Because of the Chimp Cartoon, I must Educate!

You are 100% right.

However that doesn't change the fact that most people are not sophisticated enough to see that. Case in point, the general reaction.

Also I find it hard to believe the creators of said satire were not sophisticated enough to foresee the potential explosion.

Oh well.

THIS JUST IN: Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are commencing a class action lawsuit against the makers of King Kong.

Anon: you are a moron.

leira7: check out #2

ba⋅boon
   /bæˈbun or, especially Brit., bə-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ba-boon or, especially Brit., buh-] Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. any of various large, terrestrial monkeys of the genus Papio and related genera, of Africa and Arabia, having a doglike muzzle, large cheek pouches, and a short tail.
2. a coarse, ridiculous, or brutish person, esp. one of low intelligence.

Something has struck me a bit curious about this suddenly. Didn't the cartoon come out like the same DAY that the chimp got shot?

And getting a little too conspiratorial for my own liking, didn't "Reinhardt" predict that the markets would be in a downfall when a monkey was on the state news?

Like was said earlier, negative journalism is a technique they use to keep people focused on anything other than what is important... There was some strong synchronicity surrounding this whole string of events... Just something to put in the back of your mind, I suppose.

reply to post by Jay-in-AR


Yeah, I heard about that Reindhart prediction. I think you are onto something. I think this was made into a big deal for another reason. Or at least I hope so.

Could someone please post the cartoon on ATS so I can see why there are so many people who are in a uproar over a little cartoon?

see it here.

There is a major problem with that link above this post...

Unless it was just something wrong with my computer, that link just flooded me with that story. I couldn't close the windows down fast enough.

Had to reboot.

You are entitled to your opinion just as others are.

I just watched a show on Neo-Nazi like hate groups last night... I think discovery channel or something? Anyway it was funny to watch them make all the hitler sieg heil gestures and get drummed up into a rage. They look like a cage full of enraged chimpazees! LOL

Originally posted by Anonymous ATS
Maybe if you guys took some cultural sensitivity training, or looked at the history of racism, then perhaps you can understand why so many ppl are offended by the image.

It is not often that I reply to someone that is not signed in or up whichever the case may be, but you do bring up a very good point.

Yes, the comparison of black people to monkeys and apes are a very old stereotype. Sometimes intentional and sometimes unintentional references to images, words and phrases are made all the time. I can't tel you how many times I have been called "chief". i'd say about 95% of the time it is said as nickname like buddy or bubba or dude.

Most people do not see my racial features in proper perspective. I am part Cherokee, but low enough with enough Caucasian features like hair color, balding, facial hair and skin tones to be immediately identified as white. With sunlight my skin turns red but is not burnt (although I can burn), without it I have a yellowed skin tone. Even some Asians will look at me as maybe mixed due to cheekbones and narrow eyes. Most whites just say I "look sleepy" all the time because my eyes are never "wide-open".

I never let any of that get me down, nor do I use it to an advantage or work an angle. Rev. Sharpton does and has done so for many years. It is from this looking in the past that things do not move forward as well and as quickly as it could.

I don't care what a person's race or sex or background is. I address the merits and flaws of the person. And to use a stereotype because I guess I can, there would be many scalps on my belt if all I saw was hate when I looked through my eyes.

Although I will admit that if I know the person well enough, I will point out that I have Cherokee in my blood when they happen to call me chief, if I think I can get nervous laugh out of it. Usually I get a story about a great-(great-)grandparent that married someone that was half Indian. Seldom do they know which tribe.

But on the subject of editorial/political cartoons the most offensive one I ever saw was one I seen as a teenager in which the Statue of Liberty had been raped (over something) and the caption was "Was it good for you?" or words to that effect. Not sure, but I think it was by the same guy that also draws "Mother Goose and Grimm" comics. In that perspective, this one was pretty tame in my book.

This cartoon was amazing. I say amazing because of how perfectly orchestrated it was. Divide and conquer!

Ask yourself this: What in the world does a chimp have to do with legislation?
Answer: NOTHING.

Another question: Has there been any significant development in race relations recently?
Answer: The first black POTUS.

I can see why some find this racist and I would expect it given the circumstances. And yes, many called Bush a chimp over the past 8 years. So why cannot the same folks call Obama a chimp? Well, words are useless without context and meaning. Calling Bush a chimp is saying that is he less than intelligent. Calling Obama a chimp is actually different and can be considered racist since calling a black person some sort of monkey is a very well known racial slur from not too long ago (and is still being used in many parts of the US). A loose analogy (which is actually less poignant than the chimp IMHO) is yelling "What's your problem, are you blind as a bat???" to a referee versus yelling "What's your problem, are you blind as a bat???" to a war vet crossing the street who has recently been permanently blinded by a bomb while protecting our country.

Okay, my analogy kinda sucked, but you get the point.

Anyway, right or wrong, the cartoon was actually brilliant. It was just barely racist enough to rile up a good percentage of the population that had to LIVE though racism and bigotry - yet it was also just innocent (and stupid) enough to escape under the guise of satire.

In the end, did we rile up racial tension? You bet!
Did it distract a lot of people from the bailouts? Check!
Are we growing divided? Getting warmer!

The American people are being manipulated into hating eachother. Middle class is hating bankers, responsible home owners are hating irresponsible home owners, and now racial tension is growing again when it was just about to disappear.

Face it, the artist knew what he was doing, and the editor knew too. It sold papers when print is going down the tube and it got 'buzz'. TPTB got that they wanted, and that is a divided people distracted from all of the REAL problems around them.

I'd love to see us all just chalk it up as a brilliant yet tasteless cartoon drawn by desperate hands.

reply to post by Ahabstar


I agree completely with what you said. I'm in the same situation. I'm a mut European-Native American. About 50/50. However, my European genes are predominate due to my mixed native heritage... I look as "white" as the next guy during about 8 months of the year.

The worst term I ever heard was "blanket-ass"... That time I actually did feel a pang of rage. However, I realized quickly that it isn't worth it to get worked up over. We are ALL mixed. We are all ONE.

Why is it that some folks pull that race card? I'm not sure, but you are exactly right when you say people like Sharpton and Jackson use it to their advantage. That is racism, pure and simple and honestly I couldn't care less about their opinions.
It is probably cliche to use a line from Young Guns, but my ancestor's babies had their heads stomped in to save bullets.

The above is probably why I never saw the cartoon as racist. Afterall, calling someone a chimp is a commentary on their intelligence. Not their skin color.




[edit on 23-2-2009 by Jay-in-AR]

[edit on 23-2-2009 by Jay-in-AR]

I agree to an extent, but the person who drew this thing does hold some responsiblity for the fall out, when you do political drawings like this it's common to put a name of the person/people/group your talking about onto the object or person/animal you are drawing. When you don't do that it leaves people to come up with their own conclusion, especially when Obama was taking the credit for the Economic recovery bill and it was called Obamas bill by the media and the fact that African-Americans or blacks have been called monkeys/chimps in jokes and have been compared to monkey/chimps for hundreds of years.

So to people who are complaining about people saying this is racist you need to look at both sides of the argument.

Point being made is. The drawing was vague, he didn't define who the monkey was when it is common knowledge to label your opponent in a political cartoon and he didn't which led people to come up with their own conclusions, and the fact that it was being called Obama's bill by most I can see where people made the connection about it being about Obama.

Just my 2 cents.

Are people still going on about this comic? If this comic was rated on the "4chan Scale of Offensiveness," this would barely rate a 3/100. How could people go on for so long about something so minuscule and call somebody a conspiracy nut when that somebody brings up the stimulus bill and say it's mainly for the bankers? It's a shame all this energy has gone to waste instead of being used for more constructive things.

reply to post by SonicInfinity


"It's a shame all this energy has gone to waste instead of being used for more constructive things. "

You're kidding me with this one, right?
What otherwise would any of these posters be doing?
Nothing, that is what.
They would all still be here. They would all still be commenting on things that people other than yourself would say is a waste of energy, for one reason or another.
In a sense, you are right. It IS a waste of energy, but no more than this entire site is.
Truth of the matter is, people should be in the streets right about now.
Myself, I'm just buying time until that becomes necessary.

Some people are so full of hatred that they can't even take a joke. Instead, they over react by venting their hatred with indignant fervor.

reply to post by SonicInfinity


Well i'm sorry you don't approve of this topic being discussed so extensively, we should all just quit talking now because Sonic doesn't think this thread is worthy of all the attention it's getting.

Seriously, if you have nothing to contribute to the OP then why even comment?

Meh... I think some people are looking to be offended. They want to be, so they can get on a pulpit and preach against their real-or-imagined enemies. The "anti-racist" Left is as guilty of doing this as the Right, as proven by this cartoon row.

[edit on 23/2/2009 by stannis]

Wow, uh.. "Baboon"? that is kinda racist man. In fact, I think a lot of people here on ATS are racist. A lot of you let loose here. how do I know? Because I sit back and read some of the blatant bigotry you spew out on any given day. Real class acts some of you are.

I can't agree more. The racism from all sides here is bad enough that the ats moderators had to get invovled to SUPRESS it. Just try a search for jew, isreal, palestine ect. The fact that I have found people on this forum that actually admit to reading/believing and then quoting a site like realjewnews.com or rense.com just shows how deep the racism is entrenched here. All a person has to do is LOOK at the white supremacist propaganda that has been published over the last half-century in the U.S. to see why the cartoon has made more than a few people angry. To deny this is a truly high form of ignorance. There is a perfect place for ignorant people to come together and spew. It is called the flat earth society. Look 'em up. At least when people shave their heads or wear pillowcases for hoods, we see them for what they are.
J
P.S. I have no love for sharpton, but I really hate americas racist/segregated past and the fact that people, through thier own ignorance allow that past to surface again.

[edit on 23-2-2009 by JohnWorfin]

reply to post by JohnWorfin


You don't see the irony in your post?

... It isn't about the issues with you, it is about the past.
This is the problem.



Grow up.