re: #874 Patriot

I’m not defending the picture/action. It is in exceedingly poor taste (at the very best), demeaning to the office of the President, not funny, and not particularly on-point. (Other than in a tangential medicine-man sort of way.)

And yes, racist. (As we see it today.)

What “the hell are [I’m] talking about” Charles is whether it will ever *not* be racist. (I’m certain it will always be in poor taste, demeaning & unfunny.)

If its racist because - “I know it when I see it”, then it’s always going to be okay for future Dr. Gates to scream ‘racism’ at policemen trying to do their jobs because racism will be a matter of personal perception.

If its racist because - “It portrays an aboriginal/savage/uncivilized image”, then is it racist to show a (white) President as a Caveman?

If its racist because - “It shows a black man’s head”, but wouldn’t be if it showed a white man’s head? Then - short of some massive melanin excess/shortage in the global gene pool, are we ever going to get past the color “divide”?

Perhaps there will come a day when a stunt like this is universally agreed to be poor taste/demeaning/unfunny, but not racist.

I’d like to believe that will be a better day than the one we are in now, and I’m curious as to what other Lizards think. (In some polite societies, this is known as an intellectual discussion.)

I don’t think such discourse is above the Lizards, and if it is - and beyond the capabilities of humankind, then we are doomed to debate this eternally.

It’s too bad that you have to pontificate that much just to say you don’t see that photoshop as racist. Jumping through hoops, same outcome, you have no problem with the racist implications.