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Home » News » Herald Reporter Triggered by “It’s OK to be white” Sign
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Herald Reporter Triggered by “It’s OK to be white” Sign

Steve RobinsonBy Steve RobinsonFebruary 2, 2023Updated:February 2, 20236 Comments2 Mins Read
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Portland Press Herald music journalist Aimsel Ponti was so triggered by a sign she saw in Portland that she couldn’t help but share it with the world Wednesday.

“It’s ok to be white,” reads the sign, to which Ponti appended the comment: “And then there are the racists who stand out in a public spot in the middle of the day broadcasting their message in downtown Portland, Maine.”

https://twitter.com/Aimsel/status/1620861002442227714?s=20&t=7n2k_33opr6y2HhJFdUkLA

Another Herald scribe, who has not one or two but three Ukrainian flags in her username, jokes: “Are you sure it’s not just that one guy? I only ask bc he can’t get help holding up his banner”.

The joke seems lost on Ponti.

“He doesn’t need help,” she clarifies. “It’s tied to the lamp post.”

In reacting this way to the message, Ponti appears to be falling for an old trolling campaign that started out on some alt-right message boards.

The originators of the devious prank sought to prove that you could spark a liberal media outcry by taking a statement that would be non-controversial for any other group and inserting “white.”

Some left-wing commentators have theorized that the seemingly innocuous phrase is actually a coded white supremacist message, with august bodies like the Anti-Defamation League saying that, while the original promulgators of the troll might have been innocent pranksters, the slogan has now been adopted by actual white supremacists and is now, therefore, hate speech.

So while it may be permissible — even praiseworthy — to hold up a sign that says “It’s OK to Be Native American” or “It’s OK to Be Asian,” it is not, in fact, okay to hold up a sign that says “It’s OK to Be W****.”

Tragically, thanks to Ponti’s tweet drawing attention to the irredeemably racist slogan, more than 50,000 people saw the demonstration than otherwise would have.

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Steve Robinson is the Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire. ‪He can be reached by email at Robinson@TheMaineWire.com.

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6 Comments

  1. Old School Counselor on February 3, 2023 7:48 AM

    The establishment press is failing to report important stories of racially inspired crimes by blacks against whites. A number of these perpetrators have said they were motivated by the resentment and anger that came from their understanding of Critical Race Theory. Many of these perps are delusional and have low impulse control. They are motivated by Ibrahim Kendi and other anti-white CRT trainers, whose work is often funded by taxpayers. Some of them are working in Maine public schools. Check out this awful story from Laguna Beach California. A 58 year old white doctor on his bicycle was run down and then stabbed by a black man who may have had a personal medical complaint and also apparently a racial grievance against the ER doctor. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/horror-socal-bicyclist-struck-driver-fatally-stabbed-pch-racially-motivated-attack-video/

    We need to go to alternative media to read these stories that happen nearly every week, because establishment media do not cover them. This is the reason for the IOKTBW campaigns – to raise awareness that people with high resentment and low impulse control are being exploited to commit violence against whites, whom they are told are subhuman and without conscience.

    Racial resentment training is inciting violence. It needs to be stopped cold and the trainers reeducated or incarcerated.

  2. Tom Blaize on February 3, 2023 11:05 AM

    https://boards.4chan.org/pol/thread/414698320

    KEK

  3. Bobby Bob Bob on February 4, 2023 11:07 AM

    https://twitter.com/cwt_news/status/1621840001448255489

    Many prominent accounts on twitter and other social media are making this go viral. I think I counted over 500,000 views on just twitter tweets alone. It’s getting bigger and gaining traction.

  4. blackmainegirl on February 5, 2023 8:42 PM

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/CoTSr96Bd4c/

    Fuck around and find out @ The Maine Wire. Actions have consequences and words can be violence. We want an apology for your article supporting white supremacy.

    You can also join my Patreon and donate if you truly are not racist.

    Wednesday we will have our stunning and brave students do a walkout standing against The Maine Wire for you all being homophobic, racist, bigots, and white supremacists.

  5. Jackie Chan on February 5, 2023 9:38 PM

    https://twitter.com/ZeekArkham/status/1622311396372250626

    Portland Press Herald Journalists are blocking famous black podcasters asking them why the banner is racist. Story goes viral. Everyone is asking why Portland Press Herald staff is all white, why they are blocking black people. Interesting x 2.

  6. Aimsel Ponti on February 6, 2023 7:11 AM

    I hope the people at The Maine Wire are happy. I’ve been forced to remove my tweet after 3 days of being bullied, harassed, threatened, and worse online. This has been the most stressful moment of my life. Racism is alive and well in Maine. Homophobes and racists from all over have come to attack me on your behalf.

    As fellow journalists, you should have had the dignity to speak out against these attacks on me and the Portland Press Herald.

    If you want to reach out to me through e-mail you can. I(we) would appreciate an apology from you. I’ll give you 7 days.

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