California Mayor's 'Watermelon White House' email

[Ban Hammer 13,360]

Born from Blacks enjoyment of Watermelon? ARE you FRICKING For REAL!!!!!

It is people like you that make it necessary for people like me have to go all ###### ape ###### pc because you don't GET IT!

run for your life, she's gonna blow!

[Danno 1,228]

I guess I'm not understanding why people are defending the joke by denying the underlying (and very well established) stereotype.

I for one have never claimed that the humor was not based entirely upon a stereo type.

This cartoon would have no meaning outside of that context.

I also said it was "off color" and could easily be offensive and while I might share it,...(if it were funny) I would not do so on a mailing list.

I have seen a few of what I would call "Racist cartoons" of obama.... THIS IS NOT what it looks like.

What I don't agree with is that, someone has to be racist to laugh at a joke anymore than one has to be Anti Christian/ muslim to pass along a cartoon which Mocks Christ or Muhammad.

If this Mayor sent out a cartoon which stereotypes Priests as child molesters, would this even be a new story?

Why is it Racial stereo types are off limits and none other?

I'm still waiting on MC guidelines.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Showing a watermelon patch in front of the white house is racist both in imagery and what that imagery implies, those implications being derived from the underlying stereotype. It doesn't need to explicitly show Obama - because we share knowledge that the White House is currently occupied by a black president, and that the image would be meaningless in the context of any other President.

What I don't agree with is that, someone has to be racist to laugh at a joke anymore than one has to be Anti Christian/ muslim to pass along a cartoon which Mocks Christ or Muhammad.

You don't have to be racist to laugh at or pass on material like that - but if you do you can hardly be surprised when someone accuses you of holding the attitudes represented by the material.

After all, a person's behaviour to some extent reflects their attitudes - so quite why someone would choose to propagate material that they find inappropriate and offensive is strange - and not a little immature.

[Peikko 1,575]

MC, it may be time for you to take a break.

Don't believe everything you read. My blood pressure is just fine.

I guess all these good folks are just defending the right of Americans to be Jackasses, if that's what they want to be. That's just fine and dandy, I just want to know which of them is a Jackass

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Makes you wonder doesn't it...

As bizarre as it sounds, I'm starting to think that the "drunken negro head" cookie baker isn't the rare breed that I first thought.

[Peikko 1,575]

Makes you wonder doesn't it...

As bizarre as it sounds, I'm starting to think that the "drunken negro head" cookie baker isn't the rare breed that I first thought.

You have that right. It was very funny though, they were like caricatures of themselves. Now that's clever

[peejay 327]

I guess I'm not understanding why people are defending the joke by denying the underlying (and very well established) stereotype.

Very odd. Reminds me of that old Louis Theroux episode where he met with a family of Neo-Nazis (complete with framed pictures of Hitler on the walls) and the wife said that she like the Swastika because it was a "nice shape".

Nazis are on par with watermelon jokes? I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but that is quite a big stretch. I just don't see it.

[alienlovechild 75]

Nazis are on par with watermelon jokes? I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but that is quite a big stretch. I just don't see it.

My advice is to stay away from lime jokes with this crowd.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I guess I'm not understanding why people are defending the joke by denying the underlying (and very well established) stereotype.

Very odd. Reminds me of that old Louis Theroux episode where he met with a family of Neo-Nazis (complete with framed pictures of Hitler on the walls) and the wife said that she like the Swastika because it was a "nice shape".

Nazis are on par with watermelon jokes? I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but that is quite a big stretch. I just don't see it.

Well of course you don't see it, because that's not what I said.

What I was getting at is that it strikes me as strange for someone to remove all meaning from a notorious image in a context where it was undeniably racist.

That isn't dissimilar from arguing that growing watermelons at the white house has no inherent racist bias. It obviously does.

[peejay 327]

I guess I'm not understanding why people are defending the joke by denying the underlying (and very well established) stereotype.

Very odd. Reminds me of that old Louis Theroux episode where he met with a family of Neo-Nazis (complete with framed pictures of Hitler on the walls) and the wife said that she like the Swastika because it was a "nice shape".

Nazis are on par with watermelon jokes? I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but that is quite a big stretch. I just don't see it.

Well of course you don't see it, because that's not what I said.

What I was getting at is that it strikes me as strange for someone to remove all meaning from a notorious image in a context where it was undeniably racist.

That isn't dissimilar from arguing that growing watermelons at the white house has no inherent racist bias. It obviously does.

Oh, I think most everyone that grew up here in the USA gets the crux of the cartoon. I don't even think it was funny. What's even weirder is the fact that Obama is the furthest person that I'd even associate with this. Here's a guy that is the product of a white mother and an African father. His background is not even historically connected to the imagery this cartoon is depicting. This minute dissecting of this whole story and the rage of white liberals over it is really what kept this thread going for 12 pages. Otherwise it is just a big yawner as far as I'm concerned.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I'm sure a lot of Italian Americans like Pizza too.

I can speak Italian and I had pizza for breakfast today.

BS. Computers only eat RAM. Especially Vista.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I guess I'm not understanding why people are defending the joke by denying the underlying (and very well established) stereotype.

Very odd. Reminds me of that old Louis Theroux episode where he met with a family of Neo-Nazis (complete with framed pictures of Hitler on the walls) and the wife said that she like the Swastika because it was a "nice shape".

Nazis are on par with watermelon jokes? I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but that is quite a big stretch. I just don't see it.

Well of course you don't see it, because that's not what I said.

What I was getting at is that it strikes me as strange for someone to remove all meaning from a notorious image in a context where it was undeniably racist.

That isn't dissimilar from arguing that growing watermelons at the white house has no inherent racist bias. It obviously does.

Oh, I think most everyone that grew up here in the USA gets the crux of the cartoon. I don't even think it was funny. What's even weirder is the fact that Obama is the furthest person that I'd even associate with this. Here's a guy that is the product of a white mother and an African father. His background is not even historically connected to the imagery this cartoon is depicting. This minute dissecting of this whole story and the rage of white liberals over it is really what kept this thread going for 12 pages. Otherwise it is just a big yawner as far as I'm concerned.

Is it ####.

Actually what's kept it going is people tossing out the "Political Correctness" card to deny not only the implication in the image but the underlying stereotype as well, and the curious attitude that people seem to find humour in it without actually wanting to elaborate on what it is that they're actually laughing at (which is very telling IMO).

As MC said - it says quite a bit about some of the people here.

But yes - otherwise it is a bit of a non-issue (I said as much wayyyy back at the beginning)/

[Ban Hammer 13,360]

update:

Mayor who sent watermelon e-mail says he'll resign

Thu Feb 26, 11:48 pm ET

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – The mayor of a small Southern California city says he will resign after being criticized for sharing an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year."

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose issued a statement Thursday saying he is sorry and will step down as mayor at Monday's City Council meeting.

Grose came under fire for sending the picture to what he called "a small group of friends." One of the recipients, a local businesswoman and city volunteer, publicly scolded the mayor for his actions.

Grose says he accepts that the e-mail was in poor taste and has affected his ability to lead the city.

Located in Orange County, Los Alamitos is a 2 1/4-square-mile city of around 12,000 people.

link

[Jasman0717 9]

I heard on the news this morning this guy is resigning at the next counsel meeting

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

People have resigned for less, I suppose.

At least the guy had the integrity to quit when he felt his position was untenable - unlike that slimy Blagojevich.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Paul Daniels