This past week a mayor in California sent out the above picture in an email saying that there would be no Easter Egg hunt this year at the White House. Now, as you know, about two weeks ago, a mayor metropolitan newspaper published an editorial cartoon that showed an assassinated monkey as the author of the bailout bill.
Now, two weeks ago I actually wrote what I thought was a rather neutral post pointing out that various people had seen various possible interpretations and that I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt. Since then, two things have happened. One is that the owner of the newspaper has since apologized and basically recognized the inappropriateness of that editorial cartoon, and that it was racially tinged. So, I will go with the owner’s own interpretation. The second, of course, is the picture above. It now becomes significantly harder to argue that there was not a clear racist message in this picture. To me, the amazing part is that the former mayor of the town, who is now only a simple council member, tried to claim that he did not know that this would offend African-Americans.
There is a person who regularly comments on this blog who claims that the subject of race is something that only the left keeps bringing up. I think that the last two weeks have sadly proven that this is not so. The mayor, of course, issued the obligatory modern apology in which he claimed that he had no idea whatsoever of what those images meant. Frankly, in this case, particularly of a mayor in California, one of the most liberal states in the nation, I find his excuse rather hard to believe.
Nevertheless, and most sadly, there already are people on the web defending him and accusing everyone else of an over-reaction. It was just good clean fun, they say. No, sadly enough, racism is not something the left simply brings up and keeps on the front burner. Nor does the election of President Obama mean that it no longer exists. No, not as long as there are chimps and watermelons in our humor, and people claiming that it means nothing.
I think it’s terrible to put that stuff like that.
I also remember PLENTY of things the ‘left’ did like that to Bush that no one said a peep about it.
Once again, the left shows their double-standard and racism for only reacting against smears to “their guy”.
People have been making fun of the President since Washington (well, maybe Adams). Things that should be out of bounds, such as family (Bush, Clinton, Carter daughters spring to mind) and physical features are not part of public policy and are made fun of for only one reason: To gain attention. Now that we have allowed and even encouraged those lines to be crossed, why is the race line that much different?
This is just the beginning. As public opinion turns, things will only get more ugly.
A very tired Christian, indeed. I’m tired of what passes for “discourse” in America, tired of Christians defending the indefensible and not upholding the depth and richness of Christ’s transforming majesty.
That Johnny did it and didn’t get caught is really the reasoning of the schoolyard. It’s more the petulant defense of by child caught red handed than an admission of the sin inherent in both of these examples.
One of the more egregious elements in the monkey cartoon was the implicit validation of gun violence as a way to deal with an economic policy one does not like. Am I making too much of this? I think not. Blessed are the peacemakers, you know? Love your enemies. . . . oh never mind!
Tired Christian, believe me, I understand. I tried to be more neutral with the first cartoon, but by the second, I sighed and tiredly realized that it was the same old, same old.