re: #283 geoffm33

I’ve got a question about the Rodeo Clown incident vis-a-vis racism. Does the clown wearing the mask by itself make it racist? Or is it the other clown plying with the lips on the BO mask make it so?

Having the broom stick stuck where the sun don’t shine and the “We’re going to stomp Obama now.” makes it distasteful/repulsive/borderline psychotic.

What is your opinions on this? Overt racism, thinly veiled racism, what?

My opinion is that the attention to the lips of the mask crossed the line.

I’d say that it is something where you can’t point at a single particular detail and say it made it “racist” whereas another detail did not. Sort of a collective effect where you *know* it’s racist. The whole performance went way over the line in multiple ways.

On a separate note burning or mauling a political figure in effigy as part of a protest is well established*. Doing so as part of what is supposed to be generally non-partisan entertainment is something else, and part of what makes this incident particularly repulsive.

* - And there is also some ground within political satire. Though usually there is some measure of restraint and respect shown in the established media.