Last week, the New York Post ran an editorial cartoon showing a pair of cops shooting a chimpanzee. The caption on the cartoon was "They'll have to find somebody else to write the next stimulus plan". When challenged about the racist tone of the cartoon, the Post denied any racism and the cartoonist observed that, since it talks about 'writing' the stimulus plan, if it was about any politician, it would have to be about Pelosi. Oh, please.
Today it was reported that Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose is under fire for an email he sent with a photo of the White House lawn planted with watermelons and the caption "no Easter Egg hunt this year". Mayor Grose says he was 'unaware' of the racial stereotype of black people liking watermelons. Again, oh please.
This one may be even more absurd than the Post. While I can argue that the first name you think of when you hear the word's "Stimulus Plan" is not likely to be Pelosi, the cartoonist has left himself an out by referring to 'writing' the bill. It's bullshit, but that's his story and I'm sure he's sticking to it.
But the Mayor's "I didn't know" b.s. is absurd on multiple levels. First off, I find it hard to believe that anyone in this country over the age of 13 could be unaware of this stereotype. But, more to the point, the damn picture's not even funny without the stereotype. In poor taste as it may be, the JOKE here is that, since there's a black man in the White House, there's gonna have to be lots of watermelon. If you take away the racism, you don't even have a joke.
So how about we all just call bullshit on the whole "I'm sorry, I'm stupid" defense? Ignorance of the law is no defense… not knowing the speed limit isn't going to get you out of a ticket. Likewise, ignorance of what is or isn't considered polite, impolite, inappropriate, vulgar or racist shouldn't be a valid defense.
How about, just for laughs, we try a little honesty now and then? "Yeah, I sent the email. I thought it was funny. Sure, I knew it was going to catch some flack, but I got a laugh and figured other people would, too." Not going to score you any points in polite society, and you've gotta figure more than a handful of people are going to consider you a jackass. But at least you'd be an honest jackass.
Just for the record (in case you were actually wondering) I'm not defending the email, or the Post cartoon. I just think I'd prefer the honest asshole response to the "I'm ignorant, don't be mad at me" bullshit.
Today it was reported that Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose is under fire for an email he sent with a photo of the White House lawn planted with watermelons and the caption "no Easter Egg hunt this year". Mayor Grose says he was 'unaware' of the racial stereotype of black people liking watermelons. Again, oh please.
This one may be even more absurd than the Post. While I can argue that the first name you think of when you hear the word's "Stimulus Plan" is not likely to be Pelosi, the cartoonist has left himself an out by referring to 'writing' the bill. It's bullshit, but that's his story and I'm sure he's sticking to it.
But the Mayor's "I didn't know" b.s. is absurd on multiple levels. First off, I find it hard to believe that anyone in this country over the age of 13 could be unaware of this stereotype. But, more to the point, the damn picture's not even funny without the stereotype. In poor taste as it may be, the JOKE here is that, since there's a black man in the White House, there's gonna have to be lots of watermelon. If you take away the racism, you don't even have a joke.
So how about we all just call bullshit on the whole "I'm sorry, I'm stupid" defense? Ignorance of the law is no defense… not knowing the speed limit isn't going to get you out of a ticket. Likewise, ignorance of what is or isn't considered polite, impolite, inappropriate, vulgar or racist shouldn't be a valid defense.
How about, just for laughs, we try a little honesty now and then? "Yeah, I sent the email. I thought it was funny. Sure, I knew it was going to catch some flack, but I got a laugh and figured other people would, too." Not going to score you any points in polite society, and you've gotta figure more than a handful of people are going to consider you a jackass. But at least you'd be an honest jackass.
Just for the record (in case you were actually wondering) I'm not defending the email, or the Post cartoon. I just think I'd prefer the honest asshole response to the "I'm ignorant, don't be mad at me" bullshit.
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