Local Bigots Speak Out About Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Greatest Hits from the Boston Herald Comment Boards

For the sake of online ad revenue, authorities everywhere should start racially profiling more prominent black academics. In the past few days, as news surfaced of Harvard professor and renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s arrest, the Globe and Herald web sites have been flooded with thousands of comments from concerned and rattled citizens, most of whom bravely hide behind aliases to express their unique, well-informed, and rational opinions (the Globe even opened a separate “discussion” board for the topic all-together). Here go some of the best efforts we’ve seen yet - from relatively sensible jabs to utterly despicable illiterate rants (in ascending order of craziness).*

carpooler: “you think maybe they dropped the charges cause they realize it would be silly to go on with a case on someone breaking into their own home?”

BrocktonDude: “I guess the police didn't know who they were messing with.”

whativorytower: “Don't worry, the police union will probably be able to wrangle some sort of disability claim for the arresting officer. Moral of the story: The only way you can get away with yelling at cops for a legitimate reason is if you're famous or its videotaped. Otherwise, expect to get arrested, beaten, or worse.”

JR: “Score: 1 for political correctness; 0 for common sense.”

someguy50: “Did anybody read the police report? The cop arrested Gates because he was calling him names. Is Gates a blowhard jerk? Absolutely. Is that illegal? Absolutely not.”

Massinator: “What got the charges dismissed was the heavy handed influence of Gates' power and priviledge; and ironically, the very things he was accusing the CPD of abusing. What a country.”

WIDTAP: “You people are such wussies. Anywhere else in America the community would just remind the police how to clam people who are tired, jet lagged and just a little surprised to find a cop entering their house uninvited. But looking at the comments here I can see that Boston's choice is to give up at the first sign that things don't go their way.”

Mike_T: “Well if the sheet fits.......”

Snowballs: “if this guy is white he's pushing a broom in some mall. or maybe he's a state senator like liveshot kerry or a congressman like barney frank.”

heyskully: “Cambridge...A self proclaimed sanctuary for illegal aliens. Does this really surprise anyone?”

Massgopguy: “Does the good professor own the home or is it a perk that Harvard pays no Property taxes on?”

leonis7: “The professor and the two "reverands" are setting race relations back 50 years by their words and actions, BUT we ALL KNOW the reason, they don't want to lose this most lucrative business of theirs. They could care less about their black brothers and sisters. They are shisters and criminals. One man's opinion.”

Diesey: “Hey roycraven, no one cares what you think. STFU and keep it movin.”

DiggyZazz: “I love all the knuckle-dragger's posts here, coming to the defense of the CPD. The man as in his own home, you clowns. You are all the socialsts, in favor of a police state civil liberties. You embarass yourselves.”

johnny_moore: “And if you think the good reverand and the nutty professor are done... your crazy. They'll be demanding this cops job momentarily... stay tuned!”

KenPatera: “Ha. Ha. Gates. I'm going to post your mug shots all over Cambridge. You are so dumb that you don't even know how to open your own door. Look at how angry you are in the photo. Your alleged job title did nothing for you. I am sure you have been arrested before too. Notice, how the other man wasn't arrested? He followed the rules, while you acted irrational and abnormal. Since you are close friend to Alfraud Sharpton, you are a racist. You're a troublemaker, and the charges should not have been dropped. I understand "Skippy". It's not your fault. It's everybody else's.”

hankme: “This guy is a POS racist himself. The cops should have beaten some sense into him.”

zapperz: “I say they should have maced him, beat him till he calmed down, then explain to the moron, what a racist is, since the cry baby cant tell the difference from the police doing what the tax payers pay the to do. Protect people and property. If so many blacks were not criminals, white people and cops would change their tune? when was the last time you heard anyone from India, Mexico or China, call people racists?”

Axxman: “You talk tough, but you don't have the crackers to back it up.”

bosoxguy311: “You can take a man out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of a man.”

whatnext: “Just another cry baby that uses the system, must have used that HARVARD education, probably at affifmative action expense, to prove he is better than everyone else. The press has to make a big deal about this, and it's getting boring. For the record, my son of 30 years old had broken into his apartment in Manhatten a few yeas ago, and the Police had him on the ground, in his apartment with guns drawn just like a swat exercise, and he wanted to show his ID. Guess he needed a Sharpton, but, oops that's right , Whites don't have one.”

Loudz003: “I personally like the whites they interview in the news that say '...they're profiling, they're racist..whaa whaa..' BASTARDS!!! They're the ones who voted Deval in and got us into this mess (based on their stupid beliefs).”

baddeval: “if they dumped 41 shots in him, then maybe he would have a gripe!”

* - These gems all came from the Herald comment section, but that doesn’t mean the Globe boards weren’t full of ignorant shit as well. We just didn’t feel like combing through all the liberal guilt to get to the ruthless redneck vitriol.