Because I evidently can't let anything go, and this whole thing from last night is STILL upsetting me, here is the picture my sister (not Texas; another sister) (Alabama it was Alabama OF COURSE it was Alabama) posted to Facebook:
HOW is that not racist, exactly? HOW?
I could not help myself. That offensive pic showed up in MY FEED. I commented:
"What the hell does that even mean? That the Obamas aren't "classy" because they're black? Jesus Christ."
When someone else commented that the picture wasn't racist, but was instead meant to be a commentary on Michelle Obama's table manners (HUH?), I said,
"If you post a pic of a bunch of rich white people in evening attire, calling them "classy", as a dig at the non-white people currently in the White House? Yeah, I'd call that racist. If you wanted to make a comment about their political leanings, you would have posted a policy paper or something."
Facebook: Bringing those holiday dinnertable arguments with your racist relatives into the Modern Age. *sigh*
And if there is anybody who can explain to me how that picture is NOT racist, I'd be more than happy to hear it.
7 comments:
It is completely obnoxious. I don't care one whit about politics, but think the Obama family is indeed classy. (I miss Sasha's antics from when she was younger! The whole family got off Air Force One one night when she was about seven.....She had stuffed god-knows-what into the stomach of her shirt as though she had a huge pot belly or was expecting a baby.....walked along near her sister, who must have been absolutely dying.)
I agree, that picture is completely obnoxious.
I'd post a picture of Bush the elder vomiting at the dinner in Japan in response to the person who claimed it was about table manners, if it were me.
Oh, but Robyn, the film of his son George at a formal dinner in Europe was much worse because the man wasn't sick.....just exhibiting the worse manners! He was chewing and talking with his mouth open (The BBC had a ball with it, calling it "President Bush chewing on a bread roll".) At the same event he went over to stand behind the seated Angela Merkel and decided she needed loosening up with a shoulder massage. I nearly died, and I'm sure she considered doing so as well. I expect he is/was someone who depends on his wife to rein him in.
Robyn, I had completely forgotten about that! And Ginny, the shoulder rub! Bleccccccch.
Of COURSE that photo wasn't about "class". The Obamas have as much "class", if not much more, than anyone else. Look what they've had to put up with for the last eight years, and they never once went ballistic or called anybody on their bullsh*t. At least not in public - I'll bet there was some ranting going on in private, and good for them. :) That photo was about race. Nothing else. And for my sister to DENY the intent when I called her on it ... well ... Look, if you're going to post something that blatant to your Facebook page, you'd damn well better be ready to own it, and she wasn't. Looks like that's one more family member I will no longer have anything to do with. Ha.
This is racist in the way that the water fiasco in Flint, MI, is racist. That is, it's not blatantly racist, and the people who are responsible probably didn't set out to do/say something racially-charged. It doesn't come right out and call the Obamas the n-word or something, and people have a tendency to think that unless you're parading around in a big white mask, you aren't racist. People posting things like this probably think, "But I haven't said anything about race!" They don't understand that their definition of classy is based on race; they think it's a coincidence that black people just aren't classy.
This doesn't justify their actions. Ignorance of one's own biases is not an excuse.
Kate, yep. "Oh, I didn't come right out and say it, so it's okay." NO IT'S NOT. *sigh*
And let's look at the current Republican front-runner for President - Donald Trump, who is the exact OPPOSITE of "classy". And yet, people like my sister would STILL insist that he was "classy", and the Obamas are not, bc he is white and they are not. ARRRGGGGH
Hey, how's the little one doing?!
He's good! Cranky these days unfortunately, but we're all hanging in there. I finally posted an update on my blog :)
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