommorow and my wife is already yelling at me. :) I'll try to follow up with you when I return.

Thanks seedjar for the engaging converation. I hope there are no hard feelings towards me, as I have none towards you.

Also, what you first cited was the media coverage of flag-burning. Isn't that a little off base?

I don't think so. I think it is relative. You have a fireworks company who is selling fireworks with
derogatory statements on them. Why do you think that they think this is a good idea? I think it is because they think they can sell them?
They are thinking that the market in mind has an anti-(insert other side here) sentiment.

Why should any legitimate news outlet be criticized for showing an event that actually happened?

I didn't criticize media outlets for reporting the news. I am just stating that it is offensive to a large number of citizens.

I don't follow at all; that's not offensive - it's called reporting.

Yes, it is called reporting. But, it is offensive to a large number of US citizens.

Sometimes the news is unpleasant.

Yep. More times than not it seems.

Even if you are talking about flag-burning itself, I don't think that's on the same level as racist cartoons
that encourage violence against a particular racial group.

Really, a statement that endorces the inhallation of an entire country that supports all races is not as bad?

Flag burning is usually a message of anger, so of course it isn't something to be happy about,
but it also isn't a direct and literal endorsement of violence.

Yes, it is the symbolic statement of ... "I wish you were dead! (Insert country name here).

The packaging of these fireworks is both an endorsement of violence, and an endorsement of racism, and I think that's much more dangerous and narrow-minded than the myriad reasons one might have to burn a flag in protest. Besides which, what does persecuting Arabs have to do with the fourth of July?
As far as I'm concerned, this is the antithesis of what Independence Day is about. This should be a holiday where, above all else, we remember core American values; freedom, brotherhood, and the right to peacefully pursue our lives without discrimination and undue interference.

I think it is a company trying to make money off of a anti-(insert country name here) sentiment.
Even worse, the company that made the fireworks are probably not from the US. I agree that this
is not what America is all about.

My point is that you hear all of the time how America encourages diversity and understanding.
If a person or group rallies against races or religions, it is quickly rebuked.
Yet this is not the case elsewhere.
 
  • #17
Personally, I find those fireworks offensive.
 
  • #18
Dashy,
If you don't like the news cos it's depressing you don't need to watch it. "The world is full of ***** darling!" As someone once said. :D
And that will probably never change.

However, I can imagine how much you'd be in the dark about what's going on in the world if you only wanted happy-go-lucky human interest stories. I want to know what's going on no matter how dire. I get more upset over the things we aren't being told of or the lies we're being fed in the US news than the stuff we are told about outright.

I only watch BBC and Headline News cos there's not so much of the left/right punditry like on the major US news channels - which is more sickening to me than bad news. Glen Beck, Keith Oberman, O'reilly (pipe down Rattler! lol), Lou Dobbs, that girl after Oberman whatever her name is... I can't watch any of that stuff. I just want the what and when of the report, I'll make up my own dumb opinion I don't want or need theirs or their guests opinions shouted at me.
 
  • #19
Dashy,
If you don't like the news don't watch it. "The world is full of ***** darling!"

However, I can imagine how much you'd be in the dark about what's going on in the world if you only wanted happy-go-lucky human interest stories.

OK. I lied. The last post was not the last for the night.

Swords,

That's good. Dashy! Has a nice ring to it. :)

This story is the least of my worries. I posted on a whim before I was going to bed and it bit me in the buttocks. What can I do but wish you all a happy 4th of July. Don't catch your houses on fire with misguided bottle rocktets!

I hope I didn't offend anyone as this was not my intent. I was just trying to ... not sure what I was trying to do other than play devils advocate I guess.
 
  • #20
You be safe too!

Only Sparklers are legal here but people who like blowing things up all just drive into WI for their 4th of July supplies where you can buy "anything".
I outgrew fireworks at a young age when I momentarily melted the skin of my thumb and forefinger together with a "jumping jack", I'm long done with that stuff now! :D
 
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