

May 19, 2008

Is this Curious George/Obama T-shirt offensive?


Who would wear this curious T-shirt? And why?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.


Anyone remember Howard Cosell and how he lost his job?

Who remembers the "Sampsons" thsirts that sprung up everywhere when "The Simpsons" were polluting the market with thier merchandise?That was nearly 15 years ago and that got squashed faster than Bush Jr.'s criminal record.(Oooo,burn!!!)

What animals could whites be compared to?Maggots,perhaps?or would that be finally "unacceptable"??

I want one of these shirts so i can put on the back,"Sold to me by the owner of Mulligans,Atlanta,GA"
[ Then I would put his business AND home address below it ]
...Im biracial and it made me laugh at first because I knew it was obviously racist,not just 'insensitive',and I knew the guy who was selling them was probably looking out his window several times before leaving his home or business.(Oh yeah,you jerk-you've put the focus on you and yours now)

Curious George was so insulted about being compared to the Bush man. And, I was as well. I love Curious George and both of my kids went away to college with a stuffed one, along with wonderful memories of his tales. To us, who happen to be white, Curious George is lovable and endearing.

The same can't be said of Bush.

thats hilarious. i was gonna buy that one but i decided to get "the audactiy of hype" one instead.

Regarding Lelia's comment quoted below...

One of that beliefs common among Blacks which impede meaningful dialog is the notion that their experience is somehow unique or exceptional or worse than what was experienced by other groups in history. The fact is that it just isn't unusual at all. Human history is (sadly enough) a long story of injustice and exile and slavery and oppression going back to the beginning of time all over the globe.

We are all descended from slaves and oppressed groups. Most of us have gotten over it and no longer let it affect us. Maybe it is time for you to get over it too.

And you are also wrong about racism. Racism is not an institution. It is attitude of prejudice based on race.

You seem very tense... Why not take a few deep breaths, walk the dog, have a cup of tea, listen to some soothing music? Try to have a nice day.

Lelia wrote: "There is no such thing as "reverse racism" because "reverse racism" never lead to the enslavement of an entire race, to the creation of the Jim Crow south, to laws against miscegenation, to the Ku Klux Klan, the list continues....

That is not to say that members of a minority group cannot be prejudiced. Prejudiced is an personal attitude. Racism is an institution."

George W. Bush has been called, "Curious George" for the last 8 years and also been named, "the Smirking Chimp." No one has complained. Why are Obama supporters so sensitive? Also, why are they always calling people a racist if their messiah is criticized?

Did we even have to ask this question? A better caption for that picture should have been "Look! not all jerks are extinct ...primitive writings appear on T-Shirt and prove they still live"

As per Barack Hussein Obama, blue collar whites cling to guns, religion and immigration. A monkey tee shirt is appropriate for a bigot as him.

cool, where can I buy one ?

It's a tee-shirt for goodness sakes! I am dismissive of such garments. True it is offensive, but it serves a greater purpose. That purpose is to identify the wearer as not being very intelligent. Next!

Yes it is offensive. No it is not "strange" that it is offensive when applied to a black man and not when applied to a white man. Any intellectually honest person does not need an explanation for why that is but here is one anyway. In the case of applying it to a black man it is simply echoing a fairly familiar racial slur applied generically to blacks by some bigots. That is not the case OTOH when the butt of the joke is a white person so the viewer of the T-Shirt presumably will look for some other characteristic than the race of the joke butt to find the sense of the of jab. In the case of Bush it is not a tasteless racial slur but simply a rather pointed observation that bush looks and acts like an ignorant buffoon and would no matter what color he was. BTW I kind of like Curious George and am a bit offended that such a clever little monkey should have to suffer being compared to such an evil ass.

As a resident of Marietta, Georgia, who happens to be white, for what it's worth, it is difficult for me to describe how terribly offended, embarrassed and revolted I am by the actions of the local bar owner who sold those awful tee shirts. I think it is necessary to apologize on behalf of the reasonable citizens of this community and this state, so let me try: We're very, very sorry. Please do not think those of us here in the South are all as evil as the redneck, racist minority which continues to bedevil us.

I say sell the shirt, if for the at-a-glance asshole benefit alone.

It's shirts like this that is causing blacks to murder everyone! Ban the shirt - just like you banned guns & all the killing will stop. Morons!

For those of you who have made reference to "black on white racism" or "reverse racism", pick up any psychology or sociology text and take a read. Racism is an instrument of power used by a dominant group to derogate and subjugate a group that is not dominant. There is no such thing as "reverse racism" because "reverse racism" never lead to the enslavement of an entire race, to the creation of the Jim Crow south, to laws against miscegenation, to the Ku Klux Klan, the list continues....


I'll keep my comments about those who have linked Obama to Reverend Wright to myself, although I suppose they would be a propos right now...

The shirt is disgusting and offesnsive and I do have a sense of humor,but I find no humor in bigoted , racist acts. Anyone wearing and or buying this shirt is definitely flaunting their idiocy.

what the he** is the race card? some of you just make me sick, if you are black and I called you black ,am i pulling the race card. so if your racist and your called racist then its just a fact not a dam* card, is it that it hurts to really hear that you are racist and that you are the worst kind of scum for hateing someone because they are not white. the shirt was racist and wrong on so many levels. i am a white woman and i hope to God that he does not judge us all as one for the hate in most white peoples heart. hate is wrong and you will all go to hell if you hate someone just because they are not white.

At best, this shirt is entirely insensitive to a long held racial slur against black people. There are certain images/thoughts/ideas/words that at one time were wide spread derogatory terms that have thankfully fallen out of use. Another example from this campaign is the use of the word "boy" as in "that boy has no business with his finger on the button". Even if there is no racial bias behind the use of these terms, there is automatically baggage that is carried forward from our not so distant past when these terms are used.
Being from the south, I can almost guarantee that even if this pub owner was unaware of the racial stereotype associated with comparing a black man with a monkey, he is still comfortable making this comparison after learning about negative racial baggage associated with this comparison.

Do the t-shirts come with a white hood? If not, I guess that's an improvement of sorts. Apparently at least some mouth breathing racist scum are willing to show their faces while they bare the ugliness in their hearts.

When tiny little minds can't get their brains to absorb the actual issues being presented in a political campaign, there's no telling in what nonsensical way they'll react.

I have not seen the t-shirt, but I would not consider it to be any less offensive than hundreds of other t-shirts on the market that insult everything from gender to intelligence. One responder impressed me with his insight.....forget about being politically correct and just get a sense of humor. Any man or woman regardless of race who supports any of this type of prejudice by purchasing any kind of item that puts down another group of people is exactly that....prejudice......To all those who always want to shout racism or sexism or whateverism need to simply grow up. How many times have we told our children not to call people names, but we can't get over it ourselves as adults. A case of the blind leading the blind?

I am Curious George. I am very upset that I was put in the category of a Texas jackass and a inexperience pompous ass.

The Mulligan's owner is notorious here in Atlanta for his racially provocative statements and paraphernalia in his tavern. Anyone who knows of him know his intentions were to offend.

He has also said "I wish Hillary had married O.J." and signs in his bar say things like: "No habla Espanol — and never will." People of color (or of good conscience) will never feel welcomed or comfortable there.

Rather than travel to Georgia to buy that shirt, anyone who would actually wear it should just go to their local t-shirt shop and have a shirt made up that says "I'm White Trash Idiot", which is basically what you are trying to say anyway.
And I consider myself in that category now, having realized how stupid I was for voting for George Bush twice.

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