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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?”.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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