I am sure you have seen the cartoon in question:
The caption says: “They will have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill” and any person who knows anything about the legislative process knows that Obama did not write the stimulus bill. But don’t take my word for it, here is a quote from my blog-friend Burrowowl:
As for the bill not looking like it came from Barack Obama’s desk, that’s because it didn’t. The US House of Representatives wrote it, the Senate amended it, and they resolved the differences in conference. That’s the way Article 1, section 7 says it’s supposed to be done, and for once the executive branch mostly butted the heck out. I know that the whole separation of powers thing is hopelessly old-fashioned, but hey.
I didn’t find the cartoon particularly funny but saw no connection to Obama until professional racists such as Al Sharpton pointed it out.
I guess professional racists and rabid Obama supporters at HuffPost didn’t read Article 1, section 7 of the US Constitution. We sure showed Muslims how to handle cartoon controversy.
If I had seen this post w/o any explanation, I would have said, WTF does that mean. I would have missed the racist connection. However, now reading the press, looking at the cartoon, seeing the rebuttal, I’m going to come down on the side of it being a racist cartoon. The cartoon does not fit the caption if you are not thinking in racist terms. And, I can understand why Black people would be upset. We all know the monkey business and I think this time it was played disrespectfully.
On any other day maybe, but today the lead item on GMA (before they even said Good Morning) was the chimp story. Chimp and stimulus are in the news, no wonder some cartoonist put them together.
I’m inclined to agree that only folks who are closely familiar with blacks being referred to as ape-like would immediately associate this cartoon with Obama, as opposed to just mocking the legislature. Of course, a lot of people out there (possibly including the cartoonist) treat that massive spending bill as Obama’s brainchild.
Mostly just those who actually lived through segregation or have had dealings with some of the more aggressively-backwards white-pride types, as well as the professionally-outraged chattering class are getting their panties in a bunch about this.
Sharpton a racist?
That’s your prerogative, of course but whenever people throw out reactionary statements like that against civil rights leaders (which, like it or not, Sharpton is) I notice that they don’t have any record of supporting alternative leadership but merely snip at perceived bigotry.
Also, white people calling people of color racist has long been an empty insult utilized mostly by those trying to convince folks who already agree with them.
OK…first, the cartoon “means” the stimulus bill could only have been written by a rabid chimp(you’re welcome). It would still be apt even without the timeliness of a rabid chimp in the same news cycle. So, with the Obama administration we can no longer have any references to primates lest they be perceived racist. I’m calling PC Bullshit on that. Also, someone tell Tony that Spike Lee would like his shield back. The bizarre “only whites (or any majority) can be racist” meme is vacuous. I would like Tony (who’s site I enjoy and not only for the pictures…uh, I mean, I enjoy ONLY for the articles)to offer a more comprehensive explanation of why “people of color” (another odd anachronism) cannot be racist. Racist hatred seems to have no racial boundary. Finally, thanks to the Russian for providing a blog voice free of sanctimony and big words and full of his own brand of world-weary humor.
You’re the fourth blogger I’ve seen discuss this cartoon. I haven’t quite decided what to think about it.
Was the cartoon intentionally racist? I have no clue as to the creators intent. But by the mere fact that people are offended it is, by definition, offensive. Me, I think it was a piss poor attempt at melding 2 top stories on a slow news day.
I don’t know how I ended up here, I think it was through this themes comment section. I looked around and assume your not pro-communist.. eh.
Site looks fine, nice and clean, and in your about page you mentioned you would not tell us how to say fuck in Russian, I already know how … “Reagan”
I paid too much attention in zooology to let this one past: Sharpton is protesting because blacks have “often been compared to monkeys.” But chimps are in the apes family and apes are not monkeys, they are in an entirely different family. Monkeys have tails, ape do not!
Flagging circulation. Controversial cartoon. Nothing more.
OT, but I saw this and thought of you: http://rolcats.com/
The cartoon was racist because Al said so. Had Al never mentioned it, I highly doubt anyone would have been offended. Tony is wrong when he calls Al an activist. Al is a hate monger, a media pimp, who panders to people who want to find offense at every turn. If Al was really sincere, if Al really cared about justice and equality, then where was Al after he wrongly accused people of the Tawana Brawley case, which resulted in small riots. The incident proved to be a hoax, Al went mute. Same with the lacrosse players/rape case. Al raised hell made accusations, and then offered no apology when it was proven a hoax. The idea that a person of color cant be racist, is retarded at best.
Am white and instantly knew this was racist and uncalled for. Whoever drew it has deeper issues.