A poster showing President Barack Obama as Heath Ledger’s “Joker” character from “The Dark Knight” is creating a stir on the streets of Los Angeles where the image began appearing over the weekend.The Obama-Joker poster shows President Obama with white face paint, dark eye shadow and smudged red lipstick and also has the word “socialism” printed in bold, dark letters under the image of his face.It’s unclear who created the image and who is posting it across the city. Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson is calling the depiction, politically mean spirited and dangerous. Hutchinson is challenging the group or individual that put up the poster to have the courage and decency to publicly identify themselves…””We have issued a public challenge to the person or group that put up the poster to come forth and publicly tell why they have used this offensive depiction to ridicule President Obama.”
Golly, the head of the “roundtable” is upset. Hey. It’s a comic book character for chrissakes. Watch how this mimics the outrage over the Mohammad cartoons from Denmark. I wonder why nobody stood up over the Bush posters depicting him as the anti-Christ. After all, the four horsemen never showed up.
Found by Keith Ray.
That is hilarious. It’s a cartoon character.
Oh wait, someone is making fun of the Messiah and we can’t have that.
We have a better chance of Obomba subverting the Constitution and trying to make himself el presidente for life like Hugo Chavez than we had of GW Bush doing it but strangely enough we don’t hear from those ‘tards anymore about Bush…
It’s funny, get over it.
Why is this about Obama? Someone needs to stand up for the Joker! How dare someone deface the Joker in the manner?!?!?
the sad thing is we should have heard more static about the Shepherd Fairey vs the Associated Press fiasco. I think the only thing W did was get everyone to hate the government no matter who is in office.
“Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable.”
Why. So. Serious?
Oh. That’s right. They’re sycophants.
Never mind.
.
I don’t seem to recall the same level of outrage about this.
http://vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/07/bush-as-joker.html
>> Mr Diesel said,
>> That is hilarious. It’s a cartoon character.
>> It’s funny, get over it.
Holy smokes, man, you conservative have a low bar for “hilarious” or even “funny.”
It’s a (vaguely racist) sophomoric snipe, at best.
Dear Greg Allan,
Anyone who is too intellectually LAZY to argue a point of disagreement by demonizing and trying to marginalize those he disagrees with, … in your own word is “stupid”.
I agree!! After all, look how everyone complained with indignant *outrage* when protesters created pictures depicting George Bush hooting like a chimpanzee, eating babies, snorting cocaine, and/or having sex with Osama bin Laden! oh wait…
#7. Vaguely racist? WTF?
>> Ike said, on August 4th, 2009 at 7:41 am
>> I don’t seem to recall the same level of outrage about this.
If you don’t understand the difference, you really are clueless about the history of racism in America.
Um, lemme see, I know I left my 1st amendment rights laying around here somewhere…
Hey, I think this poster is ugly, I don’t agree with it, and whatever. But we live in a country where people have the right to make posters like this. There’s no incitement to violence, there’s no slander or libel, it’s just one person’s point of view.
Let him have it.
@McCullough, just remember this:
Comparing white Bush to black chimpanzee: HAHA.
Comparing black Obama to white Joker: NOT OKAY.
See? It’s simple!
Yeah, those guys should get a sense of humor.
What could POSSIBLY be offensive about a poster depicting a black man in white face? Anybody?
Sheez, it’s not like there’s any racial issues in L.A…. say, a recent history of riots or police brutality/profiling or anything. Lighten up, people.
>> McCullough said, on August 4th, 2009 at 7:45 am
>> #7. Vaguely racist? WTF?
Creepy whiteface on a black man is going to be a distrubing racist image to some black people.
If that makes you say “WTF” you seriously need to get out more.
>> Erik Hanson, Fort Worth said,
>>Comparing white Bush to black chimpanzee: HAHA.
>> Comparing black Obama to white Joker: NOT OKAY.
Yeah, it’s all the same.
The Bush family suffered generations of racism JUST LIKE THE BLACKS.
There is NO DIFFERENCE in your mind.
Holy smokes, dude, you live in a hard-core bubble.
DoctorAtlantis,
You’ll need to ice your mental groin after that stretch.
No one less tolerant of free speech than a liberal. If you want to really, really, piss off a liberal democrat, just disagree with one…
Dvorak’s blog proves one thing: people are consistently idiots. Who the hell is this guy asking for the artist to come forward?
I don’t agree with the poster, but c’mon, free speech much?
I dunno, Greg Allan… Baby Bush suffered PLENTY. I heard he even had to score his own coke, back when was a young’n. I mean, really… what is the point of being born into one of America’s richest, most elite families if you can’t have a manservant bring ya yer blow?
That is a SERIOUS privation…
trial balloon for his majesty’s halloween costume
It does help clarify which side some bigots really support.
@Greg Allen:
>> Creepy whiteface on a black man is going to be a
>> distrubing racist image to some black people.
and Creepy black face (I don’t know…Blackula, CandyMan, some black villain) wouldn’t be racist? I am sure you would find that racist as well. It is therefore racist to vilify any black man.
and the joker wears white face paint…it’s the character.
and the difficulty I have coming up with a black villain at all should be enough to call b.s. on any theories of racist mass media
>> # 26 drunner2 said, on August 4th, 2009 at 8:03 am
>> Greg Allen
>> How is this even remotely racist? I consider myself fairly well versed in race relations, and I still don’t see the connection.
Since you are well-versed in racism, you surely know the racist history of black-face theater — and yet you missed it.
If the creator of this work is your typical clueless white guy, he probably had no idea how a joker/creepy white-face on mixed race black man could be seen as mockery of Obama’s ethnicity.
If he was a racist, he probably knew exactly what he was doing.
Help me understand why this is a) outrageous, b) controversial, or c) even remotely funny. Presidents are gonna be parodied. This one doesn’t even seem well done.
Although I don’ t agree with the message the poster sends, it is the artists right (see the Constitution) to make and display the poster. Just as it is other peoples right to say they disagree with the poster.
Greg the Obama Ass kissing idiot wrote….
“The Bush family suffered generations of racism JUST LIKE THE BLACKS.”
Obama is a first generation American on his father’s side and his mother is white. Where did all the generations of rascisim come in?
>>cornholer said, on August 4th, 2009 at 7:58 am
>> No one less tolerant of free speech than a liberal.
I’m a liberal. I think this is free speech.
How is issuing a challenge for the creator to step forward anti-free speech?
You conservative have the weirdest view of free speech.
You think that challenging conservative rhetoric violates the First Amendment! Sarah Palin and Miss California said the same thing.
Jump and shout I did it!!! Then flash the CONSTITUTION in their FACE!! FIRST AMENDMENT BITCHES!!!
OH and it’s only racism because a black man is being criticized!!
>> GigG said, on August 4th, 2009 at 8:15 am
>> Obama is a first generation American on his father’s side and his mother is white. Where did all the generations of rascisim come in?
The African Americans who see this poster.
I’m not worried about Obama’s feelings being hurt. I never even mentioned that.
It is amazing to me how clueless white people can be about racism. You guys need to make some black friends and listen to them about racism. You really live in bubbles.
>> drunner2 said, on August 4th, 2009 at 8:18 am
>> Greg Allen
>> Ever stop to think that, perhaps, maybe, quite possibly you live in a “hardcore bubble”?
I’m not the one here who is totally clueless about racism.
You think whiteface on white guy is the same as whiteface on a black guy!
How clueless is that?