tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post4131310826719947546..comments2024-02-13T15:58:05.317-08:00Comments on My so-called FABULOUS life: Is this offensive?Briannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09930781699703723927noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-21653650357462136072009-02-23T23:50:00.000-08:002009-02-23T23:50:00.000-08:00wow... this was a good one!dpwow... this was a good one!<BR/><BR/>dpD.P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11295553398306469258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-30230444719939600352009-02-22T14:52:00.000-08:002009-02-22T14:52:00.000-08:00Ms. Glenn & Brit_Brat,Cat Fight!LOL.Ms. Glenn & Brit_Brat,<BR/>Cat Fight!<BR/>LOL.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-26229687699248672982009-02-21T19:46:00.000-08:002009-02-21T19:46:00.000-08:00Brianna don't be so condescending. It's unattracti...Brianna don't be so condescending. It's unattractive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-22663387913556563982009-02-20T18:01:00.000-08:002009-02-20T18:01:00.000-08:00I would just like to state, for the record, that s...I would just like to state, for the record, that someone who doesn't follow politics at all, didn't even VOTE, and doesn't see the big deal that a black man was elected president, is not really the type of person I expected to in any way agree with me. But of course, everyone is entitled to an opinion. (i too was wondering when you'd chime in and say what hogwash this is)<BR/><BR/>I would also just like to clarify, because it is being insinuated by some, that there are lots of people who are aware of what is going on with the stimulus bill, who wrote it etc, who still found issue with this. It's not because we are dumb and uninformed and sit back and think the president sat down in his oval office with the door locked, wrote this bill, and TADA. like someone mentioned above, these cartoonists are not dumb. I don't think I have called anyone a "racist" because I don't know what's inside his head. (which neither do you, by the way). what i do believe is that when political satire is someone's job, I find it hard to imagine that so many of us saw the correlation and at least paused for a second and asked WTF... and it never even crossed their mind. hard to believe.<BR/><BR/>ok...i do plan on moving on since an apology has been issued and that really is all you can ask for at this point. of course if you still have something to say, the blog is still open!Briannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09930781699703723927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-41463191278555576372009-02-20T16:01:00.000-08:002009-02-20T16:01:00.000-08:00hahaha I know Jon. That's why I hesitated even com...hahaha I know Jon. That's why I hesitated even commenting. But Coach D said exactly what I was thinking, so I couldn't resist. A good conversation or debate wouldn't be the same without my lazy, somewhat blind, usually against the norm views and opinions :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-8464156159536660142009-02-20T14:59:00.000-08:002009-02-20T14:59:00.000-08:00Anonymous February 18, 2009 4:19 PMI should get a ...Anonymous February 18, 2009 4:19 PM<BR/><BR/>I should get a name but I just came across this blog and I don't want to over-commit.<BR/><BR/>"well i wish you all cared about my fake diamond ring or track races just as much. :)"<BR/><BR/>In some ways you're right, Brianna! Your diamond ring and track races are human, and represent someone's genuine efforts to achieve a meaningful life and navigate society. Any thinking (single!) athlete - such as myself - must identify with this. Much more newsworthy than a tired satirist's view of public events.<BR/><BR/>I looked through Sean Pelonas's cartoons over the last couple of years. He clearly does not like Obama. His imagery suggests an ambitious, but dumb, opportunist who found himself presiding over a terrible situation. He generally does not express racial hatred here. But, having said that, I haven't seen a single cartoon in favour of black people. His cartoon of the chimp may be a case of "this is too good an opportunity to miss", in terms of a current affair that dropped in his lap. Maybe he thinks that his comment here may be misconstrued as racism. Who knows. In some ways, kudos to him for sticking to his guns in terms of seizing on a good opportunity to lampoon what he sees as a bad political decision. But, knowing the political and racial overtones, he should have had the wit to reconstrue it in less offensive terms. The minimum crime here is laziness. And that's a major crime in a recession.<BR/><BR/>I don't know. It's hard to know if he is a racist. As you pointed out above, if he intends to be offensive then we should be offended. But, as I noted above, he is not unaware of his provocation. I don't know if he's being overtly racist, but he is certainly leveraging off a racial awareness. <BR/><BR/>My opinion: he or the paper should have pulled this - the weak apology is too little too late. Even if he is only commenting on a racial stereotype rather than reinforcing it, he is still perpetuating the memory of it, and reinventing it for a new generation, which is a bad thing. Very bad. <BR/><BR/>Satirists are supposed to be amongst the sharpest people in society and should not rely on lazy stereotypes. In this sense, the cartooon was out of order and he deserves a dressing down at least.<BR/><BR/>But let's not lose focus. Brianna jumped far off her bad foot and rejected sleazy opportunist men. This is a big step forward for humanity!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-41825174684138477162009-02-20T12:55:00.000-08:002009-02-20T12:55:00.000-08:00@Brit, oh...not sure I'd want to be around when yo...@Brit, oh...not sure I'd want to be around when your sister finds that one...Jon Lustighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02143929729231272461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-74571917283779486772009-02-20T10:24:00.000-08:002009-02-20T10:24:00.000-08:00I'm with Coach D on this one. I hardly follow poli...I'm with Coach D on this one. I hardly follow politics at all and even I knew who WROTE the bill and who just signed off on it.<BR/>You gotta stop being so on the defense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-46785815441468344962009-02-20T09:45:00.000-08:002009-02-20T09:45:00.000-08:00Just came across this apology from NY Post concern...Just came across this apology from NY Post concerning the provocative cartoon they featured.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.nypost.com/seven/02192009/postopinion/editorials/that_cartoon_155984.htm" REL="nofollow">Article Apology</A><BR/><BR/>Interesting...t.v.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09520453763962154292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-58157402160488152202009-02-20T08:12:00.000-08:002009-02-20T08:12:00.000-08:00Damnit this should be offensive to no one if you w...Damnit this should be offensive to no one if you were truly informed and not so damn sensitive. I did not even connect to Obama to be offended. Yes I see the reference but it was not my first thought. Why? How you ask? Because Pelosi and Reid wrote the damn Stimulus bill, Obama endorsed it. <BR/>Opponents of the bill have said it is a joke from the jump so the monkey play was just a reference to the nature of the bill.<BR/>Racism? Man get over it already. Barack is in, no more excuses. Yes it exist but it is not everywhere in everything. STOP BEING SO SENSITIVE.<BR/>PissedCoach Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04004093834939242690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-4242031914851765382009-02-20T04:19:00.000-08:002009-02-20T04:19:00.000-08:00Racism exists. The monkey doesn't. It was a joke t...Racism exists. The monkey doesn't. It was a joke that was reviewed by professional journalists. Many people found it offensive. A mistake was made.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-89659440866155808502009-02-19T23:47:00.000-08:002009-02-19T23:47:00.000-08:00Personally, I just thought the point of the cartoo...Personally, I just thought the point of the cartoon was that the bill was so bad that a monkey could have put it together, and that the monkey = Congress. A lot of this has to do with the fact that race is usually the last thing I think about. I'm more concerned with a person's personality and character. That said, because many could and have taken it as a horrible jab at Obama, no matter what the author's intent, it should not have been published.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-7328272129861347082009-02-19T23:06:00.000-08:002009-02-19T23:06:00.000-08:00Okay, I thought about it. This whole controversy i...Okay, I thought about it. This whole controversy is about nothing. Apparently, somebody made a monkey out of Obama (tricked him) to get him to be such a staunch advocate of the stimulus bill. (just more or the same old shit, really) Incidentally, one would need to be rabid to believe it is something that will actually make a difference. Don't believe the hype. Period.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-69772455639130336452009-02-19T21:56:00.000-08:002009-02-19T21:56:00.000-08:00well i wish you all cared about my fake diamond ri...well i wish you all cared about my fake diamond ring or track races just as much. :)<BR/><BR/>and just for the record, i did not read al sharpton's comments til after i had saw the cartoon and formed my first initial opinion.Briannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09930781699703723927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-88811811436463225872009-02-19T19:49:00.000-08:002009-02-19T19:49:00.000-08:00oh yeah, and @ the last anonymous who wrote, i did...oh yeah, and @ the last anonymous who wrote, i didn't read or hear any of al sharpton's or jesse jackson's reactions to this. my responses have been based entirely on my opinion of the cartoon and the comments of others on this blog.<BR/><BR/>i happen to be out of the country at the time.melaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02450930548141996763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-61432567195035113132009-02-19T19:45:00.000-08:002009-02-19T19:45:00.000-08:00ok, first @ bri, i love it that i "SOUND so smart"...ok, first @ bri, i love it that i "SOUND so smart"!!! hahaha! i KIND OF am! after all, i did magna kum laude and proudy out of one of the finest sociology programs in the nation! lol.<BR/><BR/>@ john, i apologize for any offense i caused with the moron remark. i do, however, stand by my opinion that this is NOT ambiguous, this is NOT imagined and this is DEFINITELY NOT PROGRESS!<BR/><BR/>no, i do not calibrate my life based on the opinions of others...rather, i have a life that is shaped and strongly affected by those others. did i ask to be born of an african immigrant? no. did i choose to opt out of white privilege as it exists in america today? certainly not. at any point in my life, have i ever requested any insults, discriminations or crosse-eyed glances based on an all-to-arbitrary attribute i had no control over? no again. and whether i CHOOSE to believe that racism exists (or existed, for that matter) has exactly zero effect on the reality that it both did and does.<BR/><BR/>i am in no way too cowardly to discuss race relations. and the fact that i am very opinionated on the matter, shouldn't preclude any potential for an honest give and take with someone just as opinionated, or someone totally on the fence. without differing opinions, there is no need for discussion at all.<BR/><BR/>for you to call it "progress" that you don't even notice the racial implications of a cartoon like this begs the question, aren't those who forget history doomed to repeat it?<BR/><BR/>it's been said that the best trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. by ignoring, or simply not seeing the racism that echos so loudly in this cartoon, we risk allowing more subtle manifestations of this and other derogatory ethnic notions to continue to suffuse the public at large. that's not progress. not at all.melaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02450930548141996763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-20404873604444955182009-02-19T19:25:00.000-08:002009-02-19T19:25:00.000-08:00I'll try to keep this short, because I think that ...I'll try to keep this short, because I think that each of us has already given this jerk cartoonist much more thought than he deserves over the last 24 hours. I have never said that I didn't think the original intent of the cartoon was to incite or to provoke, it clearly was. The problem is the danger of giving someone like this what they want, which in this case was a huge amount of attention. The result will be that this cartoonist, as well as many others, will know how easy it is to provoke people with what could be defended as a very mild political statement. By showing so much outrage here, you are not forcing these people to expose their racist tendencies by making more extreme statements in order to get attention for themselves in the future. They can simply use the same very simple satire and count on people taking the bait. That's what I see as the real problem anyway. There's an expression bloggers use when talking about comments, don't feed the trolls. As hard as it might be to do so at the time, I really think it's a better long-term solution for dealing with these people.Jon Lustighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02143929729231272461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-32230054062089498322009-02-19T18:04:00.000-08:002009-02-19T18:04:00.000-08:00Heeeeeck yeah! It's YOUR blog, and we all read it ...Heeeeeck yeah! It's YOUR blog, and we all read it voluntarily. oxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-44006486397966766332009-02-19T18:01:00.000-08:002009-02-19T18:01:00.000-08:00The New York and Washington papers are much more h...The New York and Washington papers are much more high brow when it comes to politics. This is clearly a criticism of the economic recovery plan and not intended to be racist. The bigger issue seems to be that Al Sharpton feels that it is racist. He may have a point. but we should all be aware that Mr. Sharpton has a historical pattern of exploiting incidents to keep his name in the papers. It was J.C. Watts, an African American Republican congressman from Oklahoma who called Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson "Race-baiting poverty pimps." His argument was that Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Jackson needed to keep the race issue alive in order to keep themselves alive. This comic was tailor made for Mr. Sharpton - foolish looking white cops shooting a non-white mammal and then making an insensitive comment. <BR/><BR/>Since the election of President Obama Mr. Sharpton hasn't had much to complain about. His exploitation of this comic is unfortunate because it distracts everyone from real issues that need to be addressed. Instead, we are all reacting to Mr. Sharpton.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-47179613487905230942009-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:002009-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:00marcus you wrote at the same time as me! great mi...marcus you wrote at the same time as me! great minds think alike. ok...so i do agree with you, i just don't want people "missing" the point that was trying to be made here. because this was no simple oversight and i can live with freedom of speech and all of that, i just don't believe that ignorance is bliss.Briannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09930781699703723927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-32027645759444413312009-02-19T16:12:00.000-08:002009-02-19T16:12:00.000-08:00I know my blog is usually light-hearted but I was ...I know my blog is usually light-hearted but I was interested in this topic and chose to write about it. That's kind of what's so fabulous about having your own blog. LW...you have my back on that, right!<BR/><BR/> Anyway...I for one do appreciate and value different opinions <I>most of the time</I>. :) I labeled this a debate simply because I felt that it would be. And just because your opinion may differ from mine, does not mean I won't try and respect it. I believe there has been a lot of good information shared here and a few different viewpoints, which is what I was looking for. <BR/><BR/>At the end of the day I do believe that there was something intentional behind this cartoon and I believe it's responsible of us to point that out. It's not that I don't "get it" with the racially insensitive part of it being taken out of the equation. I do. And I can imagine that perhaps it would be easier for other people to see that more readily than others. But I'm not so sure I understand why you would want to <I>choose</I> to see it that way, especially when it becomes more obvious that that wasn't the intention. I don't think that's progress at all. It's like if I hear some white guy use the N-word...I'm not going to not be offended and then say that's progress on my part. I know the history of that word and it's offensive...just like I know the history of blacks/monkeys. I don't know, I just think it's somewhat comparable. Maybe this is not as blatant to some but at the very least we should agree that it was poor judgement, right?!Briannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09930781699703723927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-88584059338698591112009-02-19T16:06:00.000-08:002009-02-19T16:06:00.000-08:00I personally don't care about the intent or backgr...I personally don't care about the intent or background of the cartoonist. The issue is the cartoon and the reasons why the cartoon makes people react the way it does. When I first saw the cartoon, I was like wow, you can't do that. Then I read your comment about the chimp in CT. Okay, now it makes more sense, cartoonist draws picture of major incident that's in the news and most people will be aware of, then adds quote by police officer refering to current political situation. That is textbook political satire and could have easily been done when Bush was pushing the bailout before Obama even took office. <BR/><BR/>But, like you said Bri, we do have a black president and that does change things on many levels. Because of America's history with regard to race, black people are justifiably extremely suspicious of white people and are quick to throw around the word racist or otherwise play the race card. I actually lost a "friend" because of a facebook discussion regarding the race card, which ended with me being called an outright racist and being deleted from her friend's list. The problem with that is exactly what Lustig said, it makes people scared to talk about race and therefore inhibits progress. <BR/><BR/>Most black people I know didn't think Obama could win the White House. He did. He beat a white male Republican and beat him soundly. Now an African-American man is the most powerful person in the world, in the most scrutinized job in the world, in the land of free speech and free press. This is the big leagues, it gets no bigger than this. Get ready for a lot of cartoons that push the envelope to come, get ready for political satire by comedians and shows like SNL, get ready for harsh, racially insensitive criticism from jackasses like Rush Limbaugh, and take comfort in the fact that America freely elected a black commander and chief to try and fix the problems caused by many moronic and greedy white men.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-2422362367050662492009-02-19T13:49:00.000-08:002009-02-19T13:49:00.000-08:00Can anyone with a newsprint copy of yesterday's Po...Can anyone with a newsprint copy of yesterday's Post confirm that? That detail about the placement of the cartoon vis-a-vis a photo of the President is totally new to me, and would obviously be very relevant if it is as the above comment says it is.Jon Lustighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02143929729231272461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-18254156869510083662009-02-19T13:33:00.000-08:002009-02-19T13:33:00.000-08:00Newspapers have editors for a reason. The fact tha...Newspapers have editors for a reason. The fact that the New York Post had Obama on the next page signing the legislation for the stimulus plan just put the icing on the cake. Ok Mr. Murdoch, (Rupert Murdoch owner of the NY Post, Fox News networks, and about $8 billion worth of other communication companies) we get it; you’re not too fond of Obama.<BR/><BR/>People aren’t going to stop being racist (or having racially insensitive tendencies) just because we have an African American as our president. The lines between political satire and poor taste seem to get burred a little too often when it comes to the portrayal of Mr. Obama. Need I remind you of:<BR/><BR/>Barrack the magic Negro<BR/>http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/26/rnc.obama.satire/<BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfxVkLhlu5s<BR/><BR/>Drunken Negro face cookies<BR/>http://gothamist.com/2009/01/23/greenwich_village_bakery_selling_dr.php<BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBLR6XYJlsc&eurl=http://dontgetgassed.com/<BR/><BR/>New Yorker Magazine cover<BR/>http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/14/america/NA-US-Obama-New-Yorker.php<BR/><BR/>One of the reasons Obama got into office is because he transcends the racist BS that sill exists in this country. That stuff is beneath him. And the people that keep putting that content out there aren’t getting the response they had hoped for. Barack knows that there is a price to be paid for being fist; this is just part of the cost. Charge it to the game. There is also a price for bad publicity of a multibillion dollar empire (lost subscriptions, advertising dollars, etc). If you really feel the need to show the media that this sort of thing is unacceptable, hit them in their wallets. Just my thoughts.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05232059435941850888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3439380262226647650.post-38733027898624604022009-02-19T11:07:00.000-08:002009-02-19T11:07:00.000-08:00Ms. Glenn,I was thinking about … the derogatory, h...Ms. Glenn,<BR/>I was thinking about … the derogatory, hate-filled, divisive and very violent attributes of the world’s political/social/religious/whatever arrangements.<BR/>I read your blog because of the aforementioned reality. To read and laugh about wearing a ring ‘with purpose’, a new ‘Budweiser sighting’ (and secretly find out about Brit_Brat, lol), along with other such meaningful details of Ms. Glenn’s Fab-u-los life. <BR/>Please, a place of respite from all the haters, and with whatever clever wordings they use to mask what lives in their hearts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com