Comments: 65 Score: [-] 497 [+].
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Posted: 3 months ago by RowanGrey:
I'm not sure I get it. What's the controversy?
Score: [-] 65 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by 2manyusernames:
« RowanGrey : I'm not sure I get it. What's the controversy? any thing that doesn't portray Obama as an Angel Send From Heaven To Solve All Our Problems is Evil.
Compare George Bush to Curious George (and far worse) = funny, creative, witty, insightful genius and great political understanding.
Compare Obama or any african-american (or even one who is 1/2 white) to Curious George and the race card is immediately played.
I can only imagine how much flak comedians and political cartoonists will get if Obama actually wins the election. Any minor jibe they get in will be declared racist and hate speech.
Score: [-] 337 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by mewhitenoise:
He even has big ears, I guess political cartoonists will have to be creative to avoid being called racists, if they care.
Score: [-] 136 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by Fizz71:
I thought it was because Obama's black and the picture is of a monkey. Monkey's are from the jungle and an old school racist will tell you that blacks are nothing more than jungle monkey's..or something like that.
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT STATEMENT ONE BIT...
I'm just clarifying that it could be the issue. I recall an ad for international phone service a few years back that had a picture of the world map with pictures of American looking people in North America, Eskimo in Alaska, etc...and a Monkey (or Gorrilla) in Africa...It pissed a lot of people off.
EDIT - This was supposed to be a reply to Rowan's question otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.
Score: [-] 145 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by Marli:
Link to Boston Herald story
I don't know if anyone else was running into it, but the link was requiring me to register. I don't think the Herald link above will.
Didn't want to change your link, Nesby, but feel free to use this one if you want.
Score: [-] 72 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by doggylives:
I think it's BS. I know your favourite subject is "the race card" 2many, but seriously, you think it's ok to portray an Afro-American man as a monkey given the racist BS thats been spouted for years comparing black people to monkeys?!
The article in question has some more information, and I quote,
Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey.
Everytime there's a story about racism 2many, you cry "race-card" in favour of whites. If ya have what ya think will be unpopular views on race just come out and say it. Maybe I've got this all wrong but to defend the use of a monkey to depict a black person makes you, IMO, either sympathetic towards racist views OR extremely naive to the history and the subject of racism.
*eitz* Check this site out The Jim crow museum, for an idea of why images like the one on this t-shirt are still so offensive to a lot of people.
Score: [-] 153 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by DerAlt:
« 2manyusernames:any thing that doesn't portray Obama as an Angel Send From Heaven To Solve All Our Problems is Evil.
Compare George Bush to Curious George (and far worse) = funny, creative, witty, insightful genius and great political understanding.
Compare Obama or any african-american (or even one who is 1/2 white) to Curious George and the race card is immediately played.
I can only imagine how much flak comedians and political cartoonists will get if Obama actually wins the election. Any minor jibe they get in will be declared racist and hate speech. You make good points about some people immediately playing the "race card" as you say.
This is politics and any perceived ammunition will be used, and by all sides.
However, I think you're not recognizing the one element in this isuue that creates the biggest reaction. There is an historical racist significance in portraying a black person as a monkey or an ape. In the heyday of white racist scorn, pushing the Africa/ape/monkey connection was one of the common, uneducated, and demeaning methods.
If the tee shirt showed any other common racist opinion like, blackface or watermelon would that be the line that shouldn't be crossed?
There is not enough information to determine whether this had actual racist intent or was just an uninformed attempt at humor. But it's no surprise that a black would be particularly insulted at being likened to a monkey.
Haven't heard Obama complain and he probably won't.
Edit: wow I'm slow.
Score: [-] 287 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by doggylives:
« DerAlt :
There is not enough information to determine whether this had actual racist intent or was just an uninformed attempt at humor. Either way the makers and sellers of the t-shirt are either racist OR totally and utterly naive, ignorant and have their heads firmly buried in the sand when it comes to common sense and a grasp of social history.
Either scenario makes them reprehensible IMO.
Score: [-] 80 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by Alton:
I think there are bigger issues in the world and we shouldn't give this a*****e any free advertisement.
It just encourages like minded, umm, people.
Score: [-] 164 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by PulsisX:
« 2manyusernames : any thing that doesn't portray Obama as an Angel Send From Heaven To Solve All Our Problems is Evil.
Compare George Bush to Curious George (and far worse) = funny, creative, witty, insightful genius and great political understanding.
Compare Obama or any african-american (or even one who is 1/2 white) to Curious George and the race card is immediately played.
I can only imagine how much flak comedians and political cartoonists will get if Obama actually wins the election. Any minor jibe they get in will be declared racist and hate speech. Could you think of any other reason why the person that made this would use curious george besides the racist one?
I don't see how else that image would connect to Obama. Did I miss something in the news that would make it apt in some other way?
Score: [-] 192 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by KeroBeros32:
the way I see it... it is a intelligent, adorable monkey that is going to save this country from the previous stupid, non-adorable monkey...
Score: [-] 246 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by doggylives:
« KeroBeros32 : the way I see it... it is a intelligent, adorable monkey that is going to save this country from the previous stupid, non-adorable monkey... Nice thought but I'm pretty certain the makers of the t-shirt didn't intend it that way :)
Score: [-] 5 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by Maven:
That monkey doesn't look much like Curious George.
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by Hypermdavis:
It is wrong. It was wrong when Rush Limbaugh compared Barak to a monkey and it is wrong to make a t-shirt like that and not expect to insult someone. I mean come on, you cannot tell me that the person who designed the t-shirt thought it would not get attention or piss anyone off!!!!!!!!!! Get real, we all know the history and it was irresponsible.
Score: [-] 147 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by Hypermdavis:
« Alton : I think there are bigger issues in the world and we shouldn't give this a*****e any free advertisement.
It just encourages like minded, umm, people. racism is a big issue.
Score: [-] 52 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by tigertony:
« 2manyusernames :
Compare George Bush to Curious George (and far worse) = funny, creative, witty, insightful genius and great political understanding.
Actually George Bush has been portrayed as Curious George on more than one occasion. He's made himself an easy target at times and the national media has been more tha willing to pile on. Free speach not withstanding, I think it shows a lack of respect regardless of who's in office.
This cartoon appeared in Maxim in Sept. 2000. It was just the first of many that came up in a Google search.
Score: [-] 77 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by davbob:
But ,but,but there are millions of pictures on the internet showing G.W as a monkey so why not Obama?
Too many people read too much into stuff.
Score: [-] 24 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by doggylives:
« davbob : But ,but,but there are millions of pictures on the internet showing G.W as a monkey so why not Obama?
Too many people read too much into stuff. It's easy to "read" racist intent into things like this if you have a knowledge of the subject of racism and history.
Take the cartoon that TT posted above your comment, the comparisons between Bush and a monkey are drawn due to his ineptitude and are linked to humour in the majority of cases.
Compare that with this
Where's the humour or satire in that t-shirt, it has a black man's name with a picture of a monkey above it. Even if it's just ignorance of the history of racism that's spawned this, does it make it any better?!
I've walked in my local town with my mixed-race daughter and got into a fight with a lad who shouted "Monkey-lover" at me and made monkey noises. Deal with s**t like that and you might not feel that people who read racist intent into this t-shirt are indeed reading too much into it.
Score: [-] 101 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by Hypermdavis:
Thank you doggylives. Being a mixed child I remember so many times being with my parents and dealing with peoples ingnorance. As much as I like to think I can move beyond it, it still hurts.
Score: [-] 162 [+].
Posted: 3 months ago by tigertony:
« doggylives :
I've walked in my local town with my mixed-race daughter and got into a fight with a lad who shouted "Monkey-lover" at me and made monkey noises. Deal with s**t like that and you might not feel that people who read racist intent into this t-shirt are indeed reading too much into it. It's easy to understand your passion on this subject. Let me expand my comment to say that such comments show a lack of respect whether they're directed at Bush, Obama, you and your daughter, or anybody else. I consider the source and move on.
Score: [-] 77 [+].
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