Is this what political discourse has come to for hicks, yokels and rednecks who can't engage in any intellectual conversation? Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss, vendors at this weekend's Values Voter Summit have chosen to display that one of their main values is blatant racism by selling "Obama Waffles."
Oh! HEE-HEE! How funny, they're just taking what they claim to be political positions that Obama's "waffled" on and highlight them on a waffle mix box. I get it. But why the caricature, why not just use an actual photo of Obama?
When asked " if he considered the pictures of Obama on the box to be racial stereotypes, Whitlock said: ''We had some people mention that to us, but you think of Newman's Own or Emeril's -- there are tons and tons of personality-branded food products on the market. So we've taken that model and, using political satire, have highlighted his policies, his position changes.'"
But in Emeril's case, they didn't go far enough. They should've had a caricature of him on the labels depicting him with greasy hair, olive skin, a large "Roman" nose and sporting a long handlebar moustache. And with Newman, well, he's white so you can only go so far.
So when faced with the question of their racism, they don't even have the balls to answer, preferring to sidestep with comparisons of "other personality-branded" products. In my opinion, and I've encountered this personally, there's only one kind of racist that's worse than someone who's in your face about it, and that's these kinds of cowards who won't man up to being racist; the kind that curse you behind your back but piss their pants when challenged. These are the worst kind of people - they infect a nation, block by block, town by town, ready with a pitchfork and a torch at a moment's notice only if they're following a mob, never having an independent thought... until now, and even then, poorly disguising it in politics.
But what if' I'm wrong? What if this really is "political satire"? What proof do I have that it's racist? Oh, yeah, the waffle box.
The racial rubes go on and have even more stereotypical cartoons depicting Obama "in Arab-like headdress recall[ing] the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.
When asked " if he considered the pictures of Obama on the box to be racial stereotypes, Whitlock said: ''We had some people mention that to us, but you think of Newman's Own or Emeril's -- there are tons and tons of personality-branded food products on the market. So we've taken that model and, using political satire, have highlighted his policies, his position changes.'"
But in Emeril's case, they didn't go far enough. They should've had a caricature of him on the labels depicting him with greasy hair, olive skin, a large "Roman" nose and sporting a long handlebar moustache. And with Newman, well, he's white so you can only go so far.
So when faced with the question of their racism, they don't even have the balls to answer, preferring to sidestep with comparisons of "other personality-branded" products. In my opinion, and I've encountered this personally, there's only one kind of racist that's worse than someone who's in your face about it, and that's these kinds of cowards who won't man up to being racist; the kind that curse you behind your back but piss their pants when challenged. These are the worst kind of people - they infect a nation, block by block, town by town, ready with a pitchfork and a torch at a moment's notice only if they're following a mob, never having an independent thought... until now, and even then, poorly disguising it in politics.
But what if' I'm wrong? What if this really is "political satire"? What proof do I have that it's racist? Oh, yeah, the waffle box.
The racial rubes go on and have even more stereotypical cartoons depicting Obama "in Arab-like headdress recall[ing] the false rumor that he is a follower of Islam, though he is actually a Christian.
On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for ''Open Border Fiesta Waffles'' that says it can serve ''4 or more illegal aliens.'' The recipe includes a tip: ''While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?''
And why not have a rap on the side of the box to complete the picture and appeal to the urban waffle lover?
Barry's Bling Bling Waffle Ring
YO, B-rock here droppin' waffle knowledge
Spellin' it out 'cause I graduated college
Some say I waffle so fast, Barry's causin' whiplash
Just doin' my part, made wafflin' a fine art
For a waffle wit style, like Chigago's Magnificent Mile
Spray whipped cream around the edge
Shake it first like Sister Sledge
Then say it wit me, I can be as waffly as I wanna be!
(That goes out to my Ludacris posse)
I must be wrong, they can't be racists, right? I mean, shit, they write rap lyrics. So these two rednecks who've traded in their hoods and robes for chef hats and aprons are trying to make a buck ($10 per box) by appealing to the basest, vilest feelings of "values voters" at the VALUES VOTER SUMMIT. What's next? Obama fried chicken and watermelon? Some values, huh?
And on another note, immigration fearmonger Lou Dobbs, who's wife I believe is of Mexican descent (try and figure that one out!) was speaking at the Summit and said, when seeing the display, "My wife will love this!" and bought a box. Values voters, indeed.
The Family Research Council has since denounced the display and had the vendors remove the material and dismantle the booth which had been there since Thursday. Swift action, especially in light of negative press!
Tighten your seatbelts, boys and girls. With a little more than seven weeks left before arguably the most important election in our lifetime, this is only going to get uglier and uglier. "Obama Waffles" only scratches the surface.
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2 comments:
The whole election will come down to this question: can we drag enough of our fellow Americans back into the "reality-based community" to put Obama over the top? Or will the various racist messages being put out by the GOP (overt ones like this one, as well as the usual dog whistling) appeal to enough people for McCain to win? Will people vote with their intellect or let their irrational fears get the best of them?
I'm expecting the best in people but fearing the worst. I know the type that would vote against Obama simply for the color of his skin, let alone the Muslin rumors or the infanticide smear and unfortunately, there are lots more of those kinds of people than we think.
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