DISQUS

HannaFl · 9 months ago

The mayor was not being forthright when claiming he didn't understand the joke, else he wouldn't have sent it in an attempt to be funny. Seriously, why watermelons? Would a lawn full of corn or bell peppers be funny as well? And I'm guessing he accidentally sent it to an African-American colleague by mistake...perhaps her name was on an established list and he didn't think to delete her. Sending it out was an error in judgment, especially doing so as an office-holder.

However, I'm hoping one day soon that a good-natured comment or joke pertaining to President Obama's heritage will come to light, and that he can show some good sportsmanship by either dismissing the joke or even laughing about it. That would go a long way to heal race relations in the country. I'm not sure what the joke or comment would be, but I use a wheelchair and there is certainly great opportunity within my social circle for disability-related humor, and I certainly don't take offense if it's stated under good intentions.

We all need to lighten up a bit; unfortunately, this watermelon-referencing email isn't the catalyst for such an awakening. I'll keep waiting for the right opportunity...

D. E.Rodriguez · 9 months ago

I agree we need to "lighten up." Perhaps people will "lighten up" when alll Americans accept that it is perfectly OK to have an African American as our President, and when all Americans accept that it is perfectly OK to make jokes about our President, even if he is an African American...

Emanresu · 9 months ago

The Mayor should NOT have resigned. The Chimpanzee Cartoon caption was/is racist, but this cartoon isn't racially offensive to the mature person. AND you can hide Ishtar Eggs in a watermelon patch - you just can't trample the plants. Humor is always at the 'expense' of someone. The Watermelon cartoon is as rascist as the term 'BLACK' President, to me. No doubt, there are plenty of 'Honky' jokes in the black community. ~ me

"People have lost their sense of humour. - Clint Eastwood. He continues...

"I find that ridiculous. In those earlier days every friendly clique had a 'Sam the Jew' or 'Jose the Mexican' - but we didn't think anything of it or have a racist thought. It was just normal that we made jokes based on our nationality or ethnicity. That was never a problem. I don't want to be politically correct.

We're all spending too much time and energy trying to be politically correct about everything," he added. (ANI) http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090227/906/ten-e...

HannaFl · 9 months ago

I agree with Emanresu conceptually, but the egregiousness of the symbolism is where the mayor's watermelon cartoon becomes "politically incorrect". Just as a swastika is egregiously offensive to Jews (and the world as a whole, actually), the African-American community has taken historic offense to stereotypical symbols as watermelon, fried chicken, the word "Boy", the phrase "You people", and the Confederate Flag, to name a few. Again, there are jokes and plenty of humorous situations that can be made at President Obama's expense, and I'm hoping some will come forward that don't cross the line. Unfortunately, the watermelon cartoon does cross the line.

It's difficult to quantify what crosses such a line...the Supreme Court had the same problem defining pornography and came up with "I know it when I see it". Racist jokes probably fall in the same category. I think the key is "What is the intent of the person making the joke?", combined with "do any of the symbols or references cross the line by using historically egregious and offensive imagery?". Certainly a tough nut to crack, but a good politican should know better to get near such jokes and avoid them like a Senator avoids discussing Social Security.

John Lennon took the same kind of heat by stating "We're (the Beatles) more popular than Jesus", although in context he wasn't boasting or saying it was a good thing. This wasn't a joke, but I doubt you'd get a decent politican making Jesus jokes for the same reason...sensitivity.

It's a shame society works this way, and I wholeheartedly agree that people have lost their sense of humor. Personally, though, I don't want to go back to the days of "Sam the Jew" or "Jose the Mexican" because "Sam" and Jose" are probably being hurt in ways that Clint Eastwood can't perceive. The pendulum has swung towards political correctness, probably too far, but my personal judgment tells me the mayor's joke crossed the line. Hopefully there is humor out there that doesn't cross the line...it would be helpful for all of us.

nohatejustlove · 4 months ago

C'mon let's face it people... he was wrong on several counts at least as I see it. Aside from it being a blatant act of prejudice; it was a flagrantly improper use of public resources. It is in very poor taste to use company emails or computers to create and distribute this type of propaganda. What ever happened to email etiquette and professionalism in general? No matter the color of your skin you should be offended by the wasted time and money of our public officials. Seems to me it’s pretty obvious the mayor doesn’t have enough to do and has proven that he fills the day goofing off. I’m usually way too busy read emails like that and am almost certain that if I forwarded something like that at work (not to mention created it) I would be immediately asked to issue an apology and then my resignation! It’s grossly absurd for anyone today with a common education to think that this type of behavior would be considered acceptable. To me it’s almost like making fart noises with your arm pit. At some point you grow up and it’s just not funny anymore. In fact, it’s just disgusting and totally ridiculous. And if not to make matters worse you may soon find that people will start refusing to shake your dirty hands!