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Is Obama/Joker Poster Racist?


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There’s a Barack Obama/Joker poster that’s spreading around the interweb like wildfire. It first surfaced back in April, but is catching on, now, in a big way.

The April Bedlam article noted a “Jim Crow quality” to the poster, and at least one writer has pegged it as being more than kinda racist:

The poster, which bears a very superficial resemblance to Shepard Fairey’s famous Obama Hope illustration, has been pasted on freeway supports and other public surfaces. It has a bit of everything to appeal to the drunk tank of California conservatism: Obama is in white face, his mouth (like Ledger’s Joker’s) has been grotesquely slit wide open and the word “Socialism” appears below his face. The only thing missing is a noose.

I think he’s overstating it just a little.

I don’t think the guy who made this intended to be racist, nor do I think the right wing is spanking themselves chafed over it because they’re racist (just behind-the-times dorks. Dark Knight came out, like, a geologic era ago). I give everyone 100% benefit of the doubt. When I was first writing this up, my 16 year-old son asked me what was so bad about blackface, and what the hell minstrelsy was. If you haven’t been the subject of it, you can be forgiven for not recognizing it.

I’ll even laugh at the guy who says the poster misses the point because the Joker was an anarchist, not a socialist. The premise of the poster is that Barack Obama is a joker because he’s a socialist, not that he’s socialist because he’s the Joker.

Having said all of that, this poster is immediately and strongly evocative of blackface minstrel shows. Hey, it happens, like when some ad guy accidentally snaps a picture of something that looks like a phallus. But, there it is. Care, or care not, ’tis a fact.

Once this was pointed out, however hyperbolically, the right wing was reluctant to give up their new plaything. Both Hot Air and Matt Lewis, among others, immediately went to the “they-did-it-to-Bush-too” defense. While I understand being defensive when someone puts a noose in your hand, this is a really poor analogy. Obviously, Bush didn’t belong to a group of people that had been historically mocked and demeaned through the application of race-changing makeup.

Even conceding that the poster is racially insensitive, I don’t think it should be censored. Art is supposed to provoke, and the as-yet-unknown artist may have intended to tweak the minstrel angle to make a statement about politicians in general, or Obama specifically. Believe it or not, he’s not universally beloved in the black community.

On the other hand, if you wear this as a t-shirt, you might rightly offend some folks. That might be worth the conversation, but it’s silly to pretend that the concern isn’t valid.

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23 comments

  • SFPhoto SFPhoto says:

    “Even conceding that the poster is racially insensitive, I don’t think it should be censored.” Oh, how big of you Mr. Christopher. Eight years of savage attacks from the left must have inured you such representations. As a daily reader of the New York Times, I find the poster a breath of fresh air: FINALLY someone has the balls to take a realistic look at Barack Hussein Obama. Can the numinousness be crumbling? I hope so, and by this poster’s huge popularity, I think I might be right.

  • libra blue libra blue says:

    Obama’s supporters label everything “racially insensitive” to keep people from criticizing Obama. It is time for the MSM to grow a couple and get over it and start telling the truth about Obama without allowing their hands to be tied by worrying about being labeled racists. The Obama supporters have a habit of using the racist label as a weapon and the cowardly MSM have allowed them to do it.

  • NDProds NDProds says:

    It’s a creepy image, made more so by Heath Ledger’s death. I don’t think it’s particularly funny, but it’s undeniably arresting — I am happy to say I think its power has nothing to do with race. As an Obama supporter, I can’t stand when other Obama-ites play the race card, and I hope they don’t on this one…. They should ignore it.

  • TfT TfT says:

    Why would it be considered racist? I’m sick and tired of anything critical said about Obama being characterized as racist. Do you not recall all the images of Bush as the devil, and even as the Joker? And the depiction of Bush as the Joker was far worse than this one. Just more double standards.

  • [...] Is Hot New Obama/Joker Poster Racist? | Columnists | MediaiteThere’s a Barack Obama/Joker poster that’s spreading around the interweb like wildfire. It first surfaced back in April, but is catching on, now, in a big way. The April Bedlam article noted a Jim Crow quality to the poster, …Read More [...]

  • ChrisNH ChrisNH says:

    I agree 100% with TfT. The same anger and criticism that was leveled at Bush by the Left now just happens to ‘enrage’ them. How completely hypocritical. It was supposed to ‘Rain Candy’ when this administration took over, yet all it’s done is rain. Obama deserves the criticisms; what makes it fun is watching the little limp-wristed press secretary Gibbs. You can just see how boiled he gets. You can’t just ask for a highway with no one on it. They’ve got three years of this to deal with, and it’ll only get more angry as long as people look up and don’t see candy falling from the sky like Obama promised it would.

  • Chris Jones says:

    What a shocker. Criticism of Obama is being called racist.

  • TfT TfT says:

    Perhaps the author of this article can edit it to include the Joker picture of President Bush? It is widely available, yet there was NEVER a question regarding it’s publication!

  • Pam1151 Pam1151 says:

    I am an Obama fan. Yes, a 63 year old “white” woman. I did not think that his election would make candy fall from the sky. He came in with a huge mess on his hands. I doubt that most of us expected him to perform miracles. As far as the racists out there it is the press that can’t quit reporting on all of this garbage that is coming out. I think many of us knew there were racists out there but had no idea how many or how mean they can be. Afterall he is the President. He can take care of himself and I doubt that any of that garbage bothers him. He is very self-assurred. However, I do find it sad for his children. George Bush is an alcoholic and I didn’t see anyone using that against him. Maybe I missed it. While that may be comparing apples and oranges it still could have been used against him on a constant basis.

    I don’t understand why the fact that he is half white and raised in a white family has no bearing on these people that are racists. I don’t find all criticism as racists but I do find much of it being very racist. And don’t say there are NO racists out there!!!!

  • libra blue libra blue says:

    Remember that the Joker’s main interest was power and control and that is exactly what Obama and his Chicago thug administration is all about.

    Frankly, I think “Botox Nancy” looks more like the Joker than Obama, with or without the funny makeup.

  • robkall robkall says:

    Put horns on an obama picture and, no problem. Depict him as a communist– that’s fair. But when you put white makeup on a black man, any black man, it evokes painful images of the racist past. So cut the crap about reciprocity. It’s disingenuous garbage.

    The image works very nicely to tap the new GOP “White Voter Strategy” Tom Edsall writes about on huffpo, here. http://bit.ly/y5FEw It’s racist and that’s where the new GOP is headed.

  • TfT TfT says:

    What garbage robkall — there is NO racism involved here. You refer readers to huffpo? The same site that put up a picture of Joe Lieberman in black face? haha

  • libra blue libra blue says:

    @TfT, I agree with you completely! I am an independent and didn’t vote for Bush, but this is double standards. Obama’s supporters always use the race card to keep the MSM in line and none of them have the balls to challenge them on it because they are all afraid of being boycotted by Al “Tawana Brawley” Sharpton and the rest of the race baiters.

    I think there is starting to be a backlash against the black community for using the word as a weapon. Non-black Americans better get over being afraid of the word racist unless they want to be controlled by the black community.

  • Kevin Gotkin Kevin Gotkin says:

    @SFPhoto Really? We’re still using Barry’s middle name and pretending its just just for impact effect? When’s the last time we used a President’s middle name so frequently? Please, be creative and find a new gimmick.

  • libra blue libra blue says:

    @Pam1151, I didn’t know how many black racists there were until this election I can tell you that!

  • [...] onstage, hear what they have to say.  In short order, Americans will remember why they voted these jokers out in [...]

  • bedlamite bedlamite says:

    We first reported on the appearance of the Joker Obama posters back in April on our site, bedlammagazine.com. But it was not until a conservative radio talk show host mentioned them last weekend that it exploded into a an international internet debate. What we find most disturbing is the assertion by those who embrace the critical sentiment of the poster (the word, “socialist” appears beneath the image) that there is nothing racist about it. The utter failure – or refusal – to consider that others might perceive an image of a Black man painted white as racist is discouraging, to say the least. However, we also acknowledge that politically-charged posters, many by artists of note, have been popping for years on urban walls – and they have almost universally espoused sentiments from the left of center. It is a bit encouraging that poster art is emerging as a broader platform for political debate on urban walls around the U.S. The original image was in fact created by a Chicago student who had no particular political axe to grind. Our story has been updated with new images and information at bedlammagazine.com.
    -Jonathan Jerald, Editor, Bedlam Magazine

  • Pam1151 Pam1151 says:

    Actually libra blue I met my first “black racist” many years ago in my place of employment. Yes, there are those out there. I came from what one would call a racist family. I can tell you that I learned a lot the first time I was in a place where I was the only white person in a group of about 300 people. It was a good experience for me and I would suggest some others try it out. What is it they say “when you walk in someone elses shoes” you might have a clue what is like to be them.

    I have no problem with white people protesting. Everyone has that right. But let us be honest. Are we protesting health care or are we protesting the first black president just because he is black. Only if it is because he is black so be it. I would rather it be out in the open and honest. But I doubt these protesters have the “balls” to admit the truth.

  • TruthBerlin TruthBerlin says:

    We aren’t putting these posters up for racial reasons what-so-ever. this is political… he could just as easily be a green martian, and we’d still be doing it. This is our right to protest when our leaders, and our government are making moves we think people should be looking into, and be more aware of. Until people worldwide began putting up these images, the President seemed to have this fanatical fan support system, he was going to fix everything, he could do no wrong… but all politicians are capable of corruption. It’s important to remember, Obama, IS a politician. Also important to remember: Obama isn’t the devil himself, but the pretty packaging marketed to us by the worst of the worst, the most corrupt of corrupt, & most evil of evil to sell us so easily on their own plans so there’s no protest. Important for American’s to research all unelected, newly appointed Czars in the U.S. These people will be deciding your fates on so many issues. Also point to bring up, We have a social health care system in Europe… but what so many die-hard American social health care supporters need to research is the major drawbacks invovled… it isn’t free… not at all. We pay loads in taxes each pay period that equal, or surpass what most Americans pay to insurance companies for monthly co-pays or premiums (depending on whether your employer matches the payment), plus we pay co-pays between 10-50 euro each doctor visit, and another 10-50 euro for our meds… great not seeing a doctor bill later for sure… but not free, and completely mandatory that we must pay into it. (no longer a choice) you also have to factor in that the government will now control what type of health care you’ll receive. I went to my doctor with pneumonia (mild) last February, and he gave me one ibuprofen for my fever (you can’t get anything not homeopathic over-the-counter here) and told me to sleep it off. It would have been very nice during those two painful weeks to have had some anitbiotics. Then of course, there’s the taxing the “rich” issue, where regular small business owners get totally screwed, (like a family member of me who has a post-construction company in the U.S.) and he already only made for himself around $10-12 per hour worth of pay, paying all his employees and business expenses first…but with the economy what it is, and what he will be having to pay on his “Rich” tax next year, he will surely lose his business completely, and all 9 of his employees will lose their jobs with him. In Germany, we are well aware of what Socialism (Communism) looks like, and we have learned to see it coming from far away.
    Graffiti-style, pictures are always made for politicians & leaders, it’s our way to make people walking by on the street, stop, and think, and not always believe what the media tells you, but to research the facts for yourself. People were making these protests in ancient Rome, and we’ll be making them until the world ends. I wish the point weren’t getting lost in the pathetic attempts to make it a race issue.
    Check infowars.com for good info.start

  • [...] viral posters that compared Obama to the Joker and to Hitler feel tame compared to the latest nasty meme to hit the Internet: insinuating that [...]

  • [...] viral posters that compared Obama to the Joker and toHitler feel tame compared to the latest nasty meme to hit the Internet: insinuating that [...]

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