More Ugly T-Shirt Activism

In Marietta, Georgia, a bar owner is selling a t-shirt depicting Barack Obama as Curious George, but is defending charges of racism by saying that Obama actually looks like the cartoon character.

Marietta bar owner Mike Norman says the T-shirts he's peddling, featuring a look-a-like of cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a banana, with "Obama in '08" underneath, are not meant to offend. Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey. "We're not living in the (19)40's," he said. "Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears — he looks just like Curious George."

About a dozen protestors rallied against the shirts Tuesday afternoon, condemning them as racist and asking Norman, longtime proprietor of Mulligan's Bar and Grill on Roswell Street, to stop selling them. Marietta native Pam Lindley, 47, joined the protest after reading about the controversy online.

"I don't want people to think this is what Marietta is all about," she added, motioning towards the tavern. "This is what some people think the South is still like. Marietta's come a long way but I guess it's still got a little ways to go."

She said she'd like to see the city ban Norman's provocative musings regularly posted on a sign out front of the bar, which is near Marietta's downtown square. The loosely formed coalition of civil rights activists who gathered Tuesday say they will continue their campaign against Norman's "hate speech."

Proceeds from t-shirts sales are being donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I wonder if they'll accept the money? Outside of the obviously racist intent of the shirt, I'm annoyed that somebody is co-opting the left's habit of saying that Bush looks like a chimp. That's OUR schtick! And note this lovely sign this asshat has outside his bar.

Pam Spaulding notes that "racism isn't relegated only to a region south of the Mason-Dixon line. It's more about class and a population that has a base fear of further displacement and denial of their American dream by the "other," a seemingly ascendant population -- blacks -- who are going to somehow exact retribution on them via Barack Obama as president. I hate to break it to them, but white privilege will not be erased with the election of Barack Obama, and the ones who hoodwinked them out of the American dream were BushCo and the GOP."

And as far as the left goes, I'd add that all this happy happy joy joy that Obama's candidacy is emblematic of a "post-racial" America - well, that's just touchy-feely crapola. We're kidding ourselves of we think this Georgia jerk and the Jews Against Obama fuckwad aren't just the tip of the ugly iceberg approaching this election.

(Via - Pam's House Blend)