The View

[PWS]

Given Barbara's age, and the fact that she was a journalist who lived and worked during the civil rights movement, that she would not know the LONG history of Africans (and African Americans) being mocked as apes is just beyond me. Maybe Pugmom and others to whom this link seems to be a reach happened to live very sheltered lives unexposed to racism, or are very young, but Babs? Come on, it has been one of THE most common insults delivered to African Americans and has therefore become a very high on the list comparison to be avoided if you don't want to insult people. How could SHE never have heard of this before?

[Muduh]

Given Barbara's age, and the fact that she was a journalist who lived and worked during the civil rights movement, that she would not know the LONG history of Africans (and African Americans) being mocked as apes is just beyond me. Maybe Pugmom and others to whom this link seems to be a reach happened to live very sheltered lives unexposed to racism, or are very young, but Babs? Come on, it has been one of THE most common insults delivered to African Americans and has therefore become a very high on the list comparison to be avoided if you don't want to insult people. How could SHE never have heard of this before?

I'm a seventy year old woman. I sat at lunch counters with my black friends in the sixties and none of us got served. I probably have lead a less sheltered life than anyone here could even imagine. I did not see the cartoon as being racist. I do feel that some people are more than ready to try and find racism around every corner.

I thought that Barbara made herself look ridiculous when she just kept on about the ape being black. It was an ape. What other color would it have been. I saw no connection between the ape and Obama since neither of them wrote the stimulus bill.

[Rattus]

I can't quite understand why there is any debate about the nature of the cartoon given the history of that particular paper (NY Post) and that particular cartoonist (Sean Delonas) and that particularly foul stereotype.

[DCBelleonWheels]

I'm a seventy year old woman. I sat at lunch counters with my black friends in the sixties and none of us got served. I probably have lead a less sheltered life than anyone here could even imagine. I did not see the cartoon as being racist. I do feel that some people are more than ready to try and find racism around every corner.

I thought that Barbara made herself look ridiculous when she just kept on about the ape being black. It was an ape. What other color would it have been. I saw no connection between the ape and Obama since neither of them wrote the stimulus bill.

Muduh, this post ROCKS!!! GOOD FOR YOU!

[fluff]

I can't quite understand why there is any debate about the nature of the cartoon given the history of that particular paper (NY Post) and that particular cartoonist (Sean Delonas) and that particularly foul stereotype.

Exactly.
Just because some people don't find it racist doesn't mean others are wrong, hypersensitive or on a mission to find racism where it doesn't exist, if they do.

The cartoon is clearly open to various interpretations

Forgot to add, I really liked some of the toys they featured today.
They seem to be getting the hang of the Bank On The View segment and are actually featuring good products at affordable prices.
The make-up segment from earlier this week was also good, but would have been better if Babs hadn't kept butting in.

[Blues Songstres]

Maybe I am somewhere along that river without realizing it, but I didn't interpret it as racist or sexist. I thought the cartoonist used the story of Travis the chimp to make fun of our legislative branch in general as a bunch of incompetent monkeys putting together the stimulus package, kind of like that old commercial (sorry, can't remember for what) that portrayed the corporation run by monkeys... in the board room, at the copier, etc... while the business tanked. Now I do realize how bad it is that we can so easily make a leap from that to the ugly connotations that are currently being talked about, but I just don't think that was the intent of the original joke. I do see the point about how potentially harmful the image could be... maybe this is a case of 20/20 hindsight for the cartoonist? But more on topic, I agree that Barbara was off the mark (again) about even what made it potentially insulting.

I can't comment on what the original intent of the artist was, but if he & the Post couldn't see how this would be taken, they would have to be idiots. I'm going to guess that they couldn't ALL be idiots. It bothers me that even though they knew that it was going to be considered by many to be racist and disrespectful to our President, they chose to run it. Disgusting.

[PWS]

I'm a seventy year old woman. I sat at lunch counters with my black friends in the sixties and none of us got served. I probably have lead a less sheltered life than anyone here could even imagine. I did not see the cartoon as being racist. I do feel that some people are more than ready to try and find racism around every corner.

I thought that Barbara made herself look ridiculous when she just kept on about the ape being black. It was an ape. What other color would it have been. I saw no connection between the ape and Obama since neither of them wrote the stimulus bill.

Pelosi may have written it (although I'm betting the vast majority of Americans don't know that), but didn't the cartoon say, Now we have to find someone else to SIGN the bill'? That would be Obama, no?

[fluff]

IIRC it did say "write the next bill" rather than sign.
Either way, to me, it could easily be seen as racist, that seems obvious really.

I do feel that some people are more than ready to try and find racism around every corner.

I think it can also be argued that some people are determined to ignore it too

[PWS]

IIRC it did say "write the next bill" rather than sign.
Either way, to me, it could easily be seen as racist, that seems obvious really.


I think it can also be argued that some people are determined to ignore it too

OK, sorry then. Of course that makes no sense no matter who the dead person is meant to be... the bill is written, it's not going to unwrite itself because the author is dead!!

[Amy Lee]

I think it can also be argued that some people are determined to ignore it too

Exactly! Some are determined to act as if it doesn't happen.

Anyway, i wish Barbara would take a vacation while the show is airing. Seriously, get out of my tv! She's useless on this show.