The dehumanizing of the Obama family continues. The CEO of Tennessee Hospitality Association is having a tough week. The internet is on fire with buzz calling for his dismissal. Walt Baker committed political suicide the other day. He sent a picture of First Lady Michelle Obama in an email that was intercepted by an employee. That employee turned the story over to a blogger. The rest is history. Tennessee went to republicans in the 2008 presidential election.
- During the primaries two men were arrested for plotting to kill Barack Obama in Tennessee.
Many are calling the Baker email racist and ask that he step down from his position. I just learned that Walt Baker has been relieved (fired) of his duties.
During a normal news cycle this story might go away. With Google currently doing maintenance on its search engines, bringing the internet to a crawl. Walt Baker picked a bad time to become news.
This isn't the first time attention has been drawn to comparing President Barack Obama or Michelle Obama to primates. Back in February of last year, the New York Post ran a cartoon with police officers shooting a monkey. The cartoon depicted the monkey as the author of the stimulus bill, in likely reference to Obama. The Post is owned by Murdoch. I hope his grandchildren didn't see that. They probably don't get the Post in Ghana.
Murdoch owns News Corp., whose 20th Century Fox movie studio is still riding the tail wind of "Avatar" in movie theaters, said Tuesday it earned $254 million in the most recent quarter.
In the New York Post's defense Col Allan, editor-in-chief of the Post responded to Al Sharpton:
"The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."
Some may say that George W Bush was depicted as a monkey plenty of times. That may be true, but depicting Bush as a monkey is not backed up by the same evidence of dehumanization. In other words, you see the Bush ape image and it goes away. Research shows it's a whole different ball game in the white American psyche when exposed to imagery of African Americans associated with apes.
- Don't get mad at me, call the Stanford psychology department. The numbers (650) 725-2449. Ask for Professor Eberhardt.
Historical representations explicitly depicting Blacks as apelike have largely disappeared in the United States, yet a mental association between Blacks and apes remains.
In the paper co authored by Harvard trained professor Jennifer Eberhardt, "Not Yet Human: Implicit Knowledge, Historical Dehumanization and Contemporary Consequences," she said "researchers consistently discovered a black-ape association even if the young adults said they knew nothing about its historical connotations. The connection was made only with African American faces; the paper's third study failed to find an ape association with other non-white groups, such as Asians. Despite such race-specific findings, the researchers stressed that dehumanization and animal imagery have been used for centuries to justify violence against many oppressed groups."
"Despite widespread opposition to racism, bias remains with us," Eberhardt said. "African Americans are still dehumanized; we're still associated with apes in this country. That association can lead people to endorse the beating of black suspects by police officers, and I think it has lots of other consequences that we have yet to uncover."
So is that the goal of the right wing, ultra conservatives, and republican bloggers on the internet? Continue a constant barrage of dehumanizing imagery in regards to Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. Constantly chipping away at a fragile American psyche already subconsciously susceptible to the black-ape association. Until finally the collective dehumanizing reaches a tipping point, and the political attacks become more and more violent and barbaric.
Or may be this is all simpler than that. A psychological response that derives from human nature. A psychological boundary being erected by the ape image crowd. Boundaries are set up to protect things. Protect what though? I hear the Republican speeches. American values, the Constitution, but this chimpanzee image thing seems deeper than that. Almost an instinctual type response. This isn't about women is it? Has Obama's win brought out some type of male instinctual response from the right that no amount of rhetoric and great speeches by Obama can get rid of?
A response that because of his election African American males will have the confidence to knock on your door soon and ask your daughter to the prom. That could happen. Rest easy guys. Despite what you see in the media everyday.. There is a large segment of African Americans that are not like the African American celebrities you see on TV. People with strong values and a healthy dose of identity.
My man Denzel Washington is a rarity. I get so tired of the images plastered on the TV every second of Reggie Bush, Tiger Woods, O.J. Simpson, Lamar Odom, Kobe Bryant, and I could go on and on.
- note- technically Bush, Odom, and Bryant fall in another category
We have an African American President that has an African American wife, but that's still not good enough for some. The fact that he loves that women should not make you so angry inside. The fact that the Obama family projects wholesomeness and the family unit should not be a source of ridicule. The last time I checked that was a good thing.
Images are very important guys. I don't think we want President Barack Obama growing a goatee and going Denzel in Training Day on us. You think America's a jungle now! If he is dehumanized and vilified for little or no reason then that's going to send a direct message to a lot of young black people who are on the fence about this whole race thing. Based on the current political atmosphere I would guess that there has been a slight uptick in crime in most urban areas.
- Walt Baker was fired today as I wrote this piece, I wish him well in his future ventures
Email sent by Baker: Quoting Larry the Cable Guy...I don't care who you are, this is funny...
I was at the store yesterday, and I ran into Tarzan! I asked him how it was going and if he was into anymore movies.??
He told me that he could no longer make any more movies as he had severe arthritis in both shoulders and could no longer swing from vine to tree.
??I asked how Jane was doing, he told me she was in bad shape, in a nursing home, has Alzheimer's and no longer recognizes anyone, how sad. I asked about Boy, and he told me that Boy had gone to the big city, got hooked up with bad women, drugs, alcohol, and the only time he heard from him was if he was in trouble or needed something.?
I asked about Cheeta, he beamed and said she was doing good, had married a Lawyer and now lived in the White House!!!
Comments
When they did this kind of thing to the Bush family did you write this type of article or were you drawing the cartoons?
I couldn't agree more Askin! I think the joke about Michelle Obama was in poor taste, but does NO ONE remember the nasty jokes that went around regarding Bush and his family. I guess reverse racism doesn't exist. Strange world we live in...
The white robes are coming off and it only took a year.
Bush pictures was funny -- no one ever demeaned Laura.
A CEO with white sheets has been terminated.
For all the people who scream about racism, please back off with your hypersensitivity.
Obama was elected because of racism. The black vote came out in force to vote for a black man. People who have been too busy not giving a damn finally registered to vote, for a black man.
Look at raw numbers. Clinton usually raked in the black vote but she only got <5% against Obama. You mean to tell me that 95% of black people happened to agree with Obama's policies more than Clinton's? Their policies were identical.
You have a (terrible) black president who was elected by a bunch of people who wanted to vote for a black man and he was put in place to by the white-guilt-ed liberal elite. At some point the oversensitivity must end. There are as many attacks and racist policies against white men these days.
The monkey cartoon says something about the intellect of the writer of the bill (which wasn't obama anyway). Using monkey's to assert idiocy is exactly what was done agains
There does seem to be a bit too much racial sensitivity surrounding any criticism of Barack Obama. That being said, the crack about Michelle Obama did cross the line.
One would expect a bit more sensitivity to perceived racial slurs from someone who represents a "Hospitality Association."
Excuse me but I can’t even recall one single joke, email or statement from any public figure that referenced Laura Bush, Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan’s color, race or the way either looked as human beings!! Joking about Obama is fine, he signed up for the job; but the first lady and their children? A line needs to be draw somewhere.
I am not sure when people here refer to the "bush family". Do you mean just Bush? Was Laura and were other first ladies treated like this? I don't remember...please jog my memory.
Dong believe anyone attacked Laura Bush although Bush was called a chimp many times. Dont care what Michelle Obama looks like but she is light years smarter than the inbred brain dead white southerner who made the comment and the inbred brain dead welfare dependent white southerners who support him.
This use of ape-depiction is obviously in poor taste. However, not all people who dislike the Obama regime are racists...I am certainly not racist but I dislike Obama's principles--lots of which are socialist-based, and for a couple like the Obama's who claimed in the beginning this presidency would not be built on polarization of the races, they have both, in every speech and public event highlighted a racial side to even the most mundane of events. The Obamas now have themselves to blame--they are the very epitome of racists. People just do not like that stuff and cannot wait to get them voted out of the White House.
it shouldnt matter which family member it was about. it should never have been said/done. when people say we want to change our world, it means also this kinda thing. yea, its racist and the dude knew it. appoliges dont mean a --- thing, when you know whats in your heart. if it isnt racism, then why do racist try so hard to convince others its not! i hope one day we wont have to see this kinda thing. it only make the writer/speaker and defender of such behavior look guilty.
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH . . I am so sick of all this crap !! The only racists left in America are the African Americans !! Anything and everything can be done or said to caucasions by anyone and its okay, BUT GOD forbid if the EXACT same comment or action is used to or about an African American. Presidents and their famalies have been ridiculed and ripped apart for years in jokes, TV, radio, news papers and magazines. What the hell makes the Obama's any different ?? You mean because they are African American they deserve MORE respect than any other president ?????? I DON'T THINK SO !! Seems to me that the only people in this country that DIDN"T vote with race in mind WAS the Caucasions, because if they did . . . .well this clown never would have got into office in the first place. The man has never even been a Governer for god sake. He has no business trying to run a Country. If this job required a resume' and an interview . . well . . .he never would have even got a call back.
Go Mark !!!!!! Entertaining and true.
yep just another thing for a black man to complain about. Never satisified.
Although the saddest part of this whole story is that a good man lost his job over exercising his right to "Free Speech" . . . ring a bell anybody ?? . . . If I were him I would, I would take the whole thing to court !
Mark is a moron... Blacks have been voting for non-blacks for hundreds of years, so what are you talking about??? Blacks, just like whites , vote for the lesser of two evil every four years, so please spare me your ‘African-Americans are racist’ simple minded rant.
If this were the first time I heard the accusation of racism I just might buy it. But it seems that every time a criticsm, caricature or joke comes along, people who disagree with any criticism of the Obama administration want to start crying racism. As far as I'm concerned, that card has worn itself out. The Obamas are not immune to criticism or jokes simply because of the color of their skin. They are entitled to ridicule just like every president and presidential family before them. Equal opportunity.
I think some blacks should find more important things to complaint about. Black people call each other apes and chimpzees all the time. And also blacks are still using the N-word towards each other. This is hypocrisy. Blacks do want they falsely accused whites of doing... How about we call for Obama to step down for making fun and cracking jokes about mental retarded children.. on the David Letterman Show... yea.. you people forgot about that wise humor by Obama....hypocrites..
Yeah, Like the CEO of BET sending an email picture of Laura bush alongside a picture of a pig wouldn’t be offensive to a lot of people (regardless of the resemblance)?!
'Black_Conservative' you’re obviously not Black nor conservative; and if you have friends that call you ape or chimpanzee then you need to work on your self-esteem and find yourself some new friends... :)
Where does this pig face clown get the nerve to joke about someone else looks anyway?
Funny how the calling Dubya a chimp was no big deal and now according to some bigoted hypocrites this is totally unacceptable.
Hey Jeff the Moron . . . The Blacks didn't vote for whites for years . . . why the hell do you think the polls where so backed up with "new voter registration" applications??? . . .Idiot !
If this were the first time I heard the accusation of racism I just might buy it. But it seems that every time a criticsm, caricature or joke comes along, people who disagree with any criticism of the Obama administration want to start crying racism. As far as I'm concerned, that card has worn itself out. The Obamas are not immune to criticism or jokes simply because of the color of their skin. They are entitled to ridicule just like every president and presidential family before them. Equal opportunity.
Just another attempt to degrade African Americans. After all the generations of hatred and degration we've endured, the fact that we have a black First Lady to be depicted as a monkey, speaks volumes to our resolve. I implore decent folk, not to stoop to the level of the ignorant.
Jeff is a moron, he claims that African Americans have been voting for white presidents for hundreds of years... what year did black people gain suffrage? Even if they had been voting for white people for hundreds of years, I don't think they had much of a choice. Besides, Obama isn't even black!!! His mom is white! Why do people say he's black? My coffee is darker than he is.
To ‘Burton the inept uninformed simpleton’. Black men have had the right to vote in America since 1866 (be it restricted or not, many exercised the right). Read a book before you try to dispute an undisputable fact. FACT: I’m a black man and I have voted for Reagan, Clinton, Gore, Kerry and a number of white state representatives. Obama is a Black man married to a Black women. Its funny how all of the sudden white people want to identify a mixed race man as being half white, while thoughout history such people have always been viewed as Black by most whites in America!
To ‘Burton the inept uninformed simpleton’. Black men have had the right to vote in America since 1866 (be it restricted or not, many exercised the right). Read a book before you try to dispute an undisputable fact. FACT: I’m a black man and I have voted for Reagan, Clinton, Gore, Kerry and a number of white state representatives. Obama is a Black man married to a Black women. Its funny how all of the sudden white people want to identify a mixed race man as being half white, while thoughout history such people have always been viewed as Black by most whites in America!
Michelle Obama Examiner?
What a nothing subject. They picked the right man for that job!
i DO believe in Darwin's theory again when i see this ape-ish woman
First of all things black people do not call each other apes and chimpansees. However I will agree that they do call each other the N word. I think that for them to refer to each other as the N word is riduculous. By them calling each other that they insult themselves and all of the African Americans who fought against being called that. I agree that some black people play the race care too much. However in article it is not. No it is was not okay when people referred to Bush and his family as chimpanzees and apes, but I do not think that you ( some of the people who commented on here) understand that for a long period of time in this country, African Americans were seen as animals. More so as chimpanzees and apes and Caucaisns were the main people calling them this. So that is why many African Americans feel that as racism. They feel that they are being dehumanized. As far as the N word goes, it is not in any way okay for a Caucaisn to an African American the N word because the whole point of calling an African American the N word was to show that they were inferior to Caucasians.
I made a few mistakes in my comment: I meant race card, and Caucaisans to call. Sorry for the errors.
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