The Boston Herald and cartoonist Jerry Holbert are apologizing for a political cartoon that mocked President Obama and the Secret Service security failures.
The cartoon shows the president brushing his teeth in a White House bathroom with a surprised look on his face as a white man sits in the bathtub behind him, asking Mr. Obama, “Have you tried the new watermelon flavored toothpaste?”
“As Jerry Holbert discussed on Boston Herald Radio this morning, his cartoon satirizing the U.S. Secret Service breach at the White House has offended some people and to them we apologize,” a statement from the newspaper read. “His choice of imagery was absolutely not meant to be hurtful.
Okay now I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but exactly how could this have been perceived as anything BUT racist?
Apparently there is actually a watermelon flavored toothpaste, but it is marketed for children.
Whoopi Goldberg came to the cartoonist's defense, which is nice of her, but I'm sorry I just don't see this as accidental.
Of course it wasn't accidental. But if the cartoonist is implying that the SS is loafing instead of protecting the Obama family because the SS are a bunch of racist jerks, then..... are you going to claim that they're not racist jerks and there must be some other reason that they repeatedly put members of the family at risk?
ReplyDeleteI agree absolutely. The carelessness is appalling.
DeleteWhoopi is really naive to be as old as she is. She does this all the time, defend some loser.
ReplyDeleteOne case in point is she defended Ted Danson when he walked out on stage at some show in black-face. And she has also made other questionably defenses. It just makes Whoopi look bad, defending these people.
I don't know if that's her role on the show, or if she just likes to play Devil's Advocate. But you know, sometimes the Devil don't need one!
DeleteWeren't she and Ted a couple at the time?
DeleteYes, then she dumped him for Bobby DiNero.
DeleteIsn't it a comment on the white racist looneys that are after the pres and how the secret service may also be protecting him less because he is black. To me he is pointing out racism, not being racist.
ReplyDeleteThat was how I immediately saw it also. It seemed a warning about how easily the racists calling for the President to be removed from office (and worse) could get into the White House.
DeleteBut when I saw the cartoonists explanation, he didn't say that at all. His explanation just sounded disingenuous at best. Really? He never once thought of race when he came up with watermelon flavored anything?
I agree - and that, after is the "jester's" role: delivering the unpleasant truth inside the humor or, dare I say, the watermelon toothpaste.
DeleteYes, but that takes complexity of thought which seems to be one more casualty in our increasingly simplistic, black and white world.
Delete(And that's black and white rather than shades of grey for those who need crib notes)
That's how I saw it, too.
DeleteI agree, who else would try and break in the White House and harm President Obama, only a racist.
DeleteProbable the only people that were offended were the racists.
I agree. See, for example, the veteran police officer who made death threats while assigned locally to the president's security: http://fox8.com/2012/07/13/officers-fired-after-alleged-president-obama-first-lady-threats/
DeleteIt would not be surprising if some members of the Secret Service felt the same way and are lax because of it. It is no secret that threats to him are much higher because he is African American.
That's how I read it.
DeleteThen why did the cartoonist not say that when asked about it later?
DeleteWhoopie is an apolgist for many racists.
ReplyDeleteShe defended Mel Gibson`s nasty rant by saying Mel was a friend of hers--- bullshit. She often times dismisses this kind of crap so she is not exactly the gold standard.
Guess I saw this slightly differently. To me, the cartoon was mocking the intruder for being a racist.
ReplyDeleteThat was my take too.
DeleteI think there is also a second element. That an intruder wouldn't do anything more harmful than take a bath in the private quarters.
Delete1. These intruders aren't harmless.
2. These intruders are racist.
I think Hoban did a pretty good job of aiming his pen at the Secret Service and their lack of competence. Because this cartoon is a jab at the Secret Service, not Obama.
Hoban said after the fact that he just likes watermelon and that's the only reason he chose that flavor. If he meant it to represent the racism of the intruder, why not say so when asked about it later?
DeleteThe racist comment is exactly something a racist, Obama-hating, gun-toting, likely to ambush the POTUS person would say. That's the point. Alternatively, the guy in the bathtub could've had a little monkey bath toy like the man at the 2008 rally had. This cartoon isn't racist, it's illustrating the racism of Obama-haters. These words come out of the mouths of a large majority of the population, that is a fact. Better we shine a light on it than continue to perpetuate the myth that racism doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteThis right-wing fake apology, "sorry if I may have offended anyone," is itself immensely offensive. The watermelon could have been omitted and the cartoon would have made the same point. Adding it just added the racist twist that the cartoonist wanted and that the majority of Americans do not want to see in political cartoons.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
The article itself is true. The science described in the article at this point has no bearing whatsoever on humans. It has only been demonstrated on fruitflies, once.
ReplyDeleteFruitflies are not human and there is a vast difference between the reproductive structures of fruitflies and humans.
At this point, to even suggest such a thing regarding Trig and Tripp's parentage would be incredibly premature and would not do anything except provide support to Palins claiming that crazy people make insane claims about them.
What I find most offensive is that the intruder is simply taking a bath. It suggests that the intruder had no ill intent (despite all of the weapons he possessed) and all he wanted to do is to enjoy the White House tub, like perhaps a crazed celebrity stalker who is obsessed and believes that there is a relationship between them and the celebrity. This man had really bad intentions. This was a huge threat on the President, and not funny at all.
ReplyDeleteActually, the Palin's may like to use the article to defend themselves. Track looking like Curtis Menard would not mean that Curtis is Track's old man. Tripp looking like Levi would not be proof that Levi is Tripp's father, etc.
ReplyDelete"Sambo beat the bitch."
ReplyDeleteThe cartoonist, despite his protestations to the contrary, knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote those words. "Watermelon" in any context linked to black people has long been racist, so the cartoonist would have to be very out of touch with American culture to not know that.
ReplyDeleteHe could have written something much simpler, such as "What brand of toothpaste is that? and still made his point. So no, it was not an accident, not at all. It shows extreme disrespect for our President.
On the contrary.
DeleteI think it calls out those attacking the president and most likely to circumvent security. These guys aren't trying to get close to the president out of adoration and they don't want autographs. They think a black muslim Kenyan has no business in the White House and mean to do him harm if possible.
Then the illustrator should have indicated that when asked about it later. Instead, he said he just likes watermelon.
Delete"...but I'm sorry I just see this as accidental. "
ReplyDeleteGryphen, I think you left out a word: "don't", as in "...don't see this..."
Yep, you're right. I did.
DeleteMy baby has my ex-boyfriend's hair: none. ;)
ReplyDeleteI, like a lot of people, have been told that associating black people and watermelon (and fried chicken) is racist, but have never been clear why--I think the context of what made it racist is from a previous era when golliwogs & minstrel shows were "normal"--things I have no experience of--and it has become a taboo with little reference beyond "it's racist because it is." Of course while saying "black people LOVE watermelon" is as dumb and racist as saying "Chinese people LOVE rice" or "Mexicans sure love pinto beans!" or "Italians can never get enough spaghetti", I wonder if it is time to co-opt this the way gays have 'retaken' the word "Queer". Watermelon is a beloved fruit that was a direct contribution from Africans & Africa and is nothing to be ashamed of, so let's disarm this dog-whistle code word and take the power away from those who would use this for racist ends.
ReplyDelete10:35 AM I think the cartoon very racist and will not change my mind. I'm white and a senior. Been around a long, long time and watermelon has been associated w/Negros/black people for eons....check the facts and go back in history!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I get that the word watermelon set some people off. But I don't find this cartoon racist in the way others do.
ReplyDeleteI think what Hoban was trying to do was indicate that the white man in the tub is a racist. Certainly that he got past security. I think we all know that if someone with a racist agenda hasn't slipped past the Secret Service yet, they will if something isn't done soon.
That's all it is.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
It's extraneous and unnecessary. And if that's actually what the illustrator meant, he would have said so after the fact. Instead, he just said that he likes watermelon.
DeleteI'm truly sorry if it offended anyone who saw it, really I am, Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart. But I wrote it for those who wouldn't be offended.
ReplyDeleteI hate, loathe and despise the non excuse excuse that's become almost taken for granted.
I agree with mlaiuppa at 11:06AM. This totally seemed like a cartoon pointing out all the white male racists who hate the President because he's black, even to the point of breaking into the White House and trying to kill him. And how it seems like the Secret Service just kind of lets it happen.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't see how people would think that the cartoonist is the racist. He was "making fun" of it.