It seems like what you are talking about here would remove the context that this "humor" occurs in. When someone compares Bush to a monkey, it's a statement about Bush's intelligence; if you are comparing Obama to a monkey, it's not about his intelligence because that's never been questioned, it's about his looks and the cultural stereotypes that affiliates people of African descent with monkeys. But for that affiliation, there would be no humor here. So to get the joke, you have to know the subtext and context of the stereotype. There is no assumption, the intent is clear.
Yes, that's a part of it certainly - although I'd argue that the reaction in this case is entirely based on assumption, albeit one of a different nature.
The other thread in my thinking and one I was trying to get across (not very well, I know - usually I can do better) was my concern at a seemingly automatic
hostile reaction (I hesitate to use knee jerk)
whenever a black person is disparaged by a white person based on an assumption that the attack is racially motivated,- yet such a reaction seems far less prevalent in other 'circumstances'.
Is this because the assumption isn't made, or merely that it isn't articulated? I believe it's an important and potentially worrying distinction; assuming an honest response by
all, could one not therefore conclude that only one group is capable of racially motivated acts, at the expense of another? I'm sorry but
I'm not sold on such a conclusion so there must be another reason. At least one other poster has expressed such a opinion, one did so in a rather less than subtle manner to be sure, but the response afforded them was largely unwarranted.
It is the inherent danger in such assumption of motivation without 'objective' proof (white skin is
not proof) that concerns me. I'm sure that you're right in this case, this
is intended as a racially demeaning cartoon, but it is so in large part because it plays on a flawed association dating back centuries, a association that has no place in a civilised society - (a theme I attempted to elucidate to Rubi, very poorly as I was nodding off!!). I was really more trying to explore a broader theme as opposed to the specifics of this incident.
But, ask yourself this question; had the bar owner been black, what do you imagine would the reaction had been, and if you think it would be different why is that? That's a far more revealing question, IMO. Sometimes it's necessary to step
outside the wood, to see the trees.
One final comment, one notable exception aside, it's refreshing to see a racially themed thread remain
mostly civil. Perhaps there's hope for us yet.:smile: