Its been almost a year, and yet when I see a photo of them altogether like this I still do a double take in amazement that this family actually lives in the White House. And I'm going home in two weeks to a place where a significant part of the population sees this photo as their worst nightmare come to life. America is a crazy, wonderful place.
"Tree-Killing, Energy-Wasting, Suspiciously Well-Dressed President Utilizes Child Labor in an Attempt to Detract Attention From Policy Failures and Portray Himself As a Regular American Citizen"
-- caption for conservative press
This is weird, or maybe not so weird, but what popped into my head when I first saw this picture was the famous Iwo Jima flag-raising photo. It has the same kind of connectedness, the same kind of cooperative action, and a sort of "en media res" arrest that makes me think of rising ambitions.
Calm down and take a nap, this is the internet. Let's see what else is on here:
- a video of Ukrainian teens murdering a hobo with a hammer and screwdriver
- a guy shoving a Tom Collins glass up his ass, the glass subsequently breaking and then him dealing with those consequences
- a shitload of racist websites hating every type of person you can think of.
I get that outrage/counter-outrage/chance at zingers gets interest but you are coming off as a bit of a harumphing dowager or worse, a college freshman. You're damaging the legitimacy of your future posts and that makes me cry.
I'm betting everyone that finds this pic offensive and racist - including, ahem, Gawker - were laughing hardest of the images of President Bush comparing his facial expressions to those of a chimp....
@Robs_TX: I have such conflicted feelings about that argument. On the one hand, it's the first thing I always think of, but on the other you have to admit that when you start think about the motivations rather than the output things get a little dicier...
@Robs_TX: The "black people are monkeys" thing has a long, long history as racist insult. So comparing a white person to a monkey is simply not the same as comparing a black person to a monkey. It's an entirely different thing.
If you don't understand why that is on an obvious, gut level ... well, I can't help you figure it out, sorry.
@Phyllis Nefler: When looking at the original site where the pic originated, I think it is safe to assume the motivation is not racist.
@MisterHippity: Again, go to the original site. They make ape faces out of all celebrities - black or white. Not racially motivated in any way. And if you can't figure that one out, then you just are looking for a reason to be offended.
@ModernMindOfM: I think both the pics - the one of Bush, the one of Obama - are funny. Neither offend my race. Neither offend my politics.
There is so much emphasis of being politically nowadays that people can find offense with anything. Lighten up folks, have a little fun...
@FitnessMadeSimple: So you find it "ridiculous" that posting a picture of black woman made to look like a monkey crosses the line into a realm of offensiveness that Gawker wouldn't want to enter?
As compared to, you know, the regular Gawker stuff that you find "offensive"?
It's all just on a par to you, is it? "Black-people-are-monkeys" pictures and standard snarky Gawker fare?
@MisterHippity: I wouldn't call it standard snarky Gawker fare. To be sure, it's more offensive than what's typically posted here.
But it's not as if offensive images haven't been posted here before. Perhaps "ridiculous" was an overstatement on my part. "Surprising" would have been more accurate.
@Pope John Peeps II: No, not something as bad as a black person photoshopped to look like a monkey. Gawker does have some fairly clear lines that it won't cross.
Well ... at least it has does ever since the departure of Owen "Travolta's Rumored Gay Lover Discovered Dead Son" Thomas.
@MisterHippity: After posting the michael jackson death photo, suddenly people start caring? This is arguably more interesting, since it's about racial politics in the US.
Back when I was an idiot wannabe "hacker" my friends and I would do really dumb Googlebombs. I remember we made the phrase "Clam Diving Katie" come up for a few hours and we thought it was the greatest thing ever.
This is offensive but so are the photoshops of Sarah Palin and her baby that has downs syndrome photoshops.
Also, does anyone in France care that it's quite easy to get NUDES of their first lady?
What I'm getting at here, is that the internet is the final frontier. Literally. All of our news, TV and movies are heavily censored and just because one offensive little photoshop got popular does not mean we need to get all PC on the internet.
I mean look, this is a popular photoshop and it is just plain dumb
(but still sort of funny, which is what I find the Michelle Obama to be)
@Airvault: She's NOT beautiful! Be honest. She's fairly plain. Why does everyone fixate on making her beautiful and Obama the paragon of handsomeness? They don't have to be the Kennedys for christ's sake. Just let them be themselves. Jesus.
@Airvault: No.... no she's not. And trying to MAKE her "lovely" or "beautiful" is something that I find actually quite sexist - something that demeans her as an intelligent woman by playing up her sexuality meaninglessly. If you want royalty go back and watch Princess Di's frikkin wedding. If you want a real first lady, just check out M.Obama and her hideous wide-belt selection and advanced education.
@Pope John Peeps II: I guess this gets into the whole beauty= beholder thing, but I do think she is strikingly attractive. I guess if we wanted to be scientifically objective we'd measure her facial symmetry and golden ratio or whatever, but she has a beautiful smile and a strong brow and a kind face, and for me that adds up to beautiful.
I get what you're saying about how meaningless her appearance is to her worth as a human being and first lady, but, well, welcome to lady life.
@Pope John Peeps II: Maybe "elegant" is the better word to describe how people feel about her. I get your point that there is way more to her than just her face and body, given her education, her public service work and her wish to be more than a fashion-plate First Lady, but I think people were searching for a better way to describe her than just "fucking cool," which is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of her.
@Pope John Peeps II: Um, well, what if you actually find her quite pretty? I don't think calling someone beautiful is sexist or even sexual. I'm a straight woman and I think she's attractive. She can be good-looking and also intelligent, and one doesn't detract from the other.
Is she the paragon of beauty? No. Are her wide belts kind of unflattering and strange? Yeah. But she has a great body, beautiful skin, high cheekbones, and a flattering nose. I'd kill to look like her at her age. There are certainly other things I admire about her more -- her intelligence and humor and warmth, for starters -- but I do think she is pretty, both from my perspective and objectively.
@eatsshootsleaves: For instance, I think this picture is a more accurate representation of her looks. And while she doesn't look like a supermodel, she does look pretty and warm and healthy.
09:41 AM
Well done, First Family.
08:53 AM
12/03/09
12/03/09
-- caption for conservative press
12/03/09
12/03/09
12/03/09
11/25/09
- a video of Ukrainian teens murdering a hobo with a hammer and screwdriver
- a guy shoving a Tom Collins glass up his ass, the glass subsequently breaking and then him dealing with those consequences
- a shitload of racist websites hating every type of person you can think of.
I get that outrage/counter-outrage/chance at zingers gets interest but you are coming off as a bit of a harumphing dowager or worse, a college freshman. You're damaging the legitimacy of your future posts and that makes me cry.
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/25/09
If you don't understand why that is on an obvious, gut level ... well, I can't help you figure it out, sorry.
11/25/09
Usually I wouldn't post a comment as pointless as that, but seriously.
11/25/09
@MisterHippity: Again, go to the original site. They make ape faces out of all celebrities - black or white. Not racially motivated in any way. And if you can't figure that one out, then you just are looking for a reason to be offended.
@ModernMindOfM: I think both the pics - the one of Bush, the one of Obama - are funny. Neither offend my race. Neither offend my politics.
There is so much emphasis of being politically nowadays that people can find offense with anything. Lighten up folks, have a little fun...
11/25/09
11/25/09
Oh yeah, good luck with that. The owner of that site is probably located in Russia or the Philippines or something.
11/25/09
#tips
11/25/09
Seriously? I realize Gawker slants left, but that's a bit ridiculous for a blog that has never seemed to mind being offensive to anyone.
11/25/09
As compared to, you know, the regular Gawker stuff that you find "offensive"?
It's all just on a par to you, is it? "Black-people-are-monkeys" pictures and standard snarky Gawker fare?
O-0-oh ka-a-ay ...
11/25/09
But it's not as if offensive images haven't been posted here before. Perhaps "ridiculous" was an overstatement on my part. "Surprising" would have been more accurate.
11/25/09
That history is: they ALWAYS post them.
11/25/09
Well ... at least it has does ever since the departure of Owen "Travolta's Rumored Gay Lover Discovered Dead Son" Thomas.
11/25/09
11/25/09
Ok, maybe Gawker doesn't have any lines they won't cross after all ...
11/25/09
Back when I was an idiot wannabe "hacker" my friends and I would do really dumb Googlebombs. I remember we made the phrase "Clam Diving Katie" come up for a few hours and we thought it was the greatest thing ever.
This is offensive but so are the photoshops of Sarah Palin and her baby that has downs syndrome photoshops.
Also, does anyone in France care that it's quite easy to get NUDES of their first lady?
What I'm getting at here, is that the internet is the final frontier. Literally. All of our news, TV and movies are heavily censored and just because one offensive little photoshop got popular does not mean we need to get all PC on the internet.
I mean look, this is a popular photoshop and it is just plain dumb
(but still sort of funny, which is what I find the Michelle Obama to be)
11/25/09
Do not disparage the name of Raptor Jesus.
He went extinct for our sins.
11/25/09
No. It's France. And she's one of the hottest women in France. It does nothing but add to her reputation.
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/25/09
There. Fixed.
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/25/09
I get what you're saying about how meaningless her appearance is to her worth as a human being and first lady, but, well, welcome to lady life.
11/25/09
11/25/09
Is she the paragon of beauty? No. Are her wide belts kind of unflattering and strange? Yeah. But she has a great body, beautiful skin, high cheekbones, and a flattering nose. I'd kill to look like her at her age. There are certainly other things I admire about her more -- her intelligence and humor and warmth, for starters -- but I do think she is pretty, both from my perspective and objectively.
11/25/09
@eatsshootsleaves: For instance, I think this picture is a more accurate representation of her looks. And while she doesn't look like a supermodel, she does look pretty and warm and healthy.