I’m no fan of Sarah Palin for reasons I’ve made clear. Pero, making light of the idea of physically attacking Palin is not any more acceptable (or it shouldn’t be anyway) than inciting or referencing physical attacks on Barack Obama.

October (or what is left of it) is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. As a mujer who has experienced domestic violence and racist violence, the two are connected and cannot be separated made distinct. So as much as I think Palin’s presence on the national political scene does a disservice to all women pero especially women of color I don’t want to see her get a beat down. As dangerous as I think she is to women, especially women of color, images of her getting knocked down aren’t acceptable. I also don’t think it’s accidental that the Terry Tate video features a man of color tackling a white woman. It plays into a million fears and stereotypes of helpless white women and violent men of color eager, waiting for their opportunity. So it’s not just sexist, it’s racist.

And let me be clear. The McCain/Palin camp would have a damn field day with my friends and people I know and I would be labeled a terrorist lover in half a second. I am also not anti-violence pero people need to be aware of power and privilege and the messages that get sent out and are received.