In this electronic image of a poster with head shots of U.S. Presidents, take a look at the "photo" that was selected for Obama. Let me help you. Check out the lower right-hand corner. The image was a joke sent out in an email by an aide in the Tennessee state legislature. I think you can assume that the aid was a GOP staff member--but don't be fooled to think that there are no Democratic aides that would make a similar blunder.This goes into the file labeled, "What in the world were they thinking?" I'm torn between assuming, on one hand, that the people who end up in this file are just a few knuckleheads AND that this is emblematic of the depth of racism in our society on the other. (People really do seem to make a lot of racist jokes...or so I've heard.)
Here's another one for the file.
Shortly after the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Boston police officer and member of the Massachusetts National Guard sent out an email--and to lots of people, I should add--in which he called Gates a "banana eating jungle monkey." Ouch.
By the way, there is a sub-folder in this file that is titled "What the F are they thinking?" and this one probably goes there. The police office, Captain Justin Barrett (he's not a twenty year old rookie), asserted that he felt remorse and was sorry for the email and that he is not racist because, afterall, he has friends from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. "It was a poor choice of words," Barrett said. "I didn't mean it in a racist way. I treat everyone with dignity and respect."
Can I disentangle this just a bit. It seems to me that if I went to a KKK meeting and asked someone in a hood to define "negro," they just might say something like, "Negro? Why yes, son, that would be a 'banana eating jungle monkey'." What else would they possibly say that would be acceptable to the racist hoards waiting to reclaim the country from the brown skinned barbarians?
Here's another one for the WTF file:
Unfortunately, this guy only had the funds to pay an entry level, mail order public relations clean-up person and so he couldn't come up with something more convincing than blaming it on supporters of Charles Darwin. That was a pathetic attempt to spin this slip and it went nowhere. My god, brother, have some respect for our intellect.
I find myself saying some pretty off-the-hook things at random moments and yet I never seem to slip into this level of racist banter. I guess since I don't have the thoughts, the words never leave my lips. But I have to wonder if this how many of us think in our private moments. And then when these private moments get loose in the public domain, they spin about until we're all dizzy with the feeling of impending dread of having to suffer another media circus.
Sometimes the "attack of the racists" goes a bit too far -- like the condemnation of the poor schmuck who a few years back correctly and unwisely used "niggardly" in a meeting among colleagues. He got hammered pretty hard because his office mates didn't know what the word meant. (Of course, he might have been baiting them because without the "dly" the word is pronounced just like the N-bomb.)
Other times, however, I suspect that people who engage in what is so obviously offensive and racist behavior clearly deserve what they get. "We don't give a damn if it's part of your cultural heritage; we don't do that any more." Sure there can be a very fine line between these two reactions, and I don't want to be the judge of who crosses it. But sometimes enough if enough.
312 comments:
1 – 200 of 312 Newer› Newest»None of these news stories were new to me because I had read or seen all of them over the summer. As soon as I saw them just now, all the anger that I had felt the first time had come back around rather quickly. Has anyone noticed that 2009 has become the year of blatant racism? Between the racism in the police force lawsuits that have been filed in various cities, the pool episode in my hometown of Philadelphia, and all whatever incidents that are sure to happen in the upcoming months, this hasn’t been the best year to be ethnic. President Barack Obama was elected and every racist came out of hiding, it seems. The worst thing is that the most racist incidents that have happened have come from prominent people, people we should be able to trust – politicians, police officers, and even those in our communities.
The “banana eating jungle monkey” incident always gets me every time I read about it. Did this man (I’m sorry, Captain Justin Barrett) really say that he did not mean that comment in a racist way? The last time I checked, “jungle monkey” wasn’t really a term of endearment. There’s really no non-offensive or non-racist way to say a racial slur. (For those of you who have ever seen Clerks II, the “porch monkey” scene is exactly what I mean.) And if I am not mistaken, this same police officer also said that he had friends of every race, so he just couldn’t be racist. Am I the only person who is absolutely sick and tired of the all-my-friends-are-ethnic excuse? Just because you have a black best friend (I have noticed that almost every racist person who makes a racist comment has a black best friend), you can’t be racist? I thought the same until I (a black girl) made friends with a white girl who, as it turned out, hated black people. It is all too possible to have friends of every color of the rainbow and still be racist. I have all kinds of friends, race- and ethnicity-wise, and I have racist tendencies myself. I, just like everyone else in the world, hold racist and stereotypical views of people who are different than I am. Like the song says, everyone’s a little bit racist. But how racist you are depends on how far you allow yourself to take your racism.
In general, all the “monkey” and “gorilla” comments are going past offensive and are bordering on annoying. Yes, I am offended when I hear black people referred to as “monkeys,” but I also really want people to come up with something original, maybe even new. At least Captain Barrett put an interesting spin on it when he threw in “banana-eating.” That’s the type of thing I like to see. No, just kidding. GOP activist Rusty DePass made a good save when he said his comment was just about evolution. It was classic … and I don’t believe a second of it. What DePass really did was make a distasteful comment about Fist Lady Michelle Obama, then blame his comment on a speech she made about evolution. I love people like him who go to new heights to take the blame off of themselves and put it on the very person they insult.
I do agree that some people get a little too sensitive when attacking so-called racists (I’m still not quite sure what to think about the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. debacle), but 2009 has been the perfect year for closet racists to come out of the woodwork . I can’t wait to hear what other forms of racism this year has in store for us all.
The level of hate and banter among colleagues is unbelievable, especially among those leading and representing our country and us as individuals. For that legislator to circulate the picture clearly expressing Obama’s race is very immature and I would be outraged if I were a Tennessee resident. Someone’s race does not define them, their ability, or their views. Someone’s race simply adds character to them with the culture and history that it represents. I really liked the comment made in class as to why Obama is called our “Black” president considering he is half white as well. It is very frustrating to know that those leading our country openly express their racist attitudes toward our president. I feel that in these times, there should be as much support behind him as possible. This could be a bridge for our country to cross in the racial spectrum. In reference to the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. issue, it is interesting that this blatant form of racism is also strong and apparent in the “Northern” states. The fact that they referred to him as a banana eating jungle monkey is absurd. It is a very childish slander and basically barbaric. Once, again these acts were conducted by those that we look up to and that enforce the law. This alone is very scary. If those leading and protecting are openly hateful who can we turn to in times of real disaster? The one comment he made about it is ok I am not racist, because I have friends of all racial groups is one that commonly comes up among people trying to defend themselves. Someone once told me that we are all racist. However, there are some who are recovering from their racism. Those in “recovery” are who the police officer was trying to associate. It makes sense to me that we all are racist in some sense. We all have our preferences and many of us still associate certain races with particular stereotypes. This is unfortunate, but we do it all of the time even with more minute things. Many take preference to a certain brand of soda or milk. In a sense we are being prejudice towards that particular brand item. I feel as though it is human nature or habit to prefer certain items and people. Now in reference to Michelle Obama, what occurred with her was very disrespectful. The dig at Darwinism was very low as well. To me, the insult seemed very uneducated and immature, once again. I know people want to express their opinions and share their experiences, but when people bash others thoughts and beliefs I feel that things are taken too far. I think that it is good for people to become educated about a wide variety of topics and then be allowed to make their own judgments instead of practically being forced to believe in something. One final idea I want to discuss is of what people are thinking especially when we don’t hear it. How many racist thoughts and slanders are thought within someone’s head? Are they just as at fault as the one who verbally speaks what is in their head? I think they are, but hopefully by staying silent they are “recovering” from their racism and taking it step by step. I really hope people learn to channel their negative energies towards something useful and positive. I feel as though hate is simply a waste of time and a waste of energy. Why not do something good with all of that energy, such as help someone or go make a positive difference in this world.
Like the majority of people, I assume, I find that the picture montage containing the president’s portraits is very offensive. President Barack Obama is our first black president. This is a big step in the right direction of fully resolving the racial issues that plague our great nation. It is people like the aide from Tennessee that set us back. Tennessee legislation, and the state itself, should be embarrassed and ashamed that a picture like that would come from within themselves. Sure it is true that a lot of racial jokes are made these days, but these so called “knuckle heads” need to realize all the people that they will affect, not just the ones amused by their jokes. Another statement that I agree goes under the “What were they thinking?” folder is the one made in the email by Captain Justin Barrett, of the Boston Police Department. In his email he referred to Henry Louis Gates, Jr., as a “banana eating jungle monkey”. He then went to say he did not mean it in a racist manner. How else can that be taken? He said it was a poor choice of words, yeah no kidding. Poor choice of words is apparently code for, “I said it but didn’t think the media would get a hold of it and now I’m trying to back out of it.” He obviously is not having a very successful time backing out of what he said. The last topic posted on this blog was a comment made by a South Carolina GOP activist, Rusty DePass. In which he made a facebook comment stating that a gorilla that escaped from the zoo was probably one of Michelle Obama’s relatives. Like the police captain in the section above, DePass then went on to try and fix the situation by saying that Michelle Obama said the comment first, stating that we all came from apes. According to the blog, the search on her making that statement yielded no results. Come on now, she’s the First Lady of the United States of America. If she said something along those lines, I am sure Mr. DePass would not be the only person to have known about it. Honestly, the people who made these comments and then claim that they were jokes, or that they were not at fault, must think that American citizens are ridiculously stupid. For those people to make those statements and think that no one in the media will catch on, are the stupid ones. I’m sure some one is going to reply to the blog stating that the situations got blown out of proportion and that they were exaggerated. What we need to realize is that our country has come so far from the time when those comments were acceptable until now when we have a black president. Comments like these just take us so many more steps backwards.
“What were they thinking?” is the question I frequently ask myself in response to the ludicrous comments people make regarding race. All of the occurrences mentioned in the blog are unacceptable and just unnecessary. Although people will play it off as harmless and playful, comparing someone to a monkey is never okay. If people are making comments like this, they obviously believe in what they are saying. It is one thing to have racist beliefs, but to verbalize them and then attempt to cover them up is even worse in my opinion. Even more horrible is when people such as Captain Justin Barrett use the excuse that they have friends that are racially different from them so that makes it acceptable to make racial slurs and jokes. Seriously people? If you do in fact have friends of a different race, it should make you more inclined to think differently about making jokes, and even try to prevent others from doing so. In all of these cases, people in high positions, which would make it probable that their views would be released to the public, made the racist comments. They are the famous bullies that actually represent a large portion of our racist country. Even though time after time these racial blunders have been released to an outraged public, more offenses like these always seem to resurface. People are not learning from their peer’s mistakes, but rather they are making their own mistakes, trying to cover them up, and in the end just looking like racist idiots who cannot censor what they say. I am always torn when trying to figure out which is worse, having racist thoughts in your mind and not verbalizing them, or actually saying what you are thinking. The later choice is where people get in trouble, but I’m sure there are plenty of people who ridicule these well-known racists but are actually thinking the same thing in their head. Sometimes I think this might be a greater offense. The most effective punishment for people who make racial slips is just to expose them as a bigot in hopes that they will be forced to evaluate their values and beliefs and maybe begin to realize that they rightfully deserve to be seen as evil to the public. I know we are all “only human” and all say things that are inappropriate, but the more that people start enforcing what is and is not okay to say in terms of race, the more people will begin to look at the world differently and come to realize that race is not the primary characteristic of someone’s character. So maybe in the end all of the awful things people say and do will pay off in reshaping the way we think, or maybe they should just stay in the “WTF?” file.
I was absolutely appalled when I heard these blatantly racist comments. You would think that in the year 2009 the world would have made much more progress in accepting people of all races and keeping ignorant, offensive, and racist comments to a minimum. As you all know, Barack Obama, a black man, was elected to be the President of the United States. Not only did he beat out John McCain, a white man, in electoral votes, but he also won the popular vote of the American people. If the majority of Americans had faith in and supported the ideas of this man, regardless of his race, then why are there people who still feel the need to disrespect our president with racist comments? I realize that the Obama’s are public figures and are therefore more subject to scrutiny, but why criticize them for their race, something that they have no control over?
The poster of presidents that depicts President Obama as merely a black image with two white eyes is neither funny nor acceptable. No matter what race, this man is our president and deserves to be treated with respect. Why is it that other presidents were mocked for their ideas, the way they spoke in public, and for making contradictory statements and President Obama is being mocked for his skin color? As far as I’m concerned no other president was publicly humiliated and made fun of for being white, so why is it acceptable to make racist comments about a black president? What is even more disturbing is the fact that this poster was sent out in an e-mail by an aide in the Tennessee legislature. Educated, political figures should in no way be supporting such “jokes.”
The Republican activist who had the nerve to make a facebook comment referring to our First Lady, Michelle Obama, as a “gorilla” is extremely careless and dim-witted. Everyone knows that facebook is an extremely public way of displaying messages, pictures, and more. No one in their right mind would ever make an offensive comment, especially one that disrespects our First Lady, without knowing that it would cause controversy and may not be seen as what he calls a comment made in “jest.” This comment was inappropriate at best. Call me crazy, but I think that jokes are made between friends and although sometimes we all may have a slip of the tongue and go a little too far by making an offensive comment, I do not think this was the case. In the time it took this Republican activist to type this racist “joke” and to click the “post” button with his mouse, it no longer constitutes the comment as a slip of the tongue.
People who say things that are so obviously offensive and racist deserve every bit of negative attention they get.
The blog entitled, “What where they thinking” was a really interesting read for this week. I thought it was really thought provoking because this has been an issue for years. Although it is a huge step to have a president from another race, racism still continues throughout the United States. I also found it very interesting that there were remarks from higher authority on racial issues.
First of all, I feel that it is great that we have a president of a different race. However, I believe that the issue has been blown out of proportion. It appeared that everyone was more concerned about Obama’s race rather then his experience. Even when he won the news showed all black people yelling and screaming out of excitement after his win. It appeared that black people almost voted for him because of his background, although that is biased for me to say.
Also, I find it disheartening that someone would even use the word “Niggardly.” Unfortunately, I am not surprised, as I have heard many people use “slang” words similar to the “N” word as if it is not as bad. I recently was in the company of a girl my age that used the “N” word openly and found nothing wrong with it. I was surprised because it is rare that someone uses the actual word. It just sounded awful and very disrespectful. It made her sound ignorant as well.
In regards to using the “N” word openly, I do find it hypocritical that people within the black community can use the word in front of each other and find no harm in it. I feel that the more they use the more others will use the term as well. I think that the word should not be used whether by a black or white person. By using the word in rap songs, in movies, and public, even if used by a black person, it still is promoting the use of the word and is wrong in my opinion. I remember a few years ago back to the incident with the black basketball coach/player and all the chaos that was caused from it. I think that the word should just not be used plain and simple.
Also, I’d like to comment on the picture because that is something that did not surprise me at all. Whether the person claims it to be a simple joke or not, it is something that is wrong, however I feel like people are constantly making little “jokes” similar to that, but get away with it by saying it is just a “joke.” Racism is obviously still an issue around the word and although it seems we have moved forward in some ways, we still are living in a world where racism is far from being solved.
The amount of blatant racism that exists in our country is ridiculous and a lot of times upsetting. The inappropriate and hurtful comments that “escape” in the media happen too often, but think about all of the comments that remain within the walls of people’s homes and in their minds. I simply do not understand why some people cannot get passed their stubbornness and except people unlike themselves. When it comes to the news stories posted, I was not surprised. The night President Obama was elected, my entire Facebook news feed became filled with comments and opinions. Most of them were negative and many were racist. Was it because my peers just didn’t want a democrat to win? Probably not. I’m pretty sure these comments were made because a black democrat won. I vividly remember these posts because I couldn’t believe that people my age not only had these racist thoughts but would post them on Facebook where essentially everyone can read them and associate the comments with the person posting. Don’t these people have black friends who would see these racist remarks? I guess they just didn’t care.
The poster with the headshots of the U.S. Presidents that was sent by an aide in the Tennessee legislature is completely inappropriate and not funny. The fact that someone had this idea and went ahead and created the image just shows how many negative thoughts about different races are out there. This person not only thought their idea was funny, but knew of others that would find it humorous enough to share it with them. The fact is, Obama is our President and no matter what race or gender, the President of our country deserves our respect. Criticism should be saved for his actions to better the United States, not the color of his skin.
Just because you have friends that are a different race does not mean that it’s okay to make racist comments. Racist comments are unjust and there’s no defense for them. If anything, having friends of another race should make you more understanding and empathetic with situations that occur in his or her life. Calling someone a “banana eating jungle monkey” is completely racist and to say it was a “poor choice of words” makes it even worse. Yes, the choice of words were disrespectful, but no matter how the police officer worded what he was trying to say, he had the thoughts and chose to express them which is the main problem.
Whenever someone “slips up” and says something inappropriate in the media I get angry at the pathetic attempt to rectify the situation. Public apologies are rarely convincing and I don’t feel bad when a reputation is tarnished for inappropriate comments, especially racist ones. Overall, there is way too much hostility and racism existing today and unfortunately the remarks made by public figures are often the comments being made behind the scenes as well.
I think after reading and pondering this blog, I may have some sort of insight into why so many people are racist. I think stereotyping and categorizing have a big part in this trend, and this is something I have seen first hand at my place of employment. I work in a restaurant as a server. Thus, my income is completely dependent on other people and their generosity. In my restaurant there is almost a code by which servers judge their guests. There are even code names. For example, black people are called Canadians. I have no idea why, but it is there, negative connotation and all. It’s also smirked about when any black person orders raspberry lemonade or fruit punch or any Asian person orders just a cup of hot water. In this way, my restaurant is full of racists. But is there more to this? The interesting thing is that many black people and many Asian people do order these things or tip in such a way to preserve and perpetuate the stereotypes people have about them. Even so, isn’t that just an example of one group of people liking something different than another group of people? Why are derogative comments made about Asians ordering hot water but not about all the white people ordering Coke?
The other issue is tipping. Every server in my restaurant judges every table before they even approach them, thinking in their heads how much money they are going to make off of them. I think this is also related to the human need to stereotype and categorize in order to make sense of the world. We like to see and interpret patterns, even if those patterns are only reliable a small majority of the time. I think with my example, servers tend to put people in categories, whether it be black, Asian, or “white trash”, yet forget about all of those people of those groups that defied the stereotypes. I think that perhaps people cling to these stereotypes if only for the fact that it is easier.
So who is responsible for these stereotypes and the often negative comments and actions that accompany them? Is it the fault of every black person who orders lemonade, or is the person stereotyping the problem? Is it both? Personally, I’m going to have to assign blame to the person who sees these stereotypes being acted out and then looks at it in a negative and condescending way. So what if they like lemonade or hot water? And white people tip badly just as much as other people. Is there then really a platform for this sort of racism? Or is it just foolish and arbitrary? There are so many questions and not many answers, because there is just no easy way to explain or resolve racist thoughts and comments. One thing I do know is that no one benefits and people can be really hurt by such actions and words. This is what warrants attention. In conclusion, there is most definitely a problem, but I’ll be damned if I can solve it. I guess once again the only thing possible solution I can offer is introspective rumination on everyone’s part to collectively change the way we think about these sorts of things.
The comment made by Rusty Depass was completely uncalled for. I agree completely with Sam. What the ƒåçk was he thinking? Anyone with half a brain should know that what that old guy was doing was not only saying some god awful racist stuff but also committing political suicide. That comment is going to stick with him for the rest of his political career. What an idiot.
This issue, I believe, has something to say about the amount of respect some people give to our new president. A friend of mine who is a little more red than I did not want Barrack Obama to get elected and when he did I had asked him what he thought. To my surprise he had nothing negative to say. It was,” He’s our new president and we need to support him,” and that’s coming from a Texan! Not trying to bash my own state, but we are not usually know for that kind of acceptance. This attitude is the kind of attitude everyone should have. I mean give the man some dignity; he did win the election after all.
Again this issue points out the hypocrisy in some of many people and makes it seem as though they do not take President Obama seriously at all. When Rusty blamed his comment on evolution and Darwin that was truly cowardly. I hate when people who are thought to be the epiphany of our society are not only are racist old farts but blatantly lie to their peoples faces in the most elementary manner. What do they take me for? I am surely not an idiot. That was a lie and a terrible one at that. They should own up to their mistakes and take that political fall because honestly they should have known much much better. Not only is it wrong but, and they of all people should know, the media and every one else is watching everything that that they do, looking for the slightest hint of a flaw so they can bring you down or have the latest story.
Also, what kind of person with any political power posts something on the Internet that could be even remotely considered a racial comment. I mean cyber space is open for anyone and everyone to read. Not that I think this is better, but its not like the only people that are going to hear are the people around you. No everyone and their grandma can see what a fool he has made of himself. That’s just not smart.
While the comments that are made and presented in this blog are wrong and shouldn’t be said, there is other ways of looking at the incidents. It seems that the only people who get in trouble for racist remarks these days are in fact white people. If a white person says anything even slightly degrading about another race, or suspected of, they are immediately crucified by the media. For every one incident of a white person saying something racist in the media, I feel there are at least 30 rap songs by African Americans that are racist toward white people. These songs are not even on the same level of racism that the white comments are on. Maybe it isn’t seen as big of a deal because the rappers do not hold a political position, but I feel it just goes to show that most people are racist to some degree. They may not let other people know of their racist thoughts, but they still have them.
I really don’t feel that the picture of all the presidents is that big of a deal. Someone made a joke about our current president. Our previous president, who was white, got torn apart from every angle possible. White, Black, Mexican, and every other race made fun of George Bush. Comedians of all races had numerous jokes making fun of him, and yes the fact that he was white came up many times. Even if his actions made him deserving of the jokes, the president of the United States is the most well known person on the planet. Who would expect that jokes would not be made about him, especially when he is the first dark skinned president ever? Some people get paid to push the limits and make fun of political figures. The freedom to be able to make jokes about the most powerful people in our government is what makes America great. The day people are too scared to make a joke about the president, even a somewhat racist joke, is the day we are no longer free.
I think that even though we still have racism in our country, we’ve come along way. There was a point in our nation’s history when a group of white people would gang up on a black person and hang them. There was a point when that was okay. There was a point when the police would ignore, or help in, the hanging of a person. Today we have a black or at least half black president. Maybe there are still some racial barriers that need to come down, but we truly have come a long way. And no matter how the media portrays racism, it is a two way street that everyone uses.
This absurdity has to end. Being racist behind closed doors is one thing, but to deliberately display racism is another. How dare the individual from the Tennessee state legislature display such an image. This was not only disrespectful and degrading to every African American in the world. This action shows the amount of respect that this legislature holds for our President Barack Obama. I feel that this individual should be disciplined and lose their position in legislature. If you are capable of displaying such a racist photo I believe that you are capable of facing the consequences that come along with this act. There is no doubt in my mind that this was intentional despite that fact it is suppose to be a “joke.” How would America feel if instead of placing a picture of President George W. Bush in this line up there was a picture of a “white gorilla” instead? Chaos would be an understatement as to what would happen. I am positive the government would try their hardest to see that who ever was responsible for this act would be put in jail or suffer a form of severe punishment. Why shouldn’t President Barack Obama receive the same treatment?
Before President Obama was elected into office, racism was not as prevalent in our society, but once he was declared the next President of the United States, every racist individual in the world came out of hibernation. The closed-minded individuals of America don’t seem to understand that the color of your skin has nothing to do with weather or not one is able to achieve their goals or not. The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equally and if this stands true, why are we still judging books by their covers instead of reading the book and obtaining the valuable information it has to offer.
As for Captain Barrett, he should also face consequences for his racial remarks. There is no way that an individual would accept being a called a “banana eating jungle monkey” as a complement. This is one of the most racist statements I have ever heard in my life. After it was brought to the attention of others he lied and said, “I try to treat everyone with dignity and respect.” Clearly Barrett did not treat this individual with any dignity or respect, but more so with brutality and embarrassment. Instead of taking responsibility for ones actions, individuals often try to throw the blame on someone else. How dare the activist insult the Presdients’ wife by insinuating that the gorilla is one of her ancestors. If you want to get technical we all share common ancestry with monkeys which means the gorilla could come from his ancestry as well.
We should not continue to allow individuals such as those in this blog represent us. Just because they hold a position of power does not mean that they are aloud to say/do what they want whenever they feel like it. Reading this blog angered me to the depths of my soul. To know that as an African American young woman, I will always be second guessed and degraded hurts me.
Looking at the poster of the U.S. presidents just shows how some people still judge Obama by his skin color and not his actions. I believe this goes both ways though. On the other side, I feel like many supporters only voted for him in the first place because it seemed politically correct and he represented overcoming racism (or so we thought). Back to the picture, not only is it capitalizing on his color but also it is derogatory in doing so. Overall, the joke is very distasteful. However, I have to admit that I have friends here at Penn State who, if they saw the picture, would probably laugh and think it is slightly humorous. I find that disheartening and sad that this racism still permeates our society even here at college in 2009. I hear racist jokes quite often and it is sometimes hard to call people out. As for the Boston police officer, Justin Barrett, and his “banana eating jungle monkey” comment, how could he NOT mean it in a racist way? I am racking my mind for another explanation of that phrase that could possibly be deemed positive and non-offensive. I have come up with nothing. Like Mojo Pin mentioned in her comment post, people can have friends of different races and still be racist. Barrett used that as “proof” that he’s not racist. That really means nothing. When we look back in the 1800s in America during slavery, slave-owning families often became close to their house slaves. The women and children would depend on these (often women) slaves and almost consider them family. Regardless, they still owned these people. The example I always think of is Mammie in “Gone With The Wind”. It goes along with the common phrase that you can “love the person and hate the race”. Therefore, saying that you aren’t racist because you have friends from different races has no validity. Then we have the video with the gorilla and Michelle Obama comment. This time, the accused, Rusty DePass, apologized and said it was a joke. However, he also claimed that he had gotten the comment from Michelle herself who had recently stated that we are all descendants of apes. Firstly, we have yet to find a report of such comments from the First Lady. Secondly, even if she had said something remotely like that, it is still derogatory and in poor taste for him to blame his comment on the theory of evolution. DePass is just insulting our intelligence by giving us a lame excuse for his comment that he probably regrets now. I’m sure he can come up with a more creative apology, or hey, maybe he can just be truthful and simply apologize, admit that it was his own words and watch what he says in the future.
When I read this blog posting, I really couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s 2009 and we live in what is supposed to be a land of equality, yet people still continue to make racist comments left and right. I suppose the election of our first black president didn’t make anything better and now I’m forced to wonder: did it make things worse? There have always been racists around but it seems that they are getting more publicity now than ever before. In this blog posting there were three racist slip-ups that were mentioned. The common theme that I saw was that all of these occurrences involved people in authority. It really bothered me that government aides, police officers, and political activists could make these terribly offensive mistakes. I find it sad and somewhat scary that we have people in power that are so ignorant and careless.
The first situation that was mentioned had to do with a photo of all of the U.S. Presidents. All of the former presidents had normal headshots, but they depicted President Obama as an empty black square with two big cartoon eyes. Besides being racist, the joke wasn’t funny and it didn’t even make that much sense. I know Barack Obama is a black man but he is nowhere close to being dark-skinned. The joke was in poor taste and very insulting. We are supposed to have the utmost respect for our presidents and this picture was extremely disrespectful. They are treating President Obama as if he doesn’t even deserve to be in the same class as the other presidents. The person who created this picture is to blame but the aide from Tennessee’s state legislature should have had enough sense and decency not to pass the joke on in an e-mail. Even if they didn’t create the picture, they promoted and spread racism by sending the joke out.
The second story spoke of a police officer, Captain Justin Barrett, who made an extremely racist comment. In an e-mail, he referred to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. as a “banana eating jungle monkey.” Even though the officer said he didn’t mean it in a racist way, there is almost no other way to interpret it. The comment was extremely insulting to all black people because the term jungle monkey is very offensive and there is no way that could be taken lightly. If he had black friends before this incident happened, I’m sure he doesn’t have them any more. By this comment, you can tell that he doesn’t treat people with respect, even though he claims to.
The last story about Rusty DePass was just another example of people openly disrespecting the First Family. I don’t understand why someone would publicly insult our First Lady, especially on Facebook, a website that millions of people access daily. How could you compare someone to a gorilla and then try to cover it up by saying it was related to a comment that she probably didn’t even make. Instead of trying to lie his way out of it, Rusty DePass needs to make a sincere apology for the racist “joke” he made.
As stated in previous comments, I also heard about these stories over the summer break. From what I remember, the first one was developed by a very low level aide of a republican representative. Creating a picture such as this is pretty low. Honestly, it probably took more than a second to make. It probably took a whole 5 minutes to make and an additional minute or two to send out in a mass email. During this time, the aide should have considered the ramifications of his or her creation and thought about why he or she would make such a thing. Nothing good could have come out of this. The only thing “good” to come out of this would be a few sneers from other people on his or her email list who think like he or she does and who are also bitter about the recent loss of the election. People are taking low blows at President Obama’s “race” just like they took low blows at President Bush’s speech impediments. Both are wrong but for some reason people are more offended when a half white and half black president gets made fun of because of his skin tone. However, no one cared about our previous President’s disability. In no way do I condone what this stupid aide decided to create and mail out, but to give he or she so much heat for it is a little bit ridiculous.
In the second video clip, we see a prime example of what propels the hick-racist southern stereotype. It is sad to watch this video. If someone was going to pick on Michelle Obama, pick on her for being anti-American pre-2006. Calling her ancestors gorillas is horrible. Again though, I do not think it is right that the media gives so much attention to this type of behavior. The more they feed into it, the worse we are going to hear and see.
In both cases, angry people chose to take the low blow and call out someone’s race instead of calling out their actions or beliefs. I feel talking about the Obama’s love of socialized medicine and how it will ruin our country will bring more people on your side instead of alienating yourself by using racism as your favorite tool. Furthermore, it is important for the media to stop broadcasting this stuff! It is bad enough the younger generation of American’s youth has to hear racists remarks from their elders. We do not need to put this stuff on television. It is now we propagate racism, not how we “fix” it. Airtime should be given to people who show how physical differences do not matter and how much alike we all really are.
The social joking that includes racism is pathetic. I do not understand why politicians and some of the most powerful people in America behave like this. The fact that Obama has a different skin tone than the other presidents who came before him has nothing to do with…anything. It is a fact. His skin tone is something we can recognize but it is nothing more than a survival trait. If these Americans were knowledgeable and knew these facts, then maybe racism would not come across as such a dividing line. Instead, it would be more of a celebration that we were all able to survive because of our physical traits and different climate zones.
I think the human mind is amazing. It is awesome that we can analyze, categorize and retain information. It allows us to create relationships and be aware of ourselves. However, people have become so immune to forgetting that what got us here was hunting and gathering nomads. We once only thought about survival. But now, we are so far removed from this time that we forget that survival is crucial whether you are black, brown or white. We forget that we need to survive. We have forgotten that survival is something that some need to work for and our ancestors certainly did. We have forgotten to the point that, our humor is based off of the fact that someone has a skin tone that helps them survive on this planet. Have we forgotten that we too, are animals? Have we forgotten that Darwin’s Finches adapt to climates, as do humans?
A little over a year ago, I was immune to the fact that we are just animals. I was immune to this but I never had racist thoughts because to me, it just doesn’t matter. My only thoughts were, “I would never want to offend anyone.” I have always been for peace between all people but since I have come to college and taken this course along with other thought provoking courses, I have the facts to back up my beliefs, which only makes me stronger. However, all people are different. And some, for one reason or another, find it entertaining to categorize by physical differences, which is something that our amazing mind automatically does. But why can’t it stop there? Why do people need to put positive and negatives on their categories? Why can’t they just be categories? Maybe because we are all bored. Maybe because we all do not need to survive anymore.
I wish people would spend more time discovering these things rather than making images that offend our fellow human beings.
And with this thought, if more people understood these facts about humans, maybe they would take more interest in their environment. It isn’t just about us animals. It’s about the planet and the atmosphere that allows us to be here. Why are people so far removed from these thoughts? Why do we not understand how to be fully human and live in sync with our Earth?
The election and current presidency of Barak Obama just proves what many Americans have been thinking. People are still racists. It’s just that now they are bolder. They are willing to take their comments to the media, make a public scandal, and then apologize as if nothing was ever wrong. They are willing to depict the president as a socialist in the media, which is freedom of speech. I’m sure every president has been depicted as something during their term. I believe however that these images got more radical with the Clinton scandal. But when you start to use racism as a means of public scrutiny, it’s a problem. The underlying race issues are huge. It’s not funny to compare the first lady to a gorilla and depict Obama as a dark spot with eyes. The white community seems to be forgetting that Obama’s mother was Caucasian or of Caucasian descent.
It makes me think that some members of the Caucasian race have some underlying issues about race. As a matter of fact I know they do. I just said I think because they will completely deny it in your face and then you have facebook comments as the one preceding this blog comment. A lot of us thought we were ready for a Black president. But many people in their late forties and fifties still suffer from civil rights ignorance. The era of Jim Crow and marches by thousands of oppressed African-Americans still remain with many Americans. And the values of those Americans were passed to their children creating a new generation of underlying racial ignorance. I’m sure it won’t be long before there is a public KKK rally down the streets in front of the White House.
I have always had conversations with my black friends about mixed race children in our school. We always knew the answer. White people weren’t willing to accept these children forcing them to identify themselves as black. I can remember reading June Cross’s secret daughter about how her mother would deny her in public, and lived without her for several years, as not to jeopardize her or her new husband’s career. You see, June was not able to pass. And since June’s mother had dealt with so many hardships of being with June’s father, she didn’t want it any longer. Even though June’s mother gave all of her children away, June was the one who faced the most racism. Obama is one of these mixed race children. He is one of the leaders of the free world. I guess the jokes about his wife and his skin color come with this position.
It seems now even in 2009, no matter how many advances we make, there will still be a blockade. No one completely blames the “Caucasian” race for their problems. We just blame them for some of the blatant ignorance. Other races are ignorant too. We no longer blame anyone else for that. I guess since everyone wants to start pulling out their racists jokes, African-Americans can start pulling out their leather gloves and afro picks. Time for a revolution.
I found all of these acts of racism very offensive. You like to think that you live in a world where things have been changing and American’s viewpoints on race are more similar than not, but it is articles like these that show that in any group of people there are always going to be some that are different. There are always going to be some people who just don’t get the whole big picture and it is unfortunate that in today’s society racism to this extreme is still going on. The picture of Obama is very offensive and from government officials? That picture can only be taken one offensive. I didn’t even vote for Obama but as our President the American citizen should at least have respect for him and especially someone that has rank in the government. One of the other extremely acts of racism that I found offensive was the one made in the email by Captain Justin Barrett, of the Boston Police Department. The email referred to Henry Louis Gates as a “banana eating jungle monkey.” After he got caught writing this he then said that he did not mean that in a racist manner. I’m not really sure how this could not be racist or why a captain in a police department feels the need to spread this racist comment to people through email. There is no justification for Captain Barrett on thinking this remark but then to spread this racist comment through the internet I think is taking it way over the top. He said that he believed that the media would never get a hold of it. Well in today’s society making a racist comment like that will definitely get you a lot of media coverage. The statement was definitely controversial. Some thought it was way blown out of proportion than others. My personal take was that when you are in a rank of authority you are held to higher standards than the average person and now a day’s anything that is sent through email could easily be sent to the wrong person. Bottom line there is no need to make racist comments whoever you are, but especially when you are a person of authority because I feel that makes everyone look bad. When your own leader or boss is making comments that are so offensive that the media gets greatly involved I personally would find it hard to continue to give my boss any respect. There are always going to be people that are at one extreme and another and I understand that, but I really hope that someday we can ALL have the same view on racism. I hope that someday there will not have to be media coverage on racist comments but unfortunately I think that might be awhile.
Racism is everywhere and the scary thing about it is that many of the people who spew these racist comments do not even think they are wrong. The electronic image of the presidents is disrespectful and not the least bit humorous. I realize that some republicans do not like the other side and vise versa but to bring race into this argument is wrong and unfair. These people are not children, they have been through a fair enough of life to know what is wrong and right, yet they choose to talk and portray race in a disgusting manner.
An aide of one of the state legislatures sent out the president profile picture, which is alarming considering that state legislatures represent the people. It is frightening to think that someone who has an important role of power in the country is working with people that have racist thoughts. When they are voting or working on polices and rules I am sure their racism is used in their decision-making. It is true that these people most likely are part of the Republican Party and this is in some way making fun of the democrats but this is clearly a racist joke because none of the other democratic profiles have been misrepresented. Surely democrats have racist thoughts as well they just do not have a republican president to make fun of their race so they use different methods.
As for Captain Justin Barrett, the comments in regard to Gates being a “banana eating jungle monkey” is so blatantly racist it is scary he thought that he could get away with this. Him being friends with different racial groups does not justify his cruel choice of public words and internal thinking. People always try to make up excuses and they honestly tend to be forgiven, but no matter what the reason, most people know what type of person they truly are and how they think behind closed doors.
Rusty DePass, the man that made the gorilla comment about Michelle Obama, was completely racist. The comment might have been made as a joke but it was so wrong and hurtful. He and his racist friends were probably the only people that laughed at this one. Comparing a human to a zoo animal is not a compliment. While animals are great species, comparing the first lady to a gorilla is not positive. Then Rusty DePass lied and said that the first lady said herself that “we are all decedents of apes” which allows him to justify his racial comment. I do not think so!
When people blame their crude behavior and comments on their cultural heritage they are not making valid excuses for their mistakes. They are trying to cover up their wrongs but never learning and maturing to become good citizens that can mix with the culturally diverse world. The racist comments that get reported on the news are mostly from public figures because they tend to get the most media attention. The scariest part of it all is that these public figures are supposed to be our representatives and they make the whole group look bad.
I was appalled by the blatant racism of the Presidential montage. It was even worse to discover this was sent by an aide for a state legislator. Aide’s follow the mentality’s and ideals of those they work for – They wouldn’t get the job if they held opposing view points. I can only hope that this is not the case with this Tennessee legislator. Racist jokes like this are only the tip of the iceberg compared to what is easily available and frequently spread. I went to Google and searched for black, white, Asian, Mexican jokes; there are hundreds of pages for each. These are just the jokes easily available and spread on the internet, readily accessible to anyone. It seems to me, in today’s politically correct obsessed culture, that Google would not support such sites in their search results.
The Boston police officer truly crossed a line in calling Henry Louis Gates, Jr. a “banana eating jungle monkey”. First off, he’s an idiot for sending an email like that in today’s society. Time after time people are caught for sending slanderous emails at work. You would think he would learn a lesson from their past mistakes. Then again, the main claims not to be racist, yet uses such derogatory terms. That seems like quite the contradiction to me. How can he claim to treat everyone with “dignity and respect” when he quite clearly made a racial remark? I’m sorry, but just because you don’t hang out with only white people doesn’t mean you’re not a racist or don’t have a racist mentality toward others.
The idea of contrasting private thought with public thought and speak is an interesting one to me. How many of us can really claim to have never thought badly toward someone because of their race, or look down on them because of a stereotype? If we really want to stop racism and encourage equality, as so many claim to want, the personal thought has to be changed first. If one isn’t thinking in racist terms, then the public “blunders” won’t occur. It’s a pretty simple concept.
As for the bloke who used the term “niggardly” in a meeting a while back, I do feel bad for him. It is a legitmate word with no racial association. True, it is a bit peculiar that it sounds like the N-bomb, but in definition it only means poor or meagerly. Sure, the argument could be made that race has something to do with the definition, but that’s not the issue here. A man used a word (I’m basing this off the assumption he used it in proper context. If not, this paragraph in null and void) in an office conversation and got slammed because it was assumed he was being racist. Did anyone consider that if we didn’t automatically look for race as either a point of pride or one of racial prejudice that this never would have happened?
Is there a reason why all of a sudden racism is blowing up our news stations and channels lately? There is a not a day that goes by that I turn on CNN or MSNBC or any of the news stations and don’t hear about a police man arresting someone due to protocol, and somebody thinking its racism; or a governor or senator making some stupid racist comment on an interview (and then trying to cover it up by saying the person it was about said it themselves?) What happened to our country? Yes, we always had issues with race, but is it just because Obama is president, that this is occurring? There’s a difference between having racist beliefs, and voicing them on national television for all to hear; not that having those beliefs is any better than voicing them anyway.
GOP Activist Rusty DePass from South Carolina is the most recent of the idiots; posting a comment on Facebook relating the recent gorilla escape from a zoo was probably one of Michelle Obama’s relatives. He then tried covering it up by saying Michelle Obama herself had once stated that humans are descendents of gorillas….Good cover? Not only did he make a bigger fool of himself when apologizing by saying that, but there wasn’t even any proof that Michelle Obama ever even said such a thing about our evolution from gorillas. Great apology.
Even better than Rusty’s comment, was the picture of U.S. presidents sent out by an aide in the Tennessee state legislature. Every president’s picture is shown except you can’t see Obama. Why? The obvious racist answer, because of his skin color. All that is shown in the picture are his eyeballs; that’s one way to support your president, the man your country elected.
The most shocking to me of this LIST we have going on here has to be police officer Captain Justin Barrett’s email hinting that Henry Louis Gates Jr., the man arrested in his own home was a “banana eating jungle monkey.” Besides that fact that he couldn’t have made up something more ridiculous than that statement, did he think that people weren’t going to take it as racist? Did he think they were going to say “oh it’s okay you have friends of different backgrounds, no big deal.”
I’m not going to lie and say that I haven’t made a racist comment in my life. I am definitely no angel, but one has to stop and THINK to themselves; “would I say this to someone’s face?” The answer for these examples is definitely a no. I’m ashamed to say that I am part of a country that is actually completely segregated; what don’t people understand? Black, white, red, yellow, green, purple; we’re all human. WTF.
When I read the first sentence of the blog that said to find the photo that was chosen for President Obama in the poster of head shots of U.S. Presidents I could not even find him on there. To find a black photo where you can only see his eyes, really people? Then to read that it was sent in an e-mail by an aide in the Tennessee state legislature is just wrong. I do not think that people with political status or who work within a political office should be sending such e-mails out to colleagues. A person of such a high prestigious position should not be criticized for their race and later made a joke of it. By winning the presidency, I would have thought that people would be more welcoming and accepting of other races that are different from their own but apparently not.
I was unsure of the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. arrest until I decided to read up on the incident. I thought it was ridiculous how he was arrested for trying to break into his own house and later charged with disorderly conduct after a confrontation with the police. I know if that was my house and someone called the cops on me for a potential burglary I would be mad too. You would think his neighbors would be aware of who lived near them and that it was actually his house. This seems like a case of racial profiling and that the arrest was done solely based upon him being black. Even the president was appalled by the arrest and questioned if the police officer acted appropriately. To top it off, did the Boston police officer really feel the need to send an e-mail out calling Mr. Gates a “banana eating jungle monkey”? I found that this was a racist, immature comment and he does not feel sorry and remorse for saying it even if an apology was sent out. Police officers are supposed to set examples, not follow in with the rest of the racist crowd.
As for the GOP activists comment he left on Facebook about the gorilla that was loose at the Riverbanks Zoo claiming that it was probably just one of Michelle’s ancestors-probably harmless. I found these words criticizing and unacceptable to be said about the President of the United State’s wife. I agree with Mayor Bob Coble that the comment was inappropriate and an apology should be said. “I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest,” words from the activist. I would think that he could have had the guts to directly apologize to Michelle Obama instead of an over the phone comment to a public relations person. Even if she was not the first lady, everyone deserves an apology to their face.
“Why?” is just one question that comes to mind? It is the year 2009, actually nearing the end of this year and almost a new decade. Why would this picture even be made? Why is our country still being racist towards people in this manner? Barak Obama is our President, who we, the people, elected. For someone in Tennessee to publicize this poster is just rude and not called for. People may do things or say things that they think will not become public, but with our society it is hard to keep things kept small or quiet. Our society uses the media to allow everything to be exposed. The media today no loner just includes new broadcasts or newspapers, information can travel via the Internet. The Internet is accessible thru computers, cell phones and even MP3 players. This means that it is available at all times, 24/7. Before, during, and after the 2008 Presidential election my Facebook minified was filled with people’s opinions. Some of these opinions were positive, but mostly negative. I just do not understand why people need to post their personal thoughts for everyone to see and comment on, especially when they are debatable or hurtful towards others. To me, it is obviously that people feel intimidated to talk about it with others so they write it out. When this picture was posted, it was definitely been meant for the whole world to see because with our advanced society nothing is a secret. And it is an embarrassment. If it is said within a home or among friends, it is an opinion that is allowed, but posting something on the World Wide Web is just asking for trouble. President Obama is no joke, no matter if he is black, white, or any other race. He should not be made fun of for his race, but how he handles our country. Opinions towards him, especially in our society today, should be about how he is attempting to fix our economy and our situation overseas, not his race. His race has no affect on the important role he plays for our country and us. He is a respectable man, who earned his high position in government and deserves to be treated like any other President was during his term. The poster was no joke and was not funny. In this year of 2009, no one needs to be judged on his race, it is just unacceptable.
In addition, the senator’s comment towards Michelle Obama is beyond absurd and rude. Michelle Obama is an icon in our society, particularly the black race. She is setting new fashion trends and helping to further break the barrier between how white and black dress. She is a classy woman and many, many stylists and top designers are willing to dress her for special appearances. For that senator to compare her to a gorilla is just insane. Everyone, in my opinion, evolved somehow from the ape family. This man clearly has no idea what he is actually saying because it was just a straight out racial comment. Michelle Obama does not deserve to be treated differently because of her race. She is the first lady, and is just as important, or even more important than any other past first ladies.
Overall, everyone needs to remember that in our society today nothing is kept a secret. It can be shown to the world. There are way too many remarks of racial hostility existing. We, the people of this country, elected Obama and we need to respect and support him and his family.
It can be astounding just to see what some of our political leaders can come up with for humor. They may be thinking it’s funny to make comments about another’s race, but they should be wise enough to keep it to themselves at the very least. Their rationale should be keen enough to distinguish between what is and is not appropriate. You are the politicians that run our country. Just keep it to yourself!
First of all, the picture portraying Obama as just a dark figure with eyes belittles his presidency completely. He is our president—your president; what incentive does he have to help our struggling nation if he can’t even feel respected over the color barrier? It tells the public that this particular Tennessee state legislature aide is more concerned with Obama’s skin color than his tenure in office, which is very unsettling. I just don’t understand how someone with this much responsibility as an up-and-coming politician with the media constantly behind his back could possibly find this behavior, making what he thought was a joke, acceptable. He must have forgotten the golden rule of grade school: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
As for the comment towards Michelle Obama, the same situation applies. The first thing I thought while watching the video was why this man was using Facebook in the first place. But maybe he was simply thinking the general public would not see his comment; only his close friends would see it. This is like putting a bunch of half-naked pictures of drinking at a frat up and having your mother obtain access to the photos. He might not have thought he was going to get caught, but it was simply poor judgment on his part posting the comment. Both of these situations were only made worse because they were leaked to the public and they did not think of the repercussions had their thoughts surfaced.
Both of these men should be ashamed for even having these thoughts cross their mind, but on another level, they are just too ignorant or even too dumb to realize they should not have shared these thoughts with others. The republican activist isn’t even done there though, since he credits his comments to evolution theory in an attempt to vindicate himself. This might come off as hypocritical since surely everyone has had racist thoughts cross their mind at one point or another (maybe not to this degree), but I think what separates these individuals from myself and others is the ability to rationalize why we should not share these comments. For one, it can just be purely degrading to the offended party, and secondly, it can make us look silly and foolish for thinking it.
So the next time you think of something you may find funny like comparing Michelle Obama to a gorilla, or calling the police officer a “banana-eating jungle monkey,” just think about what others are thinking about you. There is such thing as “political correctness,” and these two should know something about it.
I believe that this is just another way politics are manipulating the news to get the general public on their side. It is no question that racism is a horrible, popular problem in our society. But it is a problem for more than just the Obama family. Everyday people make black jokes, white jokes, Mexican jokes, and Asian jokes. When news stations post pictures and videos of racism towards the first family, they are making everyone focus on how Obama was wronged instead of realizing that everyone deals with it.
I am not saying that racism should be allowed but I do not believe that we should focus our efforts towards a single event or individual. In the Collegian, there were two reports about harassment in a dorm this weekend. Some one thought it would be funny to write that a resident was gay on their whiteboard. They then repeated this act to another resident’s whiteboard and caught the attention of the authorities. I myself see this as no big deal because I am a heterosexual male. But we rarely stop to think about how the smallest jokes could affect a homosexual. Regrettably, I often use the word “gay” or “homo” to describe an event or person. These descriptions have become acceptable by society because of their constant use. But do you ever read about how much gay men and lesbians have to deal with? Who is to say that being racist is worse than being prejudice? As a matter of fact, many black jokes compliment African Americans by noting how strong or fast a majority of them are and playing off that. Have you ever heard a gay joke that was 100% positive? I just think it is wrong to bring some much light to one thing and leave all the other problems in the dark just because they have nothing to do with the president. While I may be racist and prejudice at times, at least I know that everyone deals with issues and anyone can be hurt.
I also believe that Obama should have been much more prepared for these kinds of situations. He made history this year by taking the most powerful role in the world. But unlike those before him, he was the first colored man to ever run for or take the office. Did he not know that the south still believes they will rise again? Obviously there were going to be some close minded jerks who would judge him because of the color of his skin. He is a pioneer like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. The things they had to deal with are unimaginable when compared to the mean words we hear sometimes today. That is why I believe that while this is a sickening act of racism, we cannot just focus in on this problem because it involves Obama.
I guess its pretty safe to assume that the fact that Barack Obama was elected president does not mean that racism in this nation has disappeared. My hometown is only a few miles from Valley Swim Club, better known as the pool over the summer that was accused of revoking the temporary memberships of a number of inner-city black and Hispanic children. I am on the nearby swim team and have managed to make a number of friends within this swim club. Therefore, you could have imagined my shock when I saw this local swim club’s image destroyed over national news. The people whom I knew from this club had never made racist comments in front of me and everyone at the pool seemed to be pretty decent at first glance. But when this story came out, Valley Swim Club had its membership slashed in half and the place will dramatically need to change its image in order to survive financially. Although the club managers did make several reasonable explanations as to why these children had their membership revoked, there can be no excuse for the insults and verbal abuse the kids received during the short time they were swimming at the club. Unfortunately, the comments of a few ignorant citizens resulted in the entire local community being branded racist. My reasoning for this story is this: although racism can never be justified or warranted in any situation, the amount of media attention and outrage that is created often becomes a greater evil than the initial infraction. Sure the managers of the club deserved to be punished for their stupidity. They probably did revoke the children’s membership for underlying racist feelings, but this is certainly not to say that the entire club was conscious of their removal. Using this example as a guideline for the other issues mentioned in the blog, I think people should judge the individual before proclaiming that the entire nation is inclined towards “blatant racism.”
As for the specific cases mentioned in the blog, how about the lame excuses these guys gave. It’s sort of like what happens to guys who get accused of using steroids and don’t admit to it: they get in even deeper trouble when they should have just owned up to their mistake. For instance, the first story dealing with Obama’s presidential portrait. This guy obviously made a mistake sending this thing out to people who are most likely going to be in a political occupation, and therefore are going to take offense to the picture. I understand that Obama’s race and ethnicity have been the brunt of several jokes during and after his election. The president even called himself a “mutt” in an early press conference, referring to his mixed race. It is very interesting how some comments on race can be deemed innocent little jokes, while other comments with the identical underlying message can be considered racist.
Wow, after seeing the video the first thought that came to mind was that this man obviously never wants to have an important job in our country. How can he expect to bounce back after insulting the wife of the most powerful man in the world? Not only did he compare her and her family to a wild animal that escaped from the zoo, but he then tried to blame it on a joke that Michelle Obama “allegedly” told herself, but there was no record of her saying this. The level of racism in the two instances in this blog is through the roof. In this time in age, there shouldn’t be any instance where racism comes up. Times are a changing; no longer do white men hold most of the power as they did 20 or 30 years ago. Women have equal rights, all minority populations are expanding in the U.S.A, and still some people feel the need to bash other people because of their differences. Another thing that got on my nerves is the tried and tested excuse of “oh my best friend is _____ (fill in the blank for any culture or ethnicity you have offended.) One of my best friends is actually black and even though we joke around a lot there is a certain understanding that some things are just not supposed to be said. He was with me when I watched the youtube video where DePass insulted Michelle Obama and he was in absolute shock. Just the fact that people still have these opinions floored him. What kind of message are we sending to young kids if people in power are openly allowed to harass essentially the most powerful women in the world?
Getting to the picture of the presidents, I immediately recognized it to be a joke of some sort. But, how would all of the very loud, Lynard Skynard listening southern red necks feel if maybe some of those other presidents were exposed for what they really were. A bunch of racist slave owners who wrote about freedom while they kept whole families of slaves to work their fields. Imagine the uproar if instead of a picture insulting Obama it was a picture of Thomas Jefferson with a young black slave girl and their illegitimate child. Things like this poster are immature and I just don’t understand why people who have so much going for them, famous people like Michael Richards or Kramer from Seinfeld as well as Don Inus who made his famous remarks at the womans basketball team from Rutgers. He called them all nappy headed hoes. Needless to say he didn’t stick around his job too long. Racism will never end as long as famous athletes and actors make offensive remarks and our youth look up to them.
Americans should be disgusted with the level of racism that is still present in our country. It is a colossal problem that an aide to a high ranking official sent out an email with this” image” of Obama. While this republican may have thought it was funny, it was downright revolting and offensive. I truly hope that this aide was fired and will never be allowed to enter politics again. I also think that the Tennessee State Legislature should face some sort of punishment as a result of its aide’s actions. If we cannot look towards our leaders to set a good example, how can we fix the issue of racism?
Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking when they make racist comments and especially when they put them in a written form such as emailing them to a large number of people. For example, what was going through the Massachusetts National Guard member’s head when he pushed the send button? While he claims that he felt remorse and he was sorry, he apparently did not have enough of a conscience or anguish at the time to withhold sending the email. If he truly believed what he did was wrong, I believe that he never would have sent the email in the first place. This line of reasoning follows the notion in which he asserts that he is not racist. To some degree, I think he is racist because most people are not inclined to make racial slurs and email them out to many people.
After watching the video about the GOP activists that compared the gorilla who escaped the zoo to Michelle Obama’s ancestors, I felt shocked and disgusted. The notion of stating that the gorilla must have been Michelle’s ancestors is so messed up that I do not even know where to begin. There is no way that this racist comment was made accidently or without thought. However, I believe that the part that bothers me the most is that he tried to spin the story and put it back into Michelle’s mouth. In addition, he states that he is sorry if he offended anyone and made this comment only in jest. Not only does this show he is not sorry, but it shows he does not want to take responsibility for his actions. The first wife has been a great role model for all women. By making such despicable comments such as these, this GOP activist attempts to belittle the first lady’s outstanding accomplishments. They are unacceptable and I firmly believe that he should be punished. I am glad that Facebook at least had the initiative to remove this appalling comment.
In the future, I believe that the people in politics who make these comments should have to endure greater punishments than just having to apologize. It seems that many of these people are not truly sorry. In order to fix this problem, those in political arena should have to face greater penalties in order to realize and take accountability for their mistakes.
It’s hard to say if racism will ever completely leave America. It’s far from acceptable for racist comments to be stated publically, but who’s to say that they will leave our home, or conversations with our friends? I am far from a racist person, but I would be lying if I said that I never say racism comments. When you’re in the company of one’s close to you, it’s safe to say that they know when you’re joking and a comment can just be brushed off, but what’s mentioned in this blog isn’t something that anybody will look at and just forget. The poster and the comment stated by Captain Justin Barrett, regardless of apologies, is a slap in the face to some of the most respected people in our country. How do people ever really know what’s crossing the line. In my opinion, and I’m sure the opinion of many others is that even though there isn’t a clear line drawn to what is socially acceptable to say, these examples are far from acceptable. They have not only crossed this imaginary line, but have far surpassed it.
The poster on one hand couldn’t be taken lightly at first glance, but when you think more in depth about the message it is sending it’s hard to laugh. Even though Obama hasn’t been president for that long, it’s clear to see that he will do a lot for our country that many other presidents in the past would have never been able to do. However, at the same time if a joke was made about another president, race aside, would it be taken as seriously? Even though it is wrong to make racist jokes like this poster has, what makes it more acceptable to poke fun at past presidents when it isn’t about race? I don’t think that either is necessarily tolerable, but jokes will be made, and who’s to say that one is more offensive than another?
On the other hand, what has happened with Captain Justin Barrett can also be looked at simply as a mistake, or even as a funny joke. Everybody makes mistakes, it’s just harder to get away with it when you’re in the spotlight. However, it’s hard to see if he would have even apologized if it wasn’t pointed out to him that it was unacceptable to say. It’s okay to make jokes, but who would publically make a comment like that one made about the first lady? His apology stated that he is as sorry as he could be if he offended anyone, but what about how he feels? Shouldn’t somebody be ashamed for saying something like this when they are as respected as Barrett supposedly is? To wrap it up, I think that it’s okay to make jokes as long as they are to the right people. People should be careful not to cross the line as far as racist jokes go. After all, we do have a black president.
I am sure pictures like this and jokes of this sort have been circling the internet and cramming peoples email inboxes since Barack Obama was elected last year. However, when a Tennessee state legislature sends something like this it causes uproar and everyone is in such complete shock at its inappropriateness. I doubt the state legislature who sent this email out isn’t the one who created it. However, he is taking the heat for it. I think this is kind of silly but at the same time they have a point. A man in a position of power and should not have engaged in this type of behavior, he should have known better. But what about all of the pictures of past presidents poking fun at their appearances? During the Bush administration cartoons of the big-eared Texan filled every newspaper’s funny pages, but no one thought twice about it. Also, I have to wonder how offended Obama was. He might have just laughed it off; did anyone even ask him how he felt?
I think the case of the “banana eating jungle monkey” is a little bit different. Calling a black man a “banana eating jungle monkey” is incredibly racist. And for a police officer to say something like that, it’s pretty bad and sad even. I don’t know the circumstances of the case, but this should also bring about the question of whether or not Gates was arrested fairly or not. He may have been arrested just because he was black, we don’t know.
The gorilla comment about Michelle Obama is ridiculous. I can’t believe he tried to pass it off as an evolution comment and blamed on Michelle herself. Nice try. I give him props for trying to apologize but he should have left it at that. The phony excuse was really pathetic. He also tried to say that it was a joke and was not meant to be racist. Joke or not, that is a racist comment. Saying something was a joke doesn’t make anyone feel better.
What were these people thinking? First of all you should never put anything like that in print. I’m not saying it is okay for people to make racist comments. But at least spoken words don’t have any proof. Emails can be copied printed and passed around for everyone to see. Now the question is: are all of these people who made these comments or sent these messages racist? Does laughing at one joke make a person racist? Because in that case, I am sure we are all guilty. Who hasn’t laughed at someone who is different than them? Sadly, this is reality and I don’t know if we will ever reach a point where we don’t make racial slurs and jokes.
After reading this blog I have very mixed feelings. Many people would view the image of the presidents as a simple joke that was created to merely provide some amusement. I can agree with the fact that anyone in the public eye is bound to be watched, critiqued and made fun of, especially the president of the country, and that both good and bad responses are to be expected while in a position of power. However, it is the racist aspect of the poster that I strongly disagree with. If we consider former president George W. Bush's presidency, there is no doubt that he was continuously made a laughing matter by many people. What is interesting is that it was never, or extremely rarely, due to the color of his skin. From the moment Barack Obama assumed the role of President there has been a major increase in the obvious amount of racism that still exists in this country. It's no secret that it was there beforehand but it's just interesting that the election of a black (or half black) man as president is what spurred people to think that racist remarks towards him would be acceptable because as a figure of authority he is bound to be criticized. What is different to the cases of most authoritative figures is that a huge majority of remarks that are made regarding Obama's success, or lack there of, make reference to his race. It sickens me to think that in today's world people's actions are still judged by the color of their skin and not by their actual abilities. If people are so hung up on the color of Obama's skin then how are they supposed to keep an open mind to his decisions as the president of the United States.
A clear example of blatant racism is the e-mail incident insulting Henry Louis Gates, Jr. I find it impossible to accept the fact that Captain Justin Barrett could have meant his description of Gates as a "banana eating jungle money" as anything but an offensive racial remark. I find it ridiculous that he even attempted to pass it off as "a poor choice of words" and then continued to validate his non-racial attitude by the fact that he has friends who come from a variety of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. The diversity of his friends has little if nothing to do with his racial attitude. Being someones friend is hopefully based on more than how a person feels about a certain race/ethnicity. Barrett also claimed thats he treats "everyone with dignity and respect" which is obviously not true as he blatantly disrespected and insulted Mr. Gates with his racial remark.
Finally, I found the scenario in which Michelle Obama was compared to a gorilla a completely avoidable disaster. The fact that the republican activist chose to relate his response regarding the gorilla to her, regardless of her reference to humans descending from apes, was disrespectful and unnecessary. Had he chosen to simply refer to the gorilla as a descendant of all humans then he could have avoided the uproar caused by his carelessness. Also what is even more annoying is that he attempted to validate his statement by claiming that Michelle Obama had herself made a statement in which she compared herself to an ape though not surprisingly no evidence of such a statement can be found. Overall, what I have learned from this article is that racism is still prominent in American society today and that if people are not willing to change their ways then they need to learn to suffer the consequences and to stop trying to make pathetic excuses for their mistakes.
In all truthfulness I am not surprised by any of these comments. Just because the President is black doesn’t mean that everyone has become more racist or less racist for that matter, I feel that everyone has just become more sensitive to the issue. I am really surprised by most of the comments so far because it seems that for the most part the blogs start with, “I am so appalled,” or “I can’t believe people are still so racist,” personally I’m surprised that people can respond that way. Are you really so arrogant to think that racism is not part of our everyday life. I don’t feel I am an extreme racist, but I’m not going to pretend I don’t have my fair share of racial remarks. I believe that I have probably heard at least one racist remark every day since I was in middle school. In fact, within one day of the Presidents election I was sent a very similar image of the presidential poster except I think that the one I was sent included a white smile. Am I appalled at the image? No, not really. I figured it would come sooner or later. I don’t think that racism would be solved because our president is black.
I feel racism is a very prominent part of our current society. I do not feel that I have ever met a person that is not racism in some manner. Once again I feel the same as I did on the last blog, the only reason people are making a big stink is because someone got caught saying or doing something stupid. Have I heard the term “banana eating jungle monkey?” Yeah, I probably have in one situation or another. But to try to cover it with saying you have friends of every race is not the brightest idea. I tend to hang my head in shame when my fellow whities’ say such dumb things. I still remember one of my first experiences with a racial slur from a person I looked up to. My uncle and I were driving to a fishing spot when a black lady cut us off almost causing us to wreck. My uncle raged out with, “Who let these goddamn gorillas drive.” I remember the feeling I got inside. I couldn’t believe that he said something like that. He tried to cover it up by saying, “I’m not racist, it’s just they can’t drive.” I don’t think that I ever looked at him the same again, and to hear that it was a Boston police officer that said this makes me sad for the children that might have been looking at him the same way I looked at my uncle.
I agree with Sam that the gentleman in the video needs to higher a better PR person to cover his ass the next time he says something stupid. To blame Darwin is the easy way out (and a bad way at that). Was Mr. DePass wrong in what he said? Yes, I feel he was out of line with his comment. Should he have said it in the first place? Probably not, he should have kept it to himself. But seriously, how many of us have let our tongue slip and say something stupid? I know I have done this on multiple occasions (mostly when I am intoxicated and my inhibitions are lowered).
In all truth I feel that to say you are completely non-racial is an arrogant lie. Maybe I am wrong and there are people out there that can truly say they do not judge people on their race. I really hope that this is the case, but from what I have experienced I cannot say I have ever met one of these people.
I cannot believe the nerve of these politicians, activists, and police officers; they think that they can just post whatever or say whatever and get away with it. Didn’t they get a lesson in keeping their mouth shut? Didn’t they learn before they went into politics or government affiliated jobs that they should refrain from racial comments at all costs? Obviously the people who we chose to represent and serve our country are not the most cognizant! We should reconsider who they really are representing because it seems like they are only leaning toward the white population. Last time I checked, the United States was a mutt – composed of all different races. And, racial comments and judgments were becoming a thing of the past and, if racial comments or opinions were thought of, then they should be kept to oneself. African Americans may have been compared to monkeys when racial discrimination was accepted years ago, but we no longer accept such behavior or beliefs. Our country has been trying to eliminate race as an issue, but some people still do not understand that race will never stop being an issue until we stop making it one! Therefore, these representatives need to stop making slur comments. If people are going to have such opinions, then they should keep it to themselves or find a country composed of only purely native whites (good luck with that!). And, if the people who represent our country cannot make a conscious effort to respect every race that exists in the United States, then clearly we have not been moving in the right direction.
It also angers me that the statements, such as the one made toward Michelle Obama, were claimed to be said as a joke. Jokes that criticize someone are not jokes; they are personal attacks. I would be mad if someone called me something along the lines of white trash or some other racist white name. I would take it personally – an attack against my ethnicity. I cannot imagine being the First Lady where everyone in the world gets to read or hear such a comment. The person who said it might as well cut to the chase and say that they hate her - it’s just as much a personal attack against her race as saying that she is a gorilla.
I thought all of the stories from the blog were racist attacks. There is no excuse for making comments or altering a picture that is blatantly done to point out someone’s race. It does not matter how many black friends you have or how witty you are, whatever is said or done that demeans a person’s race IS racist. It’s embarrassing to think how racially divided we still are –especially in government – after all these years.
I know this picture is supposed to be a humorous joke, but I don’t find it funny at all. People make jokes all the time about how you can’t see black people when it’s dark out. I’ve heard plenty of those racist jokes, and I never find them funny. This one I find especially wrong because it is about our own president, who we should have so much respect for until he proves us wrong. He is the man who is going to control a lot of what is going on in the country we live in for the next few years, and we should trust him rather than bash him. Also, he is our first colored president. This means our country is coming a long way, until you see something like this and realize that a lot of people still have a long way to go until they realize that all people should be treated equally. President Obama has done nothing to prove that he should not be respected, and everyone should give him the respect that he plans to give every citizen in this country. I think both of your possible assumptions are correct, that the people who “end up in this file” are definite knuckleheads, and it is also a terrible act of racism. You have to be obnoxious to come up with something like this, especially planning on publicizing it. Now, onto the second part of your blog, I hated hearing the phrase “banana eating jungle monkey.” After hearing your lecture the other day about how closely related our genes are to monkeys, and how all of our genes are 99% similar to those people of other skin colors, I found this obscene. None of us are more closely related to a monkey than the other, and to throw in the banana eating comment, that was probably supposed to be humorous, wasn’t funny at all. I just find comments like this disgusting. In the movie Crash, it exemplifies how it is hard to become a police and not become racist when many of the people you are coming in contact with happen to be colored. However, by the end of the movie, it shows that every one of us is really the same. I think this police officer should watch this movie before he finds it acceptable to make comments like that. People take offense to it, whether he claims he meant it as an offense or not. Personally, if I were one of his many friends of color, I would take offense to that and lose a little bit of respect for him for saying something like that. He claims he treats everyone with dignity an respect, but even saying something like this is so disrespectful. It is true that you say many off the hook things that never amount to racism. On top of that, though, you’ve gained the respect of all your students to the point where they know what you’re saying is the blatant truth, and they may even find it funny when you say it. You never make humorous jokes that could be referred to as racism. It seems as if you think before you speak. Everyone should start doing that if they really mean no harm, before they make a comment that could be seen as racist.
The issue of individuals saying things that are blatantly racist is nothing more than just that. INDIVIDUALS saying stupid things and not thinking about what comes out of their mouths. I am sure that everyone has one of those friends or at least someone that they know that doesn’t think about what they say. With these types of people there is no filter on what they say. They think it and then they say it. These are the type of people that would unknowingly walk into a funeral home and say “Who died in here?” The difference between this idiot and the people used as examples in the blog is that your friend may work the night shift at Kwik-E-Mart, but the other people are in a place of power and in the public eye.
With many politicians and those in public office that ends up slipping up and spewing racist statements, they having done a miraculous job hiding their prejudices to that point. Part of being a politician is doing pretty much anything to get elected. Even if that means hiding the fact that you may call black people “Porch Monkeys” from time to time. The feeling of being secure in a job may then cause the person to loosen up and slowly let more of their true self show. This true self many times may be a slight racist. I have come across several slips of the tongue that revealed racists thoughts while watching football on TV with family and friends. Just because a person may not like a certain player on a team or the player makes a bad play, they may say something like, “that receiver needs to wipe the chicken grease off of his hands”. No one in the room was directly offended by the comment but just imagine if President Bush, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson were watching a game and Bush made that comment. There would be an incredible backlash at the former President.
I am NOT saying that it is okay to say racist things as long as you are around like minded people. I am saying that it is wrong to say or even think about racist sentiments like the ones mentioned in the blog. However, these types of statements of hate will continue to be uttered by unsuspected conveyors of racism, because there are people out there that don’t have that little voice in their head that says, “hey let’s try the whole listening thing because talking is not your strong point”. Because of all the news outlets that provide 24/7 news coverage without there being actual news to cover 24/7, there are times that statements made by people are often taken out of context and blown out of proportion. By that I mean that race does not have to be brought into ever statement or news story. When the speaker used the word “niggardly”, he was not trying to be racist and had no intention of bringing race into his speech at all.
If all three of these news stories do not thoroughly disgust you, then there is a serious problem. These headlines are the most blatant displays of racism that I have come across in a while and it is extremely disheartening. It is bad enough that so many citizens of the world still practice racism today, but the fact that someone within our own political system did so against the President truthfully sickens me. The only thing that I would say back to the Tennessee aide who apparently thought this would be a humorous joke is that they should be deeply ashamed. It has been almost nine months since Barack Obama was sworn in on the same capital steps that every other white President in history, and yet the immature racist jokes are still present. It is pathetic that I have to ask myself the question of, “Will they ever stop?” But what is worse is the answer. I try hard to believe that our country can change for the better in the wake of this new administration, but for as long as news headlines like this keep up then I am not sure if I can.
The fact that a citizen who is living freely under the strongest democracy in the world with an African-American leader still finds its ok to use the term “banana eating jungle monkey” say a lot about how far we have come as nation; clearly not too far. Last November 4th was supposed to be the day in history in which many Americans believed was the true end of racism in our nation. If an African-American senator can not only win a Presidential election by electoral votes, but landslide the popular vote as well, then he should be respected by each and every American citizen. Regardless of whether or not you campaigned for him, voted for him, or even despised him during the election, he won. Our nation elected a new President, the most powerful man in the world, and he should be respected for that title and not judged because of his race. Especially, he should not be ridiculed by an aide working in the SAME political institution that he governs.
To the activist who decided to use Facebook as an outlet for racism against the First Lady Michelle Obama, are you trying to prove to the world how much of a racist you actually are? Not only is Facebook one of the most popular blogging sites on the web today, but it is one of the most public; posting something on Facebook is like sending it to the entire world. It seems extremely smart to voice your beyond inappropriate racist opinion on a public blog and then proceed to apologize by saying it was a slip of the tongue. Why didn’t I think of that?
This year in the United States, color and racism have been two of the most prevalent topics in the news. While America was making a huge deal about the fact that we finally have a black president, no one realized that that was just another form of racism. If we were truly accepting…he’d just be our president. Instead he was used as a symbol to say that we have come so far and are willing to accept a man of color as opposed to 50 years ago when that would have never happened. However, seeing pictures like that when you look at all the faces of our presidents, how far have we really come? It would seem as if we’re back tracking. Maybe no one has actually learned anything. Even worse is that this photo came out of a Tennessee’s state legislature. Shouldn’t people in politics be walking around on needles and pins? After all, everyone seen in the political eye is scrutinized until they can be completely torn down and state legislature is no exception. It is pathetic for anyone, even an aide, to think that this would go unnoticed or even be considered funny to anyone outside of a 5th grade reading level.
As Sam’s blog continues, my anger increases. What the hell is wrong with people? Honestly, feel free to have your thoughts, but what are you doing saying it out loud? Or sending a mass email? SERIOUSLY!? How could a police officer, someone who is supposed to enforce safety and look out for the wellbeing of people say stupid stuff like that? Not only does it reflect poorly on himself and his department, but it also makes all law enforcement agents and people working in the justice system look bad as well. And to Captain Barrett, I’m really happy for you that you have a multi-racial group of friends, but ya, next time you really should try to think about your wording before you say things.
Finally, the last piece of this racist puzzle comes together when you read about a Republican activist, once again someone in America’s public eye, talk about our first lady. Facebook is one of the biggest social networks in the world, and people who follow closely to regular updates are bound to see it. It’s ridiculously unacceptable that someone would compare any African American to a monkey in general, but even worse someone as respectable as Michelle Obama. This blatant racism should not be happening in this day and age, but more so should never be said by anyone in the political world. This man is a former election chairman and a candidate for state senate. To say that that’s inappropriate or politically incorrect is an understatement. Overall, with all the progress that we have made as people and a nation, it is hard to believe that people, especially those who are supposed to encourage us to be accepting, still do things that make us take 10 steps back.
Seeing these incidents in little pieces can cause reactions for a few moments and cause someone to simply think “it’s messed up” or “that person has issues.” I’ve already read these stories and/or heard them before over the summer, but it really becomes much more alarming when you see them all in unison. To see these people make inappropriate remarks regarding black people and then create the most idiotic excuses/ justifications possible instead of owning up to what they’ve clearly done is very offensive. In them doing this, you clearly see they have no remorse for their actions and question their intellect alongside their racial tolerance.
The message of the picture of the lineage of presidents is clear. This is supposed to be a joke, but it isn’t funny because he is the only person being insulted for the only thing that differentiates him with the other forty-three presidents, his color. If it was meant to be harmless jest, they would have had Bush with a table of coke lines, Clinton with Monica, and so on.
The e-mail regarding Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and the “banana eating jungle monkey” statement is so obvious with its intentions that I really don’t need to comment. Captain Justin Barrett tried to shrug it off by basically saying “it’s cool because I have black friends.” It’s not really appropriate especially after what had happened to him. The poor man was bothered by cops after trying to get into his own home! I would be pissed too if someone tried to make me prove my residence given the circumstance that I was the one of the only minorities in a wealthy neighborhood.
Rusty Depass’ statement about the gorilla from the zoo being Michelle Obama’s relative was clearly in bad taste. It is one thing what he said, but that he tried to play it off in saying she gave a speech about Darwinism and she didn’t makes it that much worse. He not only gave a poor excuse, but blatantly lied when confronted with his statement. This brings me back to my former point that you can clearly see the lack of remorse from these individuals because they make idiotic justifications for their “choice of words” and think the rest of the world is as stupid as them.
We can clearly see that racism is clearly not over and hasn’t subsided. It was simply in hiding and the election of president Obama has caused this beast to rear its ugly head for everyone to witness. This can be good though because it will cause action and the nay-Sayers will see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears that though the consensus of intolerance has been reduced greatly, there is still a fair deal of work to be done.
Though I do not choose a particular party, I tend to lean more towards the republican side. Barack Obama, our half-black half-white president, is young, intelligent, and quite moderate for a democrat. He appears to approach every situation with a birds-eye view perspective. He, unfortunately, is surrounded by a majority of older white men. Many of these individuals come from a time period before black people even had rights in America. Chances are there parents were pretty racist, and as the saying goes, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Reading the remark that the Columbia, South Carolina politician made on facebook really boiled my water. However, it is not a surprise that a comment like that was made. Many, many, politicians are crooked in some way, shape, or form. Whether it is a racist remark, hiring a female escort, or money laundering, politicians just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. It is almost sad at how unethical America’s leaders can be. Racial slurs never leave my mouth, simply because my brain does not process such racist thoughts. I don’t quite understand how someone who is supposed to represent the people can be in a position to have any kind of power. Unfortunately, this has been the case throughout all the years of mankind and therefore may never change.
The comment made about Michelle Obama depresses me. Not only does it depress me because of the subject with which it was used, but it depresses me because the words came from a politician. This is a perfect example of how corrupt many politicians are. It is the twenty-first century, and to continue making comments along those lines is just sad. This man clearly needs to grow up a bit.
Reading the comment the officer made is 100% completely unacceptable. He is an officer of the law. Therefore, he has a certain power that he can enforce over other people. For him to be in this position and process such racist thoughts is unjust and threatening to every minority he encounters. It is almost silly for the officer to have defended himself by saying he didn’t mean the comment in a racist way. All people may have a small amount of racism within, but to make a comment like officer Barrett did is inexcusable. The officer is a Captain of the Boston Police Department. He not only has the power a normal police officer has, but has the power to command other officers. He, as captain, is the guy in charge and this makes it very dangerous for minorities. Who is to say this guy doesn’t have a skewed opinion and approach when encountering all minorities while in the field?
People tend to say and do the wrong things at the wrong time. Something that you might get a laugh out of with your friends might not be the best thing to say around a bunch of people who may not like what you are saying. The picture of all the US Presidents is a perfect example. Someone sent that picture out in an email and the wrong people probably saw it and got offended by it. Sometimes people do blow things out of proportion though. This was just meant to be a harmless joke and people blew it up. I personally got a little amusement out of it because I do enjoy a good joke. I don’t feel guilty for laughing at something that I feel is amusing. That definitely wasn’t the right place for that email, especially in a state legislature.
Now for the police officer calling Henry Gates a “banana eating jungle monkey.” That statement was uncalled for. Henry Gates is a very educated man and is teaching at probably the most prestigious college in the country and does not deserve that comment at all. When Captain Barrett claims to have friends of all racial and ethnic backgrounds I think he is full of it because if he had friends of all backgrounds and was truly friends with them he wouldn’t make remarks like this. So I didn’t feel his apology was heartfelt. And to comment on an earlier post when the person said that the “I have friends of all ethnicities and races excuse” is getting really old, I agree. Everyone who says a racist joke and gets caught uses that excuse. Just own up to what you said and apologize to the people you hurt.
The comment that the GOP activist was just messed up. Saying something like that about our first lady isn’t right. Regardless of whether you like her or not. It gives a bad name to his political party too. The Republican Party already has a history for having racist party members. To comment on an earlier post, it seems like there has been way too much racism this year. I myself am from outside of Philadelphia and I do recall hearing about the public pool incident and thought it was ridiculous. People are so ignorant and do not have open minds.
The guy who used the word niggardly at the meeting was criticized too much I thought. The people who criticized him didn’t know what the actual meaning of the word was. It means cheap or stingy. They misinterpreted it for the N word. I don’t think anyone in the right mind would use that word while at a meeting for their job. Its unprofessional.
The election of President Obama has severely increased the level of racism in this country. It’s sad to think that even in this day and age people can’t learn to accept others for who they are and not base a person’s character based on their skin color. Obama was elected to run this country for a reason. It’s because the majority of people believed that he was the right man for the job despite his ethnic background and skin color. Seeing someone spread around a ridiculous picture like this one makes so angry to know that people can be so damn immature. I don’t understand why every year tons of people have to constantly make fun of our nation’s leaders. I mean they’re the face of our country and we should have more respect for them. We the people picked them to lead us, so why are we so concerned about focusing on his skin color? It’s the 21st century guys, get with the times.
Now there’s the issue of Captain Justin Barrett. First of all, this guy isn’t new to the job. A police officer is meant to protect and serve, not make racial comments about the people he’s protecting. Now in his defense he might have said that he didn’t mean for his actions to be racist, but let’s be frank here. You don’t go around calling a black person a “banana eating jungle monkey” and not mean for it to be a racist comment. It’s pretty clear what your intentions were. He also claimed that it was just a poor choice of words. Then what was the right choice of words? What did you mean to call the black man, a banana eating porch monkey? You’re an officer of the law so you know what is right and what is wrong. If you’re going to go out in public and make a comment like that then at least man up and admit that it was a racist comment that just shouldn’t have been said. Don’t lie and say you meant it in a nice way because no one’s going to believe that. It’s scary to think that even our law enforcement hates certain ethnicities. Who’s to say that certain cops won’t help a black man being mugged or a Hispanic women being attacked because of their background. Someone needs to step up and put an end to this non sense.
There is seriously something wrong with a lot of people in this country. It’s a new day and age and minorities are doing great things for this country. They’re finding cures for diseases, inventing new forms of technology, and oh that’s right running our damn country. We all got to learn to accept Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and just everyone in general for who they are and not what they look like. If things don’t improve soon, I fear for the future of this country.
Jared Manley Blog 2
While critically analyzing the blog entitled “What Are They Thinking?’ I came to the same conclusion about racism that I had before, no matter what social class, ethnic group, age and all walks of life there is always some sort or racial tension. Unfortunately I feel racial stereotyping is going to remain a problem in our nation. It could steadily decrease over time, but I honestly believe roots have been plated too deep in some family trees and traditions for this problem to disappear even with increased amounts of awareness on this topic.
The picture on top of the blog entry supports my thesis to the fullest. Sadly we might expect this to be done by hardcore confederate southern men who still believe African Americans should still be slaves and only count as 3/5th of a vote, but for it to be done by someone working for the Tennessee state legislature makes this even more serious. Joking is all well and good especially in the serious world that we live in today, but this clearly crossed the line. Barack Obama is the Commander in Chief of our nation you would think he deserves a tad bit more respect than this. He won a fair race and deserves all the credit and for individuals like this to be tarnishing his reputation especially in terms of their only fuel being his race is despicable in my eyes.
I hate to make a stereotype or generalization myself, however there is a reoccurring theme in this blog and it seems to me that all this racial tension is coming from southern states, those of which who fought against the Union in the Civil War because they felt they were being wronged in not being allowed to own slaves. I am not saying that the only racists today live in the south by any means; I simply see it as a reoccurring theme in terms of this article.
The video to me was the most unacceptable part of the blog. The fact that this man choose not to attack Michelle Obama on the nations economy, healthcare, the war or any other important problem that our nation faces today, but rather decided to go primitive with his attack and call her a gorilla. This is an educated man mind you and he obviously did not mean this by accident. Also he couldn’t even cover it up and say it was a mere slip or mix of words in an interview due to the fact that this was a post written on facebook.
In conclusion I honestly feel that racial tension and stereotyping are a much bigger problem than we think here in the United States. The fact of the matter is we call this land the land of the free and the land of new opportunity, but how much opportunity do people of a different ethnicity have when people who make racial comments about our president run our country? Honestly what kind of officials are we electing? I do believe this problem is getting better but not quickly enough as of now. There is a song lyric that states “Together we stand, divided we fall.” I don’t even know if we stand together anymore.
I really shocked when I read and watched the Youtube video of “What are you thinking?” I honestly think that ever since Obama became the president of the United States last year, there were some harsh remarks thrown out to the family of Obama. Even though the Obama’s family looks like they are full black, which they are not, (Obama’s children are one third white, and Obama is half white) it is still wrong to make comments about them. I mean, it’s 2009 and we should be mature enough that we should treat other equally and now that he is the president, we cannot really do anything but to allow him to do his job. There are still racist people out there and they just don’t understand that “We are Americans and we are the same people in the inside”. In the disturbing picture of the Presidents heads, the illustrator should not have even gotten the idea of putting the presidents head together and Obama with just two eyes. I was in a complete shocked when I saw that picture. Because of that disturbing picture, it’s going to cause a lot of trouble between people of different ethnicities.
According to the GOP Activist’s (Rusty DePass) situation, he should not have said anything about Michelle Obama. Although he’s part of the election and have done and accomplished so many things, he should be MATURE enough to kept his mouth shut. Because of his comment, it brought up so many issues towards everyone especially the African Americans. Even though, he apologized to everyone and Michelle Obama that does not mean that he learned his lesson. He should know that this is America and we should treat each other with respect.
When I came here to Penn State last year, I was complete shocked because this school was pretty diverse and people treated each other with respect and I came from a city where it was not diverse at all. But what made me really think is that there are still people out there who are still racist and they choose not to change for the better.
Something happened to me last weekend when I was walking down College Ave downtown and a random guy came up and started to make harsh and racist comments and started yelling at my ear. Feeling angry and tempered, I could not do anything because I know that God will someday punish these people.
What I’m trying to say is we should get along with each other and show some respect other people with different ethnicities and backgrounds. If we respect one another, our knowledge could expand more because we would understand what other cultures are like.
After reading this article I had to sit back and think about it, and also re-read it before the right words came to mind. First of all, I cannot believe a political figure would be so stupid, to make such a comment about the First Lady of the United States of America. Although he apologized, my mother always taught me, that when making an apology, there is no such thing as an “I am sorry. But...” And that is what this man did. He apologized “if” he offended Michelle Obama, and then proceeded with, something along the lines of, but you made that comment about all humans being from gorillas. Almost in some sense this man put the blame onto Michelle, not himself.
Also, I am by no means someone who is obsessed with politics and wants to argue about it tooth and nail, I could honestly care less right now. However, with that said, I happen to live with roommates who are both ends of the spectrum and LOVE to talk (I mean argue) about it. The Republican and Democrat love to discuss and state their viewpoints about whatever issue happens to come up in conversation. While I never join in, I always pay close attention. It seems that whenever the Democratic roommate makes a valid point and the Republican roommate seems to have nothing to say, she will without fail make a comment about President Obama’s race and ethnic background. Normally the comment is something along the lines of, “Obama is not even 100% black.” Now, while like I said I never utter a word, I never understand why this even matters. Why should anyone care whether our President is Black, White, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, etc., since when does race make someone a good or bad President of the United States? This brings me to the picture of the Presidents. If I were to show that to my Republican roommate and point out President Obama’s “picture” she would probably laugh and think it was great. It seems that anyone who is not in support of President Obama will make racist jokes about him, instead of pointing out valid POLITICAL reasons as to why they feel he is not doing a good job. It appears to be a commonality that in society today people are quick to blame someone’s race on the reason for the reason they are not liked, or not doing a good job instead of a real, valid reason.
Finally, while the picture was intended as a joke, it makes the point that everything is constantly going back to race. If our President was white, and that same picture was formed with a white background and eyes, nobody would even understand it.
Here is a simple answer to this particular article: everyone has racist tendencies. in one
point of everyones' lives, people have said or thought of a racist comment of stereotype at one time or another. People who are higher up on the status chain like entertainers, businessmen, politicians, and leaders are on the spotlight 24-7 are always attacked. With television, internet, and word of mouth gossip, it is hard for any disparaging comment to leak and becom ea giant commotion. Why don't we attack the regular people we do with high figures? Its because they're politician or police officer and that they should know better because of the roles that they play in society. We point our fingers are these politicians and never really look at ourselves and realize that we are ust as, if not more, racist than the politicians, leaders, or police officers representing their states or country. Who are we to point our fingers and say that they are racist? Some people would think that the image sent as a joke by the aide from Tennessee is from a red-neck, in-breeding, racist state, so we assume that everyone in Tennessee is a racist, but those who think so have already made the racist comment.
South Carolina Senator Rusty DePass made a mistake of making a racist joke. Again, this situation is a prominent figure making a racist comment aimed at another famous person of color. Sen DePass commented on facebook that a gorilla escaping from the zoo. 'I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors-probably harmless' was written on the Facebook. Whether or not Sen Depass said those words in jest or not, people have made comments as a racist joke or reply or Facebook. People even take enjoyment of telling a racist joke to set the mood or to laugh at.This situation occurs everyday with racist jokes and many have seen or made racist jokes from a friend at school or Facebook, or any other form of social networking.
The police officer from Boston and his 'banana eating jungle monkey' comment is as racist as any comment that any other person could have made, but because Captain Justin Barrett, a police officer, someone who is supposed to uphold an unbias justice, is critized. If a KKK member made that exact comment, then it would be fine because he or she would not expect anything less racist coming from a klansman. Apparently, Cpt. Justin Barrett has friends of many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds, so why the hateful comment? Everyone has racial tendencies and at times, I feel, that we need to exam ourselves before pointing figures and passing judgement on to other because how do we have any right to shake our own heads? "It was a poor choice of words," Barrett said. "I didn't mean it in a racist way. I treat everyone with dignity and respect." I suppose its easier said than done.
After reviewing the picture that was linked to the public I clearly took as a one of the GOP staff members either upset about the fact that President Obama won the presidential election and/or simply making a joke out of the fact that we now have a president that is relatively peculiar than the others. Again depending on the motive of the person who took it upon themselves to create this photo can honestly determine how I feel about this. If in fact the person was did this out of strive because we not have a person of color as our president then I believe it is time for someone to sit in Sam Richards class and learn about the world around them. It is really sad to think that people can look at someone and have bias about them because their skin color but never take out the time to look at the heart of the person. On the other hand, if the picture was just merely a joke then that’s another story. But again it depends on the motive of the person, and I believe it is funny how when stories like this one gets out the person defending themselves in this circumstance wants people to understand the “genuine” motives behind what they put out yet they refuse to the heart of others. HYPOCRISY!!
Secondly, in response to the member of the Massachusetts National Guard who called Henry Louis Gates, a "banana eating jungle monkey.” It really saddens my heart to know that though we go around to other countries and proclaim to be a strong unified nation when we have hatred within our own small communities. To take it a step further this is a member of a National Guard…not just average “Joe” on the street but this is a man who fights for the freedom of the Unites States! Despite Captain Justin Barrett attempt to clear the air claiming to have racial friends from all background I just believe the statement should have not been said. Especially at a platform in which Officer Barrett has some things should just not be said and kept to you.
Thirdly, as I watch the video of the GOP activists who compared First Lady Michelle Obama to a Gorilla is simply foolishness. This is exactly what I mean when it comes to being on a high platform and making racial comments/slurs like this one. Especially being that he posted it on Facebook! Really though? Come on now that was not the smartest idea in the world. I do not care how close or lack of thereof to the family of the Obama’s please having some respect for our Presidential family, especially in public. To simply answer the question what were they thinking I believe the answer is simply…THEY WERE NOT THINKING! COMPLETE FOOLISHNESS!
Claiming that it is impossible to be racist because you have friends from different backgrounds is, simply put, a way to run from your responsibility as a human to treat people equally. I agree that most of us quietly share thoughts about people based on the color of their skin, but the only way to cleanse people of these thoughts is to preach equality, and this argument for justice will never gain true substance and strength if major political leaders- people who we should be able to look to for guidance- continue to make racial slurs. Not to mention if they make them...and then attempt to cop out of them. At least Captain Barret attempted to justify it by claiming he had friends from different backgrounds, but honestly, using Charles Darwin’s theories to somehow claim Michelle Obama called herself a gorilla? This guy is ridiculous.
True, there are people who stretch comments in an attempt to make them look racist. But, also true, there are people who just plain make racist comments. Again, however, we must look to ourselves to find what responsibility we might hold in situations similar to this Captain Barret one. We all may claim to not be racist. But sitting back and listening to someone make a racist comment is just another form of agreeing with them. How can we expect people to understand what is unacceptable if they are never called out for it. What’s incredible, is that adolescents are trained by society and their peers to listen to bad things being said..and then laugh and do nothing about it because speaking up makes them “uncool.” What kind of world do we live in if kids, rather than being encouraged to stand up for what’s right, are being taught to quietly listen to negative comments as a means to fit in.
So where do we draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable. I think the best way to answer that is to ask ourselves what we would want. What would you like and not like someone calling you, or the people who look like you? Because interestingly, I seem to find that the biggest racists are the very same people who are the most sensitive to racial comments made about themselves and the people like them. The problem is that a lot of people today have forgotten the simple skill of looking at a situation from someone else’s perspective. Most racists are the way they are because they are blind to other people’s cultures. They judge because they don’t understand. It is not until we can learn to step outside of ourselves and our cultures and try to understand those around us that we can expect the racist thoughts most of us probably have to disappear.
I think it is about time that these people in places of high authority become aware of their attitudes against other races. I love that the republican activist got caught in his acts of discrimination on Facebook. How can you take back something you typed out and submitted onto the web? Wouldn’t a reasonable person think twice about displaying their ridiculous comments to the world? This should be a lesson to all those in the spotlight now and in the future—there are no safe places to hide and make raciest comments away from listening ears. Once there is no place safe to put down their censor over the ugly thoughts that cross their minds, they must come face to face with the reality of their nativity about race. Maybe in a way, these people will soon be able to confront the reasons behind their thoughts of other people. Hopefully they can learn to look at the big picture and realize few moments in their lives have shaped their thoughts on certain movements. After those few initial moments, they need to see that there is room for correction and overwrites. They must be willing to admit that what they have known for most of their time is wrong. However, after behaving one way and believing it true for decades can be increasingly harder for an individual to see differently. In an odd sense, I feel bad for these individuals. While other people begin to understand the nature of their struggles with other races on a personal, smaller scale, these people will forever be marked as ‘racist’. However isn’t that a double standard? We all have made comments about other races at least on one occasion and yet we do not brand ourselves as ‘racists’. I feel that once the media get hold of these stories these people will never recover from it and ultimately get further and further from finding out the depths of their comments come from. They become closer from meeting the other side because no one of the other race with listen and help him meet half way to understand beneath skin color. So isn’t slapping a tag on him and calling him a racist stunting the relationship between the races anyways? The fact of the matter is, these people shouldn’t have said what they did, but it isn’t any better to think the same way and keep it to themselves. The man they interviewed basically called names back at the accused, telling him he should be ashamed. In reality what needs to happen instead of throwing insults back, is to ask them why they felt the way they did, open their eyes to where their hostility is coming from and show them blaimging it on color isn’t right.
I’m usually a very forgiving person and typically find myself giving people the benefit of the doubt. However, in the instance of the aide in the Tennessee legislature, where Obama was depicted as just two eyeballs in a square of darkness, well, that is not forgivable. I think that this person deserves every bit of criticism that they get from the public. Yes, sometimes people slip up and come off as racist when they don’t mean to. Honestly, I think someone would have to try really hard to completely ignore racial stereotypes that we observe everyday about other ethnic groups. It’s almost going against human nature not to be curious or to fear what is different. Nevertheless, this guy created a pretty blatant racially prejudiced message by depicting Obama as he did in this picture. He had to have had his intentions in line when he was thinking about what he was doing. Really, what other message was he trying to convey other than something totally racist? Slip of the tongue and knee-jerk comments that come off as discriminatory but really aren’t are sometimes excusable, but this act was deliberate and not justifiable. Obama doesn’t even have that dark of a skin color. He’s half black, but no one ever seems to remember that. As for the Police officer that called Gates a “banana eating jungle monkey,” that was uncalled for. I don’t think that calling someone a “banana eating jungle monkey” can really be treating someone with “respect”. It is startling how racist some people really are in our society. Among friends, I think that the true sides of people really emerge. The officer probably didn’t think that his comment would be spread to the mass public, but now that it was he is probably regretful. Sometimes when people think that they are in safe company with close friends they will say some of the most derogatory things and expect them not to leave the room, and it is really quite disturbing to see the true hostile feelings that some people hold against others simply because of race. The comment about Michelle Obama as a “gorilla” I would categorize as being completely racist as well. I know that there is no way on earth I would feel even remotely flattered if someone compared me to a gorilla. Yeah, they might be linked to us evolutionarily speaking, but still the connotation that I get out of comparing a person to a gorilla is that they are large, stupid, or aggressive – none of which I think are appropriate to be calling our President’s wife. It is really discouraging to hear and see stories like this in the media, and what is even more saddening is to think about all the racial comments that do not get published or all the offended people who never receive apologies.
None of the stories mentioned in the blog came as a surprise to me. Colleagues are constantly battling one another to get the upper hand. Yet, there comes a point in time when some people go too far. Racial comments should not be used in any circumstance, whether you think they are offensive or not. Referring to a black person as a “gorilla” as Rusty Depass did on a facebook blog about First Lady, Michelle Obama is clearly a racist statement. Saying I’m sorry in that situation is just not enough. Depass said that the comment was “in jest,” but there is nothing funny about it. Michelle Obama is a respectable figure in our society and making racial slurs about her should not be accepted, and simply apologizing for his act doesn’t take away what he said.
The poster of the headshots of the presidents kind of makes me laugh. As a country we voted in Barack Obama, yet there are still so many racist acts against him. First off, Obama is half white, so for those whites who are opposed to him he isn’t even completely black. Is change such a bad thing in America? Isn’t it kind of sad that it took us this long to have a president of a different color in the White House? People of color excel, just as much as those who are white. If you don’t believe that then you obviously don’t keep up with the news and what is going on in the world. I see no need to make racist comments that put our president down. He is leading our country, and whether we like it or not he will be here for some time, so we need to give him the support and respect that he deserves.
A lot of the problems arise, because people see no real fault in the comments they make, until after they have been brought to the surface by someone else. Many of us don’t think before speaking, which seems to be the issue with the people discussed in the blog. What one person might not think is racist; another may take serious offense to. We need to establish some sort of a boundary in order to know what should be said and what should be left in our minds for no one else to hear.
This blog clearly shows that even people that aid in making important decisions for our country are at fault for making the same racial statements that an ordinary person may make on any given day. Legislatures and other government leaders, whose lives are broadcasted to the rest of us, should be more aware of what they say. Their lack of respect is putting out a bad example to the rest of the world, and making it seem like it is no big deal to make whatever comments you want. In reality is it a big deal and it is a simple issue that we as a people can prevent.
This is just another example of how stupid some politicians are. These people get caught all the time making racist jokes or sending inappropriate images to each other, usually through e-mail, however they keep doing it. It’s awful that these thoughts are even going through their heads but can they really not control themselves to not share their ideas? That GOP activist who made the comments about Michele Obama must have been on something when he said those things. I just can’t grasp how a politician like that makes comments about the first lady that are so highly racist and offensive. These comments should not be made about anyone but seriously come on, the first lady? And calling somebody a “banana eating jungle monkey” that makes me cringe just hearing it. The man they were calling that is probably more accomplished then anyone calling him that will ever be. I don’t get why people make comments like this. When I read or hear about people saying things like this I always try to think what these people are thinking. Do they really feel this way, or are they trying to make a joke? If it is a joke it’s not very funny. These people’s excuses for the comments they make are almost just as ridiculous as the comments themselves. The guy who called Gates a “banana eating jungle monkey” said he is not racist because he has friends from all racial and ethnic background. So if you have friends of all racial and ethnic background you can say whatever you want? And then he said that he did not mean it in a racist way, but what other way is there to take that comment? I agree that sometimes the “attack of the racist” goes too far but a comment like that is beyond that thin line and he deserves any attack he gets. The same goes for the GOP activist calling Michele Obama and her ancestors gorillas. It is scary that these people’s minds think this way. Did he hear about gorillas escaping from a zoo and automatically thought about Michele Obama, and then felt the need to post a comment like that on his Facebook? The comments these people make are some of the most hurtful things people can say, any attack they get back for their comments they deserve. Sometimes people say things to others that are taken as racist but may not necessarily be. You just have to realize that some people are more sensitive than others, but if you think a comment may be racist why even say it. If people just think before they speak so many of these absurd comments, we would never have to hear. Although, sometimes it can be good to hear them because it is a reminder of how present racism still is and a reminder that progress still needs to be made.
Whenever I read about incidents like this, they never cease to amaze me. I try so hard to be optimistic about people and the progress that should have been made since the 1960s, but over and over again I am disappointed by the state of this country and the fodder that people spew from their mouths. I used to try and defend them, saying it was what they were taught as children or they don’t know any better, but it’s 2009 now. We have racists in every town, city, state, and environment, and I highly doubt they were all taught the same thing about how another race or ethnic group is the one keeping them from greatness.
I believe everyone goes through some type of hardship, however you gauge hardship, but it seems that a majority of people “deal” with it by blaming others, and not just the specific person who got a better grade or got you bumped to second string, but everyone like them. You could say it’s a coping mechanism, but it’s a very weak person that has to put down others to feel strong in him or herself. But you hear it all the time, if a person of color misses out, it’s because of the white man, and if a white person misses out, it’s because of affirmative action. As much as it pains me to say it, I’m not the best at everything I do, but I know I try my hardest and I’m not going to blame anyone who wasn’t involved.
Everyday you can see the repercussions of people thinking it’s okay to oppress people of other cultures, whether it is through jokes or comments. I experience it myself by most of the people I encounter. While technically I am considered a white girl, I identify myself as Jewish. But over my years, especially at Penn State, I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been told “you’re white” or “you’re not black” or my friend purchasing whitening lotion (like the stuff we discussed in lecture) for me as a souvenir from her semester abroad in Hong Kong. And all because of my membership in the hip hop community or my desire to listen to a new mixed tape and wear fresh kicks instead of Toby Keith and tennis shoes respectively.
But people tend to either mindlessly listen to what they’re told, or oppress what they don’t understand. They want everyone to fit in one little package, and not leave the community or culture they’re expected to be a part of. (Like this nice little Jewish girl cannot listen to rap, watch football, or be the President of the United States, as she desires to do.) And when they leave their own “designated” culture, they’ll get offended if someone makes a comment or tells them to get back into their culture, I find it funny that they’ll fight for their ability to do what they want. They fight no matter what norms they abandon, but they pass judgment on others that do something that they don’t like. It sounds a lot like middle school, where you didn’t like someone because they like the color blue but you hated it. What I think is important to show these people that two different types of cultural preferences, are not comparing apples to oranges, and do not change the value or importance of a person.
Growing up in small town (mostly white) central Pennsylvania, I’ll be quite honest to say that I’ve heard my fair share of racist jokes and wisecracks. Lack of diversity in my area has enabled the free telling of such inappropriate jokes everywhere from lunch tables at school to dinner tables at home. The image of the 50 Presidents of the United States with the inclusion of President Obama’s “portrait” unfortunately doesn’t surprise me too much. I’m not saying it’s tasteful what-so-ever, because it isn’t. But there definitely are tons of racist jokes about black people surrounding this same image. For some reason all different colors of blacks are often portrayed as so dark-skinned, they are showed as invisible at nighttime except for the whites of their eyes. This is ridiculous and completely ignorant, I know. It’s a little outlandish that this joke was said to be created by an aide in the Tennessee state legislature. I can understand the conservative views that some still cling to in the South, but this was not a smart thing for this particular aide to create and share. I’m not too sure why Presidents, Congressmen, state legislatures, or anyone affiliated with governmental affairs doesn’t see the potential backlash and/or damage that could occur when making such racist and downright stupid puns. I think the important thing to remember that if you plan on telling a joke like this (especially the questionably offensive kind) make sure it’s being told to the appropriate audience in the right settings to avoid conflict. If you think to yourself “I may seriously offend over half my classmates if I tell this joke”, then it’s probably best kept to oneself.
The problem is that if you aren’t ever exposed to people of different races or aren’t educated to have an open and unbiased opinion of people who are different, then these types of jokes only create and feed the stereotypes of different races. Everyone knows there are definitely jokes about white people too, although I think all “white” people would admit we aren’t as targeted as other races. I’m not blonde, thank God (justtt kidding), but if I were I might be offended by the never-ending stack of jokes clowning them for their assumed stupidity. I have heard some pretty funny jokes about my own Italian heritage. Italian jokes can poke fun about Italians being hairy, greasy, or all named “Tony”. I take it with a grain of salt and usually just laugh. I wish everyone would in general lighten up a little bit about the offense of jokes based on race, religion, and culture. It is never fun to be the subject of the joke but at the same time, everyone is made fun of at some time or another because we are all different and unique individuals.
The aide who sent this image around should absolutely be ashamed. It’s one thing to send an image like this to your friends, but to send it out to a whole lot of people, seriously?! It often seems that people really do not think about the consequences of their actions until it is too late. People will often make a joke and not realize the serious implications that it can have. The aide in Tennessee obviously found the image that was sent out to be humorous (in some sort of weird and twisted way), or else it would not have been sent out to other people. Then there is the GOP activist who thought his comment would be funny. Instead, people did not find it the least bit funny, but rather extremely inappropriate and out of line. It becomes even more pathetic when the activist says that the First Lady made the same comment about herself, saying that all people are descendents of apes. People really need to learn when to just shut up and not dig themselves a deeper hole.
In today’s day and age, it can be very difficult to make everyone happy. People like this are just contributing to the problem with blatant racist comments. the worst part is that when the comments are made, the person making the comments probably doesn’t even realize how racist the comment is. People try to make others laugh and be happy. Some people will do it at the expense of hurting and belittling many, many other people. To go as far as to put down the First Lady is extremely sad. It is also pathetic to make a joke about the President’s skin color by portraying him as a black background and two eyes just hanging there.
And then there is the entire story about Henry Louis Gates, Jr. First off, I feel that this entire story received way too much coverage, and it really increased racist tensions, rather than alleviate them. Comments such as those made by the Boston police officer and the member of the Massachusetts National Guard really just solidify this thought. Who calls someone a banana eating jungle monkey? If that doesn’t highlight the racist thoughts that this entire ordeal brought out, I don’t know what does. Sure, the officer said he didn’t mean what he said, but that was after the fact. People really need to think about how their words and actions will be perceived by people of other cultures and ethnicities. I guess the only way to truly destroy racism is to highlight instances of it and to determine ways that we are able to avoid it in the future so that there is no need for the “What in the world were they thinking” folder anymore.
When is it going to stop? When are we all going to put race aside and judge people on the content of their character? Probably never, there will always be racist people whether they are making stupid racist comments in the public eye, or just around their “without a back bone” friends, who are too big of cowards to correct them and speak up, and/or maybe simply agree with the racial comment/s being said by that ignorant idiot! All of which are happening every day, in public, in private, or just walking down the street; looking at people of color and solely judging them based on the color of their skin. Skin that they have no control over, and skin that they cannot change! Regardless of how bad they may want too, after all the abuse and pain that it has caused them.
I’ve been black for 20 years now, so I am not surprised, applaud, shock, or confused by any racist comment. And I will admit that when I saw the picture of all the presidents and saw what picture they had for President (that’s right President) Obama, I laughed, why? Because it’s funny, and yes it is racist as all hell, damn right disrespectful to the President of the United State of America! And should the person who made that photo and the people who circulated get a backlash of all backlashes, yes they should. But I as a black person just can’t get angry anymore, I don’t know how Al Sharpen do it!
Despite all the racism and ignorance that still remain in this country, I find solace in the fact that that the president is black, (yes he’s black, I know he’s mom is white, but he’s just too dark to pass, I’m sorry I don’t make the rules) and the minority community alone didn’t just make that happen. Millions of White, Asian, Arab, Latino etc… men and women across this country went into that booth, knowing he was black, and pushed the button anyway. So yes racism still remains in the country, and no it’s not going anywhere, as long as racist are allowed to reproduce, making way for them to spawn racist children. But the truth is; change is coming, slowly but surely. It took centuries for black people to get freedom in this country, it decades to walk through the front doors of restaurants and stores, and to sit in the front of the bus etc…So any black person who is seriously shocked and hurt by all these acts of racism that are happening, are weak, I mean suck it up! Our people have been through worst, I’m sure Obama and Michelle are not sitting at home devastated. They have been black for almost 50 years, they have been called worst. Let’s not sit here and act like this is now! But the really showing of change, is the fact that white people are so upset and offend about racism, I think that’s great, because honestly I’m tired…But don’t worry everyone, there will be peace one day, and we will all hold hands and sing “Kumbaya.” Well not us, because we’ll be dead, but I’m sure our grand kids will! And they shall live in peace and harmony, in the event that the earth doesn’t burn up of course!! So yea, Keep Hope Alive!!
“What were they thinking?” They WEREN’T thinking! People can be so ignorant sometimes and it really is a shame that these people even exist. The picture with President Barack Obama’s head shot of nothing but eyes in a black box is a ridiculous thing to even think about doing. Yes, everyone knows our President is African American. Get over it people! Whether you like it or not, he is our President and he deserves the same respect that all the other white Presidents of the United States got. I would have hoped that by voting a black president in, the country would become more welcoming and less racist. I guess that is not the case. It is also scary to think that an aide in the Tennessee state legislature was the one to put this out; someone who is in the public eye. Joke or not, this picture is offensive and he should watch what he says, especially something publicly stated.
I have not even heard about the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. case until now. After reading this article I googled the case and found it to be highly ludicrous. For a man to have the police called on him for “breaking into” his own home by neighbors is just absurd. Not only was it absurd for the neighbors to call the police on him, it was even more absurd that the police acted the way they did. I would have gotten angry too if I had the police called on me by neighbors reporting that I was breaking into my own house for god sakes. Even if the neighbors were trying to do the right, which it is likely, the police absolutely did the wrong thing when they got to Henry Louis Gates’ home. I would be taking legal action against them also. I see it was pure racism. One, the neighbors most likely called the police because they saw two black men going into a house with backpacks on. Then, police probably acted that way because they too saw two black men in a home. When Gates yelled at the police officer, which was his anger leaking out; the police officer should have said “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding sir”. Instead he files a disorderly conduct against him? Something is just not right here. In addition to this bizarre case, a Boston police officer has the nerve to send out an email making fun of Henry Gates? Is that honestly necessary, especially after the unnecessary things he was put through.
Now for the third part of this article about the man who called the first Lady of the United States a “gorilla” and then blames it on her and the theory of Darwinism. Come on! Can people really be that dumb? It is the President of the United States’ wife for heaven’s sake. I cannot even go on about this specific issue because it makes me so mad that people are one, that dumb, and two, that ignorant. I think this country needs a crash course in being polite and knowing what comments should be kept in your head and what comments can be said out loud. I really hope people learn from other peoples’ mistakes.
In the blog “What were they thinking”, I am torn between the question of whether or not all racist comments should be so heavily criticized. While many people are racist and make these comments on purpose, others are just common people who make a mistake and end up having to pay for it dearly. I do agree that blatant racial remarks and comments should be heavily criticized. In order to move on and forward in life comments like these need to be criticized and made public. This way everyone can understand that it is never tolerated to make those kinds of remarks. While you may hold your own personal opinion, it should not be accepted into the mainstream media and world if it is in any way racist. When people make racist remarks, mistakes or not, it has an effect on people everywhere, especially in the case of children. At a young age, kids may see these mistakes and unless they are publically brought to light and corrected, they may grow up thinking it is all right to behave or talk that way. But while the statements should be criticized and condemned, a person’s life should not necessarily be ruined because of a slip up. Everyone makes mistakes and deserves the chance to apologize and take what they said back. An example would be of the man who used the word “niggardly” in a meeting. His statement was wrongly interpreted and taken the wrong way and so he was hammered because of it. Also in the case of the police officer, he may have made that remark because he just apprehended the man and was trying to get his feelings about him out. This was not a politically correct way to publically announce his feelings, but he shouldn’t in my opinion be punished for the rest of his life for making the mistake. The difference is when a racist person makes a blatantly and on purpose racist remark. This is in no way all right and needs to be fixed. The person who is responsible for the remark and the remark itself need to be righted in public. Things like that can’t be hidden and kept under lock and key. I think that another problem might be that people of different races don’t always understand what is acceptable talk in another race. Signals may get crossed and someone might say something that comes of racist to one race, but the person meant no harm by saying. In this case the comment should be explained and apologized for, but the person’s life shouldn’t be ruined. A line needs to be drawn so that everyone in every different race knows when not to cross it while speaking in a public domain. Everyone needs to take responsibility that what they say out loud can be taken in much different terms than what they feel like it means in their consciousness and mind.
I can’t decide if the election of our first black president, Barack Obama, has helped racism in this country, or exacerbated it. You would think, of course, that since the people of the United States elected him, racism would be improved. However, I think the aggravated racists in this country are exposing themselves more than ever. Or maybe in their irritated state they use these insensitive words because they are upset about the politics in this country. Either way, saying things like “banana eating jungle money” is extremely offensive, and a step in the wrong direction. I’m always shocked that people have the disrespect or even the thoughts to say something so rude and down right stupid. Like Sam, I don’t think I have the thoughts to say something so shallow or dimwitted. What kills me the most is that it is the people who run and protect this country that have performed these acts of ignorance. If politicians and police officers are displaying these simple-minded words and actions in communities across the county, how will we ever move forward? What will the youth think?
I sat in the show Avenue Q on Broadway this past spring and listened to the performance of the song “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.” Throughout the entire song, I watched the black couple sitting about 20 feet over in the same row as me because I was so curious to see how they reacted to the song. Neither of them laughed or smirked or thought any bit of the song was funny. My first instinct was to think, “common, lighten up people.” Then I realized I haven’t dealt with direct racist comments all my life. When the black actress came on to do her solo they sure did think that was funny. So, I can’t help but to think that those people aren’t the slightest bit racist either; and at the time I couldn’t help but to be offended. Those people didn’t agree with “The Internet is For Porn Either.”
As a child, I never thought that people in the world were rejected or criticized for something they couldn’t help, like the color of their skin or which gender they were attracted to. In grade school and middle school my naive attitude continued. There were only 3 black kids in my entire high school and those kids weren’t neglected so I wasn’t directly exposed to racism. I was raised and taught in school that we were all the same so the color of your skin or your sexual orientation doesn’t matter to me. It wasn’t till later in my high school career and college experience that I witnessed racism, sexism and prejudice acts. So maybe I was brought up too sheltered, in too rich an area, etc. But in the end I’m not racist and I don’t have racist or prejudice thoughts. There is hope for America to cure its racism. We are all just monkeys on this earth and one day there will be no more racist monkeys.
After reading this blog, I was left feeling very annoyed and ashamed. I cannot comprehend why prominent Americans, in positions of political power, would say such racist comments when they are supposed to be leading a country based on the belief that we are all created equal.
I think that the picture montage of the Presidents’ faces is simply meant to be funny, but it is a shame that we have to single out President Barack Obama in that way. President Barack Obama is our first black president. We should look at this as a great step towards ending our racial issues, but instead we make jokes out of it. This only makes it harder to end racial inequality. It is crazy that the people who are leading our country do not even realize that a racist joke is such a huge setback in terms of our country’s goals. We should be supporting our president, not making jokes about him.
The statement by Boston Police Department Captain Justin Barrett was extremely offensive. He called Henry Louis Gates, Jr. a “banana eating jungle monkey,” and he tried to say that he did not mean it in a racist manner. I think that it is crazy to believe that his comment was not racist. That is one of the most racist comments I have ever heard. You cannot say something like that and try to make it sound like you were not being racist. Barrett tried to explain that since he has friends of all races, he is not racist. It seems like people try to use this excuse very often, but I do not think it is a very good one. For example, you can hang out with someone and still think negatively about him behind his back.
When I read about the comment by South Carolina GOP activist, Rusty Depass, I was even more disappointed. Rusty Depass said that a gorilla that escaped from a zoo was probably one of Michelle Obama’s relatives. It is very sad that this was not only a very racist comment, but it was also directed at the First Lady of the United States of America. There are some big respect issues here. Not only was his comment racist, but he was also offending an extremely prominent individual.
These people may have all thought they were just making harmless little jokes, but it is a real shame that they think in order to be “funny” they have to say something racist. I am aware that there are many racial jokes out there. We have all heard some of them, and we might have even laughed. Next time, however, we need to think about what or whom it is that we are laughing at and realize that it really is not that funny.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a picture of all the president’s faces including Obama’s. As soon as Obama was elected president of the United States I received a picture message from one of my friends of a similar picture, only the entire background was white and everyone’s faces were pale except Obama’s. At first I laughed just because of the stupidity of the message but then it got me thinking of how racist some of the United States was. Here is how I look at it. Out of all the presidents we have had since George Washington, it took us this long to have a president of different color than what we are accustomed to. We knew the time was going to come eventually and that time is now, so why does society have to make such a big deal about it? Also, we know there are going to be more black presidents in the future and maybe even a woman who runs and wins the presidential race. Hopefully when a woman does become president, there won’t be any sexist messages going around!
As for the man who was interviewed in the YouTube video, I completely agree with what Dr. Richards said. I’ve said a few racist remarks in my past, but nothing would ever piss me off enough to go on the rant he did about people of other color. Not only did he make bad excuses, but when he was asked about the statement he completely lied. With his choice of words, you can obviously tell that this guy is making idiotic remarks and doesn’t truly care about the feelings of the individuals he is talking about. The email Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was associated with was such a joke it’s not even worth mentioning. Captain Justin Barrett basically said he was cool because he had black friends, but really had no room to talk. Maybe if the poor man hadn’t been questioned by the cops when trying to enter his own home would it be ok to make that statement, but the reality is that the black man was disrupted when trying to return to his house.
Thus, racism is still clearly and issue that has stayed strong for the past few centuries. This is an easy statement to make just from reading what these idiots in the article had to say. The future doesn’t look too bright when it comes to making judgments about other races. Unfortunately in the United States, these people say whatever they want because they can get away with it without any consequences. That’s what needs to change in this country; more punishment for not only the actions people take, but also the words they say about others!
I do not know exactly “what they were thinking” but I know what I am thinking: confused, angry, and complacent.
I am confused because I really have not made up my mind yet about how I feel on public figures getting grilled for private thoughts. When I elect an official I elect them to do the job at hand. I could care less what they think or do in their private lives, as long as they carry out the duties of their office in an upright manner. Here though, I get confused because the Tennessee legislator sent it out to business colleagues, making this a professional issue. Racism exists and I do not know if there is a remedy for it in people’s private thoughts and words. This question will always boggle my mind.
I also get confused because the whole idea of racism is based on hypocrisy. Every person belongs to at least ten different subcultures meaning that every person can be affect by racism, sexism, or ageism by any other group. Yet some refuse to realize this and vow that their views are fact and they hold the ultimate power of racial thought.
|Secondly it does make me angry. It makes me angry because it just makes life so much more complicated. Think about how much easier life would be without all this racist banter back and forth. It’s hurtful, hateful, and wrong. It also just creates so much controversy with people who care, people who do not care. Seriously, why can’t we all be friends? If I have to listen to Nancy Grace one more freaking time going off nitpicking about how something is racist or not I might break my television. Racism would eliminate so much unnecessary hurt feelings, riots, and political correctness.
Lastly, after all this, I am pretty I am complacent about all of this. Maybe that’s wrong of it and me will piss a lot of people off by saying that but I really think it is a hopeless fight. I am a firm believer that you cannot kill an idea. Racism is an idea that will never be killed. While it can be thwarted, curbed, or minimized, it will never die. That is why we see occurrence in the media about racism where it supposedly “does not belong.” If the idea of racism continues to exist in society it can and will rear its ugly head in the home and in public. Like Sam says in the blog, people really do seem to make a lot of racist jokes...or so I've heard. As long as I surround myself with people who do not espose these racist views and I myself do not fall into racial slurs then I will probably continue in my complacent ways hoping for the best and expecting the worst.
I was laughing pretty hard when I watched the video, I cant believe this man was that dumb and ignorant to actually post this on the internet. First thing that comes to my mind is looks like we got another pissed off white senator.!, Rusty Dupass probably sits at home by himself and thinks of pointless raciest remarks so he can get some attention on the news or web just to let out a little frustration. I mean come on now people are still doing this stuff? It really shows no professionalism at all to have a person this high up in the government making comments about gorillas and the first lady. It just shows no class at all.
So his excuse was he was only joking? How does this man even get away with a comment like that? The great part is that he has a facebook and put it there for everyone to see. The very next thing I do after im finished with this is to ask Mr.Dupass to be a friend on facebook so I can get some well needed wisdom from him.Not!After watching this video his man will probably never get another vote for anything he runs for, not even manager of burger king. The part that gets me is he never even gave an apology, He thought he could get out of it just like everyone does now a days and that’s by hiring a ghost writer to fix all the problems. I mean how is there any other way to change one subject into a totally different thing. I sure we all believe the whole Darwin idea but then he tries to pin it on the first lady by saying that she said it in one of her lectures or speeches.
This is a time where we all need to come together and be one. Not start picking up the racists comments just because we have our first black family in office. My personal opinion is that this stuff is just getting old. Once it gets into the media its just like a snake on a mouse the media just lives off this stuff. One point I would like to add is how professional and humble the Obama family has acted toward this type of criticism .They realize they stepped into big shoes and not once have you read or listened to a response from the Obama’s. They really are cooler than the other side of the pillow. Its Just sad that this stuff still goes on but to have it going on with an ex state senator. No excuses that guy should be fired a.s.a.p. Hes talking about the leader of our country’s wife. But what can you do? There are millions of people in the u.s.a. and your going to have some people like Rusty Dupass. You just have to sit back and laugh at the stupidity of people when you see it.
What were they thinking is the perfect question to ask when looking at all of these articles. Are people serious when they make these statements, or are they really just joking? The worst part of it all is that they truly must believe that what they are saying is humorous or they wouldn’t e-mail it to everyone they know or put it on facebook. The ‘picture’ of Barrack Obama is in no way ok in todays society or any society for that matter. Black or white you still have a face and just because you are black should not entail people to completely black out your picture. In all honesty the maturity level of the person who made the poster is below that of a racist punk first grader. The picture is not only offensive, it is just flat out stupid. If you are a GOP member and against Barrack Obama choose a political standpoint that doesn’t make you look like an ignorant fool. It seems obvious that many of these GOP members don’t like Obama purely due to the color of his skin. The fact that these people have power in our nation disgusts me and what is even worse is that many of them will be reelected in the future. One of the best things Obama has done for us as a nation took place the day he took office. By being a well educated well spoken black man Obama has helped our international relations more than ever. One of the best quotes I have heard in my life is when Colin Powell made the point that through Obama’s campain many members of the Republican party questioned whether or not he was Muslim and used that as a way to keep Obama from entering office. We live in America, the home of the free. If I am not mistaken freedom of religion is included in this list. So I, along with Colin Powell make this point, why does it matter if he is Muslim? We are supposed to be a nation of acceptance. Why can’t the poster maker accept that Obama is black, why do we all as a nation care if he is Muslim? I believe that the people in power in these articles should be removed immediately. A person who is in power who is said to be fair and just obviously can not be when he or she is racist. Black people do not deserve to be treated in the way Barrack Obama was when this picture was made, let alone the President of our great nation. And since when was it ok to call a Harvard professor a banana eating monkey or the say the first lady’s ancestry consists of apes? If you are going to use the excuse of Darwinism for the last example why did you choose her? If that is your excuse we all come from apes, so why Mrs. Obama? Many members of the Republican party do not even believe in evolution, not to categorize them all, but I want to look back and see his past statements on the matter. At the end of the day we need to ask ourselves not what were they thinking, but what were we thinking when we gave these people power?
Let me begin with the Obama photograph that was posted. As a democrat and a firm supporter of Barack Obama, I become infuriated when people make racist remarks or comments about our president. The man is one of the most important people in our country, and more often people are disrespecting him rather than helping him achieve the goals he has in mind to make our country better. I am not arrogant to the fact that there are still racist people in our nation currently. It’s upsetting, but it’s reality. However, racism is becoming more obvious in our society because of the strong figure, Barack Obama. Racism is seen in the media, internet and comments more in everyday life.
The next racist scene is the email sent out by a Boston police officer after an arrest of a black man, calling him a “banana eating jungle monkey.” The two words I would use to describe this situation is disgusting and infuriating. People need to start becoming more educated and leave there ancient perspective that black people are still slaves behind. I grew up in a predominately Caucasian suburban town, and I can firmly say I am not racist. I have many black friends and I would never call them “banana eating jungle monkeys”. This Boston police officer is racist. It is simple as that. No way would this police officer ever apologize for the comment he made unless it was released to the public and media. He realized his name and reputation was tainted and was trying to talk his way out of the hole he dug himself in. A person saying that I have friends of different races and ethnic backgrounds does not automatically make them an acceptor of multiracial people. This police officers apology is a load of nonsense. The man is racist.
“I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors - probably harmless”. This is no slip up or mistake by Rusty DePass. This is clearly a racist remark against Michelle Obama. Following my points from the Barack Obama article, racism is becoming more published because of our black president and family. As a nation in general, we need to start treating the family that is running our country with more respect. There is no excuse. I respect the Obama family greatly for enduring this strong responsibility as president and also being the first “black” president. They have received a lot of criticism because of their race, and it’s extremely disturbing but they are handling it professionally and maturely.
People from other blogs were mentioning that we should take a look at how many racist people there are in powerful positions. I feel that racism surrounds everyone. These few instances with these people in power were published in the media because they’re upsetting. People should keep a positive and optimistic view on life. There are many people, including myself, that are not racist and realize that the world needs to be more accepting of multiracial people.
All of these stories are absolutely nuts. I can’t even believe we deal with these kinds of things anymore, like really- you described it perfectly because the only thing I’m thinking when I read this blog post is WTF! I never really considered race an issue until I came to college- growing up in a predominantly all-white school district I was guarded from ever noticing anyone different from myself. Even with my close proximity to the melting-pot that is NYC, race was never even apparent to me. Maybe I was going to all of the white neighborhoods? I don’t know; I don’t think it’s right that I let myself just kind of ignore these issues, even if I was being the hopeful optimistic, thinking racism was over. If people are still making comments and doing these offensive actions then clearly, as a generation unaffected by racism, we need to take a stand and tell these idiots to shut up. How would that senator like it if I called his wife a gorilla? I bet he’d have a hissy-fit. And regardless of his public relations spending amount or whatever, isn’t he embarrassed enough about the ignorant comment he made to put at least a little more of an effort into an apology? It just seems so sad to me. And sure we can all say, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” but at the end of the day, when you are talked about, made fun of, or discriminated against because of the way you were born and the way you look- it is just wrong and it does hurt. As far as the President’s picture collage, did someone actually make that? What is it supposed to be a hidden face, black face? What does the maker of this collage want to pretend Obama does not exist? I’m not going to lie- I didn’t vote this past year. I couldn’t do it, I just couldn’t decide so I didn’t want to make a mistake. I’m a registered Independent but I tend to lean on the conservative side and you know what, I didn’t like either campaigns. So all of my political confusion aside, I didn’t even vote for Obama and I think this is offensive, because the bottom line is that it’s racist! Whoever made it has some serious issues because whether they like it or not, he’s the President. My suggestion to them would be to take a step back and realize that things have changed and if you want this country to be a strong and successful one then you need to support your nation’s elected official. Oh, and maybe read a history book or two, because the last time I checked slavery was wrong and we should be ashamed that we ever even had it to begin with. So Blacks are equal with Whites and that’s that, the end.
It one hundred percent disgusts me that this photo with all of the presidents and then the little cartoon eyes looking out of a black background for President Obama would be released let alone that it was sent out by a State Legislator from Tennessee. At this point in time with our economy in the state that it is in and with thousands of military members overseas fighting in an ongoing war I would hope that people who have been elected to these prestigious positions would all be working together to better our country despite any personal feelings they may have towards President Obama. It is completely appalling and I would be very upset if I was from Tennessee and I put my trust into and voted for such an ignorant man. People who are elected officials should be held too much higher standards with things they do and say (regardless of whether or not they are about President Obama or just an average citizen). If that man is not completely embarrassed for his actions then he shouldn’t hold an important position.
The comment made about Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reminds me of part of my favorite movie, Remember the Titans. In 1971 a segregated county in Northern Virginia hired a black football coach and integrated the white and black high schools. Before one of the games the white coach from an all white high school is being interviewed and when asked a question about whether or not he will be trading a member of his coaching staff for black coach, Herman Boone he states “I’m not going to do anything to help that monkey”. That particular line in the movie hits me hard every time I watch it. Luckily in the movie, Herman Boone (played by Denzel Washington) gets the coach back. After his team slaughters the racist white coach’s team and they’re shaking hands, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) being blown off when trying to shake the other coaches hand, calls after the coach and throws him a banana. That is probably in my opinion one of the most feel good moments of the entire movie and I wish that there was something like that to get through to some racist people in real life. Again, in this real life case of racism, someone who is supposed to be a leader in the community and keeping the people of the community safe is doing the opposite and showing that he doesn’t care about everyone in the community the same. In my Criminal Justice class we just did a chapter on the police and the textbook states that having the confidence of the people is essential to the job of a police officer. If I lived in that community, I wouldn’t feel confident that the police would take my problems seriously or treat everyone in the community fairly. Most crimes are found through civilians making calls and reporting them, if the civilians don’t trust the police force, they aren’t going to call the police or aid in police investigations and the criminal justice system is shot to hell.
With the new era of President Barack Obama, racial barriers are continuing to break down. Racism today, however, is inevitable. Unfortunately, this is one issue that will never be put to rest. Everyone, including myself, is guilty of racist thoughts or ideas once in a while. We lose focus of peoples’ true identity: their values, beliefs, culture, and customs. Even in the smallest of instances we use the ‘color card’ to determine why a person behaves a certain way or who they should stereotypically be. We’re all guilty of saying idiotic things, intentional or not, but even a tiny spark can spread into a holocaust. It’s the phrase we all heard of: “what goes around, comes around.” In the case of Captain Barrett, it seemed that a lot of repressed racial tension spewed out from the “banana monkey” remark. Sure he lamented what he said afterwards and apologized, but wasn’t there some unconscious racist thoughts going through his head? As a police officer he would at least have the brains of thinking out what he would say to the public. But the most ridiculous part of the story was he wrote it via e-mail. Give me a break! Even if he was truly sorry, he could have caused serious damage to his career and relationships. This scenario raises a further question: Are we all innately racist, or are we conditioned to be so? There’s a ton of psychology to examine from this, specifically from John B. Waston’s experiments. We are all conditioned to be racist because of our social influences and modeling behavior. For example, let’s take a look at Adolf Hitler. Was he a naturally evil person, or did he just simply practice extreme racist behavior? Obviously he wasn’t born that way; he just transformed his anger and frustration into irrational racism. It’s easy for us to redirect stereotypes and label the guilty as “racists.” Even political activist, Rusty DePass, couldn’t control his socially-influenced behavior. Lucky for him it was Bob Coble who addressed the issue and put out the fire pronto. I believe that we are all naturally good people who wouldn’t know what racism was unless we were told about it in the first place. I could point fingers and play the blame game, but let’s face it: we’re just a bunch of stupid human beings who can’t watch what we say. I don’t mean that, however, in a negative way. We all have the potential to be bigger and better people in this world. Ethnically speaking, we should leave our racial comments and thoughts at the front door, but in this reality we always make mistakes. If you want to joke around about stereotypical comments with people you know, be very careful what you say.
I wouldn’t go so far as to agree with the statement, that “we are all a little bit racist,” but I would agree that we are all racially and ethnically aware. Scientific studies have been finding increasing evidence that supports the theory that suggests children as young as 6 months judge others based on skin color. Race is a very visible difference that even young children can see without society pointing the difference to them. We aren’t born mentally colorblind unless we are born physically colorblind. To become mentally colorblind, we must be socially taught that although different skin colors exist, the difference does not account for a difference in intelligence, capabilities, or worth. Humans are highly impressionable. Even if two parents decide to just not point out racial differences to their child, the child will still recognize the physical differences and associate the physical differences with how his or her parents and other role models act around people displaying those differences.
For example, my parents never made racial or ethnic slurs around me when I was growing up. I grew up in a community that had residents of different races and ethnicities, but I rarely associated with anyone of different races or ethnicities, mostly by coincidence. Although racism was not a part of my upbringing, it was not hard for me to learn from that which surrounded me. No one of different races attended my church, nearly every classmate of a difference race were in the lowest level of academic courses and received free or discount lunches, and many of my classmates of a different race lived in the worst houses or even in the low-income housing that we called “the projects.” There were more Caucasians than minorities that were in the low-level academic courses, receiving free and discounted lunches, and living in the low-income housing, but because there were no minorities living in the affluent areas or excelling in school, and because I hadn’t been taught much about the difference between real and perceived racial and ethnic differences, it was very difficult for me not to develop and utilize stereotypes.
Racism becomes another bad habit for many Americans, not unlike overeating, alcohol abuse, and smoking. Change takes a lot of time and hard work. Change also requires that one realize that their bad habit has become a problem for not only themselves, but also, for those around them. So even though I am disappointed that members of our government and police forces have made such terrible comments and “jokes,” at least the criticism of their comments and jokes in the media has raised awareness about racism and has emphasized not only the stupidity of their statements, but also the harm it inflicts upon others who have done nothing wrong.
To prevent racism in the future, public criticism should continue. Impressionable children also need to be taught to respond more positively to racial differences. From birth, we should all be taught that it is not “the success of one race vs. the success of another race.” Rather, we should all be that it is “the success of America (meaning all races) vs. the failure of America.”
For some the poster of the presidents of the United States is humorous, and for others it is completely disrespectful. In a sense, this poster is mocking all black people. So who would take time out of their day to create a joke like that? I think it was a stupid idea, and I feel strongly that the person who created it knew that backlash that he or she could face, when this went public, could potentially be large. It is one thing to create something that pokes fun of someone, but it is something completely different to make fun of someone’s race. Whether the person who created this thought it would just be a funny joke or if he or she truly intended to be mean, it was just a dumb idea. "Banana eating jungle monkey," that is an interesting mix of words. It was not a smart idea for the officer to write that into an email, and then send to numerous people. I think that the officer probably was not sorry for saying that, and he probably just said it because he had to. For the officer to say it was a bad choice of words makes me wonder what other words would he use instead. It is interesting because one would not expect racist jokes or comments coming from an average person, but let alone a police officer and an aide in the Tennessee state legislature. With the vast amount of communication in today’s society people need to be careful, because news travels quickly throughout the world. Is Rusty DePass an idiot or what? In South Carolina he is a well-known political figurehead, so why would he make a racist remark like that on the Internet? His decision in posting that really boggles my mind because there is a good chance he just jeopardized his career, way to go! He then tries to go on and say he was continuing a joke that Michelle Obama started herself, but I think he just buried himself further into his grave. I have been around people who say racist comments, and I, myself, have made a racist comment in the past, but I am not going to sit her and deny it and say that I have never said something like that. I say this because instead of DePass making up some ridiculous excuse, he should have taken the blame for his idiotic comment. Here is some advice- if you are going to go into a meeting with colleagues, make sure you use actual words and not your own make believe language! With all that being said I am still left with some questions in my mind. I felt as if this journal was focused on whites being racist towards blacks, but I also feel that black people are racists towards white people in a sense. I used to take the bus back in middle school, and there was this one girl who used to call other white people “honkies.” I never paid any mind to her, but it leads me to believe that black people can be just as racist towards whites as whites are to blacks. This opens a bigger issue and suggests that racism is problem for every single kind of race, not just black and white issue.
The electronic image of the presidents was wrong in many ways. First, Barack Obama is the first black president and in no way should we treat him like this, let alone an aide in the Tennessee state legislature. How can some other government official make this supposed joke to put down the President of the United States? A government official should be trying to end racism and not try to heat it back up. With a black president the country is making strides to end racism with change. This racism that we see in the electronic image is something that will get more heads turning and will just delay the process to end racism in our life.
Another racist comment that was made was by the Boston Police officer said that Henry Gates was a “banana eating jungle monkey.” There is no tolerance for these comments now a days especially from law enforcement who try to crack down on racism on a day to day basis which causes lots of violence. This comment was also in writing which was even worse for the officer because people have it in writing that he actually said this racist comment. People need to realize that there is little lenience in terms of what is acceptable to say in today’s society. People must be aware that society has changed and some of the comments being made cannot be said anymore. It was good to see though that the Boston Police officer was reprimanded correctly for his actions.
With all these racist stories coming out it is tough to think that many other government workers have the same feeling of racism that we saw in the two stories above. All these people in government that are advocating to end racism could on the other hand be racist themselves. Fortunately all these people are not making the same blunders that the above two made by going public with their racist remarks and portrayals. How are we going to stop racism when the people that are trying to end it are the ones making these comments?
What are people thinking when they make these comments in public? People can think whatever they want about racism but do not make your comments public. Everyone needs to realize that today one must keep their comments to themselves and not speak out about topics that really hurt people. The image of Barack Obama with just eyes and a black background is unacceptable no matter what the circumstance is. Even if the comment is made in front of a group who is racist, although it would never be made into a big deal, people must realize things that were done in these two stories can no way be done anymore. There is no room for people to make racist remarks in public let alone in private because one never knows who is listening.
I was very offended when I first heard this comment made about our first lady in the news. The mayor of South Carolina was right when he said that all the first ladies before have been treated with such respect and that Michelle Obama should be treated the same way. And her husband, the president of a nation so proud of freedom and equality is presented with such lack of respect in a photo with the rest of our nation’s past leaders. This country is nowhere near being completely non-racist (and maybe never will be) but it is taking steps in the right direction. There will always be those people who need to think that they are better than others and will use race to accomplish this. And there will always be those who believe in the “old ways” where whites are considered best. However, look how far we have come. Going from believing that black human beings should be considered property to the most powerful man in the world being black certainly shows the progress we have made. However, we do have a long way to go. Honestly though, with the first black president being elected, things like this are bound to happen. I mean it is definitely wrong to make comments like that, but why is everybody so shocked when something like this happens? It’s just something that we have to work towards by opening up and getting everything out on the table like Sam preaches in class all the time. Sam does often makes jokes about black, white, and brown people but definitely never steps over that invisible “line.” But where is that “line”? Obviously the comment about the first lady and the picture of Obama along with the other presidents is over the line because it’s so extreme, but what about the not so extreme cases? What do people say that can hurt someone inside but no one says anything about it because they don’t know if it’s inappropriate or not? I think that most of the time it goes unnoticed because of our country being mostly white where it is easy to overlook such small racist remarks. Finding this “line” can only be accomplished, yet again, if we get the race relations ball rolling like it needs to be, not just “agreeing to disagree” like we’ve seen before. How could we do this though? Maybe someone crossing the “line” publicly to get everyone’s attention and then explaining the situation is a good idea. This way everyone would finally see what needs to be done to and should have been done with Barack Obama’s “Beer Summit.” If this would finally happen then maybe we could get some conversation flowing and finally determine where that line between a joke and being offensive lies.
All of the stories to blog about include racial issues. First, the picture of ‘Barack Obama’ is rude and unnecessary. If you’re racist, keep your narrow-minded ideas and jokes to yourself. It’s one thing to believe what you believe, but it’s another thing to spread them as ‘funny’ emails. No matter what race someone is, they don’t deserve to be mocked like that. Whether it’s a brown person with a brown background and eyeballs, etc. That’s not funny. Every person is a human being, deserving respect and acknowledgement – noone deserves to be blocked out in the picture. Obama has worked hard to get where he is, and now that he’s achieved presidency he should be respected as the leader of our nation – not the butt of people’s jokes. It’s even a sign of naivety. Yes he has black in him, but he also has white in him. Why don’t people acknowledge that part of his ethnicity when we talk about him? Instead, they focus on his black percentage and make him seem worse than a white man, when in reality, he’s basically one of us. If people want to make jokes about him, or dislike him, or disagree with his presidency, at least do it with some substantial basis. Disagree with his policies, or beliefs, or something that has to do with his stance as our president. Don’t just poke fun at him and mock him because of his skin color – that’s simply immature. Have an intelligent argument to put him down - don’t just talk about his race.
The comment made by Captain Justin Barrett after the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, calling him a “banana eating jungle monkey” is just stupid. It’s not funny, it’s not clever - it’s dumb. Captain Barrett claims he’s sorry and he didn’t mean it to be racist, blah blah blah. But there is simply no need for name calling like this. It happens all the time between friends, stupid things that are meant to be funny, but really are naive and immature. For a police officer – one of the more honorable professions – a captain at that, to call the man what he did is embarrassing. He is supposed to be protecting our country. Instead he is plaguing it by sending out emails with absurd, childish, racist names.
The third clip involved a GOP activist comparing an escaped gorilla to Michelle Obama. I think that is completely disrespectful – both because of the potential racial connotations, and the fact that she is part of the First Family. Comparing a human being to a gorilla is ridiculous, and then to try and make an Darwin argument to get yourself out of trouble – even worse. Everyone understands the racism issue about this, but I also want to point out that the First Family leads our country. We should have more respect for them than comparing them to animals. They are the head of our country – we need to hold them in high esteem. It’s ridiculous for someone to post something this naiive on facebook – where everyone can see it.
Overall, people need to think about things before they make stupid jokes or sayings. People are people – no matter their race. If you can’t get over that, keep your comments to yourself.
When Barack Obama entered office, who thought that The United States was going to get increasingly more racist? I thought that with a black male in the office, maybe the tides would shift a little bit and people would have seen how far we have come and that humans really are not all that different. Sure we have different cultures and ancestry, but all those people who I have heard say that the black race does not have a chance or cannot be educated like the white race, was proved wrong on election day. I thought it would have given some a different perspective and made them realize, we can open our eyes to other groups of people without being worried. However, instead of looking at how far we have come, I now realize how much farther we have to go. Racist comments are just a start to all the order that still has to be brought to the racial divide among people.
It is okay for people to joke around once in a while, but most racist comments are just crude and untrue. I have seen both white and black people resembling “gorillas”. It has nothing to do with race. If you believe in evolution and want to relate the “gorilla” comment back to that, we are all technically primates. We all have an equal chance of looking like a gorilla.
What is “light-hearted” joking, is also something that people cannot help. People cannot change their body. These are jokes that people get truly offended by, but cannot fix and should not ever have to be upset by this.
I agree with Sam. If these comments are what people are spitting out to the public, then it scares me to know what they are holding back. Usually, people do not spit out everything that comes to their head. If they did, they would see themselves in a whole lot of trouble.
In Sam’s blog he mentioned that an entry-level public relations person probably helped with making the “gorilla” comment into a comment regarding apes. I am a public relations major and I would personally find it very difficult to have any support for anyone willing to say that to someone. I don’t know if I could ever back up a person of this nature. A person would have to do a lot of researching in order to connect Michelle Obama’s comment about humans deriving from apes to calling her a gorilla.
All in all I think people need to have a filter over their mouths. I personally do not even want to think certain thoughts that people say out loud, let alone make them known to the public. Are people looking for a big reaction by saying these things? If so, they got what they were looking for. They have a lot of jaws dropped and silence in a room. In my opinion, people need to look around and open their eyes to what others could be saying about them before they start ranting off their comments. No one is perfect, don’t expect people to be perfect and don’t draw attention to other’s imperfections. What may seem like an imperfection to some people could be a blessing to others.
How immature, low and ridiculous is it to make such an image. What in the world were they actually thinking? I mean, everyone is in their free right to do so, however, personally, I think it that is really scary, when people cross the line and humor becomes hurtful. Maybe this add was just meant to be a funny, humorous, harmless feature, however, it is probably the worst one I have ever seen in my life.
Especially when talking about politicians, police, teachers etc., those people neeed to recognize that they bear a responsibility to carry themselves and behave in an examplary way. People with authority are most often our rolemodels, and they pass on norms and values to all layers of society. I think that it was very inappropriate and low, when a Boston police offier and member of the Massachucetts national Guard called Henry Louis Gates, a “Banana eating jungle monkey” shortly after his arrest. First of all, after all the episodes over time, where different police departments have been faced with accusations for racist behavior, it is simply stupid to say it and put gasolin on the fire. Another problem is that if he thinks it and says it, there is a good chance that this view actually does affect him at his job. In politics, where people mostly spend more time on putting the counterpart down, than doing actual politics, I still think that this image is crossing the line. It might just be a personal attack on Barack Obama, but it sends out a bad signal to all blacks, and whites for that sake.
Some people would argue, that people should keep these kind of thoughts to themselves. But is the problem really that people say or express things like this? I mean, to me the real problem is that people allow themselves to think that way! As Sam, my idealistic way of thinking forces me to assume that people presented in the files are just a few, lost “Knuckleheads”, however, his point about hidden racisim in small jokes, statements, images and behavior in our everyday lives, might be a contradiction to this.
Since I was little, my parents have always taught me, never to criticize or put a person down for the things that they, themselves, have not decided to be or become. For Gods sake, we all critizized Michael Jackson for wanting to be white, but we are sending signals to the young children in our communities that being black is bad. Who can really blame him for wanting to be accepted and respected? So in the memory of Michael, lets pass on his lyrics “....It dont matter if you are black or white.”
After reading about these “What were they thinking” issues, I couldn’t help but to say “WHAT THE F***”. For some reason or another people seem to think that because the racist comment was made as a joke, that it couldn’t possibly be how they really feel. Well that is total bullshit. As Professor Richards stated, if a racist comment was not on one’s mind, it would not have left your lips or rolled off your tongue or whatever. In regards to the portrait of headshots of the presidents, it does not surprise me. The reason being, a person is not exempt from their racist believes just because they compose the legislative community. At times they are the people who hold to be true some of the most racist ideas that anyone could think of. The thing that puzzles me is the fact the Obama is portrayed in the picture as two white eyeballs. First of all, President Barack Obama is a light skinned African American, because yes African Americans come in all shades and colors. So not only is the person who composed this portrait politically incorrect, to plainly put it, he is ignorant. Of my 22 years living on this earth, I must admit that racism has toned down quite a bit. Those before me paid the price to do things that I and so many other young people take for granted today. However, I do think that racism exist today in its most dangerous forms. The reason being, today racism in many instances is not blatant it is subtle. That means that people are being denied for employment, housing etc on the basis of race and are not being told directly. It is very discouraging and disturbing. Of course the creator of the portrait will claim that it was a joke, but us intelligent individual know otherwise.
In regards to the issue about the Boston police officer, as I said before it is a “WHAT THE F***” matter, although it is not surprising. Everyone knows that calling an African American ANY kind of monkey, ape, or gorilla is a racial slur. The fact that he tried to deny it show that he is claiming not to be aware of his racist attitude, which is a huge problem. The metaphor used by Professor Richards is a really good one. Members of the KKK would define a “negro” as a “banana eating jungle monkey”. That police officer knew all too well what his words meant. I am interested in knowing what happened to this blatant racist in terms of his job. If he could be so bold as to send out an email telling other people about his “banana eating jungle monkey” perception, God knows what else he could say or do.
When it comes to such blatantly racist comments and actions, I really do not know how it could be possible to explain yourself in any legitimate, plausible way. It is repulsive enough to know that people still have these thoughts, but to broadcast them? There is really something wrong there. One has to wonder how these people rose to such high positions in the first place. These are highly educated, respected individuals who one would assume have spent a considerable amount of time with peers and coworkers of a different race. Yet, shockingly, the exposure to the many well-educated African Americans of our nation has done nothing to shake their ignorance. Does this reflect badly on black people? No. Who it reflects on are the white people making these statements and their obvious insecurity in their own skin. If white people are so far superior to other races, as these people seem to think, then why the need to put others down? One would think that if this fact were true, no one would really have to point it out. We all know that Michael Phelps is a better swimmer than we are; it’s proven, no ifs ands or buts about it. Not only do we all know it, but he knows it too. And due to the fact that he is comfortable with his abilities, he has no need to put down anyone else’s swimming prowess. This is just an example of one reason I think racial comments are made today. It is my belief that racism occurs largely through insecurity. I am in no way saying that this excuses racism; however, when people are hurt by comments such as the ones discussed in this blog, I think it is helpful to note that the hate this person is making, is truly self hate. People with this much hate do not deserve to be a part of our government, nor do they deserve to be those apparently around to “serve and protect” as our police officers. Those who hate themselves this much cannot love their public enough and truly empathize with them enough to do their job in the manner that the American public expects. Making a racist joke between friends may be common, but that doesn’t make it right. I don’t know about others, but, personally, I expect more from those in power than I do of every day citizens. I assume they have earned their position by truly being a good person, and it is a shame to see again and again how very wrong this assumption is. When people in power are racist, it just gives people another excuse as to why racism is ok, as if to say “if they can do it, why can’t I?” And this is definitely not the message our government should be sending.
What is wrong with people? All of these stories definitely belong in the category of “what were they thinking”. Every one of these stories is just another reminder of how racist our country is. It makes me wonder if racism will ever fade away. I honestly don’t think there is anything we can do to completely diminish racism, but for starts, people need to learn how to keep comments to themselves. I don’t understand why people feel the need to say something like “banana eating jungle monkey”. This is completely racist, inappropriate, and unnecessary. And I love the fact that the police captain tried apologizing for what he said. Did he honestly think that by saying he was sorry it would take back such an awful comment and make the whole thing disappear? This is why people need to learn how to think before they speak. It’s bad enough that people think up these things, but to say them out loud is just obnoxious and rude. I also found it humorous in a way that the captain thought because he had friends of other ethnic backgrounds himself that he was automatically exempt of being racist. Seriously? That is beyond far-fetched. Just because you have friends that are a different race then you, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be racist.
Something was mentioned in the blog about someone who used the word “niggardly” in front of colleagues. I wanted to comment on this for numerous reasons. For one, I think this is such a disgraceful word and it makes me cringe whenever I hear it. I can’t believe that people still use it today, even though they know how upsetting it can be to people. And if it gets me this upset just to HEAR the word, I can’t imagine how it feels to be CALLED by it. Secondly, I truly think that this word just shouldn’t be said… period. That includes people of “color”. If white people, or Indian people, or Asian people, or anyone for that matter that isn’t black shouldn’t be saying that horrific word, then why do black people say it to each other so often? I’ve heard it come up many times before in conversation and I never understood why that was deemed as okay. In my opinion it’s like the word “slut”. Girls hate the word, we don’t like to be called by it, and yet at times we find ourselves calling other girls a slut. It needs to be put to an end. If everyone stopped saying the hurtful things that no one likes to hear, then we would be on the right track to ending racism. But it’s like I said before, I don’t think racism will ever go away. However, if we can start by doing something small, we might be on the right track.
It is amazing that people keep embarrassing themselves and getting themselves in to these ridiculous situations. Racist comments do seem to be an everyday thing in the media recently, and Obama taking office seems to have been a huge impetus for them. As a white girl who grew up in the suburbs, I have definitely heard my share of racist comments and I think they are disgusting. I know that people have thoughts like the comments that were made about Michelle Obama, and that is bad enough, but to actually say them out loud in public is another thing entirely. The number of educated adults that make such a huge and ignorant mistake as to make a publicly racist comment really amazes me. I am also amazed that educated adults find it to be funny or see it as some type of joke. It’s not funny and it’s just not politically correct or acceptable. The picture in which Obama’s skin tone is made fun of is also rather appalling. The other president’s portraits are shown in which they look dignified, and it is so disrespectful to compare Obama to the other presidents in that manner. I think what he overcame in order to get where he is today is incredible and I have a tremendous amount of pride that our country finally has a black president; it makes me feel like things are moving forward and changing. With that same idea, when people make these disrespectful and ignorant comments, it just shows how many people in our country have not changed their views and have not accepted Obama as our president. Maybe they have accepted him, but they are not showing him the respect he deserves as our president. The jungle monkey comment is another one that makes me scratch my head. Like, what is that? Really, what the heck did that guy think when he let that come out of his mouth? It’s not funny and it just sounds so ignorant it really shows that man’s intelligence. The excuses these people make for their comments are so ridiculous. You cannot try to “explain” your way out of a racist remark, and all the comments were racist no matter what anyone tries to claim or say. The fact that Barrett said he didn’t “mean his comment in a racist way” is unbelievable; we’re not all as ignorant as he is and we know how he meant it. He called it a “poor choice of words” but I think he chose his words very carefully and meant exactly what he said. I hate when I hear things like this because it just proliferates; racism is caused by the racism that came before it, and until we change the things that are said today, the things that are said tomorrow will just stay the same. Children many times learn stereotypes and beliefs from their parents, and it just keeps getting passed down further in generations. It’s really sad, and I hope things start to change in that arena.
The content of the “What Were They Thinking” blog really reminds me of the deep-rooted racism still seen all around this country. Although the USA has elected its first black president, the racist thoughts from many people have not vanished. What is so disturbing to me about these ‘racial tongue slips’ is that they are not just a couple black jokes said during a high school lunch break, they are racist slurs made from people in power; people that are supposed to be professional and competent to these issues.
A GOP activist, Rusty DePass, actually made a public comment on Facebook relating First Lady Michelle Obama to a gorilla. Anyone else in the right mind would subdue all racial slurs if they were in a political position with years of experience, at least I would like to think so. And better yet, his apology was to set blame on an undiscovered Darwinian comment from the First Lady. Relating any human to a gorilla is blatantly offensive and coming from a political role model there can be no excuse of ignorance, nor a line drawn for too many attacks from the media.
The same can be said from a police officer like Captain Justin Barrett. A police officer’s duty is to serve and protect their area of control, therefore any hint of prejudice could jeopardize the rights (and sometimes life) of anyone within that prejudice. The arrest of Henry Gates could have very well been an accident and misunderstanding, but calling Mr. Gates a ‘banana eating jungle monkey’ is no accident and has no other justification other than being another racial comment. If it was up to me, this hint of racism would be enough to question the removal of his license as a police officer; otherwise all future arrests of colored people could become questionable.
It is also my opinion that people going into careers such as these that deal with power and public image should be forced to somehow take ethics and racial relation courses (such as soc 119). The roles of politicians and police officers are special in the fact that any unfair feelings have a great affect on their population of action. The ironic thing is that people of these positions, for the most part, has mainly gone through enough training and experiences to get to where they are at today, but then they ruin their reputations by acting cruel and unjust.
As a last note, the hoax poster absolutely disgusts me. For one, yes Obama is half black, but that also means that he is half WHITE. Secondly, even if you are admittedly racist, President Obama is just that, our President. If that person had any respect for his country (which I hope he would since he also worked in a political office) then they would have respect for their country’s president, regardless of race. Regardless of anyone’s thoughts, if they are in a position of power they should respect the people who put them in as well as their duty as role models.
To be completely honest, my first reaction when looking at this picture was to laugh. Then I took into account that it may hurt some people’s feelings but for me it is like when a good friend trips and falls, I laugh at first and then check to make sure they are ok. In all seriousness, I think of racism as being absolutely unacceptable. Everyone knows how public facebook is, so to write a racist comment on someone’s wall, jokingly or not, is clearly not a very smart thing to do. To top it off, his attempt to rationalize his comment with something the first lady supposedly said in relation to Darwin’s evolution, was extremely weak. In what seems like an even more primitive manor, the officer who sent out an email calling Gates a "banana eating jungle monkey," must not have been thinking that day. Either that or he must not care if people consider him to be racist or a bad person because to send an email to so many people is a blatant attempt to be demeaning. These people definitely need to be in the "What in the world were they thinking," folder. Furthermore, they should be placed in a subfolder that says “pigheaded and insecure.” In a way I am being contradictive in what I am saying. I was always taught two wrongs do not make a right and so while I do not mean to label racist people incompetent and stupid for making fun of others, I can not help to feel that way because their comments remain unprecedented.
I come from a small town with slim to no diversity in race. It was not until I came to this campus that I was exposed to people from such different backgrounds and cultures. When I approach a Black or Arab or Hispanic person I am intimidated but it is not so much because of their specific ethnicities, it is more so the fact that it is different from what I am use to. Despite my limited exposure to different ethnicities, I strongly believe that everyone should have equal rights. Furthermore, I believe that nobody should be thought of as any different than someone else just because of their skin color, their facial features, or the way they dress. Frankly, I do not understand why people feel such hatred towards others who are different from them. Thus, when I see racism, like comparing Michelle Obama to a gorilla, I just do not get it. What is the point of making fun of someone of another race? I was always told that a bully only picks on someone because they are self conscious and that is what they do to make themselves feel good and competent. Does knocking someone else down, especially because of the color of their skin, really make a person feel good about themselves? I think people are so insecure that they will do anything to direct any negative attention at someone else. Racism is stupid and outdated. Everyone was created equal and the sooner the world realizes that, the better off we will all be.
I firstly have to say, contrary to what many of the above posts have stated, I do not believe we are getting more racist as a society. I do however believe that as our country is changing into a more racially accepted, diverse group of people and that is evident by the nations first black president. Unfortunately, there will always be people who harbor negative thoughts towards people with different colored skin than their own. With that said, it is no surprise that someone would find humor in a racist comic but it is absolutely astounding to me that someone working for the Tennessee state legislature could be so ignorant to send it around as a joke email and think their would be no repercussions. It is terrible that even in today’s society we still have to deal with racism but I believe we are continuing to think more freely and more of our countries youth holds higher ideals and values.
Regarding the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., I think it is outrageous that an officer in the Boston Police Department would refer to such an accomplished, outstanding citizen as a “banana eating jungle monkey.” Captain Justin Barrett is the idiot who made that comment and when asked later what he was thinking, he said he felt remorse for saying such a thing but he didn’t mean it in a racist way. I don’t have he slightest idea how that could possibly be construed as anything but disparaging, belittling an entire race of people and by using such an exemplary member of the black race. I find it funny that a police officer that most likely didn’t even attend college would refer to a Harvard professor who has been educated by multiple Ivy League schools a monkey. Although there is a correlation, the more educated someone is the more likely they are to think freely so I don’t really find it to be a surprise that a white police officer would make such a comment. It’s unfortunate when decorated officers who are supposed to uphold high moral values and enforce our countries laws say these intolerant things, which end up giving the entire police force a bad reputation.
Lastly, it’s even more ridiculous for a GOP activist to compare an escaped gorilla to Michelle Obama for multiple reasons. She is the First Lady of our country and she deserves respect and at the very least she deserves to not be compared to a five hundred pound primate. And then to defend himself by saying he meant it in an evolutionary, Darwinism way is even more ridiculous. I’m surprised so many people are ignorant enough say racist things and think they can get away with it. This behavior is not going to be accepted and its too bad such a small amount of people can have such a negative impact on our society.
Seeing images like the one of all the presidents is just a constant reminder that race will always be prevalent in our society. If the president isn’t held in a higher regard than your average person, I believe it’s safe to say that no one is safe. I find it even more interesting that people are so quick to call Barack Obama our first black president when, in reality, he is our first biracial president. Sure, he’s the first to have African heritage and I would never take that away from him seeing that it’s a title to be proud of. So while his race critics are quick to pull the so-called “black card,” in reality he has just as much of another heritage in his blood as he does of another.
I truly think that if our country were to ever reach a “race utopia” that there would be just as much unrest as ever. What would we have left to fight about? What new reasons could we come up with for hating each other and judging those who are different?
When it comes to issues like the email sent out by the Boston police officer, it’s just a matter of common sense. Emails go out over the world wide web. Most people in our day and age have some sort of access to the world wide web. Someone, somewhere is going to take your email and share it with the rest of their friends and the rest is history. We would be fools to pretend that things like this don’t circulate through cyberspace everyday, but when you are in a prominent position in the our country’s military and civil service, I would have expected more.
Then there are comments that you can’t help but shake your head at (literally, I think every American, despite their racial views, took a second to ponder this one’s stupidity). To categorize the First Lady with animals that we go to view in a zoo is just absurd to me. While I purposely try to stay out of the tangled web of politics, I feel that Michelle Obama conducts herself with great poise and stature. On top of it all, to put that such reference on a mainstream social networking site, you are just asking for trouble. Whether she had made a comment “similar” to that or not, the man should have anticipated the heat that would come burning down his door.
To try and compile these random ramblings into one thought, I’ll say this. We all know that racism exists in our world. However, I am a firm believer that we have made leaps and bounds past the world that our parents grew up in. Moral of the story though: keep your comments to yourself.
Once again I must say “what the hell is the people in this country thinking about when they say or do racist things then just say sorry after words.” Do they really think that we as a culture are so ignorant that we will not know if someone is being racist or not. Countless times I have to say to myself that just those who grew up in a bullshit neighborhood or a bullshit family who didn’t have the sense to teach their children are the ones who are racist, however, almost everyday something says “no wait it cannot be that many people who say racist things come from a racist home.” Time is ticking and the clock is about to strike midnight because sooner or later these ignorant, bigoted people are going to have to face to face with the demons. They will also have to open up the eyes and look at the calendar and see that it is not nineteen fifty anymore and that it is a new age.
So are you telling me that someone else had the nerve to leak out another email that was only for private eyes out into the public? GO FIGURE. That should be a light bulb to many of these people who continue to put derogatory emails, pictures, comments and blog post, that we will find it and prostitute you for it. When I first seen the poster I really didn’t notice it, however, I did notice the other many presidents. And then when I read the blog I began to laugh because first of all you have to be really bored, ignorant and just plain stupid to take your time and make that. Second I thought, “That’s funny because he is not even that dark.” People, people, people when will we ever learn to just keep our feeling about different ethnicities to ourselves because it will get leaked in to the public.
Also, we have a guy, do not even care to know what his name is, making gorilla comments about our nations first black lady Michelle Obama. Then he had the nerve to say it was meant as a joke, then when no one was buying that old excuse, he then said and I quote “ The comment was hers, not mine,” meaning that she said that we are all decedents of apes. Ha that’s a real teaser to my funny spot. We don’t need an apology from him because he had the nerves to post that comment on his “facebook.” He is a real class act. It is too many people in the world like him; however, we will over come the disparaging comments and whatever else people decide to do next.
Once again I must say “what the hell is the people in this country thinking about when they say or do racist things then just say sorry after words.” Do they really think that we as a culture are so ignorant that we will not know if someone is being racist or not. Countless times I have to say to myself that just those who grew up in a bullshit neighborhood or a bullshit family who didn’t have the sense to teach their children are the ones who are racist, however, almost everyday something says “no wait it cannot be that many people who say racist things come from a racist home.” Time is ticking and the clock is about to strike midnight because sooner or later these ignorant, bigoted people are going to have to face to face with the demons. They will also have to open up the eyes and look at the calendar and see that it is not nineteen fifty anymore and that it is a new age.
So are you telling me that someone else had the nerve to leak out another email that was only for private eyes out into the public? GO FIGURE. That should be a light bulb to many of these people who continue to put derogatory emails, pictures, comments and blog post, that we will find it and prostitute you for it. When I first seen the poster I really didn’t notice it, however, I did notice the other many presidents. And then when I read the blog I began to laugh because first of all you have to be really bored, ignorant and just plain stupid to take your time and make that. Second I thought, “That’s funny because he is not even that dark.” People, people, people when will we ever learn to just keep our feeling about different ethnicities to ourselves because it will get leaked in to the public.
Also, we have a guy, do not even care to know what his name is, making gorilla comments about our nations first black lady Michelle Obama. Then he had the nerve to say it was meant as a joke, then when no one was buying that old excuse, he then said and I quote “ The comment was hers, not mine,” meaning that she said that we are all decedents of apes. Ha that’s a real teaser to my funny spot. We don’t need an apology from him because he had the nerves to post that comment on his “facebook.” He is a real class act. It is too many people in the world like him; however, we will over come the disparaging comments and whatever else people decide to do next.
Let's take the first thing first: the picture of the presidents with Obama “blending into the dark(!?!)” is ridiculous. It is really disheartening to think that anyone would find that appropriate (or funny for that matter.) Is anyone really surprised that someone from the Grand Old Party pulled this nonsense, especially after that “Barack the Magic Negro” crap? They just seem to have a difficult time relating to minorities. Let me add that, of course, Democrats and Libertarians and the Green Party and independents ect., ect., all have racists in their party as well, but they certainly seem to be able to hide it better. If this disgusting rhetoric must exist, that is where it should stay: hidden.
I hope that this is the death rattle from the dying “good ol' boy” faction within our political system. Their way of life is being threatened and so they are lashing out. Like the killer from any horror movie, these bastards need one more bullet in the head. No sequels, please. I genuinely hope my generation's leaders will have moved past this by the time I'm in my 30's. This Tennessee representative may have just wanted to be like that guy who looks around and whispers his crappy jokes at the water cooler or he might love Hitler for all I know, but if this kind of thing isn't hate then it certainly is fueling the hatred of others.
Next: the cop who called someone a “banana eating jungle money.” Oh. My. God. What year is it? This waste of flesh should be flushed into the sewer where he belongs. Isn't this hate speech? If he isn't off the force (which I'm guessing he's not because of the double standard people in his position receive), he should at least be demoted. I must admit though, if I were black I would be praying to god that this was the cop to pull me over now. How could a court of law take anything he said against me seriously without a heaping pile of evidence?
The thing is, I don't really care as much when I hear some redneck with a mouth full of “chaw” say something racist. They are ignorant. But cops and politicians? We need to hold them to higher accountability. I believe in free speech and I would die for that man's right to say “banana eating jungle money,” but it shows these people are either incredibly stupid or absurdly unaware of the social climate we Americans live in today. This means they should not be allowed to have such positions of great power. Get them out!
Of course, then you have the opposite end of the spectrum with people getting bent out of shape about nothing. The guy who said “niggardly?” Come on! Now I wasn't there; maybe he was trying to use the word to get a rise out out of people. If so, screw that guy. If not, people with a limited vocabulary should know what a word means before opening their mouths. Some people just have an itchy trigger finger on the racist gun.
After reading this blog I am surprised at how stupid some people can be. They publicly and knowingly make racists remarks and once they receive flake for it they have there public relations team come up with an apology and claim there not really a racist. Whether you are racist or not is not the issue its that fact that people would openly make comments about it especially, public figures. It’s a fact of the life that there will always be people who are racist, prejudice, sexist and anti-Semitic. But to make public remarks about it and then rescind them to clear ones image and reputation is unacceptable. Obviously the society around us is in a constant state of change. For the first time an African American president has been elected. Look how far we have come; a few decades ago someone with Barack Obama’s skin color wasn’t even considered an American citizen. It’s hard to believe a state legislator would put up such a poster of the President that he is supposed to be working for regardless if they are a democrat or republican. I have always heard a lot of racist remarks and jokes but never by adults or publicly like these were. Just because you have friends from different racial backgrounds doesn’t mean you aren’t a racist. There are many people of different races that everyone has to interact with daily but just because you interact with people of a different race doesn’t give you an excuse to make remarks about them. At least the people in the KKK are open about being racist (not that its condoned) there are so many other racist people but try to come off as saying they have friends of different race and treat everyone equal and with respect. No matter if people think about racist remarks or not it should never come out of their mouths in such a public manner. And if it does they deserve all the criticism they receive. I think the racist remarks have increased recently since Obama has been elected president. A lot of jokes or comments have been centered about him and his wife. After the election, so many people status on Facebook were racist remarks towards Obama. How can people put such horrible words up for everyone to see. It’s understandable if you didn’t want him to win based on his political standpoint but not if it is based on the color of his skin. I personally did not vote for Obama, not because of his race, religion, gender or age. Solely based on his political viewpoints and its just sad to see that people I am associated with can judge someone based on their skin color. I think as time goes on people will become more and more accepting, hopefully.
I admit I never thought that racism still existed today to this extent. I guess I am constantly surrounded by cultured and mature individuals who are not racist. Thankfully this class has opened my eyes to the harsh realities of the world in which we live in today. Unfortunately, I do not see our nation improving in the near future. If individuals in the public eye are not positively representing our nation, then how are everyday people like you and I supposed to take these issues seriously and make a difference? Reading these examples of racism in our country is very disheartening, and it disgusts me that people cannot take responsibility for their own actions.
In regards to the portrait of President Barak Obama, how could the aide from Tennessee be so stupid as to put that through email? If it was necessary for him to distribute, then he should have shown people in person, to avoid the evidence falling into the wrong hands. What an idiot. Of all the stories we hear today about information leaking through the internet, how could someone who is supposed to be a leader of our nation, be so careless and think that this would remain confidential. Clearly he is doing a great job at work, when he has this much free time to be making such juvenile “jokes.”
How could Captain Justin Barrett of the Boston Police Department not have meant “banana eating jungle monkey” in a racist way? I really don’t understand how he can think that he is not a racist since he is friends with people of all racial backgrounds. This is such a sad excuse and makes him look even more stupid. Yes, sometimes people do not think before they speak, however he cannot use this as an excuse because time was spent on writing this racist comment in an email.
The last comment on the blog, the personal attack on Michelle Obama made by Rusty DePass, boggles my mind. It is disrespectful to compare anyone to a gorilla, let alone the First Lady of the United States. How could DePass ever have thought that claiming Michelle Obama herself made a statement comparing herself to a gorilla would be an acceptable excuse?
Where does this anger in people come from, that they use such racist words as a result? I cannot say that I have ever felt the desire to use racism when I am frustrated or angry.
I feel like when people are caught making these racist comments such as these blog examples, they look even worse when they try to cover it up with an excuse that is not valid. They try to put the blame on other people and make someone else look stupid, when instead they should take responsibility for their actions.
To be honest reading this blog was the first time I heard about some of the issues that were discussed. I am not a person who chooses to be up-to-date on all of the political news that is going on and I really don’t want to concern myself with what he said and she said. I know that may seem a little immature or un-American even but I think there are just too much negative things going on in the media that I don’t want to let it bother me.
But after watching that news clip and reading what everyone else in the class wrote I can see why people are so outraged. The people that are supposed to be leading this country and making decisions for its people are the same political figures we see making these racist remarks all over the television. It was completely inappropriate what this man said I don’t disagree that it shouldn’t just be swept under the carpet. As for the picture of the two eyes being portrayed as Obama, it is just ridiculous.
Ok, I am going to vent here for a little and I might take some heat for saying what I’m about to say but it’s just how I feel. I want to start by saying I am not racist, I have nothing against anyone of a different racial category than myself but I am getting kind of tired of all of the coverage and attention that has lately been popping up when it comes to race. I think that since Obama was elected, instead of the country taking a step forward and showing that we are becoming less racist, it made us take a step in the opposite direction. Just like I read in one of my other classmate’s blog post it seems as though now every closet racist has come out from hiding. Just like the post I completed for last week about the Harvard professor being arrested in his own home. They, meaning the media, took an incident that could have possibly had nothing to do with his race and just the fact that the police officer was doing his job and blew it up into a nationwide scandal. This is the type of thing I am getting tired of. There have been many other pictures available and negative comments made of past presidents that did not even generate half the attention as these more recent issues. For example, everyone knows the negative things that were said about George W. Bush. People were calling him, to put it nicely, an idiot or being stupid or even as far as a ‘retard’. But just because those things were being said, does that mean that there is a negative connotation against people with learning disabilities? Those people at one point in our country’s history were also put to death and treated badly because they were less that perfect in the white man’s eyes. So I just can’t understand why this has to keep becoming the big issue it is. I understand we can’t be racist, but did anyone ever stop to think that maybe if we didn’t pay as much attention to these stupid pictures and uneducated remarks that they might start to diminish? If the people creating them are getting no public attention, they might not waste their time.
“What are they thinking?” is exactly right. I can never understand how and why people in political positions make such stupid mistakes. It doesn’t seem rational to me that when you know people are watching everything you do and say that you would make such a blunder. Not to mention certain senators who go into airport bathrooms and play footsy with their neighbor in the next stall over in a way to inquire about paying for sex or other politicians who blatantly use drugs (Washington D.C. mayor Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. I’m looking at you). And we can’t forget President Clinton’s escapades. All of those are examples of extremely stupid political moves which seem to occur time and time again.
And yet, not all of those political careers end even after such huge mistakes. That is the really interesting part. Mayor Barry was re-elected and Clinton was beloved by many and eventually became President and continued his behavior in office. And that is where I started thinking more intently. Perhaps some of such ridiculous behavior is to pander to their supporters. People like to forget that many in America are racist even today with our black president. I myself have heard many racist jokes and have seen them all over the internet. These things don’t just happen by accident; people are like that and people do vote for those that are like themselves. One of the huge deciding factors as to why people voted for President Bush was because they felt they would feel more comfortable having a beer with him rather than his opponent. People vote for people like themselves and for those they feel comfortable with. Political correctness may cause many to denounce such comments in public but in their own minds may not really care or maybe even like the comments. I will admit it is a stretch to assume that a politician in this day and age would purposefully leak racist comments or imagery in order to gain more support but it leads one to think about it. Are these people really that stupid? Maybe, but maybe not.
In the end I think it all ends up just being about how you were raised. If you were raised in an area where such comments are often said in public or amongst friends than you won’t consider them that serious. I know that many of the people I have heard saying racist jokes were just kidding without fully understanding the implications of what they were saying. And usually the jokes are not said when a member of the race being made fun of is there because people are at least somewhat aware that certain comments could be very hurtful. But when they are said in private they are usually just meant in jest because people are all living in their own perspectives and many people are not very sensitive towards other’s feelings. Basically, people don’t think when they talk, perhaps this is a bad sign but things have gotten better.
Time and time again we see people getting called out for their racist comments. First of all Michelle Obama is the first lady I believe she deserves respect, not only as a first lady but also as a person in general. I understand everyone has freedom of speech but that does not mean that you should speak before you think and hurt other people. Many times I believe people forget that before she was the first lady she was a normal person with feelings. He needs to look at his family and the women in his family and think how he would want them to treated, For example how would he feel if his wife was put down or called out her name. Michelle Obama is a caring and strong woman that cares about the world and the people around her I do not believe she deserves to be treated that way. Going back I think this is another attempt of people trying to challenge President’s Obama’s position. I still believe there are a lot of people out there that still don’t agree with him winning the office, but what is done is done. I believe there are a lot of people that would do anything to get a negative reaction out of him, so they make comments on his wife, and with hopes of it touching him. I believe that is wrong, and more people need to be open-minded and take a chance on President Obama and the first lady Michelle Obama and when more people do that then comments like this will not be said. Then to say one of her ancestor’s just shows how racist he is and for him to think it’s funny just shows his mindset. People like this upset me because they are quick to speak their mind and not care about the feeling of the other person they are talking about, how heartless can people be? What was he thinking to think that him saying this would be ok and no one would care. Now he wants to blame it on other things and not own up and be a man and admit when he is wrong, that is the first step of change, which was president’s Obama slogan throughout him running for office. It’s obvious that this man missed the memo. This man objective was to get laughter at another person’s expense. I believe he needs a reality check. I just hope that one day more people will think before they speak and think of the feelings of others no matter what race they are. In conclusion I believe racism will never go away until people look within and want to change and be more open-minded and accepting to other that may have a different color then them or speak differently. I believe this is the success for the future
I agree with the fact that if you are an absolute racist and very outgoing with it. Yes, people who are in the Ku Klux Klan and other racist fundamentalist groups should be put down. There is though a very strong double standard however. First off, everyone attacks the GOP with any racist comments that come out of there, but however rarely is the Democratic held accountable in racist matters. One instance that comes to my mind is the Duke Lacrosse scandal. The rich students on the team were inaccurately accused of raping a black stripper. The stripper had no evidence of this happening, but all of the black leaders, especially Jesse Jackson absolutely went off on these kids. The Duke Lacrosse team that year lost a season, and they were favored to win the championship. In the end, they were found innocent, but there never came an apology from Jesse Jackson, or any other black political leaders. This is one instance of the double standard.
The police officer who commented on the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is an absolute moron. The fact he would say that, he should have known that this would blow up. First off it is such a stupid quote to say, what a horrible choice of words. He is a cop and people will do whatever they can to discredit cops because than can be such ass holes. Also it was blunt racism. Calling someone a “banana eating jungle monkey” is not funny in anyway. Where was this guy going with that? His comment has no excuses.
The person who made the portrait should be fired, that was a joke gone horribly wrong. To have the President lined up next to all of the other past ones, and disrespect him like that is not right. This should have never happened especially in the GOP, where there relationship black people in this country is shaky. Even though George W. Bush had the most ethnically diverse cabinet of any President in this countries history, but it is all right no one needs to recognize that. Also the later comment about Michelle Obama having gorilla ancestors is very low and should be done with. There is no question. I know for a fact though that I have heard people on TV saying Bush looks like a monkey, but that does not matter, he’s just Bush. He does not have any feelings; he is the Devil. When the first lady on the other hand has a monkey comment made about her, all hands are on deck to discredit the person who made the comments. I know the comment is wrong and should not be made, but the double standard is clearly there. Until the double standard is not fixed racism in this country will not go away.
Oh how we all regret those “slip of the tongue” moments. It is amazing how at times our mouths work a bit too fast for our brains and those dormant racially slanderous thoughts that we have just creep right on out. It is true that the majority of the time these slanderous comments are made in jest, but wow, please know your audience. First in regards to the GOP Activist, it was already bad that he imagined a comment of this type would be funny especially a comment coming at the expense of the first lady, but to put it on facebook. I mean, come on, how much does he lack discretion or self censorship? Was there ever a moment when he paused to think to himself “hmm, this might not be the smartest of ideas”. It seems not. He even attempted to side step his err and the punishment that he brought unto himself by stating that Mrs. Obama actually made a comment about us all originating from apes, and after some quick research the AP discovered this was false. His claim and the AP disproving it was the cherry on top.
Moving on to the comment made by Captain Justin Barrett about Professor Gates. Really? After the situation was analyzed and reanalyzed by just about everyone in the media circuit, he chooses to reopen the wound, and in such a tactful way might I add. We always seem to fail to remember that email transmissions are so remotely far from security and privacy (especially when it involves emails with offensive statements and/or gestures) that’s it not even funny, and sending a mass email like the one he did is just asking for it (as the saying goes). At a certain point someone is going to take offense to that email and report/expose it. Once again I’m equally amused and blown away at another failed attempt of backtracking and trying to recapture that “slip of the tongue”. Captain Barrett’s PR damage control tactic was to state he’s no racist, and that he has friends of all racial backgrounds and ethnicities. Now I don’t want to jump to conclusions and make any ill-informed assumptions but I can say with fair confidence that the number of racially and ethnically diverse friends Captain Barrett has is less than the number of fingers he has on his hands. Of course I could most assuredly be incorrect with this statement since he is a member of the Massachusetts National Guard. This fact actually makes what he said even more astounding. The United States Armed Forces is one of the most diverse organization in the world, and being a member—be it active duty, reservist or guardsman—should in some way expose you to the differences and similarities we all have which would ideally make you a more racially conscientious and sensitive person. I guess this isn’t the case for Captain Barrett.
I’ve said a lot about how insensitive and, for lack of a better word, stupid the comments made by these men were, but we must also understand that racially charged jokes are a part of our society, it’s a part of our pop culture. Many of us make jokes similar to these, maybe not to the blatant degree of racial slander that these men demonstrated but similar nonetheless. With this in mind we need not to be so trigger happy and quick with the condemnations when it comes to racial jokes. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
First off, the electronic poster with the nearly non-existent picture of Barack Obama is blatant disrespect for the current President of the United States. This is especially true since the "joke" came from someone in the political field. Whether this person be a democrat or republican it was absolutely unnecessary to for them to send this e-mail; regardless of the underlying humor some might have found/find in it. For the sake of the Democratic party one would like to assume it was just a ludicrous message sent out by bitter members of the GOP. The picture obviously screams racism. The racist actions of people that presently occur in this country never cease to amaze me. It is ridiculous to think that the United States still has such prevelant racism. Why would someone, who's position was in the political field, risk the inevitable controversy of such an e-mail? Even if the picture was meant to go out as an innocent joke, it was in extremely bad taste. I will admit, however, I received a handful of racist text messages after Obama was elected President. While I did not participate in the sending of these messages, I felt guilty having them on my phone. Obama is the leader of our country and, racist or not, we should hold the utmost respect for him as a person.
In the case of the Boston police officer, his choice of words was not only racist but unprofessional. No one, especially someone of authority, should have ever made a comment calling the perpetrator "banana eating jungle monkey." The officer, Captain Justin Barrett, stated he treats everyone with "dignity and respect," but that just sounds like an exterior cover-up to some hidden biases he may have. Barrett could have also been completely honest about the way he treats those of different races. He did make it a point for the public to know he has friends from many different racial backgrounds. If this is true, then the prejudiced statement Barrett made could have certainly been just a regrettable mistake. Because of his authoritative figure, though, Barrett should definitely be more aware of what comes out of his mouth.
The Obama's, despite their prestigious position, more than likely expected to get extreme criticism and racial remarks when they entered office. But comparing Michelle Obama to a gorilla? Again, blatant disrespect. Michelle Obama is a very intellectual woman who, despite her strong exterior, was probably taken back by the ignorant comment. One would assume a man who calls himself "a longtime Republican activist" would never make such an uneducated sounding statement. The activist, Rusty DePass, was clearly not thinking when he posted the comment on Facebook. Bob Coble, a political rival of DePass, was absolutely correct when he said the post was both inappropriate and racist. Joke or not, DePass was attempting to protect his own reputation when he blamed the comment on supporters of Darwin. This strikes me as flat out immaturity. Racism is still a major issue in the U.S. and these are three cases out of many which prove that.
Let me just start by saying that I am absolutely one hundred percent not in any way a supporter of President Obama or his policies. I voted for McCain, and I’m a Republican. However, in spite of these things I would never make racial comments toward him or his family. The poster with the presidential head shots was an obvious and blatant racist action that never should have been made public. It is completely unacceptable and a very careless mistake by the aide in the Tennessee state legislature. It is true that race is always going to be an issue, and there will always be racists in the world, and those people may never change, but it is becoming such a national problem now simply because our president is black. In a perfect world, the leader of the United States of America should not be the target of racist actions; he should be respected as a political figure. However, this is not a perfect world, and not everyone in the country can be happy with the outcome of the election. Maybe our country isn’t ready for the responsibility of having a black president (it is a large one), but that is just my opinion.
In response to the “banana eating jungle monkey” comment to Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that is inappropriate behavior coming from a captain of a police department. He is in a position of power and he is setting a horrible example to the entire police station. Sure, he can say it is a poor choice of words now, but what did he mean to say then? Also, for the record, making a racist comment towards anyone is not treating them with dignity and respect.
Now let’s move on to the issue of Rusty DePass calling Michelle Obama a gorilla. Seriously? First of all, why would anyone, especially someone in a political position, post a racist comment onto Facebook? It is very public forum in this day and age, and there are so many ways that post could have leaked to the press; it was only a matter of time. Then, he didn’t even own up to his mistake, he just tried to play it off like the First Lady made the comment herself.
At first glance these people seem very stupid and careless in their choice of words. It has so much to do with where you grew up and what atmosphere you grew up in. If you are used to hearing racial slurs on an everyday basis, than hearing them or even saying them out loud in public is not a big deal. Sometimes these people don’t even know that what they are saying could deeply offend other people, and sometimes people just have to think before they speak, not just blurt out what first pops into their heads.
Personally, I do not think that the attack of the racist went too far on recognizing and exposing the senator for his racist comment. One reason why I do not believe that the press and others attacked the senator too hard is because he is an elected individual who is chosen to lead the state. Being chosen to lead and make choices for the state, a senator should necessarily be mutual towards all people; black, white, oriental, Hispanic, and so on. Also the fact that he is representing America, which is also thought of as a tossed salad because we have so many different cultures, ethnicities, and races; as one of the many representatives of a country that has these features, it should have someone who is tolerant and respectful to all the people that make up the area. Another reason why the senator is attacked hard is because he is in the public eye. Being in the public eye, and making remarks that are very offensive to a certain group of people, everyone will begin to ridicule that person and make an opinion about them so they can feel the pressure of the wrongness they have done. Another reason why I do not believe that the senator was attacked too hard is because of the connotation behind the racial slur he had commented on. An African American person that is called a monkey is very offensive because the meaning behind the slur is that we look like monkeys, or we act as a monkey, and so on. So being compared to a monkey, we feel disrespected. Also the idea of him trying to come up with a reason to condemn his comment makes the whole situation worse. As an elected public figure, Rusty Depast is thought of a responsible, intelligent, and worthy of making public decisions. Yet trying to condemn his wrongdoing was not the most responsible thing to do. As he made excuses, that were also found to be false, is another reason why the media and public gave him a hard time about his comment. Not saying that his reputation would not have been hurt by the situation, but the fact that he made an irresponsible decision and decided to lie and cover up his mistakes puts even more of a damper on the situation. Causing the “attack” to become even more of a problem than it was from the start. Also the idea that the senator had claimed that he treats everyone with respect, I feel as if he contradicts himself because if he had respect for Michelle Obama then he would not have even thought to joke or make a comment about her. Also the comment shows disrespect to Michelle Obama’s family by calling the monkey her relative. By saying this, this comment was very disrespectful to not only the directed person, Michelle Obama, but indirectly to others like her family and other African Americans. As a result to the disrespect shown Rusty Depast should be shamed for his actions.
Racism in the news today is no surprise to me. I feel that no matter how much a person tries to get rid of the idea of racism there is always one person who is just too ignorant to change and still living in the past. I have heard many people around school make many racist remarks for example about african americans. Although many people deny the fact they say blatant racist comments, its only truth that they in fact did say that. As far as the picture of the presidents that is just another act of immaturity showing how ignorant the world is today about race. As soon as people found out barack obama was running for president, there were more racist people coming out than before. I would hear comments about not voting for him just because he's black. I don't understand because he is obviously the most qualified to be the president of the united states. But people would rather give it to someone else not as qualified just because obama is black. That just shows that the issue of color is still in peoples everyday lives.
As far as the comment about The banana eating jungle monkey is definitely flat out racist. How can someone even try to hide or deny, or even make up an excuse for that comment. There was no reason at all for a comment like that to be said. To also try to blame it on her for saying she made a comment about monkeys being our ancestors is just a pitiful way to hide his shame.
What I don't understand is that if many people are still racist out there and still make these dumb comments why do they continue to hide it. You would think if a person felt so strongly about another race they would expose it. From my experience when you mention a person of another race, the first comment I would hear would be a racist one. Whether it be blacks, oriental, indian, or hispanic. There are way too many negative connotations that go along with these races that positive ones. When looking around the classroom and a comment about race is brought up such as a picture or a joke, people laugh because in a way they agree with the racist joke. Although they consciously know it is wrong, they still laugh.
If you really stop to think about it how many racist thoughts do you think would go through a persons head a day? Walking through a shopping mall and you see a bunch of black people, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Most people would instantly hold onto their wallets tight and think that they are here to cause trouble. When in fact that could honestly be there to go shopping with friends or going to watch a movie. I believe people are ignorant when they try to explain to others that they are not racist. Comments such as the jungle banana eating monkey come up very often towards other blacks, and they come from whites, asians or other races for that matter.
I do have to agree that there are people that take racism to different levels and some really do not discriminate at all. But it does not change the thoughts that go through their heads. I have to agree that 2009 has shown the country how racism is starting to emerge once again.
While reading this article, I was thinking one word, “IGNORANCE.” The people of this nation have to be completely ignorant of their surroundings to be able to make such racist comments about such important people in our society and think they will be accepted. Michelle Obama is our First Lady, she graduated from both Princeton and Harvard University, and is probably a lot smarter on many levels than these incompetent politicians making racist comments towards both her and Barack Obama’s racial and ethnic background. How can a rational person say, “I’m Sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors, probably harmless,” referring to the gorilla that escaped, for that can not even be perceived as a joke because there is nothing humorous about assimilating Michelle Obama, our standing first lady, with a gorilla. First of all, if a person is willing to make this comment in public, what are they thinking in their heads that they decided to censor? Hopefully they simply are not censoring out anything and that is the most degrading comment they have, because anything in addition to relating Michelle Obama to a gorilla, I begin to think that person has some personal issues they may want to solve first before becoming a politician in our society. So lets face it, Michelle Obama being compared to a gorilla has no fundamental meaning that can be portrayed through facts, and is merely the ignorance of a white man (or perhaps many white men, but this is the only one who had the guts to state it in public) being portrayed in the media. It seems to me that ever since Barack Obama has been elected President, instead of uniting our country into a more accepting society of mixed races, more and more Americans have begun to show their racist sides. What has Barack Obama done that another President would not have done if he had been elected that has to do with Barack Obama being half black? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. None of Barack Obama’s decisions have been influenced by the color of his skin, and neither should any of the opinions of American citizens of our President be influenced by this exterior characteristic. The picture of all of our presidents and Barack Obama not having a face (because the background is black anyway), to me, portrays that he has no identity and is not going to do anything for this country because he is Black, and therefore not as important as our other white presidents. IGNORANCE. People are scared to accept the truth that Barack Obama can do just as good of a job (if not even a better job) as President than any white man can. But what about election day? Did all of the racists vote for him so they could make racial comments later? Why was he the popular vote, when now, the only thing that seems to be portrayed about him in the media is his African American heritage, and not his thought-provoking ideas and problem-solving techniques which were the reason so many Americans voted for him in the first place. America has not become more accepting of mixed races, but has turned its back on its own leaders to go back in time and redistribute the ideas of racism that brought this country to war decades ago.
As I am looking at the picture of on the blog, I was amazed by how Obama’s picture was looking ‘black’ like that and wondered what kind of Americans in 21st century would make that picture. I’ve seen many other disappointing aspects in America since I’ve lived here for 3 years and this image would be one of the embarrassing thing I would see for the last. In Korea, there are also images or statements that are making fun of president but we try not to make comments about personality or ethnicity (despite we have all same racial background), but we are more likely to criticize on his ability of governing our country. Obama is the first black president of America. Like we see him as a strong man, He probably would need tremendous amount of courage than offensive remarks. Tennessee legislation should be shamed of what they have showed to America and should feel guilty of themselves.
I am taking the course of race and ethnicity, of course assuming that racism still exists. I personally think this picture was too much. Obama is not any other’s president, he is American’s president. When Republicans took charges over the government, the role of the Democrats should’ve been cooperating with Republicans like the elementary school students would say! Another surprising fact is that this file is surely made by the both Republicans and Democrats. As an international student in America, I am extremely disappointed by how Americans make fun of their remarkable president by the race.
The video of that man was more disappointing. Even kindergarteners know that people are not allowed to make fun of their races. What kind of people would make fun of their president’s first lady? As an international student, I just don’t know why some people can’t accept the reality of 21st century. It is not that funny calling black people such as ‘banana eating jungle monkey’. Even if the people are blamed are not one of the most influential people around us, it is not fair of them to be made fun of and get embarrassed by their race.
The comments of Michelle Obama were even more disrespectful. She is the first lady. How could anyone compare her with a GORILLA? Rusty DePass seems extremely uneducated although he is actually educated. He should have some common sense that no one thinks calling anyone ‘gorilla’ is not that funny as he thinks. How can he think he comments would be accepted by saying that Michelle Obama called herself Gorilla.
The other day, my roommate was little upset because she has to write a reflection on these issues about her own race. And she told me she wrote over 550 words because she had so many things to say. I wish I don’t have see these kind of issues anymore coming up on the News.
Okay, let me start by saying that the picture of all the presidents head shots is hysterical. I mean it’s just a joke. I’m sure that nobody is really offended by that. I mean if there were a bunch of head shots of a bunch of black people, and then there was a picture of two giant eyes on a white background, I wouldn’t be offended. Although I’m not really sure the two can be compared. Maybe I’m a bit naïve, which would explain why I don’t see a problem with a joke like this. Maybe some people are offended by such a picture, and I will know not to laugh at such a thing from now on. But in society, there are tons of racial jokes. Like any joke, it’s supposed to be funny and not taken seriously. I mean, I have a somewhat diverse group of friends and everyone jokes around with everybody else. And every once in a while, a race joke is thrown in. Any group of people can be bagged on. But I would draw the line at the next the one cop calling Henry Louis Gates, Jr. a “banana eating jungle monkey.” That is totally inappropriate and inexcusable. There is a difference between a joke and an insult. The meaning of a joke is to make someone laugh. But it is supposed to be taken light-heartedly. And in a joke, anything and anyone can and will be messed with. I mean there would be no jokes ever if we can’t talk about certain people. It wouldn’t be fair to mess with one person at their expense if they are the only person or group of people you are joking about. The person or group of people at the butt of the joke should be able to laugh at the expense of others as well. At least that is my understanding of how jokes work. But calling someone a “banana eating jungle monkey” doesn’t seem to be a joke to me. Supposedly, all humans evolved from monkeys, so I don’t get why a black person is called that. Again I must be naïve or uninformed because I don’t get the meaning behind this so called “name”. I have just been told growing up that it is very offensive. I couldn’t even tell you the first time I heard it, but I do know not to say it. It’s almost, if not, as bad as the N-word. I would be offended for someone if I heard someone called that name. Also, I feel that the comment about Michelle Obama was unacceptable. Again, I feel the same way about this comment as I do about the Henry Louis Gates, Jr. comment. I don’t see why black people are compared to monkeys and gorillas, but I will agree just based upon my knowledge that it is extremely offensive.
The ‘joke’ email sent out by an aide in the Tennessee state legislature is appalling. Anyone who has a public job such as working in a state legislature needs to be held to higher standards. The picture is clearly racist. I understand that so many chain emails circulate everyday on the internet, but it is a disgrace for a civil servant to make a racial joke again America’s first half black president. The only question in my mind about this incident is, was the email sent in a personal or a professional context? If the email was sent from a home computer to a friend, I fail to see any harm done. If the email was in fact sent on a work computer, then the Tennessee state legislature aide is clearly in the wrong. On the flip side of this issue, when George Bush was president there were plenty of cartoons mocking him. Bush was often depicted with a cowboy hat since he was from Texas. The president has always been an easy target to make a joke. While distasteful, I find this image making fun of Obama similar to the many images making fun of Bush. There is an appropriate time and place for such images, and the aide in the Tennessee state legislature failed to grasp that.
The next issue concerning Henry Louis Gates, Jr is just as bad. Once again a civil servant is caught crossing the ethical line and using a racial slur. I can understand that the police officer had a lot of built up anger from chasing Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This however, does not excuse his behavior in attacking Henry Louis Gates, Jr racially. To make matters worse, the police captain failed to deliver a respectable apology. The police caption mentioned in his apology that the statement wasn’t racist because he has friends from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. I don’t personally know this police captain, but I highly doubt that he has friends from ALL racial and ethnic backgrounds. Very few black people would hear the slug the policeman said and not take offense to it. Racial jokes are common these days, but when they are inappropriate, there needs to be a fitting apology. It is completely unacceptable for any member of the police squad to be racist. We trust the police with our safety. Police officers must be unbiased when looking for criminals and with their treatment of criminals.
There is no clear line that determines which racial comments are acceptable and which are offensive. Since this grey area exists, people should exercise more care and thought when saying anything that could be considered negative toward a race or ethnicity. People who are in the public eye need to be held up to higher standards and set an example for the public.
It is interesting to me that the people who are in such a powerful position, who traditionally have needed wit and intelligence to gain such a power spot, people who have struggled to become leaders of the United States of America, can be so ignorant…and just plain stupid. How can these people, who we have always been taught have this position in life due to their “hard work and intelligence,” have these kinds of views? America is supposed to be a haven of tolerance and equality. It makes no sense to me that a country with a “mission statement” of “…liberty and justice for all” is run by a bunch of ignorant rednecks. This aide to the Tennessee Legislature should have been fired. I don’t care what kind of crisis management PR person saved his ass, but they should have just let him bask in his ignorance…without a job.
When I was a little girl and policemen came to my elementary school class to talk about D.A.R.E or the importance of recycling or just to let us climb around in his patrol car, I thought that they were the smartest and most important people in the world. Fortunately, as I got older, I realized that not all of them are that great. Maybe I was wrong from the beginning. Maybe after he left my classroom he met up with his buddies to discuss the “banana eating jungle monkeys” in class.
This is a portion of what I found on the Boston Police Academy website, (http://www.cityofboston.gov/Police/acad.asp). It reads:
“It also enhances education about the expanding role of police with an array of Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Ethics, Domestic Violence, Racism, Anti-Semitism, Prejudice, Civil Rights and Neighborhood Policing courses. The mission of the Boston Police Academy is to provide people with unique instruction merged with innovative teaching methods of Facing History and Ourselves, and to promote the knowledge, values and skill police officers need in the democracy they are called upon to preserve and protect.”
I took the liberty of underling and placing in bold the ways in which saying that someone is a 'banana eating jungle monkey' does not directly reflect how this police officer was educated on racism or how he was “…promoting the knowledge, values and skill police officers need in the democracy they are called upon to preserve and protect.”
Here is their mission statement:
“The mission of the Police Department is Neighborhood Policing. The Department dedicates itself to work in partnership with the community to fight crime, reduce fear, and improve the quality of life in Boston's neighborhoods.”
All by calling people “banana eating jungle monkeys?” Hmmm. I’m confused. It would seem that CRAPtain Justin Barrett needs to reread his policing handbook because he is not really living up to the standards the Boston Police have set.
In regards to ‘In what were they thinking’ it baffles me that people believe it is appropriate to make such comments in the limelight of the public. I also believe any comment that intentionally isolates a group of people in a negative way is offensive and should just completely be avoided. However, I know that the reality of this is unlikely. I hear people utter words such as ‘retarded’ without even considering the fact that they could be highly offending someone or what the word really means. Especially in today’s climate of maintaining political correctiveness it is important to filter your vocabulary. I recently, learned that the word ‘thug’ refers to a ethnic group in India, and ‘vandal’ was a derogatory word that existed in the Roman culture referring to a Germanic tribe.
After coming to grips with the multitude of words that elicit derogatory comments completely eliminating them from your vocabulary may appear to be a little more difficult than initially thought, especially when words like ‘retarded’ and ‘gay’ or so commonplace in society. In addition, there are people who will willingly use those words and slurs, and conduct racial jokes regardless of how offensive they will be. What I think is important, is for people who feel as though they cannot filter their language is to consider the context in which such comments are being used.
For instance, comments regarding racial, or any minority, that occur in the workplace is a trigger right away for inappropriateness. In my mind it is common knowledge that certain things that are usually permissible or acceptable typically go unnoticed if they occur out in a out of work environment. However, if such an email like that occurs in the work environment it has the ability to elicit a multitude of different responses and reactions. For instance, if an email like the one sent out by the aide in the Tennessee State Legislature was sent to a couple of friends using a non-work email there I would be surprised to see a large public outcry. Obama is seen in a similar light on other public facets such as Comedy Central, and Saturday Night Live. Although I am not defending such comments or jokes, nor am I saying that the victim should not take offense. All I am saying is that it depends on the context. For instance, if an African-American received that email at work that may instigate him or her to feel as if they are being discriminated against in the workforce, suddenly the promotion they did not receive was a result of racial prejudice. Obviously, this issue and the consequences of this action will be far superior to that of an email sent from a non-work computer. Again, I am not saying that people are justified in committing racial jokes or slurs, and the obvious solution would be to completely refrain from any racial discriminatory remarks, however, if you are a person who is unable to withhold yourself, then pick the proper outlet to vent your racial slurs and jokes.
I just finished reading and watching the post titled “What were they thinking” and again I have to start out by saying “WOW!” I have heard and seen plenty of jokes like the first one posted. This in truth may be sad that I have been exposed to this so often. Or rather the sad part being that there are so many jokes like this. It is flabbergasting to see that an aide in the Tennessee state legislature would send out! And from the way this is coming off it looks like it was sent from a company computer and not through an email from home through a personal account. It might not be the best thing to say but I think it would have been better if it were sent from home through a private account. Doing it through work is just unprofessional. So that is one point, being professional at work. The other point is the nature of the joke. I do find myself being a hypocrite though. I have made jokes about race too. I admit it was with close friends that I knew would find it entertaining, but then again does that make it all right?
Moving down in the post we come to the “banana eating jungle monkey” comment. I don’t know how the officer didn’t see that it was blatantly racist. Then he says that he treats “everyone with dignity and respect.” Well that is just a load of crap. I would like to see him go downtown to a rough part of any big city that is predominantly black and call someone a banana eating jungle monkey. He would at the very least get the crap kicked out of him. Then of course he says that he is not racist because he has friends of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. I hate that excuse. I hear it a lot when it comes to homosexuality. Just because you have a friend that is gay or of a different race doesn’t mean that your not a bigot or racist. But then again, I can see when you are put on the spot that seems like the easiest defense you could come up with.
Finally we get to the YouTube video. The comment was racist. It’s hard to see how Mr. Depass didn’t see this. It was on facebook too a very public place. Also with it being on facebook it wasn’t just a slip of the tongue. He had time to re-read what he was going to post and think about it. The other thing is that it was made against the First Lady. That is just not cool. Have some respect.
Racism is a sad thing. It would be nice to think that you can go anywhere in the world and not be judged by the way you look, but we all know that is not the case. I find it hard to know that there are some places in the US you should just avoid because people there are still so very racist and it would be dangerous for someone of color. We as a people have come a good way and yet we have so far to go.
After reading, “What Were They Thinking,” I have developed two different emotions throughout the issues. First off, I do not mean to sound cruel or careless in any way, but this is not the first time that we have seen emails oh so similar to this one. Political jokes are a part of our society, that’s what happens when we have freedom of speech. I’m not a huge fan of them, no matter who they are targeting, but people are always going to voice their opinions whether they offend someone or not. After reading through the other blog entries, Anonymous brought up a great point – think of all of the emails, comics and jokes made of former President Bush, and all of the previous presidents for that matter. Politics aside, how often did you see controversy with forwarded emails bashing former white presidents? I mean, give me a break, when I was a Sophomore in high school my World Cultures teacher had comic drawings bashing George Bush on his slideshows! Could you imagine if high school teachers incorporated pictures poking fun at Obama’s skin color in their daily lessons? An incident like that would be all over the news and the teacher would in turn be called a racist. When I traveled to Madrid a few years ago, people were all over the streets passing out flyers that claimed George Bush was the next Hitler! Has anyone ever asked, “What Were They Thinking?”
But this gets me thinking, we can bash George Bush for his Texan background and stereotype him as a knuckleheaded southern hillbilly but as soon as a joke made about Obama being black arises, all hell breaks loose. Could southerners be just as offended by the Bush jokes as black people are by the Obama jokes? Is being black, white, blue, or red that touchy of a subject? Can we poke fun at everything else besides race and it all is lighthearted and well, apparently so.
But here is where I get a little caught up in the mess, because I remember hearing about the Gorilla comment on the news and I was shocked. How someone of such authority could write that on Facebook is beyond my belief. Slips of the tongue may be compressed thoughts not meant to be said, but to take the time to write it out really shows that something is wrong. I can sure ask, “What was he thinking,” when it comes to a situation like that. This just proves that there is no fine, distinct line that depicts what is acceptable and what is an uncalled for, racial remark. Everyone has their own opinions and therefore we tend to draw our own lines in regards to what we think is right and wrong. The first part of the blog about the email, didn’t strike me as racist or wrong. The second part of the blog about the Republican activist’s comment about our first lady crosses my drawn line. Other students reading this blog could have completely different feelings. It’s hard for me to ever believe that we will all agree upon the same “line.” Hopefully, as time passes, our lines will become closer and closer, but there will always be that gray area.
At what point are these comments racist? Clearly the words cited in the blog were ignorant and racially charged but how about the ones in the gray? How about a comedian who uses “shock comedy” to get some cheap laughs get away with their comments. Recently, Lisa Lampanelli used a bit to insult black people about having terrible credit and their willingness to be with any white woman. The funnier part is, after insulting “black’s” poor credit she said, “Are the blacks laughing? Oh Cool, I see teeth and eyes. I think we’re okay!” It’s the exact same joke the Aid in Tennessee used except she did it on National Television. But no one minds Lampanelli. I’m not trying to say that Lisa Lampanelli is racist, I truly think she isn’t. But it forces you to consider where the racial line in the sand is. The aid in Tennessee was trying to get some laughs too, but that didn’t go nearly as well.
Is politics not supposed to be funny, or is the media the cause of the problem? Is it impossible to consider that the media takes the comments that are on the fence of being racist and they shake the foundation until it falls into the racism camp? I believe that these comments would just roll on by had it not been for half of the news outlets doing their best to stir the pot. You could get Americans fired up about nearly anything if you spin it the right direction.
I also wonder how it would affect the racial climate if Joe Biden and Barack Obama started trading racial comments while laughing during a White House interview. Would it take the negative power out of racist terms and allow our society to spend more time laughing and less time hating each other? On the other hand it may take all of the esteem out of the administration and degrade our entire culture. It can get a bit frustrating when you look at a packed auditorium laughing together at their own character flaws and being okay with it. Why isn’t this an accurate metaphor for the rest of the country? What can we do to make standup comedy a microcosm for our culture?
Suggesting that we embrace our flaws and make fun of them to take the negative power out of them leaves one alternative to handling these outbursts. The only other way to not randomly say these things is to not think them. Noticing flaws isn’t a bad thing. I believe it is inevitable to take notice of certain traits but that’s not racist; its just being observant. Unfortunately, I doubt that we will ever stop putting together these mental schemas that manipulate our thoughts so we better establish a way to filter them or even benefit from them.
Someone (was it Bill Cosby? I can’t remember) said recently, “If you want a test for how racist you are, notice what comes out of your mouth when someone of another race cuts you off in traffic.” (One could argue this can also test how sexist, classist you are, etc)
I have been mortified by the racist cartoons that have surfaced since Obama began his run for presidency. Not only was I disappointed because I respect Mr. Obama so much, but I honestly didn’t think there was still this much latent (and active!) bias/prejudice among Americans, or that this bias/prejudice was thought of as ok to reveal to others. (Didn’t we learn in class that white people answer questions “better” relating to racism because we are trained in recognizing and compensating for these attitudes?) This knee-jerk reaction of what people find funny can guide us toward how racist our society actually is.
But before I give myself an ulcer due to anger at these racist pricks, it’s important to consider the bigger picture. How was our previous (and white) president treated? A google search of “George W. Bush monkey” brought up http://www.bushorchimp.com/ OK, the url gives enough away that you don’t even have to click on it. An entire website dedicated to comparing George W. Bush to a chimpanzee has not received the firestorm that I would expect if a similar site was dedicated to our current president. So why is this different? Why is it racist to call Obama a monkey but not when calling Bush 43 one?
By comparing Obama to a monkey is overtly agreeing that he is a lesser species. This doesn’t seem to be the case for Bush. If you refer to bushorchimp.com, a lot of comparisons are of the similarity in facial nuances they both exhibit; the comparison is quite superficial. “Hey look! They’re making the same face. Isn’t that funny?” People seem to be saying the opposite about Obama. Refer to the following: http://sandrarose.com/2009/02/27/barnes-noble-issues-apology-for-obamamonkey-book-display/
The “joke” here is that this person (Obama) is just a monkey, not so subtly suggested by the placement of a “random” book in the display. The differences between these attitudes are nuanced, but nevertheless extremely important when revealing the underlying context of the statements.
Lastly, there is the possibility of complete innocence due to ignorance. Today I know comparing black people to monkeys is often used by racist people, but I did not always know this. I once emailed my black friend a picture of a baby monkey, only in the sense of how young girls tend to share “cute” things with each other. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this would offend her. She knew me enough to know I wasn’t making a deeper statement, but my boss put me on the spot one day asking me why I sent it. I was horrified my action could’ve hurt her feelings. While the following story may seem implausible, I would like to add that comparing Obama to Curious George could be an ok idea to many because they are both earnest, curious, and very likeable. The problem is that in this day and age, due to racist usage, making this comparison is not prudent.
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/06/the_makers_of_a_racist_obama_t.html
The Blog entitled “What were they thinking?” really got me thinking about racism in our society today. Whenever a story like that of the aide in the Tennessee legislature or of Captain Justin Barrett come out in the media, there is always an immediate outrage from society. People immediately call for apologies and resignations as a response to these blatant racist actions, but little is ever really done. I think this is clearly shown in the case of Rusty DePass. After making a comment that compares our first lady to a gorilla, the only thing he had to do was hire a PR team to come up with some bogus excuse for him and he seemingly was off the hook. Why is it that we are so offended at first when we hear comments like this but then we let them go after a few weeks or months go by? Have we become such a forgiving nation that we can let anything go after some time has passed? Or have we just become so used to racist thought that we find these offenses as not worth following up on after time has passed? Part of me wants to believe that we have become so forgiving that we can let just about anything go after we feel someone has paid his or her dues to society. As a full time hater of the Philadelphia Eagles, I applaud them for giving Michael Vick the chance to play in the NFL again. On the other hand, I think that racism has just become so overplayed that people have lost the spark to bring down public figures that make such comments. As sad as it is, we have come to accept that the most recent racist comment we’ve heard in the media won’t be the last, and the next one may not be that far off.
As a part of the upperclassmen who attended high school when “Chappelle’s Show” was the biggest thing since sliced bread, I think that a lot of us have found the softer side of “racial differences”. Without crossing the boundaries of decency, commenting on stereotypical differences has become a comedic staple. Turn on Friday Night Stand Up any weekend and there’s almost guaranteed to be a black comedian making a joke about stuck up white people and a white comedian prancing around with his pants below his ass crack. I think people under 30 have come to realize that racial stereotypes can pretty much be thrown out the window because we’ve all become so alike because of mass media. Living in a house with people from all walks of life, we can laugh at stories like that of Rusty DePass. Not because it’s funny to compare African Americans to gorillas, but because even in 2009, there are still people holding onto their ignorance and bigotry.
The question of “What were they thinking?” seems to be asked too often. These three examples of obscene racism are only a minute percentage of the offensive comments being made in the public eye today. The amount of racism in the world today is completely outrageous considering how many years our society has been battling this problem. What makes these incidents even worse is that they come straight out of the mouths of men in power and in the limelight, which makes it almost impossible for the comments and/or images to just be swept under the rug. The picture montage of U.S. presidents and President Obama is very offensive. President Obama is our very first black president and although certain people disagree or hate to admit it, it is major stepping stone for African Americans and all other races in this world. It is completely understandable that not every single American is praising Obama and jumping for joy about having a black president because people have a right to their own opinion, but it is completely unforgivable to speak out in the way that this man of the Tennessee state legislature did. People with these kinds of opinions should keep them to themselves, or at least out of the public domain. I honestly still can’t believe after seeing this picture and reading other people’s opinions that this man is an employee of the government. That makes this situation so much worse. This undoubtedly falls under the “What were they thinking?” category.
Both the comment and attempted apology made towards Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is simply out of stupidity. There is no way around a comment like that. Like the picture of Obama from the other situation, a man of honor and high rank is to blame. This Boston police officer, who is also a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, could have kept his opinion either to himself or, at least, more subtle. He didn’t need to send out a huge chain email to a large group of people belittling Gates and the entire black race. I think the best part is that in his apology he claims he is not a racist at all and has many friends from diverse ethnicities. I think that is complete bull.
Lastly, the comment made towards First Lady, Michelle Obama is not only ignorant and stupid but also utterly disrespectful. Making a “gorilla” comment about a black woman is like a slap in the face to all black people and it is completely unacceptable. Again, like the Gates case, I think the funniest part is the attempt at an apology. This guy tried blaming Michelle Obama for his own audacious comment. I really think it is funny. These people really need to tone down their comments; especially those that know for a fact the public will see them.
Aea5030
Amanda Annas
Journal #2
(What are they thinking?)
So after reading this blog I completely agree with what he is saying. It’s true. I would like to consider myself a very open minded person. I’m outspoken I dress with clothes I like & what is comfortable & cute but also in style. I personally am white but for some reason I have an infatuation with black people. Ever since I was little I wanted to be black. Who knows why but I did. I think it came from how I was brought up. My mother is very Christian & open minded & my dad is catholic & NOT very open minded at all. In fact he is very racist as well as the rest of his family. My parents have been divorced since I was in second grade & I have never been very close with him but I wanted to be as different as possible from him as I could. I think it also runs in the family. My sister has been dating a black guy for years now & they live together. His family is from Africa & my brother thinks he is black as well. You would think that being around so much negativity & racism thoughts from when you were little would naturally make you like that but for me & my sister & brother it was quite the opposite. We wanted to be as obstinate as possible with that matter. We saw it as a shame that he was so narrow minded. Another example I have. My cousin is getting married this weekend & my whole father’s side of the family is going to be there. My sister for the first time is going to be introducing her black boyfriend that she has been dating for a few years now. You would think that this wouldn’t be an issue but it’s going to be because of how narrow minded & hypocritical people they are. What I don’t get is how people can sit there & say, “I’m a good catholic. Anyone who isn’t blue collar & has a good job is a good person…except if they’re black.” What the hell? People seriously need to get a reality check. Who cares if what color skin anyone has. Are people different yes but does a color make them bad? NO! It amazes me what kind of names people can make up for each other because of a color difference. The “N” word was NEVER allowed in my house because no one needs to be called that. People fought to not be called that. If you have your own personal thoughts about being racist or how you were brought up that’s fine but at the same time it’s become a really old excuse when people say I can’t help it because you can. OPEN YOUR EYES. Make your own decisions. Get over yourself & if you can’t do any of it then you should keep your opinion to yourself. I wouldn’t want people being racist towards me so why should I say things about others? I really think people need to get past their excuses & move on.
“What Are They Thinking” brings up some very interesting controversy. Although we all would agree to the fact that the facebook comment and the US president head shot picture are both extremely inappropriate and racist, that isn’t really what we should take out of this blog post. One of the lines of the blog reads, “But I have to wonder if this how many of us think in our private moments.” This is truly the line to consider in the article. In the cases of the e-mail president joke and the facebook comment, one must also consider that clearly these people are not joking to themselves alone. What about all of the people that e-mail was sent to and even the person whose facebook the gorilla Michelle Obama comment was posted on. These people most likely think the same way as those who start the racist comment in the first place. These people were scrutinized in the public eye, and for good reason, but these are only a few examples that happened to be so publicly noticed. This dives into the question also of how many people condemn racism yet still make racist remarks? My guess is a lot. It has to do with culture and how people are raised. Yes we are ultimately trying to become a completely racist free community but some people still feel as if they can cross the strong racial blasphemy barriers, saying “niggardly” and relating a colored person to a “jungle monkey.” So the question has to be asked; are people really racist-free enough to not make these comments? Maybe our society just needs more time. Or, maybe, our society needs to be faced with these remarks so that we can distinguish the line that can not be crossed, not that I believe that line is very hard to find. There are still people in the country that probably find their remarks fine and maybe a little mean until they are threatened by the rest of the country. Well there you go, you crossed the line, don’t do it again. It will be a VERY long time for racism to be gone, if even possible, and even then these comments will still hold vulgar connotation. And to the comments that say that this year has been unusually high in amounts of racist comments is unusual to me. Yes, Obama is our president, and with any president there comes hateful thoughts and comments directed towards them. This is not saying that I give these people any right to say things about his race, but he was born with this race, right? We all know there is nothing he can do about it, so why are we so worried about these stupid insignificant comments that judge that part about him. I was born with red hair, and on a much smaller scale, I would be much more offended if someone poked a joke or commented on my beliefs rather than calling me a “ginger.” Yet in the same sense, controversy over people’s beliefs is how any progress and development is produced in the world, so maybe the racism now will help is later on, hopefully.
Listen up people, the people on white team are not the only ones to be racists, okay? Blacks, browns and other races make crude marks towards other nationalities. People that believe they are not racist tend to be more racist than their counter partners, the person that knows he or she is racists. I read and look through the videos and I can believe what I see and read. Crude racist remarks in nothing new, do you think it’s going to go absent? No, it will be with us forever. The only difference is people of color think that they are usually getting shit on worse than the rest, not true in all cases. Yes you have had tough times and were slaves and were this and were that, but do you talk about what you have good going for you? Now the leader of our country is on your team and blacks still continue to hold the highest crime rates, robberies, burglaries, larcenies and unemployment rates have gone up almost 5 percent for blacks since Obama has taken office. Whereas whites have only gone up .2 percent, yeah only point two percent. Where’s your boy Obama, what’s he doing for you, ever think he doesn’t care either?
True, what was said about the Harvard professor was crude, unprofessional and was out of line. However, we act as if these remarks were the first time it has happened. Also the remarks directed towards Obama’s wife, the first lady, “there probably Michelle ancestors” was unacceptable because the remarks were stupid and shouldn’t have been said. However, yes, the comment was out of line and needed an apology but we need to think outside of the box here. Like we have all learned in our third grade science room we all evolved from apes and from other parts of the monkey family. So, only in the context in which you take the message is how you perceive the conclusion. Because what was said could be true, right?
The problem we face about racism is almost inevitable to defeat because of the past and how people in America are, people are stubborn and simple and one street minded. Thinking that everyone needs to come together to defeat this crises will make things better is not answer. I recently have gotten a new roommate, after finding out he’s Indian I was already stereotyping and thinking how awful the semester was going to be. After getting to know him, he informed me that he is probably one of the most racist people I will ever meet. I found this strange because he’s on the brown team, and if I didn’t know that I would guess that he was on the white team. To conclude, I would like to point out that most people who are racist aren’t racist towards the entire race, most people only are racist towards the “black sheep” of their race. For example, I’m on the white team and I look at some white people to be white trash, therefore I’m racist towards my own group, are you?
It can be astounding just to see what some of our political leaders can come up with for humor. They may be thinking it’s funny to make comments about another’s race, but they should be wise enough to keep it to themselves at the very least. Their rationale should be keen enough to distinguish between what is and is not appropriate. You are the politicians that run our country. Just keep it to yourself!
First of all, the picture portraying Obama as just a dark figure with eyes belittles his presidency completely. He is our president—your president; what incentive does he have to help our struggling nation if he can’t even feel respected over the color barrier? It tells the public that this particular Tennessee state legislature aide is more concerned with Obama’s skin color than his tenure in office, which is very unsettling. I just don’t understand how someone with this much responsibility as an up-and-coming politician with the media constantly behind his back could possibly find this behavior, making what he thought was a joke, acceptable. He must have forgotten the golden rule of grade school: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
As for the comment towards Michelle Obama, the same situation applies. The first thing I thought while watching the video was why this man was using Facebook in the first place. But maybe he was simply thinking the general public would not see his comment; only his close friends would see it. This is like putting a bunch of half-naked pictures of drinking at a frat up and having your mother obtain access to the photos. He might not have thought he was going to get caught, but it was simply poor judgment on his part posting the comment. Both of these situations were only made worse because they were leaked to the public and they did not think of the repercussions had their thoughts surfaced.
Both of these men should be ashamed for even having these thoughts cross their mind, but on another level, they are just too ignorant or even too dumb to realize they should not have shared these thoughts with others. The republican activist isn’t even done there though, since he credits his comments to evolution theory in an attempt to vindicate himself. This might come off as hypocritical since surely everyone has had racist thoughts cross their mind at one point or another (maybe not to this degree), but I think what separates these individuals from myself and others is the ability to rationalize why we should not share these comments. For one, it can just be purely degrading to the offended party, and secondly, it can make us look silly and foolish for thinking it.
So the next time you think of something you may find funny like comparing Michelle Obama to a gorilla, or calling the police officer a “banana-eating jungle monkey,” just think about what others are thinking about you. There is such thing as “political correctness,” and these two should know something about it.
No matter how much we try to sugar coat it by saying we are making strides when it comes to racism in the United States, racism is still very much alive in our country today. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find any place on the planet without finding intolerance and prejudged hatred towards others. When public figures make racist remarks on television, the world stops. People can’t believe what they are hearing. In my experience, those types of people make racist remarks and/or subconsciously dislike another person based on outwards appearance.
These public figures that make the mistake of saying a racist remark must then go on television and basically put on an Oscar winning performance. Is it just me or do other people think these apologies make the act worse because the majority of the time, the apologies are insincere at best. People who make these remarks spontaneously obviously had that thought as the top priority on their mind. They clearly have said things like their mistake before, but since it was in front of the cameras, they are truly and deeply sorry. As a viewer I would rather them say those words just slipped and it won’t happen in public again. At least that would be remotely honest and much less painful to watch than a story about all their multi-racial friends.
As for the stories specifically, calling someone a “banana eating jungle monkey” is downright offensive not only to African Americans but to humans in general. To refer to anyone as an animal in an offensive way is really, coming from a religious perspective (I’m Catholic), spitting in the face of God. I know everyone has heard this before but all people were made in the image and likeness of God and therefore are intrinsically valuable. Comments like this really have no place in society at all.
As for the poster of the presidents, to make a racist and tasteless joke at the expense of our country’s leader is downright wrong. I don’t mind the satire and the political jokes people write in the paper and such things. I don’t care when people publically bash the president because of his actions and/or policies. It is when people refuse to look that deep into a person and mindlessly hate someone solely on the color of one’s skin that gets to me. And to think that many of the people that say racist comments about Barack Obama didn’t even vote. If one doesn’t vote then he/she need not complain about which president was chosen.
Although racism is still very much alive in society today, those thoughts and words should remain private. Offensive speech and actions towards people based on race is a crime against humanity and when public figures slip up in the media, just own up. Don’t shift the blame on Darwin supporters or anyone else but yourself.
Ok. I think that it is ridiculous for the photo of all of the United States presidents to depict Barack Obama like that. It is racist, and few will disagree that it was. But, in short it was funny. How many times each day do we hear a racist joke or a comic or a photo that was funny. I think its humor. Obviously this was on a little bit larger scale, but honestly if you want to conduct an at home experiment about racism all you need to do or turn to BET or any of the hundreds of black comics that rip white people apart. It is everywhere but no one bats an eye about those jokes or comments. Its so easy to label a white person to be racist, but honestly come on people, I think in was a bit overboard. And furthermore the amount of shit that George Bush took was unbelievable. I know I know he messed up a few times, but ever single night he was getting ripped apart by every late night talk show hosts. I don’t know if the president commented on it. But is it even possible to be racist against a white person? I don’t know if it is even possible. Its different because he is white right? No. Take a look at this. There is a channel on TV that is called BET. Black Entertainment. They have BET awards. Imagine if there was a WET or white entertainment and we had the “Whities” where only white Caucasian people could win awards! It would be utter chaos. But it will never happen. It would be ridiculous. But, it was a joke. I would be hard pressed to find one person who hasn’t chuckled at a racist joke once in their life. But if you laugh at that joke are you a terrible racist person? I don’t believe so. Call me crazy but in class we even talked about it. When the talk to race comes up white people sit back and just watch. I understand this is on a huge scale when we are talking about the president who is our first “black” president, but none the less grow some balls and take it. Democrats will find any little thing to cry and complain about, but it was a joke. To tell you the truth I think its kind of funny. Either way I think it was a joke.
First off the pictures of the presidents is ridiculous, President Obama is the leader of our country, and should be respected. Even if you are a racist southern republican or whoever the creator of this was, should have at least had the decency to keep their racist pictures to themselves, or with their racist friends. I could have see this as being some what of a joke if it was goofy pictures of all the other presidents, but no, every single other president looks very respectable in their suit, and tie, making sure their hands were in the proper position. It’s just so dumb, this kind of thing shows that no matter how much we want to believe that there is no racism in the U.S. there still is. We can elect a Kenyan American president, but we can’t show him the same respect we’ve shown the other 43 presidents before him. He hasn’t even had time to mess anything up, so why are we already scrutinizing and trying to belittle his authority? I honestly wish I knew, hopefully President Obama will be able to open the minds of Americans, and bring us all together, and make us see it doesn’t matter what kind of background you come from.
Secondly, how can someone call another a “banana eating jungle monkey” and not mean it in a negative or racist way. I’m sorry, but I think that Professor Gates is infinitely smarter then Captain Justin Barrett. Barrett is a police officer, last time I checked Gates is a professor at one of the most prestigious universities in our country. The fact that he is teaching some of the smartest kids, shows that he is more then a “banana eating jungle monkey.” On top of that, he goes on to say, well my friends are all from different backgrounds, so therefore there’s no way I can be racist... seriously? He obviously didn’t realize how dumb that sounds, I’m sure if he said that to one of his friends, they would take it as a racist comment. I’m sure if you called anyone a monkey they would be offended, even though technically we are all monkeys, but that does not mean we want to be put in the same group as them; it is also certainly not something you say to someone you’re treating with “dignity and respect.”
Finally, DePass is disrespecting the first lady by relating her to a gorilla, again do these people not realize that she is as much a face of this country as President Obama? Obviously not, you wouldn’t hear anyone call Hilary Clinton or Eleanor Roosevelt a chimpanzee, in fact no one would even dream of doing that. Then the fact that DePass tries to turn it around and make it seem like Michelle Obama had called herself a gorilla, did not help his case at all. If there’s no record of her actually saying it, you can’t use that for your reasoning, I feel like that’s just common sense. I mean are you going to call Darwin a gorilla too, he’s the one who came up with the idea in the first place.
The fact that some guy used “niggardly” in an actual meeting is just funny to me, because it is an actual word, meaning stingy. But it is in no way a professional sounding word, he mine as well have dropped the “N-bomb” as the blog puts it. However, out of all these what were they thinking cases, this one is the one that bothers me the least, this person is just a little bit to smart, and he’s using his brains in an ignorant way.
This whole picture of the presidents with Obama’s face and body being blacked out is ridiculous. It says a lot about what kind of people we have running this country, incidents like these are sometimes the reason for why I believe people are always desiring social and political reform. Aside from the racist joke in the picture of the poster, the person being interview making references to black people as monkeys, and gorillas just goes to show how much ignorance there still is in America and in the world in general concerning race and things which are unfamiliar. The joke of black being animals, monkeys, or whatever has been around since slavery time and yet in the year 2009 going on 2010, with a Biracial president ignorance and remnants of an unjust, inhumane time in World History still persist. I don’t think racism or discrimination will end until everyone basically looks the same without any kind of individuality, but recognizing human creativity there will be something that will continue this type of behavior.
To me racism is just something that is counter productive to progress both in the domestic and global levels. Me personally since I have been surrounded with a lot of racism through my life especially in high school, whether I was the victim or the by stander but looking back at those people they haven’t gone anywhere, and if they have it hasn’t been in a positive direction. That’s why I believe that racism is like a bock to progress, I on the other hand have friends from all walks of life and I don’t hold any grudges or negativity towards them. So, I don’t understand the point of it. It’s a guarantee to believe that some people in the world have had conflicts with people of the opposite race but there’s always another way to go about resolving conflict. Some more than others are inappropriate such as the beer summit however it was a peaceful way to try to heal the wounds between both blacks and white through history.
A philosophy that I believe will help people coexist in a more peaceful manner is to “live and let live”, to me it means to do whatever that makes you happy as long as it is morally acceptable and doesn’t deter other from achieving the things that will make their lives happy. Pat U.S presidents have written speeches that I believe are the basis for the mindset that I’ve adopted over the years. If people really slowed down there lives and thought outside the mainstream people would be much more productive and peaceful. It just makes sense to me, why stop someone from achieving their goal if it wont harm yours? But ultimately in the end it wont really matter because ,“We’re All Going to DIE”- Sam Richards.
Unfortunately, coming from a predominately white and conservative suburb, these racist comments against our President and his family do not surprise me. It does surprise me that people who represent states can get away with saying these things and not lose their job, or even their integrity to a lot of people. They are showing the rest of the country that it’s ok to say these things, as long as they apologize and give an explanation crafted by their grandchildren. And maybe stay away from Facebook and email the next time they’re drunk. Seriously, why else would they show the world that they’re racist? Unless they are showing it off, which they might be because apparently most people have those same racist thoughts. As Mojo Pin said, 2009 has been the year of racism. It’s very interesting that once Obama was elected, and even when he started becoming popular in the preliminaries, the comments started. No one could look past race, and those people who had racist thoughts on their mind freed them. These racist politicians are just exacerbating that by making it seem like it’s ok. Nothing about those racist comments or the blacked-out frame representing Obama should be tolerated. It is blatant racism and should not be accepted… especially towards the President!
Many people try to argue that this is just an extension of free speech and people always make parodies of presidents. Race is a completely different issue though because you are belittling a huge part of a person. Making a caricature or a statement about a president because of a poor decision he made or his inability to make speeches is one thing, but blacking him out when placed in a portrait with the other presidents because he is black is different. It’s making the statement that he is less than them because of who he is. Aren’t we past that? You can’t change that. It’s not fair that Obama has to endure this childish ridicule because of his skin color. He, himself, did nothing to deserve that. His ancestors were from Kenya. And some of them were from Europe – just like the other Presidents.
Just the fact that these thoughts are in peoples’ minds is very disturbing. Do people really walk down the streets, see a black person, and think gorilla? I hope not. And I truly doubt it in most cases. But if not, then where is all of this suddenly coming from?
I’m glad that the media highlights these “slips” when they occur. They should be brought to the country’s attention because it’s a big slap in the face that we are not even close to being done with racism. If people who work for Congress are saying these things about our President, then what is being said about black people all over the United States? And, how are they being treated?
The more that the internet and the media become faster and more wide spread the more I feel that incidents like these ones are going to continue to pop up. These are thoughts that some people do have from time to time and with the way that networks are now one slip up could potential send your entire life into a tail spin. I’m not making excuses for these people though. These are ideas that I feel are wrong. They hurt other people and there is just no reason for it. Especially because now a days if you make a comment like this on a Tuesday, most of the country will hear it or have already heard it by that Saturday. So now you are not hurting just the people that hear you say it at first, you can be offending an entire group throughout the country. It just seems that people don’t think about these things before they make these types of comments.
The internet has changed the way some of these things get out too. The picture of the presidents with Obama with just the eyeballs is a clear example of that. Years ago there would be no way that stuff like that could be made or sent around to people as quickly as it was. The fact that these things can go around so fast has eliminated the ability of people to think about what they are doing before they actually do it. If they had they may have realized what they were doing and put a stop to it before they went through with it. I’m not saying that they necessary would have decided not to do it because honestly I don’t understand what made them do it at all. The worst part of all of this though, was that they were also going after the President and his wife. They are a symbol of our country and for these people to attack them looks very bad for our country as a whole. Even if they were not though these types of actions still are not right, you should not treat other humans like this. The way you treat others shows a lot about you as a person. All of these people have put themselves in a very bad light with these actions. These are actions that I personally do not understand, but I do know that there are people out there that do. Unfortunately with the freedoms that we have in this country there will never be a way to stop these types of comments. As long as individuals still have these types of thoughts then the rest of us are still going to have to hear about it and try and deal with it.
I just don’t understand why any of these people did what they did. It’s mind blowing. How can people make these derogatory remarks? Then they say that they didn’t mean to make those remarks. Yeah right. If they didn’t mean to say them, they wouldn’t have said them in the first place. They said it first because they were just speaking their mind. How can just because someone’s black means they have to be monkeys or apes? Just because someone is white doesn’t mean that they’re better than everyone and they can treat everyone terribly. Also, if these certain individuals didn’t mean to say what they did or they didn’t want anyone to know that they said it; they wouldn’t have done it on Facebook or sending emails for other people to read. I mean, how dumb can you be if you didn’t want anyone to know that you called Michelle Obama an ape or her ancestors were apes or something, then why would you put it on Facebook. Come on. Everyone looks at everyone’s Facebook and people are going to see what you said. I don’t care what that dude said about how sorry he was or whatever. He meant what he meant. He called her ancestors apes because she’s black, and he has a problem with it. He and a lot of other citizens of the U.S. are going to have to get over that we have a black president and a black first lady. Then with the picture of all the presidents, why are pictures like this necessary? HE IS BLACK, GET OVER IT. All of these people need to get off their high horses and realize that black people are people too, just like white people. Another thing is, why is it only the white people who have problems with black people? Why don’t any other races or nationalities have problems with blacks? It’s just the stubborn white people. I bet it was a white man who made that picture of the presidents. And he made it because Obama is black, and he’s different, so his picture needs to be different. Just in case we forgot he was black. In my opinion, America needs to let the past go. We need to change, but we can’t because we are all so stubborn. But back to the police officer who called the one guy a “banana eating jungle monkey.” How can he say it was a poor choice of words? What else would he be trying to say? People who say things like this make me so frustrated because of how dumb they sound. There is nothing I can do about these people but hopefully some people will change other people’s minds about being racist.
A GOP activist posting racist comments about the first lady on facebook isn’t exactly progress for the racism problem we’re trying to overcome. It might be a step back actually. Instead of making racial comments out loud people have resorted to posting them on the World Wide Web, wow! I believe the media creates drama and misleads the public, but in this case it’s impossible for the GOP activist, Rusty DePass to spin this one off on the media. Whether they created too much drama with it or not, it is still a racist comment. One about the first lady, at that! Not only is this man racist but he’s clearly stupid as well. It’s ignorant to think a so called joke comparing the first lady’s ancestors to gorillas would be taken lightly. Second of all, to post such a thing on facebook brings him down to an even lower level.
It is a shame that Columbia, South Carolina gets stuck with this man’s racism sticker, because his actions do reflect back to the town. People are going to wonder if that’s the mentality of Columbia. Is it just another southern town stuck in the past? I personally don’t assume that, but I’m sure there were many assumptions similar to that. Also his comment reflects back on GOP activists as a whole. If he didn’t have enough respect for himself or even the first lady not to say such racist remarks he should have at least had enough respect for the places and parties he represents not to make such racist remarks. That being said inconsiderateness can be added to Rusty DePass’ not so good list of characteristics.
I found it utterly ridiculous that although he apologized for his comment he proceeded to say, “The comment was hers, not mine.” He couldn’t just man up, admit he was wrong, and take full blame. He had to make some sort of an excuse for himself and an unbelievable one at that. Did he really think the public was going to believe Michelle Obama called her ancestors gorillas? I don’t know Michelle Obama personally, but what I do know is the public views her as an intelligent and classy woman. They do not perceive her as one that would make such a comment. That’s just another check on his apparently long list of stupidity. Pretending the first lady did make such a comment for a minute though, it would in no way be appropriate for him to repeat it, agree with it, or say something similar to it. Moreover, he reaches the peak of unacceptability upon posting the comment on facebook! Blaming Charles Darwin supporters blows my mind too. That is so outrageous I don’t think I can stand to talk about it. All in all, I’m just not sure which excuse is worse.
I’m glad that this week’s blog was called, “What were they thinking?” I can honestly say that I find myself asking this question very often. Growing up, I’ve always gone to very diverse schools. However, this never stopped anyone from saying a stupid comment that they should have kept to themselves. Being Jewish, in an area where there were people of all different backgrounds yet no Jews, I always heard “Jewish jokes”. Other than those, the leading “jokes” that I would hear were always black jokes. Even though I’m white, hearing people say the N-word makes my skin crawl and makes me very uncomfortable. What’s worse is when people say it so casually that they think it’s just ok. The part in this article that pisses me off the most is when Barrett says, “I didn’t mean it in a racist way.” Really? Did he mean it in a nice way? If so, he needs to think again because there really is no nice way of calling a black person a “banana eating jungle monkey.” I hate when people use cop outs like that. The only reason he apologized or try to come up with some lame explanation was because he got caught saying it. What bothers me most is when people are so ignorant that they don’t even think their comments are offensive in any way. All my life whenever someone would say a joke that offended me, all I ever heard was “Oh, you’re just overreacting, have a sense of humor.” People who have nothing to get offended over have no idea what it’s like to be insulted by a joke that some other dumbass makes. For example, that GOP staff member who sent out that e-mail about Obama. Who primarily makes up the GOP? That’s right, white Christians, who are part of the majority of this country and most likely would not be offended by any stereotypical joke. People do not stop to think about what they say before they say it. I guess they figure that if it can get a laugh out of some people, then anyone else who’s offended by it is just a stiff. When I think of the question, “what were they thinking,” only one answer comes to mind. The answer is that they WEREN’T thinking. That is what I think is one of the biggest problems with this country and why racism still exists. It’s one thing to have a racist attitude about something, it’s another to go and spread it and influence other people. One thing that always bothered me was the issue of Obama’s race. During the election, all you heard was “people aren’t ready for a black president.” He’s half white too! People are so quick to see color that they automatically just say he’s black. With all the commotion about his race, basically his entire internal character was forgotten. Since when does skin color really affect the quality of someone’s ability to do a job? Being white certainly didn’t help Bush be a good president, so I’m sure being half black won’t hurt Obama’s potential of being a good president.
This blog and it’s basic topic has me appalled on many levels. First, the picture of Obama is just completely unacceptable. It obviously indicates or pokes at a racist idea or joke. But what I don’t understand is upon seeing it, why would someone decide to send it to colleagues and friends? This proves that to them this was funny, which is actually what bothers me. It is not necessarily what this picture represents that is the biggest problem, but that someone involved in legislature would deem it so funny that it must be sent for others to see. Literally, what exactly were they thinking at that moment?
Real quick though, I know the picture is just wrong but what really is so bad about it if you actually think. What does it say? Obama is black, and he is the only one? Ok well I didn’t need Sherlock Holmes to tell me that. So what’s the big deal? Really, how is it actually racist? I guess its that Obama is the only black president and that is somehow funny, which is what’s wrong technically, but only if you laugh…
The real issue is not racist photos but people who unintentionally just approve of racial slurs, meaning that without his/her political inhibitor stepping in or someone watching them, they just purely thought it was funny. Like one might say she should have thought before she sent it, well that’s wrong too because when people “think” before they do something they are hiding who they truly are or what they would truly do for the sake of political correctness and to avoid offending anyone. That is what really has me worried, why as a society do we have to stop and “think” before we act. If who we truly are is thinking pictures like this are funny then that’s an indicator that something wrong.
I saw this picture on CNN before this blog and I thought “wow that is so wrong.” But then I thought its not too hard to imagine something like a political cartoon picturing Bush in a cowboy hat, in a redneck joke sort of way. A picture like this would not make CNN, because its funny, but what if you saw a picture, like this one, or of Obama holding a banana. Now you just crossed a huge line, but why? Why is racism broken up like that and racism towards black people is so wrong, when its just as common as against Mexican, or white, etc? This shows me that racism is wrong, obviously, but there is no getting rid of it as long as people are still different from each other, which also obviously isn’t going to change. There is no easy answer to this problem.
After looking at the picture of all of our nation’s presidents, and seeing that Obama is represented as nothing more than a pair of eyes, I was really shocked that someone would portray such an image to the public. The President of the United States is the most prestigious office in our country and Obama is being bashed constantly for something that he is unable to change – the color of his skin. And the fact that it was sent out by an aide in a state legislature is even more inexcusable. That is someone who works closely with others in politics and should understand that actions such as that joke, if you will, are unacceptable, no matter how much one may dislike the president. Because we are not privy to the character of the person who published this picture, we cannot say whether he is a knucklehead or a truly racist person. I personally have friends who will joke about only being able to see the eyes of some of our friends when it is dark outside. They, I know, are simply joking and mean no racist harm to the black individual. However, I know other people, many of the redneck persuasion, who are completely and unabashedly racist. They will make black jokes and drop the N-bomb without a second thought to who hears what is said. So I believe that America is still divided by the average knucklehead and the truly racist.
Perhaps it is just me, but I do not consider “banana eating jungle monkey” to be a racist comment. I fail to see where this specifies a certain race. I think that this comment would be insulting to any person it was directed towards, not just those in a minority. The fact that it was directed to Gates, a black man, may have suggested a racial undertone, but had it been said to a white man it would just have been any other insult.
The comment made concerning the First Lady was also inappropriate in that she deserves a certain amount of respect for being in the position that she is. I mean, did he really not think about the connotations such a comment would have before he posted it? That is sheer stupidity on the part of someone who should know better from being in the public eye. And if you’re going to try to cover up such a stupid, blatant comment, then come up with a better excuse than referring back to Charles Darwin supporters.
We live in a time of political correctness in this country and what goes along with that is conscious thought about what comes out of one’s mouth. We must thing about what we want to say before saying it in order to avoid bad circumstances like the examples in this blog. Everything can be prevented with a little forethought.
There is always going to be people that are going to say stupid thing and do stupid things towards other races. I am not saying this in a good way but as of right now at this point in time the world is messed up and it does not seem to be changing for the best any time soon. People are getting killed and wars are going on just because people are different races, ethnicities and cultures. In relation to the picture show on the blog, people get off on doing stupid things like this even though they know if, and when, they get caught they are going to get in trouble or be criticized in some way for it. It seems that white people want to make fun of Obama for being black but he is just as black as he is white. So in a way aren’t they making fun of a white person? You cannot just make jokes about the black part without hurting the white part too. It’s not he is two face where the colors are evenly defined but instead they are meshed and swirled together. People of authority, power, and popularity especially should not write or say things like this because they are the people that are that everyone see and the people that are followed by reporter and cameras at all times. I am not saying it is right for people lower on the totem pole to speak badly about other races but more often than not the higher people are the ones who take the most criticism. People that email these racial jokes are idiots for doing so because most likely the email is going to get forwarded to someone who isn’t going to like it and that’s when they are going to get into trouble. The worst thing about all this is that if the people that say these things did not get caught then they would never be “sorry”. Its only after it happens and they get caught that they even think about what they did and how it might be wrong. In my opinion if they are sorry for it the second it happens then they aren’t truly sorry and after that it is just an act to please the people they offended. When people that help run our country are making fun of the first lady it not only makes him look bad and stupid but when people of other countries see that it makes the country look stupid too. Then on top of calling the first lady a racist name he went and lied about the fact that she called herself the same thing. If your going to try to say something dumb like that guy make sure that when you try to cover it up that that statement cant blow up in your face too.
O.K. so it is the year 2009 and our President is not white. I don’t know if it is just me but, people really need to get over this. I really do not understand what the big deal is. Is Barack Obama not being white stirring up all this racism in America? This may be the case, it seems like ever since Obama was elected there has been a lot of racial “Slip ups” in the news. Are the true racists coming out because our country is being lead by someone other than a white man? Have people lost respect for this country for that reason? I feel people that do not believe in Obama and he doesn’t deserve these shots thrown at him. I don’t believe he has done anything wrong yet. To have a digital image like that only depicting Obama as a black box with eye balls really shows you how sick some people are. I am not saying the whole country has a sick racist mind but, I get the feeling a large group of people are bitter about Obama winning the election. I don’t like to use this word often in writing but, the Obama black box image is plain stupid. The image is pointless, racist, and mean and is defacing the present leader of our country. Better yet it was made by Tennesse politicians. Aren’t we supposed to trust our politicians?
There is no career in which an employee needs to be more trustworthy than a police officer. I should just ask Justin Barett I am sure he will call me a nice name. It is really outrageous to think a police officer (sorry captain) would go out of their way to call an arrestee a “banana eating jungle monkey.” I forgot that he had friends of all different races. Having friends that belong to different ethnic groups does not give anyone the right to make a blatant racist comment like that. Justin Barett was wrong and then to go and try to take what he said back makes the whole situation look even worse.
Then we have Rusty DePass another politician. Mr. DePass thought it would be funny to make a comment on facebook to Michelle Obama’s ancestors being related to monkeys. Did Depass not know that facebook is available to the public? Does this guy have any sort of a brain? Or was he just trying to see how bad he could insult the first lady without getting in trouble. This seems a little shady to me, why would someone would post a comment like that on facebook and then try and take it back? What did DePass think was going to happen? Anyway, good job Mr. DePass the public now knows what you think of the first lady. I am sure everyone believed you when you tried to take that comment back.
With the police force and politicians making racial remarks it is hard to know who you can trust anymore. The most irritating thing is when people make these types of remarks and try to make it seem as if they had no intention of trying to harm anyone. Today with the media and social networking sites people need to watch what they say and take responsibility for their actions.
It`s horrible how colleagues talk and treat each other, they may just be saying a joke, but there offending others by what they said do or act upon. I think it is ridiculous how people can joke of others like this without feeling bad at all and still rejecting it wasn’t meant the way everyone took it. Well to start off with the image of the presidents that have served for this country. It was surely one made by a hater by so one that doesn’t like the whole idea of a black or color person being our leader. The things that make me think what this person thinks through all those years of slavery in which is still is occurring but not as much. The whole idea was of having equal rights as the United States citizen. In this picture the president is not given any respected. By doing this it show that we still have to keep on working even harder especially now that we start in a right way just be having a color president we as the country are making a change for the better.
I think that people like this that are important to the communities, should have thought to themselves cause now people are getting to know them better or another way in which that they wouldn’t have meet because it going to be hurting their image and plus they will be getting all color people against them instead of with them. The whole situation of GOP Activists comparing Michelle Obama to a “Gorilla”. How could he even dear make fun of her he should have kept it to himself or not publicly said it? Nor did he only hurt her he hurt all women’s around the United States. There was no need for him to insult a color woman especially the first lady he should be punished. No one should ever joke around with some that my hurt other and plus put them against you. To me it seem like there a bunch of haters and races people that need attention in order to be known. It still seems that we as a country still have to work with those who are races. To get them to realize that we are all the same that color shouldn’t make a difference. That we shouldn’t be comparing others to other creatures in this world like the gorilla compared to Michelle Obama because white, yellow, brown, and black we all evolved from apes so color doesn’t make a different. Color was only determined by where your ancestors came from no one choose to be the color they are. So as I said, we still have a long way to go through in order gain respect but those that don’t give it where never should manner or their just immature .
In our world as we see it today, what one person says is it just a joke can be seen as blatantly racist on the other side of the spectrum. What was shown on the blog were both “jokes” in an essence, but jokes for the matter that were taken to far, as well as any racist joke may be. Who are people to make fun of or bash another person for being a different race or ethnicity? We are all humans and it is about time the people of this nation and the rest of the world started acting in a decent manner to each other. Especially such people as prestigious as the Tennessee state legislature. While it’s not right for anyone to make jokes like these when you are that high up in power, the Tennessee state legislature is in a much greater position to be shunned for his actions. It unacceptable for racist comments to be stated publically in the first place, but how does a person know that what they say will leave there home, conversations with our friends, or even emails for this matter. While the poster of Barack Obama with just eyes showing on a black background on one hand doesn’t seem to be all that offensive at first, but when you think more in depth about the message it is sending it’s hard to laugh. Barack Obama is nothing more than just a pair of eyes watching our nation in this time of hardship? I don’t really get it, or what the joke is trying to aim at, other than the fact that he is of a dark skin tone. I don’t know. But this picture reminds me of something I saw a couple years ago. http://www.bushorchimp.com/ Where George Bush is next to photos of chimps that look similar to him, so some would say. But the thing is, I never heard any controversy over this. Although this might not have been put out by a state legislature or even by anyone of importance to this nation, it’s the premise behind it that it still is degrading just like the Obama picture. If it was Barack Obama next to chimps it would be totally different I feel. All hell would break lose whether a Tennessee state legislature or anyone else made this up as a joke. And that’s what seems to annoy me a bit. George Bush got torn apart from every angle possible. People of all different races made fun of George Bush. Comedians of all races had numerous jokes making fun of him, and yes the fact that he was white came up many times. Even if his actions made him deserving of the jokes, the president of the United States is the most well known person on the planet. I’m not saying I was or wasn’t a supporter of George Bush or Barack Obama, they were or are both our presidents and should be respected equally. The one sidedness of our nation is what seems to confuse me the most. I feel no one should get away with being racist, but the fact of the matter is that it IS going to be a reoccurring cycle. So what is there really to do…?
At my first recitation discussion, our group began to talk about a lot of issues dealing with racism and it made me think about what one of the students said, “We are all racist.” Reflecting that with this blog entry, I have to agree. In some degree or way we are racist, whether we would like to believe it or not. And additionally in a sense, we also find ourselves holding back our true thoughts and judgments because we are afraid of what other people will react or think, especially regarding race. This was not the case for these examples. The picture of the presidents with the last picture mocking President Barack Obama was extremely inappropriate and racist. The man represents change and a new path for our society to grow and succeed. Shouldn’t the issue of racism improve? Sometimes I feel the moment we get one step closer to acceptance of other cultures; we move a step back into the realm of racism that never escapes us. Another thing I don’t understand is the borderline between kidding and blatantly insulting someone about his or her race. In Capt. Justin Barrett’s case he said that his “banana eating jungle monkey” quote was a “poor choice of words”, yet he still claimed he wasn’t racist because he’s got all these friends from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. What a load of crap! I’m pretty sure his friends from the other backgrounds would have, and probably were, just as offended as the readers of this email. And don’t get me started on the Michelle Obama incident. Republican activist Rusty DePass had no right to say a comment like that, whether it was about the First lady or anyone else. His Facebook comment seemed so nonchalant that you can’t help but wonder if he’s really sorry for his remark. I don’t want to play the victim and get sympathy, but I know what it’s like to have racial comments coming your way and all you can really think at the moment is, “What are you thinking?” I grew up in your typical white suburban area with a very small portion of minorities. Growing up kids would come up and say, “Why are your eyes so tiny?” and “Do you know karate?” It becomes tolerant after such a long time, but eventually the ruder comments get to you. One time my uncle was addressed in a subway station by a stranger who told him to go back to Vietnam. I’ve been called a chink behind my back. Those are the moments you wish people could stop being so ignorant and racist. That’s a main issue today. We come from all backgrounds and cultures so it’s common and typical for us to joke and kid with one another. But when do you really know what a person’s intentions are when they make a comment that could go either way? At the end of the day we need to understand the boundaries racial comments. After these examples and many others the media entails, I believe we're still struggling against racial comments that have gone over the edge.
I’m so glad that the issue of the remarks made by a Boston police officer about Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was mentioned in this blog because I was appalled by this whole situation, beginning with Mr. Gates’ arrest in his own home. Has anyone ever seen the movie National Security with Martin Lawrence? The whole movie is because of one scene where Martin Lawrence’s character is trying to get into his nice car but he left his keys in the ignition and the door is locked. An officer comes and begins to question him about his actions because the officer thinks a black guy trying to get into a nice car looks suspicious. In the movie, you laugh at the whole situation because the men, after going through a lot of entertaining events, become friends at the end and all is well.
Going back to the Gates arrests, an officer comes to question a black man who is trying to get into his nice home because it looked suspicious to a neighbor. Come on! Did this person just move into the neighborhood? I can tell you of all my neighbors here and I just moved here three weeks ago! What was she, (the caller), thinking?! And there is a sad ending to this story. Obama, the president himself decides that this is such a large issues that he gets the men together to talk over a beer. And they still don’t see eye to eye on the whole event. (And by the way, if that’s not the most remarkable action taken by an American president to deal with the racist issue in our nation, I don’t know what could top it)!
The “banana eating jungle monkey” remark made by the Boston police officer, a man that is supposed to be the role model to people in the community and country, a man who is not supposed to be biased because of his job of serving and protecting everyone, was inexcusable. How can he say that he didn’t mean it in a racist way? Is there another way to understand this? No! Then he came up with the excuse used most by white people to prove that they are not racist- “I have friends from all racial and ethnic backgrounds.” Bull crap. He is probably talking about people he works with not people he has over on a weekend for BBQ and beer.
The first photo of this blog, all the presidents and such, is funny. I mean, clearly you know that they are just doing it for a laugh. When Bush was president, (thank god that’s water under the bridge), I would see cartoons of him making up words, drinking and doing drugs. It’s on family guy! It’s what people do to pick on the presidents. Obama is so awesome that the only thing people can pick on him about is his skin color. Just laugh off the picture, be glad it’s not something worse and true like Bush’s. I think that if the only thing a person can come up with to pick on another about is his/hers skin color, then the world is looking pretty good because soon we’ll all be brown anyway!
For my Journal this week, I decided to write about the picture of the U.S. Presidents with Obama’s picture simply being a blackened square with his eyes showing. This picture upsets me to the highest degree. To me, it seems like there is always an “Obama hater” out there. What I mean by this is that people are just so upset about having a Black President, and can’t even fathom having a president who is African-American, that they can’t even see the type of person Barack Obama is underneath. In my opinion, he was much more qualified for the job than John McCain and Hilary Clinton. When Barack was elected and was proclaimed to be the first African-American president this country has seen, the first things that came to people’s minds were: He’s not 100% Black, he is half white and half black. Wow! Seriously though? Why is it that other people can’t let Black people be proud for even the slightest millisecond? Anything good that happens to Black people is automatically shut down by another race, primarily White.
In case some people didn’t get the memo, Barack Obama is OUR president for the next 4 years, and he is Black. So we need to get over it eventually. We need to stop the talk about how he is only half Black. Because if Barack Obama was doing any other job other than the presidency, he would be classified as Black. For people who don’t know, President Obama falls into the category of the “One Drop Rule”. The One Drop Rule states that if you drop one drop of black paint into a can full of white paint, the white paint is no longer “pure” and is no longer 100% white; it has some black in it. The same goes for race. Anybody with an ounce of African-American heritage should be considered African-American. Obama shouldn’t be considered anymore White than he is Black.
Anyway back to the picture, I believe that what this Tennessee state legislature aide did was wrong. I believe it was blatant racism, something that is common in this country. Even as a joke, this picture crossed the line. I didn’t see any of the White presidents have empty white squares with just their eyes. I think what’s even funnier is that Barack Obama is even dark-skinned.
I made a comment to one of my friends about this picture and his response was: “If we could make fun of Bush, why can’t we make fun of Obama?” Well, the difference is that American made fun of Bush because of the speeches he made, or what or how he talked about things. Obama’s mocking is solely racist, everywhere you turn. There was even an article in the New York Times depicted Obama as a monkey.
When I see things like this, it just makes me wonder, what is really going through a person’s head when they publish something like this? In the Obama instance, I find it very offensive and distasteful for the picture used for President Obama. The Tennessee legislator and everyone involved with it should be ashamed of itself for this blunder. The legislator should be a highly respected office, and should not be publishing racist items like this. It makes the state of Tennessee look bad as well as the rest of our government. I do not want people to think I live in a racist country. Also I do not want people to assume I’m a racist, because I am far from a racist. The incident with the officer is another touchy subject. A Boston police officer and member of the Massachusetts National Guard sent out an email to many people calling Henry Louis Gates Jr., “banana eating jungle monkey." This is a terrible statement to come out of anyone’s mouth, not to mention a police officer! He then tried to cover it up by saying, “it was a poor choice of words," Barrett said. "I didn't mean it in a racist way. I treat everyone with dignity and respect." Regardless of what he said afterwards, it was still a racist thing to say to Mr. Gates. The act was done by a person of high regard, who we do not usually suspect of making statements like this. In the future law enforcement agencies, as well as other people who are in the limelight of society, need to make sure they are not offending people. Rusty DePass, GOP activist, made the statement, “In which he made a facebook comment stating that a gorilla that escaped from the zoo was probably one of Michelle Obama’s relatives.” GOP activist Rusty DePass tried to cover up his comment about Michelle Obama by saying we all evolved from apes. I laughed when I read that statement. Does he think American’s are that stupid, and actually believe him? It was a poor cover-up to the very racist comment he previously made. People in power need to watch what they say. White people will always be called racists and rightfully so when powerful white people make racist claims. They are put in office to represent us as a whole, and this makes Americans look bad. Racism will always be a problem in the United States and it needs to stop. Black people and white people will always live in the same country together. We need to accept these facts and just respect people. Nothing is going to change if we make racists comments. Except there will be a lot of unhappy people in this country.
It’s September 11, 2009 and yes our president is black. As everyone already knows, there are some people out there who have a problem with the simple fact that he is a black man. They don’t care how good of a man he is, or how educated he may be. They are only worried about the fact that he is black man. To this day no matter how bad we try to hide it we need to realize that as much as we say that we are making changes and that racism isn’t as bad, we need to see that racism in the United States is still very much alive. We still hear racial comments made by public figures in the news almost every month. Each and every time it is a complete shock to think that these well known public figures are making these comments as if it is no big deal, and then think that by making a public apology it solves everything when in reality to me it doesn’t.
As for the statement when the gentlemen called another gentlemen a “banana eating jungle monkey” it was completely uncalled for, and not only offensive to many African Americans, but many other races as well. To call anyone or refer to any human being as any type of animal is extremely offensive and wrong and should really never be done.
Towards the poster of the presidents, I realize that it was supposed to be a joke. However, the joke wasn’t funny what so ever and was at the expense of our president which is wrong. It is one thing to bash the president for the things he may say or his policies, but when it comes to making racial statements it truly crosses the line. It is as if these people aren’t thinking these things through and are constantly acting before they even begin to think of what the consequences may be. The fact that people can solely hate people due to their skin color and religious background is crazy to me, especially being a women of color. The fact that people don’t take the time to get to know someone for who they truly are is wrong and everyone deserves that chance, instead of being judged by their outward appearance.
Even though we will never be able to fully abolish racism in our society, we as a society should attempt to think before we speak. And if we feel that we must say something that will most likely be offensive then it should remain in private. We also need to take a good look outside the box and realize that if the roles were flipped that we wouldn’t want someone to make those same comments about us. So in the end we must rise up and overcome because I know that we are all better than that.
Even though the president of the United States is a colored person, that doesn’t mean that the US is completely racist free. Of course, electing a half black American as the president of our country is a huge step in the direction of reducing racism. However, there is always going to be racism in the world. Racism basically stems from the fact that there are so many different looking people in the world that some find it comical to mock a black, Indian, or Asian person. It only makes sense that people are familiar with people of their own race and color and find other people funny looking. Despite this fact of human nature, it is still unacceptable to poke fun of a black person in public or through the internet. It’s unacceptable for the Tennessee state legislator to send out such an email because he or she holds a political job that will certainly get criticized for such jokes. However, I don’t find it shocking at all that this joke was made, but instead I find it hard to believe how stupid this person was for associating themselves with this joke.
On another note, some may argue that their racist attitude is based on their heritage. Well, all I can say is that the past is the past and in today’s world racism is unacceptable. For example, the picture of the presidents, sure if some comedian like Chris Rock made fun of this it would be alright because he’s a black guy. In fact, he makes a lot of money by making fun of his own race and white people, and we accept that. However, if a white comedian made fun of black people he’d be called a racist and would lose his job. Also, Barack Obama is not even completely black, and based on the picture I saw in class, he comes from several different types of backgrounds. Racism is unacceptable because it basically caused slavery, but it will always be a part of the world. It’s the tolerant people who need to step up and help the intolerant people get passed their past.
In this day and age, most people know when a comment is racist, but it’s hard to stand up for what is right because the whole racism issue is so delicate. In other words, it can escalate very quickly. Take the video of the mayor who made a racist slur about Michelle Obama, he labeled her as a monkey and that is the oldest slur in the book. This slur goes back to the times of slavery when white people called black people porch monkeys. Clearly those people are uncomfortable associating themselves with different ethnicities and that’s a shame. However, if they can’t change their views, then they shouldn’t say anything in the first place.
In today’s society you would think that politicians and other important media figures would watch what they say. You would think that from all of the previous issues and controversies that have occurred in the world, they would learn. You would think they would want a positive reputation nation and worldwide. But, it occurs that this is not the case, and this shocks me.
When such a large percent of Americans have easy access to a camera, recorder, or even a cellular phone, why do people still continue to talk racist, especially so openly? Any small thing an individual says can easily be recorded and sent out publicly within minutes. And within a few more minutes, blogs and articles will be posted about these inappropriate words or actions. From then on, it continues to spread until that political or media figure cannot even explain a purpose for their actions. These posts cause so many different issues. And, while I do think that the articles posted on the Internet cause such chaos and problems socially, I still feel no pity. The Internet was made to inform people of things whether they are negatively or positively affecting society.
So many individuals watch their actions and words on a daily basis, no matter what they are thinking. They know that there is a time and place for everything and every word. So, what makes these political figures think that they do not need to do the same? What makes them think people won’t instantly react to what they say, when everyone knows they will? They are looked upon and supposed to represent our country, not cause more tension between the citizens and other nations. Racial slurs are not accepted in any shape or form! When South Carolina GOP Activist, Rusty DePass, compared First Lady, Michelle Obama to a gorilla outbursts were sure to arise. Yes, it is believed that ALL humans did evolve from chimpanzees. We are so similar to this animal species. In fact, 96 percent of our genetic material is shared with these chimpanzees, but this is still absolutely no excuse for what Rusty DePass said. Do you ever hear a person comparing a Caucasian American to a gorilla or chimpanzee? Chances are no. So Mr. DePass comparing the First Lady to a gorilla is appalling to say the least. Michelle Obama and her husband should be proud of what they accomplished. The first African American president deserves praise and support, not discouragement.
Racism was part of America’s past. Textbooks, grandparents, etc. can tell us this first hand. But it should not still exist! America is the melting pot. All different citizens from different nations come to enjoy what we have and enjoy on a day-to-day basis that others do not. They come to the United States to get away from their underprivileged countries and to benefit what we can offer to them. But, if people continue to act and speak the way they do, America might be going back down the wrong path.
First I just wanted to how ridiculous this picture of President Obama is. Anyone who finds this remotely amusing should evaluate themselves as a conscious human being. However this act further exposes and confirms how much racial hatred we still have lingering here in America. It’s scary to think that any person could do an act like this, let alone parts of the Tennessee State Legislature. Along with that we have this GOP activist calling the first lady such terrible offensive words. Now, as being white I do not know how it feels to be called a “banana eating jungle monkey” but I will bet that can be very offensive for African-Americans. This story when I first heard about it really made me wonder about the level of intelligence this person has. Obviously he has no respect for black people and especially not the first lady of the United States. I can’t think of any reason to ever say those words. As Sam stated, I definitely agree that these words come from a deeper sense of racism that lies inside of this GOP activist. No who respects other races even considers saying these horrid words let alone actually says them. And as if saying them wasn’t bad enough, just go direct them about the President’s wife. The only rationale for someone to utter these words is pure racism. I know people joke sometime about all types of races but usually no lines are crossed. These words could never be considered as a joke as they cross many lines that should never be approached. If this guy is saying this over a public network he knew exactly what the consequences were. I don’t even want to imagine what this man talks about to his close friends. If he pulls out “banana eating jungle monkey” in public, I hate to hear what he holds back. This was no slip of the tongue in this case. Conversely I feel that the majority of people support the President and hope he will make some changes. We came a long way to finally have a Kenyan-American president and I think I was long overdue. He has enough on his plate with trying to fix the country and get America back up on the totem pole where it once was, not to worry about inconsiderate people like this GOP activist.
In response to the N word I have some thoughts about it. How can a word be so offensive? I agree that it may indeed be offensive but its only a word. Like Sam said, there is nothing anyone can say to offend him. This is remarkable to think about as today I find people getting offended by words all the time. Whether its calling a Chinese people Oriental or a white boy a cracker I feel getting worked up and angry over trivial words is something we need to evaluate.
Also one last unrelated note… Why is “Obama” come up with a red line under it as a mis-spelled word. And if that wasn’t bad enough when you click to correct it the first word up is Osama. “Microsoft… Can we have this fixed…thank you, America” That’s right they’re too busy photo shopping out black people of their ads.
LMAO, This former activist thought he would just say Michelle made this comment prior to him. Why would the first lady make fun of her own family? I’m quite disappointed that a man of his stature could belittle himself with a less than twenty-five words. I guess he wasn’t as smart as the people of Columbia thought. Although this issue from face book made it’s way all over the world and in the news, Michelle hasn’t commented on it. I commend her for being bigger then that and not allowing some man’s ignorance to cause her to act out of character. Michelle Obama is a lady, a first lady to be exact and a lady never stoops to ignorant people that aren’t worth two pennies.
I wonder what her husband thought about this comment or the individual that posted the comment on face book? I know if I was he I would of made him pay extra taxes or get secret services to plant something illegal on him. Lol. Okay maybe that’s not the correct approach, especially for the president of the United States of America. He probably figured that his wife could handle it or maybe that the situation was not important or worth his time. Like the man has to worry about saving our country, and world peace, so stupid activists doesn’t cut it. Personally, I don’t think she looks like a gorilla or see a resemblance. People say anything out their mouths today. Some don’t have morals, values or respect for anybody. For example, the guy who posted the comment does not care about Michelle. He probably does not take politics seriously either.
Well hopefully this story all blows over, because it’s not that serious to be wasting our time. I hope his mayor feels embarrassed and disappointed. I feel bad for his family they are so going to hear negative comments from the individuals around their neighborhood. Okay, I might be over exaggerating things a little. The comment wasn’t that severe. I hope this activist learned his lesson and learn to think first with his brain before speaking out loud or typing something on the Internet. The Internet is the worst source of evidence especially if what you wrote is wrong or discredited among the world. Now its time to focus on the positive things that Obama is doing and not foolish people. I want to see more of that being mentioned in the news instead of nonsense. It kills me how our society works. I really want to know who decides what gets airtime and what news doesn’t. I also want to know how they figure out what’s important enough to keep mentioning everyday and what only gets mentioned once. It’s tragic people…
Apparently we have many people who were absent that day in Kindergarten when we were taught that if you have nothing nice to say then don’t say anything at all. Racist jokes are not funny, especially when they are directed towards the President of the United States and the First Lady. How much more disrespectful can it get? The portrayal of Obama in the poster of the headshots is not the least bit funny. A man who is supposed to represent equality and change in our country should not be represented like that, and I find it highly offensive. I was disgusted to find out that a police officer would put such a racist remark so out in the open. Aren’t police officers supposed to be unbiased, and see everyone as equal? Now we know this isn’t the case. However, given the responsibility that police officers are entrusted with, they should at least not expose any racist feelings that they may have. The story regarding Rusty Depass made me the angriest. It is frightening to see that a man like Depass has anything to do with politics in our country. I was horrified after watching this video. Not only did he humiliate himself, but he also embarrassed the Republican Party as a whole, and I would imagine there are quite a few people very angry with him. I do not understand what this guy was thinking. Did he really think his racist remark would not offend people? Even though he attempted to make excuses, one cannot deny that his comments were racist. This was not a comment that just slipped out of his mouth, or was misquoted, which makes it even more inexcusable. If he had the time to write it on his Facebook, then he had the time to think about what he was saying. There are some thoughts people should keep to themselves, and this was clearly one of them. I am sure there are people who think his comment was funny, but I do not think many of those people would have the nerve to publicize it. In my opinion the comment is not funny at all, and Rusty Depass should never be taken seriously again as he is clearly an uneducated fool. Although he was very disrespectful to Michelle Obama, I have more sympathy for Depass. Michelle Obama is a well-spoken, poised, intelligent lady. Even though the comment was incredibly disrespectful to the first lady, she will be able to move on and become stronger from this, for she has the majority of the country backing her. Depass is clearly a closed minded, arrogant idiot, and will probably never change. In the incident regarding Rusty Depass I do not think the “attack of the racists” went too far. He will never be able to live his comment down. When anyone hears his name the first thing that will come to mind is his ridiculous statement, and I think that’s exactly what he deserves. He brought this embarrassment upon himself, and there is no way to reverse it. You would think that he would have come up with a meaningful apology, but his actions to follow his comment only dug him deeper into a hole. How could he even try to justify what he said?
This story must teach people who are public figures and have the interest of the media that they have a responsibility. With one dumb comment, Rusty Depass managed to humiliate himself, the first lady, the Republican Party and the majority of the United States for having such an ignorant man in power. Racism exists within many people; one cannot deny that simple fact. However, it is one thing to feel bigoted nonsense, and a completely different thing to publicize it to the world.
Despite the fact that racism has existed in some form for centuries, it still surprises me that it is so common in today’s civilized and intelligent society. What is even more shocking is tat it comes from prominent people that we feel that we should trust like politicians, police officers, and businesses. It seems as though racists everywhere have come out of hiding since Barack Obama first announced that he would be running for the president of the United States. It is so disturbing to me that so many people were outraged by the fact that he is a black man. He isn’t even a hundred percent black after all. He is half white. The “joke” picture showing a pair of eyes in the pictures of all of the presidents is by no means funny. Why is it a problem that Obama is black? Does being black change the fact that he is intelligent and was elected by our country to be the president of the United States? No. So to make fun of his race is completely ignorant. The fact that the e-mail was sent around by an aide in the Tennessee state legislature is flat out embarrassing. You would think that someone of that status would have a little more respect for the leader of our country. I am not even a democrat, and I did not vote for Obama, but I still respect him as our president and as an intelligent, competent man even though he is black. It shocks me that we still cannot see beyond race and color.
The fact that a Boston police officer called Gates a “banana eating jungle monkey” is just absurd. I cannot even imagine what was going through the officers head when he wrote that email. In his apology he stated that he did not mean it in a racist way. Well then what kind of way did he mean it? People as ignorant as this man truly sicken me.
One of the most shocking stories of racism is definitely the Republican activist who called the first lady Michelle Obama a “gorilla”. If you are a person of any type of power or authority (such as a politician or police officer), I cannot believe how stupid you have to be to make such a huge mistake by saying a racist remark. Do these people not think that it will circulate to the media and public? It’s just plain ignorant. What’s worse is that this man decided to blame it on supporters of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. He remarked that Mrs. Obama had said it first because she believed in evolution, so clearly that makes it okay, right? I don’t think so. Even if I had such nasty, horrible thoughts, I feel like I would have enough self control to keep them to myself. I hope these racist people learned their lesson by being exposed to the public and the media.
First of all, it is worth pointing out the extreme lack of common sense that some people have. Sure, the picture of the presidents is a joke, but you have to remember what kind of occupation you have. This is not just an interoffice email passed through a small business; this person works in the Tennessee state legislature. You do not have the opportunity to pass anything around that won’t find its way leaking to the public. Secondly, the picture itself is simply inappropriate. You may be a GOP aide and feel the natural impulse to oppose the Democratic Party, but this is your president that you are offending. Unfortunately, your party lost the election in 2008 – accept it. We all have to live with the president that is elected, whether we like him/her or not. In any case, the picture is racist and is very emblematic of the depth that racism can go. If we still have people within our government that are racist, then we are being led by some of the most hypocritical people ever. The United States of America, as any person should know, stands for equality and opportunity for any person no matter who they are or what they look like. Those who are elected to represent us, the people, should not be the ones who show racist material. This includes the police captain who used the expression, “banana eating jungle monkey.” Someone in that position should not even think about making any kind of comment of that nature. Furthermore, referring to the video, the same concept applies. Not only is it one of the most offensive things you can say about someone, you are saying it about the First Lady. And again, he put the comment on one of the largest and most popular social networking sites. What was he thinking? He obviously doesn’t remember that he is a political figure and everyone hears everything he says. I understand that these people are human and that they can make mistakes, but people of their status should at least think hard before they speak. Not to mention his desperate attempt to explain himself was pitiful. It was almost as if he went back in time to relive his grade school years by blaming his comment on her. That is one of the saddest defenses a person could use. Unfortunately, the depths of racism in this country can dig pretty deep. But attacks aimed at racists can sometimes be unwarranted. The example of the person who used the word “niggardly” is a perfect case. Personally, that was a vocabulary word in my high school, so it’s surprising that some people don’t know the definition of it. But in any case, that person should not be condemned for using a word in the English dictionary that is in no way offensive. Sometimes it makes you wonder if people are just looking for reasons to call someone a racist.
Yes, the President portrait with President Obama was wrong. Yes it was disrespectful. And yes, the people who sent out the picture should apologize and be punished. But wait, should they? Why was it wrong for them to put out the picture? They didn’t do anything that was illegal did they? No, they were just exercising their right to the First Amendment. And as long as I, or any other American is concerned, exercising the First Amendment is just fine as long as they don’t threaten anyone. Yes, President Obama is our current president, and the general understanding is that people should not poke fun at our president out of respect, especially not a what seemed to most people to be a racist joke. In my opinion, in this mainly white American society, people have become so careful about what can and cannot be said that might be considered racist. White folks in America today are so careful about what they say because they’re afraid that anything that comes out of their mouths might be taken as a racist remark. Now back to the whole President Obama thing; why didn’t people make a big deal when people kept comparing former President Bush as a monkey? There were numerous cartoons and photoshopped pictures of President George W. Bush with a monkey head, but why didn’t people complain then? But now one comment by a white legislature joking that Michelle Obama compared to a monkey, the white guy’s wrong and he is expected to apologize for the “insensitive” and “racist” remarks. Now isn’t this just racist against the white person? As crazy as it sounds, I think it’s true. People nowadays are just so sensitive about the topic of race that it really just unreal how careful white people have to be when they open their mouths.
As I read through some of the comments posted, I couldn’t believe that so many people though the Tennessee legislature’s picture was racist. Don’t we live in America? Aren’t we pretty much allowed to anything we want or say anything we want as long as it’s not harmful right? Well then why isn’t the Tennessee legislature allowed to post out the picture? People need to calm down and learn to take a joke or two. Just because someone is of a different race doesn’t mean that making fun of that person is racist. I’m pretty sure everyone is racist at heart, even if it’s a little bit. People who say that they see people of other races the same are lying to you, but they’re mainly lying to themselves. Being racist is part of what it means to be human. Asian people are racist towards whites, Hispanics, and blacks. While Hispanics are probably racist towards Asians and white and blacks, and so on. Everyone is racist, although more may feel stronger than others. But everyone is racist. Period.
The idea of sort of stepping outside of the box and maybe outside of the cultural norms is an idea which has plagued my mind since I was in high school. Does anyone ever feel like even if they are surrounded by twenty- five people they are somehow still alone? If your ideas, values, views on life don’t match with those of your peers are you automatically an outsider? I mean in this day and age we’ve all become a little more accepting and a little more open minded but when someone out there spits ideas that go beyond the mainstream beliefs people look at them as if they don’t belong. As a racial minority in the United States I bring with me to the table a culture which has been submerged into the deep seas of “so called” American culture, yet brought back to the surface by my own views and ideas on life. I am a first generation Indian American. My parents came here as most immigrants do for opportunities of a better life for themselves and for their children. In me, they have instilled a great pride in being Indian. Some say it is “easier” to adopt American culture instead of to hold on to your “native” culture but I think that is completely subjective. It is up to the individual whether he/she has been brought up or taught to believe certain things about American culture versus his/her native culture. Being Indian is a culture in itself, but stepping beyond the borders of just being Indian brings many other subcultures into play. Stereotypically many Indian families across the United States generally live in suburban settings sending their children to suburban schools—generally but not always, containing mostly white students. But my story is different; I grew up in the inner city- in an extremely urban environment. For the first eighteen years of my life I was surrounded by every different race or ethnicity you can think of and this has definitely shaped my beliefs more than anything. I have some Indian friends back home that grew up in the suburbs who can’t really relate to the life that I have been given because it goes beyond the so called cultural “Indian norm”. It’s not every day that you see an Indian girl walking around in hi top Nikes quoting people like Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli. In this sense maybe I have decided to step outside the box of my own native cultural norms and embrace a culture which historically is far set from my own. I am no innovator, or any sort of genius that just decided to experience a different culture, but circumstances surrounding my life have made it this way and I consider myself extremely lucky.
For some people, especially those mentioned in this blog, discrimination and blatant disrespect for other cultures, ethnicities, and races has gotten out of control. We are supposed to be moving in a direction opposite that of inequality, but instead we have political and national “leaders” making “jokes” about those who are different than themselves or those who they may not see eye to eye with. As so called leaders and representatives of the people of the United States, these men should be taking a step in the direction of impartiality; they should be inviting those who differ from them into their homes as opposed to making negative racial and prejudiced comments about them.
What must be going through a politician’s head when he is making a collage of the Presidents of the United States and inserts our current leader as a black background with bright white eyes? If that isn’t considered wrong and extremely racist, I don’t know what is. I don’t understand the point that this image is meant to relay. Is Obama any less capable of leading our nation because of the color of his skin? Also, The aide’s status as either a Republican or Democratic does nothing to justify or explain the image. It is not a question of politics, but rather one of decency and morality. This was obviously a thought out and planned process; one which took a great deal of time and effort to construct. I’ve seen that photo before, and it sincerely angers me. We should all expect and demand more of our leaders.
Now, on to Captain Justin Barrett. Who in their right mind could think to call another human being a “banana eating jungle monkey?” And for someone who could do that to claim that they treat everyone with dignity and respect is absolutely bogus. Barrett also claimed that he didn’t mean the statement in a “racist way.” That is impossible because to even possess the capability to think up such a statement, one must be racist or at the very least have racist tendencies. As Sam Richards pointed out with his KKK comment, there aren’t many worse statements that one can make about a black or brown person. Once again, this is a case of blatant disrespect for those who are different from us, and it is not acceptable.
I believe that although Rusty DePass’s comment was extremely out of line and rude, it was the least problematic of the three cases presented in this blog. I simply can’t understand why people make racist comments to begin with, but to say something about the First Lady, which can be read by hundreds of thousands of people, seems completely illogical to me. In my opinion, Rusty DePass should no longer hold the right to be a GOP leader or activist of any sort. What kind of a leader makes comments such as those? It shows a great sense of immaturity and incivility towards others, especially the African American/Black communities.
While it can be said that sometimes people are too quick label others as racist, this blog has shown just how much racism can be found in the U.S., especially towards Blacks. It is obviously upsetting and unnerving to a great number of people, myself included. These racist men and women are getting away with their offenses too easily. They simply pay someone to get them off the hook, and their problem goes away. I think we need to start putting more pressure on these people to do a better job of righting their wrongs. They need to pay greater prices for their lapses in decency and respect for other humans.
After reading all of these, at least I can say that I know that politics and law enforcement have some of the biggest racist that we have right now. That is a shame and kind of scary because there are the people working to protect us and make our states better as a whole. The first thing I thought about when I saw the picture was that is just wrong, disrespectful, and stupid. We have a black president, get over it. If they want to do that to Obama’s picture then at least do something to Nixon’s picture, maybe write criminal above him or even put some bars in the photo. Obama is our president and we should respect him and look up wanting to help the country, as should we do this for all presidents before him. Him being black doesn’t change anything, he still on the election and went through everything every president before him went through, and probably even more because he was black whish is a shame. Then comes the whole “banana eating jungle monkey” and you didn’t mean it in a racist way. The only way you can mean it in a none racist way is if maybe your in the Amazon where they actually have banana eating jungle monkeys but come on your from Boston and a member of the National guard. You meant that in the most racist way possible. The part that made this a little funny to me is when Captain Justin Barrett said he had friends of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. It seems like that is the thing everyone says when he or she get into a tight spot. If someone slips up and says the N word they will most likely say, ohh I have a lot of black friends I didn’t mean it like that. I think it would have been better I would have some respect for him if he just admitted it was wrong. Now the Michelle comment is the one that seems the worst to me and got me upset. I mean the whole Obama picture could have been as a joke and the “banana eating jungle monkey”, well there is really no way to spin that but coming from a police officer it can’t be to odd because they are some of the most racist people but it because they deal with the worst people to deal with. But this Michelle Obama comment was just wrong. This was a comment coming from a person of somewhat high standing in Columbia. You don’t call person’s relatives’ gorillas and insinuated that they themself are a gorilla. Then the worst part is that he tries to blame it on her saying she made a statement that said we are all descendents of apes. This guy really shouldn’t be allowed to do anything with politics if he isn’t smart enough to not post racist stuff on facebook. I do want add that I do feel bad for the guy that got in trouble for saying niggardly, because if I heard him say it I would think it’s a next racist word.
It seems to me that every two weeks, a new story comes up about someone running his or her mouth and saying something racist. The funny part is that these cases are always reported, the media makes a really big deal out of it, people comment on it for weeks, and then someone actually goes and makes that kind of mistake yet again. Another comical consistency in these cases is that the person who runs his mouth is that they always say that they didn’t mean it. When I hear stuff like this, I really have to question the intentions of certain people. So are we allowed to say what we want and then when it’s done its damage, call a press conference and say, “I didn’t mean it”? It seems really unfair that people can have that “wildcard” to cover their true thoughts.
It would be unreasonable for me to think that nobody is racist, or that they at least have racist thoughts. It doesn’t shock me, as everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, and it doesn’t offend me either. There is however something called common decency, which is something that seems to be missing from the people in these stories. Listen, you know when it is appropriate to say something and when it is not. Similarly, you know which channels are appropriate to communicate those feelings and which are not. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to people who say things like that that people are taking offense and that they are getting called on it. If you are “smart” enough to formulate such a thought or “joke”, then you are smart enough to know that it’s not appropriate in a social context. Don’t hide behind your ignorance.
Talking more about the blog and the news story clip, I was very bothered by the remarks made by Mayor Bob Coble. In it he clearly states he believes the comment is inappropriate, and that there is nothing funny about as she is the First Lady. He does not however say it is inappropriate because it is racist, or maybe because she is a woman, a mother, a wife. He seems to only that he shouldn’t say comments like that about the First Ladies, but doesn’t mention anything about race. It is kind of scary to think that if the comments had been about a woman without power, then the Mayor would not be asking for an apology from the guy who said it.
In the end, I think it comes down to decency. You know what to say in certain situations, and that it is not ok to pass judgment or make jokes solely based on the race of someone.
Last week, a prominent South Carolina Grand Old Party (Republican Party) activist Rusty DePass make a comment on his facebook telling that the gorilla that escaped from Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo was probably one of Michelle’s ancestors. This comment refers to the First Lady Michelle Obama. The comment was declared as inappropriate and racist. It is very disrespectful make comment like this about the First Lady. Michelle Obama is the First Lady of the United States and she deserves respect. It is stupid how DePass apologized referring that the comment was hers because few days ago she made a remark about how humans descend from apes. That it is true because we all descend from monkeys. “We are all monkeys”. But that does not mean that he needs to offend her. When somebody calls a colored person by gorilla or monkey it sounds racist. This term has long been known to be racist. We cannot joke with this. We have to remember that a joke is a very serious thing that can cause issues and problems. I do not understand how people can be racist and discriminate others. We need to respect other if we want to receive respect. There is quote that says “Treat others as you want them to treat you because what goes around comes around.” This facebook comment was very inappropriate. Rusty DePass must think before act. He is an adult as an adult he is responsible of his own actions. Sometimes a simply joke can hurt people feelings. It is very inappropriate for him make a comment like this in his facebook. He should think that a facebook is a public website and he could be in trouble for this. How he can compare the First Lady with a gorilla? As a female I feel very disappointment by this kind of comments. He is supposed to be a gentleman and gentleman does not make this type of comments about a woman. Today we are living in a society that we need to find our own values and principles. The most destructive criticism is indifference. In addition, I would feel very upset if I received these kinds of jokes. Make a comment to a lady like this kind of comment has nothing funny. This is very offensive and disrespectful for me. If I would be Michelle Obama I would be very upset. Does not matter if he apologizes or not because what he said cannot be change even though his facebook was canceled. I recommend Republican Rusty DePass to think better for the next time because it does not matter if is a joke or not. As I said before jokes are serious thing. Think better, act better.
I feel like politics seem to have some racial stigma. It seems to be less about legislation and governing but more about the media and deeply submerged in pop culture. I’m not saying it’s not cool to have a president that wants Beyonce to serenade him and his wife but sometimes the media and pop culture are too important. I have read more about Michelle Obama’s wardrobe and toned arms or the Obama girl’s outfit brands or President Obama’s personal past then real political issues. That’s not to say that what was said about the first lady was appropriate or in any way ok. Although the first family’s wardrobe has clearly nothing to do with race, I simply am bringing up the fact that we, as America, are to focused on other topics when there are more pressing matters at hand. Why would a politician say such a thing? Why is he more concerned about her race then his own political work? I’m asking these questions because I cannot wrap my mind around the idea that a person in politics would say such a thing. I can only ask why, because I cannot come up with a reason behind his actions.
Moving on to the poster, every political figure gets mocked for one thing or another. Although I don’t find this picture funny in any way he is our first black president (even though he is half white as well). It is expected, unfortunately, for his race to be brought up. Like I said in my first journal, I believe America is too sensitive to the topic of race. We are by far “colorblind”. In fact, I think our environment forces us to see, notice, and treat differences of race with a magnifying glass. To make sure we see all our differences, and avoid saying the wrong thing or offending someone in some way. It goes back to what I was saying before. Why was a an aide in the Tennessee state legislature taking the time to send out or even make this “joke” instead of working. Racism has been around 140 years since the KKK started racist attacks. In spite of good people objecting to the Klan, we still have them in our society. In fact we now have others, like the White supremacist organizations, practicing Racism and bigotry. It evidently is almost impossible to eradicate. We need to be harder on the people that are in power. I couldn’t help but ask, were there any consequences for these blatant racist actions? However, good people of all colors and creeds can help to alleviate some of the hatefulness of racism by not making or repeating racist jokes, and trying to correct our friends and relative who make racist remarks.
I think the photo of the United States Presidents was really racist and didn’t show respects. There were showing all the pictures of the U.S Presidents but only Obama’s picture is not in there and only a black background with two eyes on it. According to the blog, “The image was a joke sent out in an email by an aide in the Tennessee state legislature.” (Paragraph 1, line 15 – 26). This poster was just a joke but this joke is really excessive.
However, if they don’t want Obama to become President of the United States, why did they vote for him and select him to President of United States? And if Obama become the President of United States as they want already, why does they have to make fun Obama? Why do they think that their joke is fun when it could hurt someone feelings, such as President Obama. Well, why don’t they ask themselves what if somebody going to put their picture online like that and say that is just a joke! So how do they feel? Do they feel bad, sad or mad? Please think careful before what you says, because sometimes it could take you into a trouble that you didn’t think could happen. Even though, you didn’t meant what you says but what you just says just what you were thinking in your head.
Also, the video was really racist. I don’t understand why people are still racist, their mind are still old. What century it’s now? It’s 21st century already. Why they still thinking about skin colors? What is the different between races? Just because of white, black, yellow skins. They are just human skins nothing is different! If they were racist about skin colors, why a lot of people are go to the beach every summer and even on their vacation to get their skin turn into dark’s skin?
I remember that when I was in the class and Dr. Sam said that” we are the same, because we all are came from monkey; and the skin colors is just base on where our grandparents choose to lives when they were travel.” People should know about this too, because they should learn about this in their middle school or high school. As well as, Gates’ comment on the blog it is not only racist but it is also mean and not nice too. Because Michelle Obama is just a woman, he don’t have to says that to her, or just because she is black? What if that woman is a white woman, would he put a comment like that on the blog?
Besides that I was thinking that this 21st century everybody should open their mind already and no more racism; and everyone should treat nice to each other. But I think there are still some people sticking with their old mind.
While I believe that we shouldn’t be political correctness, I do believe there is something called tact. I know that sometimes you have an occasional slip up and a word or two that you didn’t mean to might come out of your mouth, but there are some that have a few more “slip” ups and excuse them as such. Even though that person and I both know it wasn’t just a slip up. We joke around about other races and make fun of them, but it always is excused as a joke once someone is offended. I know that I am subject to making a few inappropriate jokes. The thing about political correctness though is that people aren’t just forced to watch what they say, but forced to use a certain word to describe a certain person. I believe that while you can only be offended if you let it offend you. I still believe that a person should use some tact and not try to offend that person. These are easy concepts to learn, and should have been taught to children at and early age. I believe that the main root of this problem is the falling apart of American families. Kids watching their parents separate, or kids that have parents that work all the time, are more prone to anger and violence. Kids need strong guidance at a young age because they are easily influenced. While the parents of these kids might not be racist, the TV show or DVD they are watching might be. This influence is stronger than one can imagine. The need for the strong American family is there, but the economic struggle of the country is requiring more parents to work. Most of these TV shows and DVDs aren’t blatantly racist, but they will make jokes and have people laugh so it makes it “alright.” I can’t just blame the American family for the downfall towards this tendency for racial diarrhea. I blame the entertainment industry too. They make it seem all right because whenever they make a racial joke, everyone on the show is laughing. They justify the right to make comments of the sort because they are funny. I don’t just blame the entertainment industry either. I blame the individual. While I still don’t believe that political correctness is necessary, I do believe that people should take responsibility of their own actions. Don’t pretend like it was a mistake. Most people know when they are saying something that could be offensive or racist. And just because some actor or actress said on a show or in a movie does not make it ok to say. I hate when people make a racist comment and justify the reasoning for it being ok because it was from a show of some sort. Just because it is in a funny show does not make it not racist. Being of a different race I get it all the time. I am not offended, but some people are.
This picture is very offensive to be blunt. By portraying such blunt acts of racism is no way to close the gap between whites and blacks either. It’s funny too because Barack Obama is not even black. He is half white-half black, and saying he is black is incorrect. So the picture is false in that sense as well. It is a great move forward that we have a Black president if you do or do not agree with his policies and ideas of turning our country into a socialist one. Isn’t that the point of living in the United States of America? To be FREE? Regardless, that’s another topic in itself.
So back to this racist picture, and the racist remarks made about Obama. They are wrong. They should not be made, but there is nothing anyone can do to stop them. When entering this new era of having a black president, our country knew it’d bring a new type of situation. The situation of people who don’t like Obama’s policies criticizing not only that, but the color of his skin. They need something to point at and criticize, and that’s the easiest. People think they are so original with their racist comments, however they are not. It’s immature and needless to say, there is no reason for it in this day in age. As the saying goes, “one step forward, two steps back.” It is a shame.
Every time a person makes a racist remark about our President they do get torn apart. They should not be saying these things in the first place. He is the President of our country! We elected him, and he does deserve the same respect as our other Presidents who were not treated differently for the color on their skin. After all, they all have something in common, a white mother.
These statements and doings do not surprise me though. I have received the racist jokes in e-mails and my jaw dropped. It’s most surprising that high authority figures are throwing out these comments in public. One word I never use and hate when other people use is the “n” word. So the fact that he said it with “dly” at the end is the most surprising to me. The other acts of racism don’t surprise me because I think it was expected. Sadly, when a ‘black’ president was elected, these things should have been expected. Yes, they’re wrong, but because freedom of speech, nothing can really be done, except show these people how stupid they sound when they say it. It’s 2009, haven’t we had enough time to think about how blacks should be equal to us? You’d think so, but others still can’t let go.
The WTF file is a perfect place for these people. I really cannot believe that an actual staff member of the Tennessee state legislature would post that picture up. I guess it does make sense coming from a republican in a southern state, but still it does not get much more immature and racist than that. There is really no other word to describe that action, except racism. The person wants to make it clear that we have a black president. I think it’s kind of embarrassing to be honest. To see someone in our own government make fun of our leader just shows how twisted our society really can be at times. I agree some of these people in this WTF file are people who just make mistakes and say the wrong thing, but this person certainly is not one them. Now the police officer is just a complete idiot. It’s funny, you see all these people making racist remarks, and they all are some professional level in society. That’s another embarrassing part of all this. I am aware that there are people out there are making racist comments all the time, but if you hold some type of authority or important position in society, you can’t be saying nor doing these things and making it public. That is just straight up stupid. And the cop even sent an email to many people, meaning he wanted everyone to know what he had to say about the black guy who got arrested. Of course after he called him a jungle monkey he would say that he is sorry about it. He says he treats everyone with “dignity and respect”. Bullshit. If no one said anything about it, he would not be apologizing about it. It is sad because this guy has apparently been in the force for a good amount of time. He should know what to say and what not to say. Lastly, I have a few things to say about the SCGOP activist. Once again, someone who has some high position, yet making a comment he should not be making, especially on Facebook. Everyone goes on Facebook. He says he is sorry for it, but yet again, because he got caught. Why would you compare our nation’s First Lady to a gorilla? I can’t believe I’m writing a blog about racism where President Obama, his wife, and some random criminal are being targeted with the discrimination. It’s one thing to poke fun at former President Bush on TV shows, but to make fun of your nation’s leader and wife because of the color of their skin? Something is wrong here. The United States of America is a place of freedom, where anyone from any race or religion can live. These people need to understand that.
It has really surprised me after reading these articles on racial slurs made, that they aren’t coming from your random racist citizen but widely known officials, police, and political figures. You would think that they would have more professionalism than to make racial comments attacking people of color. These people are chosen to represent our country in high places with positions of power and they are acting in an extremely inappropriate way.
It is one thing to go as far as insult an officer of color but calling him a “banana eating juice monkey” and than claiming you didn’t mean it in an offensive way? How can that not be offensive? To call any black individual a monkey, or anything like that is offensive. I think that it is pure ignorance toward racism. Many white people think that racist slurs are not offensive and that is completely false. I think that they think that people there are basically slim to none racist slurs for white people. The worst you can do it call them a cracker or something. As a white person myself I think that people don’t get that black people have been discriminated against for so long and they have overcome so much but it still is racism when you make comments like that. White people have never had to overcome racism against their kind, because we were the ones being racist.
The comments about Michelle Obama upset me the most. Respect is a big thing that this country prides itself on, and when you have government officials bashing the First Lady than how can you stick behind that motto? To call the First Lady and her ancestors gorillas is complete and utter ignorance. It is like calling his ancestors something racist. I am glad that the mayor of Columbia had the decency to speak on behalf of him and completely look down upon Rusty’s well know name and face to agree that he was in the wrong. But what I don’t understand again is how these people think that a simple “I am sorry if this offended anyone” speal with make everything all better. Like come on, you just made a racist comment about the President’s wife. How can you possibly think that didn’t offend anyone? This guy didn’t even have the balls to come on TV and apologize in person. Instead he had his top PR representative do damage control and make all his problems go away. Well sorry to warn you buddy but your problems are not gone and everyone is going to remember you as that racist guy that made a racist comment against our First Lady. If that is what this guy were truly thinking, than my advice to him would be to keep his racist mind to himself, because there is enough racism in this world affected us everyday without his input.
In this article contain a lot of racisms that are made up to hurt the people of color such as African American, Afro American and African. This has the biggest year ever of racism toward the people of color or (black people). Sometimes when we come to think of black they said that these people are very far from our society and also they see them as slaves so everything they do and get involved around people just don’t want to get in touch with it at all. Now it comes to the party where it says he has friends from all racial and ethnic backgrounds but this is just a way to make they look better in public, no matter how many black or white friends you have these words can’t hide things behind from being the truth. There is racism everywhere and sometimes they just can’t see it in a way. Seriously this is my first time seeing this news about Obama on the web that they had to make fun of him by putting this silly picture. I can’t think of anything much to add to this article but my point of view is to make sure that people can’t make up stupid jokes like these to ruin someone’s reputation. By saying “banana eating jungle money.” They are trying to refer to the brown or black people as money. Most of the times the attack of racists goes too far, as these go on and as the Captain Justin Barrett asserted that he felt remorse and was sorry for the email and that he is not racist after all but I think this is a way of him showing people how to be friendly with his wise decision which is obviously not after all. If you want them to accept your apology, then prove it to them. President Barack Obama has put all his heart in this country to develop economy such marketing and health care and I would say that some African American feel a little more cocky by him becoming the first African American president in the United States but it is about time that we need a new leader and not just because of his race or skin color that can make him very different from other people around and of course that doesn’t make any sense. People can have judgments on everything that other people do so I think I don’t really care about that much. Let me say this how many kids that born to white when they were a child and raise to be black when they grew up, by that I mean like people go to the beach and spend time relaxing under the sun just to make their skin get darker and nobody says nothing about that.
What were they thinking when these people released those ridiculous comments for the world to see and hear. Did Rusty DePass really think the American people were going to find his comment humorous and witty? Be real now, unless he sees us, the readers, as a collective group of intellectual buffoons who are sitting at our computers with a finger up the nose and drool trickling out of our mouths, there is no way you are getting the meaning of that comment passed us. His comment is just another reason for why political figures should not have facebook and myspace pages, worry about your jobs and let us handle the wall posts and friend pokes online.
As for the blacked out photo of President Obama in a moron’s photoshop masterpiece, it wasn’t even clever on top of being racist! I guarantee you that the guy who made that picture was rolling around in his mother’s basement dying of laughter and forwarding it to his Dungeons and Dragons friends. Not only is it bad that the photo was ever made in the first place, but to have a state legislature send it out in an email is even more ridiculous. My man, you are a government official elected by the people, did you really think that the image wouldn’t come back to bite you sooner or later. Now it is safe to assume, as Sam stated, that the person who sent out the email was most likely from the GOP party, but how would he like it if for George W.’s photo they gave him a beer in one hand and a hefty donation from America’s oil companies in the other.
Captain Justin Barrett, what were you thinking? You’re lucky you didn’t get kicked out of the military for making a comment as ignorant as that. How many men do you think he is in charge of that are not Caucasian and how many of them do you think appreciated those words? Before he made the comment he should have looked at his uniform and remembered that he is representing the armed forces of the United States of America with his words and actions. After that he should have noticed those bars on his shoulders that meant you are not a regular grunt who can say something in the mess hall and only worry about being disciplined with pushups.
To the people of America, please think before opening your mouths, it will save not only yourselves a whole lot of problems, but will also save the rest of us a whole lot of time that we waste in making fun of how ignorant you look. Think, don’t blurt out the first thought that comes to your head because in most cases it’s not the best choice you will make that day.
I think the title for this blog “What Are They Thinking?” fits perfect because whatever goes through some people’s minds is absurd. How can you be as disrespectful as putting a pitch black image on a poster to represent Obama? Not only is it wrong and childish, but seriously give the man a break. I’d like to think some people just don’t think before they act or say something, but in some cases I don’t believe people really care about the consequences of their actions. Bob Coble is completely correct with his comments toward Rusty DePass’s offending comments about our first lady, Michelle Obama. When saying a gorilla is probably just one of Michelle’s ancestors so therefore harmless is such an immature comment, especially coming from a man of his age, and also a former State Senate candidate. It was extremely disrespectful and it is true that a simple apology just isn’t enough. A letter of apology wouldn’t have even been enough and he probably didn’t even write one. He said, “The comment was clearly in jest,” but seriously, this is the First Lady he’s making fun of. And then trying to put the whole thing off later as “the comment was hers, not mine,” just shows he’s trying desperately to redeem himself. With the election of President Obama, it feels like our nation might finally be able to start taking steps forward. However, it’s comments like Mr. DePass’s that bring us a few steps back. Once words like Captain Justin Barrett’s and Mr. DePass’s leave the mouth, it’s pretty much irreversible no matter what you say or do. We talked about in class how the most offensive name to call a white person is “racist,” which in a lot of ways I can see that as true. But when comment’s like Mr. DePass’s make national news, it certainly does make the white race seem racist after all. Also, Captain Justin Barrett’s excuse was “it was a poor choice of words,” but what I’m wondering is how his mind even came up with that phrase or what inside him let those words slip out. “Banana eating jungle monkey,”--who thinks of these things? Also, not only is it annoying to hear that someone made such a comment, but to have to hear about it over and over again on the news just makes you want to turn off the television all together. Luckily for me in a way, I missed out on seeing these news stories when they occurred. I also find it funny that a lot of racist comments seem to come from important people, or maybe that’s just the only ones we hear about, I don’t know. It’s bad enough when normal people make racist comments, but political figures definitely shouldn’t “joke” around like that and they should be prepared for critics and the media to dump on them if they do.
Is “What were they thinking?” the question to be answered here? Because, to answer that bluntly, they weren’t. In reference to the picture someone probably thought they were funny. Mucho fail on their part. The person who made it was probably really excited to post it, too, which is the really sad part.
Banana eating jungle monkey? Really? What are you, six? No sir, you don’t treat everyone with dignity and respect, but you keep telling yourself that to make yourself feel better, while you wish for the whole world turns its head to your stupidity. Kthxbai.
The crack to Michelle deserves the same comment as the above knucklehead. You may think you’re funny but you’re not. Why would you say something like that, especially being someone who’s in the public eye that way? Frankly he got all that he deserved with that one.
I think that the comment about how the things that are in your mind are what escape from your mouth was hitting the nail on the head. I think that most people think these things and only voice them when they don’t feel socially pressured to contain them. And because of those same social pressures, and because people feel so convicted for having the thoughts that they have, they’re also extremely quick to convict someone else, an example being the “niggardly” case. Which brings me to my next point.
I think at some primal level, humans spend most of their time trying to outdo other humans. (The ‘we’re all just monkeys’ video just started playing in my head. Ha. Connections, connections.) Race is a ready-made way to compare, and with the stereotypes and derogatory thoughts attached, it’s easy to turn to that to place yourself on top of that social pedestal, especially for something that someone else cannot change about themselves. I don’t think that some of these people say these things with the ultimate intent of putting down another race, but in a fervent attempt to feel better about themselves. This is, in a word, pathetic. Also, for a lot of the elderly in this country, it was something that they grew up around. My own grandparents being of no exception, they were raised with racist parents or around children who had racist parents and were taught those feelings. The roots of indoctrination run deep, and it’s difficult to get rid of those thoughts, regardless of current social norm.
In closing, I really don’t need to add anything else to the end of this, but I’m 50 words short. So here I sit sighing and thinking about the number of people I have yet to show the monkey video to. Apparently, if you weren’t in the class being taught about how we’re all monkeys it’s not that funny, which is depressing, because I found it hysterical and no one else has. Boo.
Every time that I hear reports of extreme racism in today’s world I am shocked over and over again. To me, it does not seem possible that some people still refuse to accept each other. This hits even harder when those promoting ignorance and hate are members of our government and infrastructure. These should be the ones facilitating our country’s development and progress, not hindering it.
For whoever decided it was a good idea to compile that picture of all of the presidents is just plain rude. It is completely unnecessary to attack any person like that, let alone the man who is leading our country. In multinational firms today, if an email containing any sort of racism or hate towards one group was discovered the creator of the image would be immediately terminated. So, if this type of standard is imposed throughout or business sectors, why should it be tolerated between members of government?
Further, I know it is a stereotype that police officers have a tendency to discriminate against minorities, especially people of color. However, this is not something that we as a society should accept. The fact that a veteran employee of the Massachusetts National Guard would refer to a world renowned scholar, author, and humanitarian as a “banana eating jungle monkey” is completely unacceptable. There is absolutely no way to spin that statement or make it sound any better than it actually is. Yes there was conflict and tension between that individual and the police department but that is no excuse to make offensive, racist comments like that.
Lastly, comparing Michelle Obama to a gorilla just doesn’t even make sense. This is a woman who is admired by many not only throughout the country but the world as well. She is educated and intelligent and in no way warrants any negative comments to be made about her. The fact that this blatant instance of racism yet again came from a person who associates themselves with the government is intolerable.
Overall, these three occurrences have really opened by eyes to the true amount of racism that still exists in our society today. This hits me really hard because I have never encountered disrespect of this magnitude. I consider myself to be an extremely tolerant and accepting person and it is hard for me to understand how others still feel so much hate for people solely on the basis of skin color. President and Michelle Obama should be able to hold their heads high with the accomplishment they have attained by sitting where they are now. They should not have to deal with members of their own country blatantly making fun of them not because of their actions but because of their race. Henry Louis Gates Jr. should be able to go home to his own house without spurring a national controversy.
The line between humor and tasteless insult is often very fine, particularly when race is involved. Often times, people do not realize the crassness and ignorance of their remarks until after they have been made. Clearly, free speech is a valuable tool for the exchange of differing viewpoints and ideas within a society. However, just because one can say whatever they want does not mean their remarks should slide by without repercussions. Political and social blunders involving race are a common occurrence and reveal a lot about an individual’s thoughts and feelings. The good thing about these blunders is that they allow us to examine the cultural factors that cause them to occur. Through this examination and the subsequent reflection, we can learn to see the world through the eyes of others and hopefully become a closer, more tolerant society.
Any time race and humor are put together, there is a potential for sparks to fly. This is not an altogether negative thing, however. Open and frank discussion of race and racial conflict is the only way which we can broaden our understanding of why it continues to exist and how we as individuals can play a part in achieving greater racial harmony. It is important, however, to make a distinction between race-related and racist humor. Merely discussing race, even from a comedic standpoint, is a healthy and natural activity, particularly in a racially diverse society. This type of openness helps us to gain a better understanding of those who are “different” from us and therefore be more comfortable in our interactions with them. Racist “humor”, on the other hand, is purely derogatory and seeks to verify the inferiority or foreignness of other races.
Frequently, the people who make racist remarks do not even consciously realize the nature of what they have said. For many, these kinds of comments are perfectly acceptable and even expected within their cultural surroundings. With others, though, such as the GOP activist from South Carolina, the situation is more complex. Given his status within the realm of politics, it seems awfully unlikely that he could expect to get away with making such a blatantly offensive remark about the First Lady. Clearly, his comment was not intended for a public audience, but the fact that he made it on a popular social networking site is a sign of even greater ignorance. Evidently, he saw this as a perfectly acceptable quip to make in an open forum. In a world where the public and private spheres continue to blend into one another, there will surely continue to be more blunders such as these. Situations like these are interesting because of the effects they have on people’s “filters.” Essentially, people become more likely to reveal their inner thoughts and feelings under the apparent guise of technology. Though the individual from South Caroline is only one public figure, and a rather minor one at that, he is certainly not the only public figure who harbors such racist viewpoints. As technology continues to break down personal barriers, it will become increasingly difficult for people to hide their personal views from the public.
Although not surprising, it is certainly appalling that in this progressive day in age there are still people who feel the need to inject racist ideas into society. I certainly feel as if Barack Obama’s election opened people’s eyes to the fact that times are changing, yet it seems as if some people feel the need to turn back the clock and prohibit the future from taking place. The issue arises with how people view either their own racist comments or those of another. It seems as if people are not able to comprehend what it is they’re saying and seem to feel as if it is harmless fun. Harmless fun is not disrespecting the President of the United States solely because of his race. Moreover, the most alarming aspect of the issue is who is behind these actions. As citizens of this nation, we like to think that the people behind our government stand for the same values that we do and will not resort to such levels of blatant disrespect. People, especially those in government, should be congratulating this man on his accomplishment, not magnifying the least important issue regarding his ability to run this great country. There is no doubting the fact that everyone has a right to an opinion and no idea should be shot down simply because it is in stark contrast to theirs. However, these opinions should be of substantive issues that matter, such as the economy, or how healthcare will be provided, not his race. The situation regarding Henry Louis Gates Jr. was an instance no less harmful than the one involving President Obama. Although I’m sure the members of the police force and National Guard found the nation of calling a man a “banana eating jungle monkey” to be quite humorous, this does not rid of the issue and simply make it okay to do such things. Henry Louis Gates Jr. did nothing wrong and for the policeman to make such a statement is hurtful and cruel to say the least. Furthermore, I find it interesting for him to assert that he is not racist. Then what was the point of the e-mail? It certainly wasn’t funny and is indicative of conscious racist feelings that are apparent. After viewing the video that compares Michele Obama’s ancestors to a gorilla, I was shocked that such a thing could come out of someone’s mouth. Although he says he is sorry if he offended anyone, this does not smooth things over. You cannot say such a thing and expect it to be forgotten immediately. Michelle Obama has been an excellent first lady for the country and deserves nothing more than the utmost respect and admiration that this man can seemingly not give. All of the comments and actions found within videos or e-mails are not the least bit humorous and are deserving of consequences. All are racist and all are hurtful and all should be rid of in the future as America struggles to make its land one of equality.
egislature, the Boston policeman or Mr. Depass were done in poor taste. They are wrong comments on many levels, both degrading and setting us Americans back centuries. What I don’t understand however, is why anyone is surprised by these comments. That is besides the point however; the issue here is how can these comments reminiscent of southern white DEMOCRATS one hundred and fifty years ago still be alive and pervading the minds of millions today. Most Americans have moved passed racism, but even non-racist people say racist things. Then there are those like Mr Depass, whom seem to be in the minority who are racist and say racist things. Is one to really believe that Mr Depass wasn’t a racist before they asked his comments? What I am trying to say is that the media knew of this man’s ignorance, and exploited it for television ratings. In my own experience, I know of people who possess racist beliefs, but I don’t need to ask them what they are. I know they have them and that’s the end of it. I don’t need to know how in-depth they are. The media simply made this situation ten times worse. I firmly believe that they knew this story would outrage many and cause the raucous that it is currently causing now. But hey it’s ratings for CNN, so whose the wiser right?
I cannot reiterate how politically incorrect these comments were but at the same time, it doesn’t surprise me. It shouldn’t surprise any reader either. We are in a land of freedom of speech and therefore free thought. Racist comments are part of the territory that comes along with us as students being able to post here on this blog. Hooray for America not being like China who censors all information on their internet. People are going to be ignorant, it’s a part of life. A political cartoon that’s clever (if we were twelve years old again) but highly offensive would bother Obama if it wasn’t coming from an aide in the Tennesee state legislature. Seriously, this aide will never amount to anything surmountable and Obama is the first African/mixed president of the United States. I wonder who REALLY wins in this situation. A Boston cop calls Henry Louis Gates Jr a “banana eating jungle monkey”. Let me get this straight: a police officer said something racist circa 60 years ago that makes him look like a character out of Mississippi Burning? Me being from Philadelphia, would NEVER EVER see that happening, not in a million gagillion years, no-sir-ee. I mean gosh!
As much as we think that all of us are past calling each other bad names based on race, we simply aren’t. It’s a shame that people are still this way, but it’s not that surprising. We just have to keep up the progress and hope for the best.
P.S to my fellow readers: Get off of your high horses, and don’t act like you have never thought a racist thing in your life. People say rather dumb things, even dumber people say dumb things in front of a camera or through an email.
Racism is a horrible beast, but it is one that we must continually persevere through despite a small portion of us still believing in it.
To dislike someone because of the nature they behave in is all right. To dislike someone because of actions they have committed is all right. To dislike someone without personally knowing any information about them is usually wrong. To dislike someone based on their creed, economic class, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and/or ESPECIALLY race is immorally wrong.
What goes through these persons’ minds when they form these assumptions about other people of differences to them self? Absolutely nothing. When the picture of the presidents was made, obviously the originator was doing something racist on their part, but to say the people that opened the email are racist… I have to disagree. The worst part is that if someone had opened that email unknowingly around someone of a different race, they would have most likely lost ‘respect’ points with that person just because they opened it.
"I didn't mean it in a racist way. I treat everyone with dignity and respect." said police officer, Captain Justin Barrett about his racial comment of "banana eating jungle monkey." Oh Justin, yes that is when you were not thinking. Was it maybe because of the way Barrett was raised by his parents? Possibly. Was it maybe because of an incident in his past? Possibly. Was it 100% entirely and utterly wrong for him to make such a comment, especially as one who is supposed to uphold the law and set a good example for others to follow? YES.
Now I will admit, I am from predominately white area and you can see how the passing of knowledge from grandparents to parents to children has in some cases passed down; and it is utterly sad that these people are not educated and raised in a better sense. However you can see in the area I am from, that in comparison to their elders, my generation is much less uptight with race and people of different culture.
The point I am trying to make is that people, To dislike someone based on their creed, economic class, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and/or ESPECIALLY race is immorally and entirely wrong. Racism is not the only problem; it is the problem at hand right now because we are in a time where every one of different races is finally being recognized as equals, at least to most people of our age group. The world is an ever changing place and as hard as it may seem, we may have a president of a different creed, sexual orientation, gender, and race of what any other president has ever been. To those who do not like the idea of that, get used to it. Welcome to the universe where anything is possible as long as you can dream it.
“What the F are they thinking” is a thought that I’ve had plenty of times over the course of my life. Growing up in a relatively small suburban town with very few minorities, I’ve been around plenty of racists and bigots. Countless times I have heard comments much worse than the one that the Republican activist made on his Facebook. What these people do not realize is that these types of comments make them seem just plain ignorant and foolish. I was never really raised with any type of racist sentiment in my home, so when I hear racist comments day after day by some of my closest friends it makes me feel ashamed that I grew up in the same area as these people. They never think of how a person of another race would feel if they ever heard the comments that were said. It is ridiculous that even in the year 2009 people still have these types of racist thoughts and have such utter disregard for those of a different race.
In terms of the specific racist incidents mentioned in the blog, I am not in the least bit surprised. The picture with just Barack Obama’s eyes is blatant racism and is a complete slap in the face to him. Sure, it is ok to disagree with his health care plan or his foreign policy, but to attack his skin color is a disgrace. This is not a shock to me at all, however. I remember discussing the election with several people in the months leading up to it. There were people who knew nothing about his policy or even the policy of his opposition. These same people, however, planned to vote against Obama because they “did not want a black president.” It is this type of attitude that makes me think that no matter how good of a job Obama does during his presidency, there will always be racists out there who will downplay his success solely because of his skin color.
I find the apologies that Captain Justin Barrett and Rusty DePass issued ridiculous and actually insulting. These two tried to claim that these comments were just made in jest and that they are not racist. They must think that the American public is really dumb. These comments were clearly racist and demeaning, and a half-hearted apology is unacceptable. They come across as downright ignorant and intolerant. It is these types of statements that show how much progress still needs to be made in this country. If people in the public eye are making these racist remarks, it depicts how much racist still actually exists. I have no sympathy for these people who made the comments and they deserve all of the negative press that they are getting.
Such racial topics as “What were they thinking” posted in the blog seem to be a topic that is very close to me. Throughout my life, I was experiencing racism in different ways. As a Pacific Asian, I attended American schools for my entire education and felt left out among white people. The issues brought up in this blog showing clear racism towards President Obama and his wife is something that needs to be concerned seriously. Different colored skin does not mean anything. I personally think that all people are equal and they do not deserve in receiving such harsh comments and jokes. People that make such comments may think that the comments are just jokes for laughs, but the ones that are the victims of such comments can have mental shock.
In my experiences, the people that make such racial comments do not know that the comments that they are making are offensive to the others. Stereotypes play a heavy role in making racial comments. Recently when I was walking past McDonalds on College Avenue, a random white male that was obviously drunk came in front of my path, stopped me and said “Oh, I Love math!” A common stereotype about pacific Asians of doing well in math made this kid make such stupid comment. They may think that it’s just for a laugh, but I got furious when I heard what he said. Until I said “Thank you for serving me French fries last night” to the kid, he was pointing and laughing at me as if I was a caged monkey in a zoo. When I made my comment, he got furious and almost got into a fight, but my friends stopped me and the kid. This incident shows that before they experience comments themselves, most people do not know if it is really offensive or not.
The comment made to Michelle Obama doesn’t seem to be surprising to me. I know a lot of nicknames or racial names made towards black, “yellow-skinned” Asians like myself. There are many that come up to my mind, but the most offending one was “Yellow monkeys.” One time when I was in high school, a white student of my same age made a comment towards my friends and I saying “God those yellow monkeys are so damn loud.” Such comments made me ask me why people have to make such comments just because of the fact that our racial background is different. Since I received both Korean and Western education, I am very open minded compared to the people of my race. Both cultures have many positive features and they deserve to be respected and not put down. People’s racial comments can ruin a person’s life, and may even have the danger in ending it. All people need to be respected.
I think what that aide in the state legislature did with the picture of the presidents is absolutely ridiculous. A man in that position should have respect for our president of the United States. This is one reason why racism is still a problem today. One person makes an ignorant joke like this and then people laugh at it. It’s completely unacceptable. Society isn’t going to grow if things like this keep coming up every so often. I mean I can maybe see this happening if it was a young adult who doesn’t know better to do something like this but an aide in the state legislature of Tennessee, that’s terrible.
These kinds of things need to stop immediately before racism gets any worse. When young kids see this being done especially if it’s an adult doing this then they will think that’s its ok. It doesn’t matter if it’s the president or someone else that the aide was insulting it’s still not ok. When young people see this picture they are going to think that’s its ok to make fun of colored people and to have no respect for our president and these two thing is something that we do not want our kids to think that it is ok. In this case, this is our president of the United States of America. Not everyone has to respect him but doing something like this is just wrong. If someone doesn’t like the president then that is their business but people don’t have to express it in this manner. They can be more respectful about it or just don’t say anything at all.
In a way this isn’t too surprising to me. I have seen similar things towards President Barack Obama in the past. I just thought that since he has been our president for almost a year now that these kind of sick jokes were getting old and starting to die out. I also feel that some of the southern states can also be a little more racist than other parts of the United States. I would be even more surprised if this came from someone in New York or somewhere up in the northern region. My thing with this is that if someone has a problem with the president and if they want to express themselves about it do it in a respectable way, and in way that not offensive to a race or a specific person.
Overall I think that this is just completely unnecessary. This is our President of the United States of America none the less. People need to accept color in the white house and throughout the rest of the world. Hopefully these kinds of things will start to decease in the future and people will be more understanding.
After reading this blog, looking at the picture, and listening to the news cast, I am in shock that in this day of age we still have people who solely judge on the color of ones skin. Come on, it is 2009 and people are calling the First Lady of the United States a “gorilla.” The guy didn’t even have a good response or apology to his remark. To post that on the internet, and then make up an excuse about it being a joke to Michelle Obama almost as bad as if he had just admitted he said it. And then we have in the picture of the presidents, her husband, the president of the United States depicted solely as the color black. Is this really how people view the leader of our country, just as a color?! They say that it is suppose to be a “joke.” I have a good sense of humor, but when I looked at that picture, I was disgusted. I also find it hard to believe that this photo had him smiling, let alone laughing. As it says in the file label, I have to wonder “What in the world were they thinking?”
I understand that racist jokes are common, and sometimes are not offensive, but many people take them in the wrong context or just really take things too far. I admit that I have said some things in rage before, but nothing to the extent of what I see in this blog. To actually create that picture it takes time. And throughout the time the person was creating it, they had to have thought about the repercussions, or realize that it was not funny.
The other thing in this blog was the offensive remark Captain Justin Barrett made about Henry Louis Gates, Jr. As an officer of the law, and a captain none the less, he should hold himself with a sense of respect and honor. Calling someone a “banana eating jungle monkey” does not fit the role of respectful and honorable. He even said in his “apology” that he treats everyone with dignity and respect. I am sorry, but I have to disagree with that. No one who is truly dignified would let that come out. And I also find it hard, if not impossible, to believe that he didn’t mean it in a racist way. How could that remark be taken any other way but racist?
These are all examples of people’s culture and background being prevalent in their everyday lives and it goes to show you there are some people who are stuck in the past. I am glad that I can call myself part of a generation that is more accepting of all races, and notices, but does not judge, the color of someone’s skin.
Not gonna lie, at first when I saw this is kind of laughed. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think it is appropriate in any way, not only because it was about the President, but I don’t think I could really believe someone actually photo-shopped an image like that. I really can’t believe that someone in a position with a state legislature would really forward that. Seriously though what were they thinking. Maybe it was just an email that they received from someone else that they didn’t take the time to look at and just forwarded it on to some of their friends. If that’s the case, then okay, its an honest mistake but really, you should be paying a lot more attention to the emails you are sending to co-workers.
Back to why it was funny. I have a really good friend who is black. But you have to understand the relationship between the group of friends that I know him in. It’s more like a family than a group of friends. And it really is, I know people say that but like, there’s 30 year olds and 16 year olds in this group because know each other from karate. But so a bunch of the older guys always talk about how if you turned the lights off all you would be able to see are my friends eyes and teeth. And it’s funny because he goes back at them and he’ll even pick on himself most times. You would have to know him to understand that he’s not doing it just so that he fits in or something; it’s just his personality. So honestly, when I saw this picture I automatically thought of him and that’s what made me laugh.
Moving on to the cop. How in the world could he send out an email that said something like that. That is possibly one of the dumbest things I ever heard. I don’t know the context of the email, which doesn’t really matter I guess, but I don’t even know where something like that would come up. And that is a completely different situation from the picture as well because those are his words that he typed into the email. I feel like the internet is sort of a dangerous thing because people don’t think about what they are saying and sending out as much as they might normally. I don’t know what about it makes people less careful with what they send, but even if you think you are being careful things are easily misinterpreted since people don’t know the context or tone with which they were said. It just baffles me as to how people in such positions of power and so visible to the public could be so stupid in the things they say.
I will start off by commenting about the aid in the Tennessee state legislature. Although I do not think that the electronic email he sent was deliberately out for thousands of people to see. I think it was intended to be sent in the privacy a few people he chose to show. The picture is in fact offensive, but any person who can take a joke should not be completely appalled by it. What bothers me is the fact that his man is in the public eye and working for a political office. He should have a heightened sense of judgment and be more sensitive to the fact that he could be easily exposed. If it was any other person without any political position the email would have no been blown out of proportion as it was with the aid in state legislature. I personally do not think it is a big deal and find it somewhat amusing. It is not malicious in any way and if President Obama were to see it I do not think he would take it the wrong way either. Although it is intended to make him look like the “black sheep”, he does have one thing in common with the rest of our past presidents. He has a white mother. What it comes down to in the other articles is that people in the public eye need to consider the repercussions for the things they say in public. I do not understand why the Boston police officer said something so crude and straight forward and then proceeded to retract the statement. I can not imagine any person saying such a think and making it well known then go on to say that they did not mean it. To me it seems so honest of him to say such a thing then bite his tongue by saying it was “a poor choice of words.” It disgusts me that once the media took attention to it and his reputation was at stake, he had to cover his tracks. It made me think, what were you thinking when that came out of your mouth? It clearly was not going to be humorous to any person who has respect for another human being. Being a blonde female, I personally find the statement "banana eating jungle monkey”, repulsive and extremely inappropriate. I can only imagine what a person of color thinks about the statement. When Sam asked what it the most offensive name you can call a white person can be and someone said racist, I don’t think that it is nearly as bad as calling someone a “monkey.” Overall, I think the message behind the articles is, think before you act or say something. Think about the intent and significance of what is going to come out of your mouth before you say it. Otherwise, you are digging yourself into a hole you do not want to be in.
“What are they thinking” is the perfect title for this article because people often times don’t think before they act. People often forget that there are many people that take great offense to what was said. Apparently, a Tennessee state legislature thought it would be a good idea to post head shots of U.S. presidents and a dark figure with eyes to represent Obama. The artist clearly knew what they were doing and the message of the picture was quite clear. Most people that look at this picture would know within the first five seconds what the artist was trying to get at. When I view this picture, I just look at it as a bad joke. First of all, if you are going to make fun of someone at least do it right. In the authors mind, this is hysterical. In the eyes of the public, its an outrage and a great offense.
The sender of the email (Captain Justin Barrett) apologized and despite his apology, he said that the email was NOT RACIST, because he has friends from different racial backgrounds. As someone who has experienced and seen racism first hand, I find this to be a common defense mechanism racists use. People often use it as a cop-out to hide their guilt. For example one might say, “Im not racist, I have black friends.” Having friends of a particular race is clearly NO EXCUSE for your actions. It doesn’t change the fact that what you said/did was wrong and did not have a racist connotation.
As for DePass’s comment on Facebook, it was clearly inappropriate. First of all, you must realize that on an open network like Facebook you have several people viewing your page everyday. People read just about everything transmitted through the internet. Second, you are a government representative and such a remark is rather unprofessional and inappropriate. Even though DePass apologized, he stated that, “The comment was hers not mine”, claiming that we are all descendents of apes. In most situations like this, its best to keep any comments, remarks and thoughts to yourself.
Between the picture incident and the Facebook comment it all comes down to same thing. What is funny to one or some people, isn’t funny to everyone else. While you are taking humor in something, others are offended by your actions. To make things worse, these are government officials and people in power setting a bad example for people to follow. When you make jokes about race, most people usually view it as offensive and crossing the line. However, chances are that these people have gotten in trouble due to a lack of thinking. Hopefully, they will have learned their lessons and look before they leap.
It’s interesting to note that in each of the incidents discussed in this post, and others like them, the “culprit” came out and apologized for their behavior yet formally declared that they are not, in fact, racist. We’ve seen this so many times in public apologies. It seems to be the American way—apologize to get out of trouble, but NEVER, no matter what they’ve got on you, admit that you may be a bit racist. For some reason, these people seem to think that we are smart enough to know they erred, yet dumb enough to believe they didn’t harbor any feelings of resentment toward whatever group or race that they acted against.
The Gates incident is a prime example. The police officer apologized to the public and to Gates, admitting he made a mistake. Of course, he held fast to the notion that he was in no way a racist. The phrase he used towards Gates was, “banana eating jungle monkey.” Seriously? You’re going to say you’re not racist? For such a description to form in his mind, then to be typed onto his computer, and then to be consciously sent to the appropriate people in his address book…How can one deny any form of racism? It seems obvious that there are some issues there. Does America believe him? Probably. Most people would prefer to think that the world is a peaceful place and no one person would ever be so cruel to another based on their race.
Perhaps the presidential election aided in bringing race to the forefront of everyone’s minds. A TV program that mentioned Obama almost always also mentioned that he had the potential to be “the first black president.” The same thing happened with Sonia Sotomayor. Every time she was discussed, her Hispanic decent was mentioned. Isn’t it time to see candidates, or anyone for that matter, for their character and qualifications and not their race? It’s almost counterproductive to force people to keep thinking about race. Perhaps that’s why the Tennesse aide made such a stupid mistake. He probably disliked Obama because Obama wasn’t a conservative republican. So, when thinking of a way to cut him down, he threw the obvious card, the race card.
Personally, I find it very sad that issues like the ones discussed in this post continue to arise. It makes me wonder if our generation will make some changes or if we’ll continue the way we are going. As we discuss in class, race is often a very taboo subject. If feelings of racism are harbored, they will rarely be admitted. Then, sometimes, it culminates in a bad way, such as the police officer with Mr. Gates. If our generation is more open with our thoughts, like in Sam’s classroom, perhaps we will move past these incidents and be more respectful and accepting.
It never ceases to amaze me how overtly blunt the GOP is over racism. Alright, I suppose I cannot be too harsh and label all Republicans racists but I know one thing is mostly true that these days if you’re a racist you are probably a Republican. I think this goes well beyond just the blatant racist attacks on President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. Sure it’s more obvious now that we have a multi racial President in the white house conservatives from everywhere are exposing their deep fear of black people. Just to name a few cases of obvious racism; Rush Limbaugh, the pill popper, claiming that Jermiah Wright and Barack Obama were up to their big ears in scandal. Bill O’Reilly being surprised that no one in a predominately black restaurant asked for any motha fuckin’ iced tea. That one reporter on fox who called Barack Obama’s fist bump with his wife a terrorist fist jab. It’s basically no surprise that Fox News is the number one network for scaring the hell out of old racist white people.
So what I don’t get is how do these people get a national audience on all of these “news” organizations or even get elected into office? This just goes to show that Idiot America never rests! Intelligent discussion and passionate thought are thrown out the window and viewed with suspicion. The blundering gut now presides over all and the ancestral brain stem which controls our animal instincts such as the directing our urge to shit and burp. These morons are obsessed with mind numbing TV programming that does nothing to provoke thought. No one reads anymore. When they want to actually discover the world they revert to Fox news and it’s a damn shame! Basically if anyone can tell I have lost all hope in America as a intelligent population. No longer are we the land of free thinkers like the greats before us; James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, W.E.B. Dubois. Instead the country became transfixed with the cranks such as Glenn Beck and Michael Savage. Remember during the election when the attack on Obama was that he was an elitist? Well that kind of translates to being intelligent and unfortunately just because America elects a smart president does not mean they are smart themselves, quite the contrary.
So back to the racism issue, how can we get these fools off of the airwaves spreading lies and stroking the proletarian fears of America? I don’t really have a definitive answer to that, except for when you hear people you know regurgitating the crap that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh pull out of their asses just correct them and hell maybe even call them out, put them on the spot for being a fucking moron. Maybe then can Idiot America return to their supposed poise.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. “What in the world were they thinking?” Or “What the F are they thinking?” This is just another example of when people make stupid actions. This is all about how there has been change or diversity in history, with Obama being the 44th president, and he is black, not technically speaking. It has to be one person to do something out of line and it sparks controversy. Also, there are billions of people around the world that will comment on it. So why are these foolish acts made? To be funny? Ok. If that’s how you intended it to be.
I wonder what the real meaning behind this dumb act was? Well I think people do this to make a joke, but depending on what the joke is, they still think it is funny regardless. They do not think of the consequences of what they have done. That is what makes the things they do so stupid. It’s like they are using an excuse, “It was only a joke”, or “It was only intended for joke purposes”. No. When people look at stuff like this, it is like here we go again. Actions are most definitely louder than words, and pictures explain everything. For the first picture, it was an e-mail. I do not think the Tennessee state legislator ever thought that the picture would get in the wrong hands. Well it did, and now he is being looked at as a racist and on top of that, he is from Tennessee…
Now for the next file in the folder of the nonsense that idiots do, it had to do with a comment that was said against First Lady Obama. People have to watch what they say, because you do not know who is reading what is posted. That comment was intended to be a joke, but other people will take this another way and be offensive about it. The GOP activists compared her ancestors to monkeys. What would that mean? It was a racist comment made as a joke, and I know people were very not pleased. And for the last file put in the blog, it was a man that was arrested. The officer called him a “banana eating jungle monkey”. He said that he did not mean it in a racist way, and he is not racist. But the comment was racist. Was the comment made from a response of anger? That could be factor in the defense, but regardless, racism will over power it.
I have been in many discussion recently and here at Penn State dealing with similar issues dealing with race and racism. From being a member the NAACP chapter at Penn State, last year, there was the situation last year with the stimulus bill, and how that chimp attacked the lady. The ad had two police officers in it, one with a gun pointed at a monkey with two bullet holes in it. There was a speech balloon that had a comment about the stimulus bill. Now Obama had to deal with the stimulus bill. So once again, there is another example of hoe black people are compared to monkeys. Are people trying to be racist? I mean people say that the main intent was not being racist. So why are they being made without any thought that they might be racist? That’s why I think that racism will never cease in the United States, because of these little comments. I know there are racists in America somewhere, but they will not stick their heads out. But the topic of racism should not even be recognized anymore. Everyone is sick of it.
It seems like these couple people really know how to say or do something entirely inappropriate. I don’t know how this aide felt that this would be at all worth risking. It’s blatantly racist towards the president, who is ultimately his boss. Yeah, I understand that there are a ton of intermediaries between this aide and the president, so he probably wouldn’t have ever seen this. Even if he did I doubt it would be that much of an issue. Being such a prominent public figure, has probably heard it all already. It might get a scoff or a frown, but not much more than that.
Consider this situation if you are working for a large company with many levels between you and any of the top dogs. You find a funny, but racist picture online of the CEO of your company on the internet. You proceed to email it to your buds around the office. They see it and laugh, except when your boss comes in to your friend’s office he sees him laughing and looks at what’s on his screen. There are a few ways this could go. A) He starts laughing at it, because he identifies with your friends type of humor. B) He’s pissed because your friend is goofing around and tells him to get to work. C) He’s really pissed because he identifies with the CEO on a racial/cultural basis. Now he’s the butt of the joke, and your friend wasn’t working. That won’t go well at all. Lastly, D) The boss is the CEO’s son and your friend is looking for a new job before the day is over. There are more options than that in reality. Is there a good chance that this is going to work out well for you? Does that outweigh the chance of getting nailed for this? Doubtful, at best.
I think the whole incident with the picture of Obama was a product of just plain not thinking. It takes about three seconds, tops, to realize it might not work out. In this day and age though it might only take one second to send out that email. The apparent lesson here is to stop, think, and then if thinking doesn’t raise a red flag proceed. It seems like a fairly simple formula.
Let’s apply this formula to some other situations. You’re a police officer. You arrest someone, and you are making a mass email for some reason. Should you insult the freshly arrested person? Maybe you should call him a “banana eating jungle monkey.” RED FLAG! STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING!
Once more, a gorilla breaks loose at a local zoo. Should you liken this escaped animal to a relative of our nation’s “black” (I don’t know if this term technically applies) first lady, on the internet, where everyone can see it? STOP RED FLAG PLEASE STOP. It is in no ones best interest to do that. It’s not done here though. Round 2: Should your apology, if that’s what it can be called, explain that you were referring to the gorilla as an evolutionary cousin? STOP! JUST STOP!
Just one more thing; Before you do anything, please use your brain. It will help everyone.
What were they thinking when they did the poster with head shots of all the U.S. Presidents and instead of putting a picture of Obama they put a picture of a cartoon. You can tell that some people still judge people by their skin color, just because of the cartoon and color they put for it and you can tell that they do not respect are new president. And the thing is that he is not black; he is half white and half African (Father from Kenya). People should respect are president no matter what racial or ethnic background they have. He is the president and he is trying to make are country a better place for us to live in. So I do not know why someone would do that to are new president that we have. That did not happened to any other president we had before, so why star now. And the weird’s thing is that is people in high positions that are making these kinds of “jokes” which makes no sense what so ever since they are suppose to help are president.
The worst thing was what Rusty DePass said about Michelle Obama “I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle ancestors—probably harmless” I could not believe what he wrote that on his blog. I do not think that anyone would say something like that to one of the others Presidents wife’s. Everyone should know that if you post something anywhere people will read it, someone that you do not want them to see like the media will be saying it to the world and everyone will be watching everything that the media is going to talk about. The most incredible thing is what the Boston Police Captain Justin Barrett, email people “banana eating jungle monkey", he said after sending the emails that he was sorry. The comment was very racist and then he says that he is not racist. If you are not a racist you would not say that or think about saying that to someone. Even if you have friends that are from different racial or ethnic backgrounds, it does not make it right; just because you have friends that are from different racial or ethnic backgrounds. Rusty DePass and Justin Barrett think that they can post whatever and say whatever they want without getting in a problem. Does not matter if the person is criminal or said it them self that you can say it too. Do they really think that because they say sorry people will forgive them for what they say or do I do not think so. People might laugh at what they say at first or to hide what they are feeling but they will not forget what people say especially if is racist.
I can easily believe that a picture such as the one with Barack Obama was posted in a mass email on the internet. I get emails like that all the time. Not just about Barack Obama or black people, but white people and Asians as well. I do think the emails are very immature in their nature and I don’t believe that people with such power should be sending them or saying anything publicly like that to anybody. I’m sure that there is are tons of men in the House and Senate that have their own private thoughts on Obama and what not, but it does not affect how they work with him. I know that it is immature to have these thoughts, but I think over half of us do have them. I would not like to consider myself racist. My step dad is black is African American and I have been living with him and my mom since I was six years old. Where I grew up he is the only black person that lives in the community so when I was younger I heard a fair share of jokes about black people and him. People are always improving though. My mom’s brother did not speak to her for seven years because he believed so strongly that black people were in a sense bad. Now he and my mom and my step dad are all great friends. People will always stick, their nose up to the unfamiliar, just like my uncle did. If we ever have a black president again, there will not be half the big deal that Obama was. People just need to get used to it before they can accept it. Some of my friends make racial jokes because like I said where I am from that is how people are. Now I know we “do not do it like that anymore” and I agree, but they still will make the occasional black joke and sometimes they actually are funny, not because the person is black it would be funny if the person they were joking about was white too. I love my stepdad very much but there are all kinds of jokes about all different kinds of races. We all need to just not be so sensitive and laugh about all of them because they are probably never going to go away, at least not in our lifetime, maybe our grand children’s. I do think that people with such high authority should keep it quiet though. They have a much greater affect on a population that just and average person maybe because random people are not the ones in control. Obviously though if that man is apologizing, he is not all that racist. I always thought that those were the prod ones of such banter.
My first reaction to the pictures of the presidents which is supposedly viewed as a joke, is how can the legislation of Tennessee let something so immature slip out when our world is still battling racism today? What confuses me is how our society is divided on what is a racist comment and what is not. In further explanation, what I mean by this is some remarks can be brushed off the shoulder as something said daily and not taken to heart, but then there are some statements that can trigger an argument instantly. How did we decide what is acceptable and shouldn’t it all be considered racist? Without our acknowledgment, we all have our racist moments. The main point is that it is not acceptable and we need to change our ways. If possible, even change our way of thinking because it is instinct to judge someone based on appearance before even knowing them. These are all signs of racism, even if it isn’t towards their skin color or religion. Although I do not know an automatic solution to our improper mind sets, I do feel we should spread the word and change the way we think currently. To support my statement on racist comments, there is the one part of the article where the Activist offends Michelle Obama and says “he didn’t know” it would offend anyone. It is stupid mistakes like this that most times we let slip, if we catch them every time, like we did with this activist, hopefully and surely they will learn their lesson to change their ways. Secondly to this news story, it is instinct to never take the full blame for our mistakes. He apologized BUT THEN also tried to justify his statement by lying and stating that Michelle Obama claimed we all originated from the same species (which in the end, was proven false, she never stated this). If we have a respect for one another, all these issues would never rise and we would all be at some sort of calm state of mind. However, that is not the case and this judgment needs to change. Even if at times, these words are used as a joke, it is still some sort of slander towards a race and or culture. I know jokes are supposed to be taken lightly, but what if everything we said that could be taken offensive, we covered up and said was a joke? A prime example—the presidents portraits—an honest joke, but still raises the issue of racism over the media. I guess, in the end, our “jokes” could possibly be what we truly think of another race that differs from ourselves. So, I agree with Sam Richards that enough is enough.
The racist banter presented in the blog is highly offensive and downright ignorant. However I am not surprised, even though we have entered the year 2009 and currently have a black president. I feel as though those circumstances just motivate the people who are racist to become even more hateful and full of bigotry. In a post I read, a student from class said that he was surprised by the Tennessee legislator’s behavior, and would be outraged if he was a Tennessee resident. I feel quite the opposite. I personally am surprised that the legislator took so long to start spreading his racist views and stereotypes about the president and his family. If I were a resident of Tennessee the racism involved wouldn’t even have fazed me, because I know that Tennessee is one of the most racist and conservative states in the U.S. It has always been one of the most racist states and more than likely will remain that way for many years. It’s very upsetting for the legislator to make such an empty apology. More than likely he has been making jokes and sending ridicule like this for over 30 years, but once he is caught he wants to be sorry. I feel as though he’s not sorry and he hasn’t been sorry for many years, it would be very surprising and semi out of character if he just began making racist comments a few months ago. I would have had more respect for him if he stuck to his statements and didn’t apologize. In class we discussed if our president is half black and half white why do we consider him as our first black President? I think that that is one of the most devious double standards I have ever encountered, because if Barack Obama wasn’t our president or leader of the free world there would be no question as to whether he is black or white. For example if Barack Obama was a mass killer on death row every person in the country would be saying that black guy Barack is crazy. Or even if he was a high ranking official of the NAACP, no one would question his ethnicity. In my eyes he his black because his skin is not white and I’m sure that most of society sees it that way as well. It’s really such a shame that just because he is such a high ranking official of the country people want to question the authenticity of his race. Even though during the election no one would stop talking about how black Barack Obama is.
I am not surprised in the least bit that comments like these are spurted out my people that are obviously racist. Racist isn’t even and good way to describe it because it is blatant racism. Some people just can’t think before they open their big mouths. They have to know what’s coming out of their mouths and they would have to be as dumb as dirt or have lived under a rock for their whole life to think comments like this aren’t racist. Especially politicians who have an entire staff to make sure they don’t say anything stupid, but they more than anyone must know that what you say can and will come back to haunt you. But no, they don’t think at all, which says a lot about the politicians we pick to run this country, they just wonder onto facebook or twitter and post something that they think is funny. Well I got knows for you, what you think is funny just happens to be very racist, and you just happen to be a racist person. Why he would think to post anything like that on the internet with his picture next to it for all of his friends to see is beyond me. Here’s a plan, next time you want to say something ridiculously racist, you get together with all your white friends and say, “Did you she Michelle Obama’s parents escaped from the zoo?” they you laugh and shut the hell up. It’s a wondering you don’t hear stories of all the politicians saying dumb things like this. I guess this guy’s staff didn’t like him to much or just knew how truly stupid it is.
What comes to mind when I think about this is President Obama’s pre and post election. All anyone would ever hear is if Obama won he would get assassinated as soon as he took office. Was it because of his views on America? Or was it plans for his presidency? As we all know it was neither. It was because many people didn’t believe Americans would let America have a black president. The thing that’s scary about it is, it was told often and as a joke. But it was not told as a ‘ha ha’ joke; it had the feel of a ‘wouldn’t it be fun if’ joke. Would it be funny if the President of the United States of America gets killed by a fellow United States citizen because he is a black man and America is not ready for a black president? No, it is not only not funny but extremely racist to even think that. America has had some racist times but I like to think that we are beyond them. Obviously not. But I do believe that we are on the right track but it takes time.
There is so much represented in this “what were they thinking” file that really rubs me the wrong way. First off, the electronic poster with the misrepresented portrait of President Obama is offensive and completely ridiculous. How on earth is that supposed to be a “joke”? Just as I thought we reached a dream milestone with having him as our President, America takes a few steps back with all the racial slurs and jokes that are supposed to be “humorous” or “misinterpreted”. Racist or not, this aide in the Tennessee state legislature should know better than to keep it to himself and not for public exploitation, let alone not make it at all. It’s something stupid like this that gets people fired up, and it should.
The facebook comment by Rusty DePass just makes my jaw drop. This man holds a position where he is respected and should be politically correct, and the fact that he made such a comment for the public to see is unreal. First he apologizes for anyone who took it the wrong way, but he even goes to the extent of just explaining he was repeating what Michelle Obama said. Is this guy serious? He is not an ignorant man having had his career, and he is well aware of what can be considered racist from problems in the past. He might be believable if he could support his claim on when and where Michelle Obama said this, but that alone probably wouldn’t help his case. The comment was just completely inappropriate and uncalled for. How did Rusty DePass manage to think he could get away with leaving such an unnecessary comment like this on facebook, one of the world’s most popular networking sites? It makes him look bad, his department look bad, and America altogether.
Just when I thought the racial profiling was over with Professor Gates, I come across another story linked to his situation that ticks me off. Policemen are seen in a very respectable light and are the guys we go to for protection, honor, and role models. How is this comment supposed to make me respect him as someone to look up to? I think it’s pretty natural to think before you speak and to prevent slurs from happening, and it is unbelievable that this man wrote it out in an email, processed it as something he could erase, and sent it anyway. Captain Justin Barrett, good for you to have friends of different races, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t imply a racial comment. He even says, “I treat everyone with dignity and respect”. I clearly disagree.
It seems contradicting that the year we achieve great change in America, racial profiling and comments have jutted out from all directions. People seriously need to think before they speak act, or better yet take SOC 119 as a start. It would be a shame to continue to watch America take one step forward, and twenty steps back.
It is mind boggling to me that racism and racist comments are still as big today as they were when our grand parents were our age. Minorities obviously have much more freedom now, but racism is still an issue. After reading about all of these news stories, I was appalled not only by these people, but that I actually share the same freedom and opportunities as them. The poster of all the presidents over the years should tell us about our history, not insult our current president. Barrack Obama becoming the first black president is one of the most historical events in America. But instead of celebrating that, a poster is made to make fun of his success and leadership that he has brought to our country. I think people forget sometimes that we elected him; he didn’t just go to an interview and get the job. The people of America knew that Obama was the best candidate, regardless of the color of his skin.
When I see authorities of America making these types of comments, it makes me feel guilty that I look up to these people. It gives America a bad name. Authorities need to realize since they are high up in the economy that whatever they say is going to be taken into consideration a lot more than the average person. James Barrett is the Captain of his police squad and showed no leadership in the email he sent. Yea ok, so he was sorry and hides behind the fact that he has friends of other ethnicities. Who doesn’t have friends of a different race? Almost everyone does. But you don’t see everyone walking around calling others monkeys. Since this man wasn’t his friend, it was ok that he calls him that? I think it was wrong and embarrassing for him as a leader of his squad.
The GOP activist that called Michelle Obama a “gorilla” is not only now seen as a racist, but another idiot part of the American government system that comes off as a fool. She is the first lady of our country and deserves respect just like the president. Not only was his comment rude and cruel, but also it was posted on a facebook account. How stupid can a person get? Facebook is growing faster and faster on the web. He must have known people were going to see that. He claimed it was supposed to be a joke and once again the nation received a pathetic apology from an authority of our country.
I would definitely agree that these people, or any other person that makes racist remarks like these, deserves to be in the file labeled “What in the world were they thinking?”.
The amount of racism and banter in our country today is getting ridiculous, especially among those who are actually leading us. The picture of Obama and the other presidents was one of the most immature things I have ever seen. It’s something a middle school kid would laugh about and send to his friends. Obama is even half white so it makes no sense he is referred to as our ‘Black President’. This picture also just goes to show that not even our political leaders can hold their racist views back, which is very sad. The Henry Louis Gates Jr. issue I feel is different than the picture. The quote was actually said by a police officer in an e-mail. So you’re going to tell me that that police officer doesn’t treat black people different? I don’t buy him trying to apologize either and say that he has all types of friends from ethnic backgrounds. That may be true but it still can’t hide his racism. I really don’t know why you would say something like that in an e-mail if you say you’re not racist at all. Now the Michelle Obama comment was very inappropriate and just downright disrespect. Once again like the two others, this comment was just immature. It was very wrong to bash someone on their own beliefs and views. Even if you were to bash her, don’t do it like that. I mean I’m not going to sit here and say that I have never made a racist remark before because I have but I don’t identify myself as a racist in any way. I feel like I can say those things though, not a lot but once in a blue moon. Now if I were a police officer or a political leader in our country, those things would not be sent in an e-mail. It is just wrong and disrespectful. I don’t care if they have friends of a different background or not. If you are looked up to like that you don’t just go around saying those things even it is a joke because that stuff will get out just like it did, and they will face the consequences just like they did. These types of things will only keep happening with Obama as president. People just need to realize in today’s world you will not get away with pulling these stints or saying whatever they feel. They need to be smart about it and realize who they are. Your average everyday person, yes he/she can get away with saying stuff like that. People who your average everyday person look up to can’t getting away with saying that. Things like this cannot be tolerated and believed to be funny anymore, it needs to stop before it gets more out of hand.
A few of these news articles are new to me. I saw the one about Michelle Obama but not the others. I can not find answer to how something “slips” out like that or how Barack Obama’s picture was funny. I do not see how if your in the Tennessee state legislature how that would be good to do for your seat. It is crazy how much racism and banter between people these days. If you go walking down the street you can hear it. What has happened to the nation that is known for EQUALITY come to? Did Civil Rights mean anything? To me the answer is no just by judging on how these articles and clips have come up. I do not see how you can post an email saying “banana eating jungle monkey” and then when someone confronts you about it you are suddenly sorry for saying that. That is a bunch of bullshit quite honestly. I am sick of hearing people think it is all right to drop the N-bomb and think that it is cool and nothing is wrong with doing it. Because little kids hearing that and then they pick up on it is just going to cause more racism, like the ones posted on the blog, in the future. When it comes to Barack’s picture, no matter if you are Democrat or Republican, he is the President of the United States. He should be treated with the utmost respect. He is in charge of this whole country, which is a huge task. Love him or hate him, you cannot change that he is the President of the greatest nation. When it comes to the police officer, I am not surprised because police officers have the most racism because they see things everyday and they assume that everyone is like that. I know a few police officers, and I have not met one that sees everyone in the same equality. This goes back to my question earlier. What has happened to the nation that is known for its EQUALITY? I am tired of people giving the excuse that oh since I have friends of different race I would never mean it in a harmful manner. How could someone saying he was a “banana eating jungle monkey” not hurt someone’s feelings? Finally, the Michelle Obama guy comparing her to a gorilla then blaming it on Charles Darwin? Really? You are that much of a coward to not own up to what you said as being wrong? I do not know if Michelle went any further on this or what but once again this is the FIRST lady and you are going to go out and make a comment like that and not even take responsibility for your own actions. I believe in racial equality. But, it is so hard to have that due to people like the ones discussed in this blog.
When I sit down and think about how racist people can be in this world, it makes me wonder how people were brought up when they were younger. I know that I grew up in an all white community and have no real reason to be racist but I feel as if I could never be as crude as some people out there. When I moved up to state college, I finally was engaged in a multi-racial community but I still have never had a reason to change my opinion over the past year. Some people make racial jokes, and sometimes they can be somewhat comical but whoever made up those jokes are obviously known to be racist. When I look at the picture of all of the presidents faces and only Obama’s “eyes” It seems unreal. I feel as if we passed those kinds of racial judgments years ago and they should be abolished by this day in age. Obama is half Kenyan and half white but people will never consider him to be a white man, they only look at the colored side of him because people think of that to be “wrong.” The man that started this email should be ashamed due to how they look at someone due to the color of their skin rather than what they are capable of doing for this country. Color does not define a person, it may have a slight influence due to the area where someone is brought up in but it does not mean they are lower than whites. It seems as if some people will think it is so funny to make racist pictures and jokes but when they are questioned about how they could do that in a situation like Obama’s face, they seem to be so apologetic and present like it meant no harm.
I know that when Obama was elected to be president, I received dozens of racial text message and emails that people found to be hilarious yet I was never able to bring myself up to keep forwarding these messages to others because I don’t agree with them. When Obama was finally elected president, I was happy due to the promises that he gave to America rather than what he looked like on the outside. I was in my apartment when Obama was elected and all I could hear was people cheering, banging pots and pans, or lighting off fireworks and I feel like that would not be something I would be experiencing at home due to the fact I only live around whites. I feel as if since the election, people have aimed most of their negative racism towards Obama. I have heard people talk about Obama and just because they do not agree with something that he wants to do or what he talks about, they will bring up the fact that he is black and act as if that is a real factor as to why he is not a good President in their eyes yet this makes no difference. I do not consider blacks to be lower than I, actually I commend them for still being so strong even though they have probably been battered by racial people throughout their lives. I feel as if Americans are beginning to get better as time goes on because of how low blacks used to be considered and how far they have come along.
After reading this past blog and seeing the picture and video, I was once again taken aback. I still to this day cannot see how this country is taking any steps towards progress when the leaders of our country who are white consistently make racist remarks. The worst part about all of this is these marks are made and there are simply “let off the hook” with a mere apology and the same excuse: it was a poor choice of words. How is calling anyone a banana eating jungle monkey a poor choice of words. No one in their right mind would use those words in any conversation so the fact that these people use them especially when speaking about an African American clearly proves that these individuals are racist.
Now to get into the specifics, the picture where Obama is just a black background with eyes is absurd. It could be me but I don’t see the comedy in this picture. How can anyone? What exactly is funny about that? I don’t understand why there haven’t been any repercussions for a racist thing such as this. The next instance was also stifling. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is revered and respected by so many in this country. Many look up to him and what isn’t mentioned was how he was wrongfully arrested. That in and of itself is a whole other issue but for the monkey comments to be made is ludicrous.
All of these individuals committing these atrocities as I’d like to call them are well educated and intellectual individuals. So for the excuse of poor choice of words to be used or the statement that their respective act was meant to be a joke is all an excuse. Clearly they have watched the news and clearly they have seen the instances in which other before them did the same things. I don’t think there is a strict policy for racism. Contrary this is America so then again we have freedom of speech and can basically get away with these things. The question I posed is what if the shoe was on the other foot? What if somehow a black man/woman were racist to a Caucasian individual, if that is possible. Would we be sitting here reading an article about a mistake and an apology or would something have been done?
The level of racism and racial banter that we have seen recently proves we are taking steps backwards. What is going to change that? There could be the possibility that these individuals aren’t educated on the matter and don’t any better but I highly doubt that. These things are very shocking to me and it is my deepest hope that in the future there will be an end to it.
Some people these days believe that since we now have a black president that racism is over and that we have moved past the issues of race, but clearly, with stuff like this out there, this is not true. It may not be as obvious as in the old days where there was rampant injustice all around, but now a days there is still racism, which rears its ugly head in all sorts of situations.
Clearly this picture of all the presidents was meant as a joke, but in reality it is offensive and shows some deep seeded feelings of racism. Although, it may have just been a misjudgment as to what is and what isn’t funny it clearly shows some form of hate or dislike for African Americans or black people. Even though this is clearly offensive, I could see this being a mistake of some kind where someone thought something was funny that just was not, however, there is just no excuse for what the Boston native police officer said about Henry Louis Gates Jr.. It is absolutely ridiculous to call an African American a “banana eating jungle monkey”. It is beyond being offensive and shows a deep hatred of all black people. It is sad to see that even though we have come so far in terms of race relations that there are still people out there whom have these deep seeded prejudice views. As Sam said this sounds more like the response a Klansman would give rather than that of a police officer. Like everyone else I hear some of the stereotypes and in some cases they are even pretty funny because of how ridiculous and untrue they are, but clearly what the GOP activist said about comparing Michelle Obama to a guerilla is taking it to far and becomes hateful. And then to claim that he was not being racist, but was actually talking about evolution is just straight up stupid. These people clearly have these feelings of hate towards all black people that goes beyond the simple stereotypical joke.
I just do not understand how someone can judge an entire race of people based on absolutely nothing, but stereotypes. We should be trying to judge each person based on their actions, rather than seeing what race they are and then just applying all the everyday stereotypes and making assumptions. People who say this kind of stuff deserve all of the bad stuff that comes their way afterwards and should feel the consequences for being so cruel and hateful towards other people for no reason at all. When you see stories like this and people like this you realize how far we still have to come on race relations.
In my opinion , the words that came from Captain Justin Barrett’s mouth are unexcusable. No matter how heartfelt his apology is, he will always be known as an ignorant racist. If it was up to me, the man would be fired. How can you place him in the street after this incident? How would he ever be able to arrest a black man or woman again? The first thing out of their mouths will be “ I was pulled over or arrested because I’m black”. I know I would say it and I know many of you reading this would too. Capt Barrett is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the police force and the United States military. Having spent time in the National Guard, he should have had the dignity and respect he claims to have and try to stop racism, not provoke it. If he was ever to be deployed how would his fellow battle buddies look at him. How can he be trusted? Did he even think of the children of America? How many kids want to be a police officer when they grow up? Many kids look at him as a role model, and now think it’s ok to use racist slurs. As for the comment that Capt Barrett cannot be a racist due to the fact that he has many friends of different racial backrounds, typical. In class on Thursday, we discussed how the only way to offend a white person is to call them racist. As a white male, I know the only response I would have to being called a racist is “I’m not racist, I have black friends”. I do have many black friends through serving in the military. I know if I ever said that, I wouldn’t have many black friends. I wonder if his friends of different racial backrounds are still his friends? Chances are these friends do not even exist. Capt Barrett and also the republican activist are men that are held to a higher standard due to their career. Both of them need some major counseling and some type of punishment should be given. I’m glad to see they were both joking though, it makes everything better. I don’t know what is worse, the fact that it came out of their mouth, or the fact that they try to make it better by claimin it was a joke. There is nothing funny about racism. It is a major problem in America today and needs to stop being tolerated. Once again I hope Captain Justin Barrett is now looking for a new job along with GOP activist Rusty DePass. Maybe someone will hire them to catch that gorilla that escaped from the zoo.
What are people on when they say such derogatory comments and images? Do they think that no one will draw attention to the comments or images the draw up? After looking at the image, I was shocked. Asking myself this, “Someone really portrayed our President with that kind of photo?” Not only was it some random person, but a state legislature, really? We have changed so much over the past decades, but we seem to not be able to get over the fact that we have a black president. So now we have to act like children and poke fun at the President and his family?
Another “great” idea was the fact that a police officer called an African American a “banana eating jungle monkey.” First of all, that is harsh. And second, like the movie we watched in class last week, “We are all monkeys.” What fueled that police officer to call out such a derogatory comment? He didn’t mean what he said. Has he ever heard of “think before you speak?” I don’t even understand why someone would call an African American a “banana eating jungle monkey.” Just because they are black, means that they automatically look like monkeys? I hope that that police officer knows that black people are made just like white people, but they are just a different skin color.
Then there is another person, a Republican activist, who called the first lady a descendant from guerrillas. What is up with that? Why do people keep poking fun at the first family? Just because they are not the same race as the previous presidents, doesn’t mean they can’t run the country any differently. How much do you have to dislike a race in order to say such hurtful things about them? I mean I have disliked a few people in my life, but never enough to actually say something so racist about them.
Do people really think like that, about having racial slurs in their heads? If they do, is it that hard to keep it to themselves? I still can’t believe that anyone would even have such hateful thoughts about anyone else. I wonder if any of the people who make those derogatory comments and pictures know the saying, “Think before you speak (or act).” We have come so far with change, but derogatory comments about anyone will take us back to where we started. After the comments that those people said, they deserve the punishment that they received. They should have done more than just apologize. But that’s all that ever happens, a white guy makes a derogatory comment about black people, and all they do is apologize. Then the cycle continues over and over again.
After reading this, I was absolutely appalled. Has our country not improved? Can we not have a multi-racial president without someone making a different racial slur or comment every day? I would think that by the year 2009 that our country, apparently the most advanced country in the World, could at least do that much. You would think that we would have made more progress and advanced more than this. It really gets under my skin when I hear comments and people speak like that. I was brought up to “never judge a book by its cover,” and to never look at people differently because of race. It is hard to believe that my nuclear family and myself have these beliefs because I have recently found out that my family was slave owners in the past. That is something my family and I will never be proud of, but it is still part of our past that has shaped who we are and something we can never rid ourselves of. After learning this fact, race has become something that I constantly want to learn more about. I love the fact that our country is so diverse and so amazing. I just wish we could all learn to accept the fact and move on and become better people from it.
Back to the main point of the article, I hate how every political argument these days turns in to a racial one. I really do not follow politics all that much and to be honest political conversation kind of bores me but when I am made to discuss it or be near the conversation, I am constantly finding the argument turning in to a racial one. I feel that if the majority of American’s voted for Barack Obama, then why do people feel the need to criticize him? People are always entitled to their opinions and I respect that but they also need to be respectful in their arguing. By calling a political figure a “banana eating jungle monkey,” or using a picture such as the one of Barack to depict him, it just lowers others views of our country. It reflects poorly on us all and makes it look like we are uncivilized. No matter what race or religion, Barack Obama is our president and he deserves much more respect than he has been given recently. I even understand when other presidents have been criticized for ideas and statements but skin color? That is completely unacceptable. I feel that the situation is bad enough in itself but the fact that the e-mail was sent out by another political figure…that is horrible. They are looked upon as role models and that is most definitely not someone who I would ever look up to. As a whole, I find the entire situation wrong and everyone who was victim to the racial slurs and comments deserve an apology and much more respect.
After reading the blog posts and deciding which one to comment about, I had no choice but to share my feelings about Sunday night’s “What Were They Thinking?” This entire post was very intriguing and definitely enlightening, however as I watched it, I became completely enraged. The part that struck me most about this post was the portion in which readers learn about DePass and what he had to say in reaction to the gorillas escaping the zoo. I’m a person who isn’t involved with my state government, merely a college student and the remark he chose to respond to such a crisis was absolutely ridiculous. I keep reading over this article and I do not understand how any person in their right mind, especially a well-known government official would think posting a comment like he did on a public blog would not start some sort of controversy. The fact that he represents South Carolina in such a negative light is very harmful to the state and to our national government as a whole. If a man could have a “mishap” like this one, especially someone who has a say in what goes on through our governments, what does that give license for others to say and do? The fact that he chose to back it with a statement that Michelle Obama had recently made a speech including the word “apes” was so very low of someone to do, especially when it wasn’t true at all. Like many people believe, I also agree that the year 2009 has brought more racism and argument over the topic than ever, perhaps stemming from the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Since then, everyone believes they have the right to come out and be racist when they choose, especially those quoted in the blog. “Banana eating jungle monkey” also struck me. I’m not surprised by all these comments that are being made because no matter how much society pushes “coexistence” no race will ever be safe from one another. However, blatantly making comments like the ones made by Rusty DePass or Captain Justin Barrett, marked officials recognized by many, will never help the situation at hand. Justin Barrett chose to follow up his comment with the age-old apology of “but my friends are of all different races.” So of course he believes that makes it okay. This statements and apologies are truly becoming outrageous to the point where reading these blogs and hearing how people clearly disregard common courtesy makes myself and I’m sure many others completely angry and confused. I’m not suggesting there will ever be a day when racism will not exist but if we were ever trying to attain this, we are moving further and further away from that goal.
SOC119 – Journal #2
“What were they thinking?”
Jokes are really great things. They bring us laughter and joy. They are often seen as something positive that can lift a person’s spirits. At the same time… jokes can deliver pain and suffering to those who make and/or receive them. The original poster’s article (OP for short) shows just what happens when jokes are said to the wrong people, at the wrong place, and at the wrong time. Now, OP’s examples all involve racial jokes that were said by people in some sort of professional position. Also, the recipients of those jokes were pretty important people, too. That doesn’t help at all. Are there ever times when jokes like these are acceptable?
It seems that over the past decade, or so, racist jokes have become more and more common. That doesn’t mean that they have become more and more accepted by society, though. It’s hard to pinpoint what is acceptable and what isn’t, and it hurts to try and figure it out. For example, Chris Rock has stand-up comedy acts and he makes jokes about Black people and urban black culture. George Lopez does the exact same thing, but with Mexicans and other ethnicities. In fact, there are probably hundreds of comedians that make jokes about ethnicity and culture. Why are they able to make jokes but not officials of Tennessee State Legislature? Well, the only reasons I can think of are because Chris Rock and George Lopez are just comedians, and their jokes don’t single-out one specific person. Their jobs are to make jokes like these. The Tennessee Legislators have much, much, MUCH more important jobs to do than just pass around racist jokes. What they did was pretty childish.
In my last post, I mentioned that I frequent imageboard forums where jokes like these are common. If someone who was not familiar heard about these specific communities, they would probably be appalled by what they saw. Some of the jokes that are made tend to be pretty brutal, racist or not. Racial slurs fly, pictures get photoshopped, and people laugh (unless they are new to the site). Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It sounds like OP’s post! The only difference is that no one’s laughing (except for me because of the sheer stupidity of it all). At least on the imageboard posts can be made anonymously or with a fake name. Why didn’t the fools in OP’s post make all their jokes there? It would’ve saved them a lot of trouble! Some jokes are really aren’t meant to be anywhere else.
Jokes really are great. Unfortunately, there’s bound to be one person or a group of people out there that can’t take them. Racist jokes are often hard to stomach by the public. If you’re going to make one, either make sure you’re in the right place… or go to an imageboard and say whatever you want.
To start, whoever drew up the idea for that picture is morally wrong on so many different levels. To think that someone could make such gestures about a man courageous enough to lead a country with hundreds of millions of people. Not to mention the fact that the person that made it up, is probably living under his laws and basically has to abide by his rules no matter what. I mean like Obama is the president, the freaking president. If you can’t find some room within yourself to show him some respect, than you are one dismal person. For example, Senator Wilson (R Texas) called President Obama a “liar” when Obama had the floor at congress the other night to discuss his health care policies. Obviously Senator Wilson must be a little bit crazy and possibly delusional because there is a little something called privileged speech and you cannot verbally attack someone speaking on the floor of congress. That must have slipped his mind. Attacking the president is not a great idea, especially when he is on the floor of congress. Sorry Senator Wilson, but say goodbye to your job, matter of fact your career. Get that BK application up and rolling.
Politics feel invincible and that makes me sick to my stomach. You cannot hold a position of power in a country such as the United States, and still get away with using words like “niggardly.” I’m sorry, but if you haven’t gotten that message, then you really do not know what the united states stands for. As far as it goes for GOP activist Rusty DePass, he was just a huge tool bag. Looking for some laughs on facebook by calling out our first lady. Great idea dude, that should go over well with the man that has the power to have you put behind bars and could probably make a reason you should stay there for life. Honestly what an idiot. And the fact that he could just pay a few people off and sideline the fact that it ever even happened, make my stomach turn. People like himself should be the ones getting talked down at, not the first lady, who has done an extraordinary job representing our country might I add.
It baffles me to think that people actually think the can get away with being racist and still hold a career in a good position. Like did they ever learn about the civil rights movement? Did they ever think about what blacks have gone through to obtain their rights, when whites were just handed them!? Ridiculous! It’s time to wake up a get the hell over it. Blacks are going to hold powerful positions, and beat out whites in white house races, and they should. The man best equipped for the job should get it. So politics need to stop bashing people based on color. Get over it, they are better than you. Damn I hate politics.
Racism is still very prevalent in today’s society however most people either know what or what not to say. No matter what people say racism still exists and will exist for many centuries to come. Not everyone is prejudice but many people are. I think that the comment the GOP activist says is very out of line and very unprofessional. He was once a candidate for senator therefore he must still be a major political figure within the state or community. His comment not only makes him look very bad but also the state and those who are associated with him. Like is this guy an idiot? Posting something so racist and politically incorrect on facebook? Did he believe that people weren’t going to read it and get offended? H e should have known that it was going to be read and eventually it was going to be leaked to the public. I understand he was only trying to make a joke but in no way shape or form was it funny and it was very offensive not only to Michelle Obama but also to the black community. Its funny how someone who supposedly does a lot of community work and who seems like such a good civil person can come out with something like this and completely tarnish their image. Im glad he got caught because first off he shouldn’t have a facebook and second off why would he post something that extreme on something that anyone can see. The guy is clearly a moron and I hope that this incident makes him realize that maybe he should change his outlook on others. I don’t think there is an anything he can do which will make Michelle Obama forgive him as well as many others. There is no apology out there that will redeem himself as well as his character. I am not quite sure where he should go from here but its obvious that something must be done. I believe he should work on repairing his image and stay out of the media for a while. Even after he apologized he tried blaming it on Michelle Obama saying that she stated in a speech that we are all descendants of apes which was no where to be found and there is no history of her saying it. So not only did he screw up but then he tried making it sound as if it was okay because Michelle Obama was speaking about it in a speech. Which also in no way would make any sense to what he said about her even if she was so to say that. All in all the guy is an idiot and im glad he got caught being such a dumbass.
I had heard about some of these incidents before and had managed to forget about them, but as my mind was once again struck by these atrocities my infuriation over the matter came back. I feel that it is bad enough that we have to keep reminding our country that we have a black (emphasis on black) president. We understand that it’s a milestone and great things, but I don’t think every time the president is referred to we have to mention his race. The constant reminder that he is our black president is racist enough to begin with, but when people are making blatant racist remarks through various media outlets: we obviously have a problem. It doesn’t help that the media continues to have racist undertones when speaking of President Obama and the incidents mentioned in the blog are just a few examples. The e-mail that was circled where President Obama is just eyes in a black square is quite possibly an example of this. I understand it was a joke and understand why some people would find it humorous but I on the other hand found it to be an act of disrespect. I understand that presidents have been made fun of and joked about but it was about things they have said, not for their race or religion. Just because President Obama is black, doesn’t mean we should point it out in an effort to make a joke. Depictions such as this one make it all the more acceptable for people to say the racist things that they can’t seem to get away from. If remarks that compare Michelle Obama to a gorilla are tolerated by political activists then what hope do we have? Obviously the guy got criticized for his actions, but what I don’t understand is why he thought it was okay to ridicule our first lady via facebook. The remarks made about Henry Louis Gates being a “Banana eating jungle monkey” were absolutely appalling. However, I don’t know what is worse, the fact that it was actually said or the fact that he tried to cover up his racist statement by saying that he had friends of all races and ethnicities is basically like saying “I can say that because some of my friends happen to black”. If that was actually the case, I’m sure that Captain Justin Barratt would have thought twice about the ignorant words that were coming out of his mouth. Wouldn’t he have thought that his friends would find what he said offensive or that if it wasn’t he in fact who said it still be upset? If anything I think the fact that he has black “friends” (which are probably acquaintances he used to try to cover up his ignorance) and still called Gates a monkey proves the fact that he obviously has no respect for his so called friends.
Well isn’t this a piece of evidence that racism is still clearly an issue in our culture. Seriously? Taking the most powerful man in our nation, debatably in the world, and turning his stature into a joke; and not just a joke, a racist one at that. Is it really that funny to make fun of our President, the man who now runs our country? Is it funny to make fun of a man who represents the freedom of a culture that has been suppressed for hundreds of years? I don’t think so at all. Hey, I may be white but I’m still offended by this.
To take a respectable man and turn him into a joke like this is not what I could call “humorous.” He has done more than we will ever know to get where he is and we have no right to make fun of who he is. It’s a stupid joke that brings out the racism in those who may laugh at it or show it to their friends. It may not necessarily be a blatant or strong racism, but a sense of racism nonetheless.
To think that racism in our country is gone is a joke. It will always be a racist country. Some people in the US have been raised certain ways and have been brought up to think certain things – and these traits will only be passed on to future generations. No way can everybody get a long with one another; it’s a fantasy that just cannot become reality.
The email from Officer Barrett also shows the depth of racism in everyone. I’m sure we have all said something racist in our lives whether it be a joke or the truth. Sometimes we don’t think and sometimes we just want to do or say what everyone else around us is doing or saying. But in this case, calling someone something like that and than saying that he “didn’t mean it in a racist way” makes no sense at all; just how did he mean it then? Is this to mean anything racist he says should not be used in a racial manner? Because that makes a lot of sense.
I will say sometimes people who act out in racial manners receive the negative attention that they do not deserve – but in my mind, for the most part, they usually do deserve whatever comes their way. If you have racist thoughts, than way-to-go – no need to bring them out and share them. Obviously if you are too under-minded to see everyone else as human beings like yourself, than I guess there is no help for you. But keep these sort of things to yourself. Don’t go parading around and share your views and opinions that no one else wants to hear. Live your life however you wish – just think of others when you do so.
I’ve come to notice that the election of President Obama has only contributed to racism by means of stories covered in the news. From the Henry Louis Gates situation to this Michelle Obama reference, they are unkind words in which Obama has found himself encompassed. President Obama quickly overlooked many of the facts of the situation regarding Henry Louis Gates and made a comment belittling the police force on national television. Yes, he did retract his statement but what urged him to have this knee-jerk action to take the side of Gates? What was he thinking?
My point is this; innately we identify ourselves by people like us physically first, usually family. This alone creates the divides that starts racism. We then will go into what set us apart from each other, mainly our personal taste and preferences. This will start different groups and even causes (Black Panthers, KKK, etc.).
So do we all have some sort of racism engrained into our mind? Maybe not strictly racism, but any sort of –ism that sets groups apart is in there somewhere. I don’t have all the answers but from my personal experience (which I’ll concede is somewhat limited) people are different. And different people treat each other differently than they normally would. Chances are that most people, for some reason or another have racist tendencies. I’m not condoning any racial slurs, or even racism at all, but it appears that for the time being it’s a part of human nature.
The derogatory comment made toward Michelle Obama was completely despicable and unprofessional. His attempt at trying to reconcile his statement by means of an alleged speech made by the first lady on the topic of evolution was less than pitiful. But what possessed him to think it was something he could do without being racist?
I feel like many people had some impression that had Obama been elected President then racism was a thing of the past. Evidently, this is not the case. If anything it opened it up for discussion, “There’s a colored President, anything goes.” could very well be the mindset of many people. Maybe there’s just too much pent up tension over races and we’re busting at the seams to let it all out. Personally I’m I don’t see myself as racist (I’m white), but if someone of another race were to call me racist I would think they were racist by virtue of calling me a racist. But if that was the case why is there racism? There is racism because we identify ourselves by people like us physically first. Racism, sadly, will only be in the past when there is no need to identify by race.
WOW! I had never heard/seen any of these news stories which just goes to show you how completely out of the loop I am. I was pretty appalled by each one of them. I am, however never surprised to hear about when these kinds of “jokes” come out in the open. This past week in my discussion group we actually talked about whether or not we believe that our generation has surpassed the whole racist stage in history. While I acknowledge that a lot of progress has been made in our world today, I cannot say that I believe that our generation is any less racist than others. These “jokes” are just the newest way of expressing people’s racist views in a slightly more disguised way. Even in my everyday life these types of comments and jokes are so common that it makes me think sometimes that maybe it’s getting more widespread. The worst part about it is that people who joke around and say these things just to get a laugh don't even believe that they are doing anything wrong. Maybe that is worse than a person who outwardly admits they are racist.
In the case of the comment made about Michelle Obama, I agree that he went even one step further in trying to shrug off the comment and say that is was one that she herself made. How ridiculous is that?! I feel he just made matters worse for himself by trying to deny the fact that he made an inappropriate and offensive comment on a public site. Which brings me to another complaint … why would people ever post these kinds of comments in such high traffic areas as facebook? Did he not realize that lots of people would see and notice his comment as facebook is used all over the world? Or was he honestly just completely oblivious to the amount of outrage that would likely come up over such an offensive comment? People really need to learn to think about the words that they use and try to think about the way that people will interpret and react to them. For someone to literally write that comment and believe that no one would find it offensive is absolutely ridiculous.
I hope that someday all forms of racism can be eliminated from outright discrimination in society to the more subtle forms disguised by humor, but I don’t think that this is a realistic possibility. It really is a shame but unless we could turn back time and start all over there is just no way of undoing years of tradition and passing down of ideas and beliefs. All any of us can do is be good people and try our hardest not to be hurtful, but I especially think that the inner racist thoughts of people can never be reversed or completely eliminated … unfortunately.
As refreshing as it is to have a non-white leader, Barack Obama’s presidency seems to have uncovered a lot of repressed racial feelings throughout the country. For every person who begins to respect Obama as an intelligent individual or a charismatic speaker, there seems to be five others who refer to him to an animal or make some other juvenile comparison. Americans claim to have come so far in terms of racism, and yet here are so many, along with political leaders, cracking jokes at the expense of our president and his family. Whether or not you support the Obama administration or the choices it has made, I feel that you should respect the position of the president. He is the leader of our country for the next four years, and there is nothing you can do about it. Why waste so much energy acting like a fifth grader? It is one thing to criticize the president for his positions on issues or some of the less-than-intelligent statements he has made, but why go as far as to make fun of his race? Even more disgraceful is the fact that someone is taking shots at his family for no reason. Pictures surfaced of the Bush daughters partying wildly during Bush’s presidency, and consequently they were thrashed by the media for awhile, as expected. However, what did Michelle Obama do to be compared to a wild animal?
That’s not my only issue. It continues to amaze me how people who work in the limelight for a living continue to make such stupid mistakes. You are monitored at all times. There are people who make a living by watching you and waiting for you to screw up, so why make it so easy for them? How careless was it for Rusty Depass to make such a disrespectful comment on a public social networking site that ANYONE has access to? And then to make it worse, he tried to cover himself with a BS story that has no merit to it. If you make such a blatantly dumb move, at least own up to it and don’t make yourself look like a bigger fool. This also applies to the police officer who made the wise decision to send his racist comment in a chain email. Never put anything in writing, my friends … or say it while hooked up to a microphone. Just this week, Republican California Assemblyman Mike Duvall boasted on an open mike about his alleged affair(s). He spoke of his sexual escapades to a lobbyist, while waiting for a committee meeting to begin. Does nothing occur to these individuals that there is a time and place to run your mouth – at your home, while “off the clock.” Everybody makes off-the-wall comments at some point and expresses thoughts, opinions and jokes that are unfair and inappropriate. However, you must constantly be aware of your surroundings and even more so, your position within society.
Americans have to be fearful of what they say, of what they write, and of what they think. They have to be afraid of using the wrong word, a word denounced as offensive or insensitive, or racist, sexist, or homophobic. Rusty’s idiot comment on the first lady was uncalled for. It was an act of stupidity. This mistake will continue to haunt him for the rest of his life. One thing is to verbally say it, but to post it up on the Internet for all to see is just down right wrong. Thousands of people felt that this was un-called for, but lets turn the spot light to each and everyone of us in the world. We had a long history of hatred towards any types of people. From people that’s homosexual, Black, Asian, Mexican, and Muslims. The list can go on. These attitudes towards certain groups of people continue to exist due to personal experiences, home environment, and education. We all think that racisms don’t exist, but why do these ignorant and racial comments fly out of people’s mouths every day. What were they thinking? That’s right, they weren’t thinking at all.
In the human society, we all categorize ourselves in certain groups of associations. In this case, we categorize each other by our race. This automatically gives people the opportunity to criticize others not part of their race. Like what professor Richard explain in class, If you are a Penn State fan, Michigan State is the enemy: vice versa. People are prone take pride in their own association and everyone else comes second. Human beings are very critical. They judge everything and everyone. From the clothes we wear to the color of skin. It is in our nature.
We would walk passed others, and no doubt there were things said in the minds about a particular person. Or you could be in a car, and someone cuts you off, a slipped of racists comments come flying out. These words and expressions are said everyday. Majority of it, are said privately. However some can slip out in the open. This will most likely lead to offended and pissed off people. As an Asian American I still get inappropriate comments towards me on a daily basis. I get comments that were ignorant. People would comment things like ” do you eat cat”, or “ you guys suck at driving” or “ you got that A because your Asian”. Maybe they were joking, but this is the key reason why stereotypes continue to exist. This I conclude that we are all hypocrites. People just don’t think twice anymore before they speak. As the media beats down on Rusty, we are all culprits, but Rusty was the one that got caught. We all point fingers, but no one admits their own faults.
Of the three articles posted above, the first and second one really make me think more then the last one. Clearly the underlining theme in these two articles is the amount of racism in our society still today. Racism, although better, is still a huge problem that occurs on playgrounds and high schools to our president. Joking or not these two articles are to far over the top to be laughed at and pushed aside.
The fact that the Obama “photo” is not anywhere close to a photo and clearly portrays him as just a black man. Although there is controversy as to how good of a president he is/will be, this is blatant racism and goes far beyond just his governmental ideals. Yes Obama is black, and the first black president, but we all need to give him the chance. It has gone from harmless black racial jokes, to people in the legislation sending very rude racial emails. It is something that should bare harsh consequences, whether we like it or not he is our president and he sure as hell is going to try his best to make our country better. Black or White, it is his job.
The second article about the police officer’s comments I find a little less racial. Yes the phrase, “banana eating jungle monkey” is an extremely poor choice of words, but it probably was not meant to hurt the man under arrest, and it was most likely said in the heat of the moment. However, he did apologize and seemed sincere in doing so.
In my opinion racism is a term used much to often, I find it a way for certain racial groups to try and make up for scenarios that happened hundred of years ago. Certain things are way too much and do not fall into my opinion, but most things are said jokingly and without hurtful intentions. I have friends of all different racial backgrounds and I know that they do not take offence to most racial jokes. It is all in how you perceive it. As a white guy I know that when a friend calls me honkie or cracker that its all a joke, and I feel that other racial groups need to take that approach. If you don’t let it effect you then those trying to strike a nerve with these comments will soon fade.
Yes the three scenarios above were dumb, and awful decisions made by those in question, but I think we can leave it at that with the exception of the Obama story. Poor judgment or use of words is not racism, racism is the deliberate effort to try and hurt, harm, or discriminate against a certain race. People need to watch what they say, but the people on the other side of the problem need to stop crying racism at every single chance.
The jokes about the President Obama and Michelle don’t surprise me in the least. I’m almost more surprised that I didn’t hear more jokes. People must sit down and think of these things for hours. Clearly these people have nothing better to do. It’s like when I heard about 5 new Michael Jackson jokes within hours of his death. I have some mixed thoughts about the poster with the presidents’ headshots. I mean to be honest, I did get a bit of a chuckle out of it. But to what degree is it inappropriate? Is it inappropriate because it is making fun of black people? Or because it was sent by someone in a high position of the government? There’s this sort of belief that people in the government have no sense of racism, but that can’t possibly be true. Then again, was this really racist or just something the legislature thought was funny? I went to one of those Race Relations Projects where you sit and talk about issues with race, and one thing I thought was interesting was the line between what is funny and what is offensive. I would be willing to bet that at least one black person would look at the poster and laugh. But would it be funny if a white person made the poster? Is it alright if a white person laughs at it? Personally, I think it is disrespectful and especially inappropriate because this person is involved in state legislature. I don’t know why I think that, though. Would I not take it so seriously if it was just any old person that sent the email? Regardless, the joke was simply out of line, and I think if I were President Obama, I would be offended. It is such an honorable position that he has, and here is someone just completely making a joke about it. The Michelle Obama joke was absolutely out of line as well. It was completely downgrading to her and her family. I do not understand how this guy thinks he could say something like that and think everyone will be passive about it. Along the same line, the police officer Barrett was an idiot for saying what he said. It blows my mind that people who hold such high positions don’t think before they speak. I wish the whole issue of race could be eliminated from political discussion regarding Obama. He earned the honor of being the president and hopes to do great things for the country. While it is a huge milestone that he is the first non-white president, I think everyone should focus more on his intentions and beliefs, not the color of his skin.
Many people thought when Barack Obama was elected president that racism would be over in America and they couldn’t be more wrong. This blog has proved the point that America is nowhere close to a racist free nation. Barack Obama is the first black president in U.S. history and people are still judging him by the color of his skin and not his political actions. I am very disappointed that people find a picture like that funny. It is ridiculous that members of the Tennessee state legislature was would find this funny and email it to other colleagues. The political leaders should support the leaders of our country and not taunt them.
I also think it was ludicrous when Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested in front of his own home. When I heard about this story in the summer I was shocked. I thought how could one of Harvard’s’ most prestigious professor‘s be arrested for being black in his own home. The police officer in Boston decided to call him a “banana eating jungle monkey” in an email for no reason at all. I also find it hilarious that he tries to defend himself by saying he made a poor choice of words. Not only were his comments uncalled for but then he claims that he treats everyone with dignity and respect. If I call anyone a jungle monkey I don’t think that I am treating them with dignity or respect.
Michelle Obama is apparently related to an escaped gorilla according to Rusty DePass. I thought that the First Lady of The United States would receive some sort of respect from an intellectual individual such as Rusty DePass. DePass’s comments were inappropriate and racist. DePass then stated that Michelle Obama said that we are all descendants of apes. I’m so tired of racist people trying to put them blame on everyone but themselves.
Racism seems to be all over the news in 2009 and is far from over in the United States of America. I am from Philadelphia and another incident with black kids in a pool bothered me also. Apparently too many black children were in a pool and they were told not to return. People like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X died for civil rights for African Americans. When I see black people being persecuted for no reason it seems like no one heeded Dr. King’s message.
Sam Richards stated that black people are the most resilient race in US history. As a black man I know that I have to fight hard to achieve greatness in America. When I read things like this blog it just lights the flame inside of me. It lets me know that I have to fight harder and harder to get what I want out of life.
I sometimes wonder what goes on in peoples mind. What makes people think they can say comments that are offensive and send pictures around the internet assuming others will laugh along with them? I’m sure when people saw the picture of all the presidents they might have giggled a little bit (not saying everyone did) but the fact that the person who showed the picture was an authority figure in the government makes people think that it is not funny and is racist. However, if the show “South Park” showed that picture a lot of people would brush it aside and laugh, but since the legislator is not a South Park writer his attempt at a laugh was not funny and him look immature and racist. The legislator is an authority figure and should take that role seriously. He should know that people look up to him and if he is making racist jokes then what would stop other people from doing so. People have come so far in the acceptance of all races that this picture just puts things to a halt. The legislator should have known better and should treat our president with respect. If the legislator was going to mock him about something why not mock him for his thoughts and ideas, why his skin color? To me, it seems like a low blow.
The “joke” made at Michelle Obama was made too soon. I think people would have reacted a little different if the Obama’s were in office longer. The subject of having a black president is still exciting in people’s minds so they might not want to hear negative opinions on it. On the other hand, unfortunately not everyone supports the fact that there is a black president and this is a free country so people are able to state their opinions whether it is good or bad. You can’t expect everyone to like the fact that President Obama is president and this is because there were other people running. People might not like him not because he is black but because the other person they were voting for did not win. They then had to find a low blow reason to hate him and that is just the fact that he is black. They might not necessarily be racist but just upset that McCain or someone else didn’t win.
All through history people have been made fun of or joked about something. President Bush was said to have looked like a monkey and that he was dumb and people even mocked JFK for his Boston accent. I don’t think that it is wrong to joke about people when you know in real like how great they are, but you need to have the right motive and timing or else it is just plain dumb.
Its remarks like these that make people buy into political correctness. Sometimes people don’t think enough before they say something and end up saying something dumb. In this day and age people should know better about certain things. I would think that it is common knowledge that during the time of slavery and probably all the way into the 1950s racists would compare African-Americans to monkeys all the time. They would draw them in cartoons with monkey features, they would call them gorillas, and they would joke about them “swinging from the trees through the jungle”. Because of this I agree with you that people who make this mistake deserve every bit of bad publicity that they receive.
Everybody knows that there is still racism today and that many racists aren’t blatantly racists. In my opinion most racists are people that make comments like this and think it’s okay. Now I’m not saying they’re racist in a way where they would join the KKK, or be cool with slavery, or even not interact with somebody just because they’re a different color, but they’re racist in a way that seems like they think they’re just a little “better” than people of color. I’ve met people like that and actually they use to be an acquaintance of mine as well. I remember being at a party where this girl I knew was about to go smoke and she needed cigarettes so she says; “Does anybody have any nigger-ports on them?” while I was standing in that room. So I say “dude, that’s not cool” and of course she repeatedly says she’s sorry and didn’t mean it like that and isn’t a racist and all that. I kind of believed her but I never really saw her in the same way again.
Not it seems like with the President of the United States being Black that some people’s “undercover” racism seems to be coming out which is making the need to be politically correct more important. But I hope things like this don’t put political correctness into overload. If something like that happens then maybe people won’t be able to call people colors anymore because it’ll be offensive. There won’t be any more “white” or “black” it will have to be Caucasian, or African American. Then maybe a few other words won’t be able to be said that might offend people like “freckly” or “blue-black”. It is possible to not be entirely politically correct without really offending people and I can actually do that with a lot of my friends. I do make fun of one of my white friends because he really can’t dance, at all, but I don’t go as far as saying “cracker-ass cracker can’t dance” and the same goes for my friend that tells me how much I like purple kool-aid but he doesn’t say “niggers love that purple drink.” Basically all I’m saying is that you don’t always have to be politically correct but don’t go as far as being a complete ass when you say something and think about what you’re saying first. Think. After you’ve done that and it seems good then say it.
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