Taking poll: "Obama needs a whoopin!" Is this a racist statement?

[Anonymous]

it sounds disrespectful to me, and not an appropriate way to talk about the president of the U.S. Not sure about racist, though.

[takoma]

Anonymous wrote:...
I never heard such an expression used about George Dubya.

I recall cartoons of GWB as the monkey Curious George, as well as bumper stickers about a Texas town missing its village idiot. Not exactly respectful. I admit that, being far from an admirer of Bush, I thought those were both funny and deserved. But similar things applied to Obama would probably raise the question of racism, so I think that we (or at least I) may have a bit of a double standard.

My defense is that Bush was a truly terrible president who deserved all the criticism he got, whereas Obama is just an average president stuck with all sorts of obstacles, but I don't think that's likely to sound convincing to a conservative.

[Anonymous]

takoma wrote:

Anonymous wrote:...
I never heard such an expression used about George Dubya.

I recall cartoons of GWB as the monkey Curious George, as well as bumper stickers about a Texas town missing its village idiot. Not exactly respectful. I admit that, being far from an admirer of Bush, I thought those were both funny and deserved. But similar things applied to Obama would probably raise the question of racism, so I think that we (or at least I) may have a bit of a double standard.

My defense is that Bush was a truly terrible president who deserved all the criticism he got, whereas Obama is just an average president stuck with all sorts of obstacles, but I don't think that's likely to sound convincing to a conservative.

Well, the use of monkey imagery in connection with black people has a LONG, incredibly racist history. So yes, if people compare Obama to a monkey, it's racist.

[Anonymous]

calling a white person a monkey or ape that actually looks simian: = not racist.

calling a black person a monkey or ape that doesn't look simian = racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it sounds disrespectful to me, and not an appropriate way to talk about the president of the U.S. Not sure about racist, though.

My thoughts exactly.

[Anonymous]

Disrespectful, not racist.

Many very disrespectful things were said about GWB as well.

i have heard 'whoopin' used many, many times in my life and have never heard a racist connotation. There are always people who dedicate their time to finding out how to be offended by things said, if it is from someone they disagree with. If OP loved GWB and hated Obama, s/he wouldn't be commenting on this being considered racist and instead would be liking the Facebook/Pinterest posts.

[Anonymous]

Definitely can carry racist overtones. The saying " open a can of whoop-ass" did not come from white suburbia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely can carry racist overtones. The saying " open a can of whoop-ass" did not come from white suburbia.

I believe if came from Chuck Norris in Uncommon Valor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely can carry racist overtones. The saying " open a can of whoop-ass" did not come from white suburbia.

I believe if came from Chuck Norris in Uncommon Valor.

Excuse me not Chuck Norris, Patrick Swazyze.

[Anonymous]

This reminds me of the guy who got fired for using the term "niggardly.". Some people can find racism in anything.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/williams/williams020499.htm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This reminds me of the guy who got fired for using the term "niggardly.". Some people can find racism in anything.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/williams/williams020499.htm

Yes, but the presence of ignorance on one side does not disprove ignorance on the other.

[Anonymous]

Consider this evidence. A noted African-American poet was using "whoop" for whip way back in 1914. Whipping was no doubt a particularly sensitive term. Seems like the term "whoop" is indeed freighted with some racial overtones.

Quit Yo' Foolin'

Yes, heah yo' come 'mos out' breaf
Yo' bettah quit yo' foolin'
Done almos' played yo'se'f to deaf
Yo' bettah quit yo' foolin'
See dem pants now an' dat shirt
Clean dis morn'n now wit dirt
Done kiwered. Boy, gwine to whoop yo' for't
Yo' bettah quit yo' foolin'


Henry Allen Laine 1914


Incidentally, the first four lines might well apply to this discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Consider this evidence. A noted African-American poet was using "whoop" for whip way back in 1914. Whipping was no doubt a particularly sensitive term. Seems like the term "whoop" is indeed freighted with some racial overtones.

Quit Yo' Foolin'

Yes, heah yo' come 'mos out' breaf
Yo' bettah quit yo' foolin'
Done almos' played yo'se'f to deaf
Yo' bettah quit yo' foolin'
See dem pants now an' dat shirt
Clean dis morn'n now wit dirt
Done kiwered. Boy, gwine to whoop yo' for't
Yo' bettah quit yo' foolin'


Henry Allen Laine 1914


Incidentally, the first four lines might well apply to this discussion.

Not to muddy the waters, but "whup" is also an old scottish variant of the word "whip".

[Anonymous]

Yes, it strikes me as racist.

Also, if she called him "boy", it would be similarly racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This reminds me of the guy who got fired for using the term "niggardly.". Some people can find racism in anything.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/williams/williams020499.htm

PP here, I use the word niggardly. I know it is not racist.

To me "whoopin" still is racist.