This is an adjustment of an article originally published a couple of weeks ago, now updated to reflect the welcome restoration of redsfan's original article.

Sometime around the 19th of this month, Newsvine member Redsfan seeded an article that generated significant debate. The sardonic opinion offering provided a list of things that a President and a First Lady are barred from doing if that President and First Lady happen to be black. Viners can see the article by clicking on the link below:

http://ihavethefloor.com/2012/06/18/things-black-presidents-and-first-ladies-are-not-allowed-to-do/

In spite of the fact that no reasonable person could consider the seed duplicative, miscategorized, unlawful, inaccurate, advertising or some other listed category of unacceptable, some group of Viners saw fit to have the article removed. As there are those who measure the appropriateness or acceptability of an article by whether or not they happen to agree with it, the removal of what was a useful, active and well-placed seed comes as no surprise. The real surprise, however, is that the Newsvine moderating team has not yet seen fit to restore the removed seed and vine discussion.

Subsequent to the removal of Redsfan's relatively innocuous seed, another Viner seeded a video that any reasonable person would consider vile. The already specious message (if there really ever was one) was overwhelmed by the self-serving ignorance, vulgarity and unintelligence of a messenger who reveled in his opportunity to excoriate black people with whom he - also black - disagrees. Included in those vulgarities was a level of racism that would make even the most virulent, knuckle-dragging, troglodyte racist tear-up with joy. Anyone with a burning desire to see this trash may do so through the link below:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HsSQtxrw7uU

To my stunned surprise, many fellow viners either agreed with the racist content of the video, were indifferent to it or were otherwise not the least bit plussed. I for one don't take kindly to being called a "stupid niqqer(sp)" - yes, the video included that gem of wisdom - so my own hostility to the seed was predictable. But both agreement and hostility to the seeded video or the seeded list are tangential to the point.

The point is that anyone who participated in both of these vine discussions would be rightly subject to a charge of hypocrisy if they voted to remove the seeded list and not the seeded vine. I believe it safe to assume that those who seeded the video and posted in encouragement of it would be in disagreement a list of things a black president couldn't do. Even those who did not engage in the cowardly, hypocritical and wholly inappropriate collapse of the list article should be troubled by the duplicity attendant in saying nothing about the collapse of the seeded list while reveling in the disgusting content of the seeded video.

Anyone reading this article is now aware of the hypocrisy inherent in this tale of two vines and should petition Newsvine moderators to restore Redsfan's seed. Doing nothing is tantamount to an acceptance of community failure and the tolerance of contemptible duplicity.

Update:  Newsvine moderators restored redsfan's article on July 5th.  Thanks and congratulations should go to those who notified moderators of the injustice and Newsvine moderators should be commended for doing the right thing.