VivirLatino

No end in sight to politically driven racism

13:33 H | Topics: Race - US Presidential Race 2008

From Buzz Flash we get the news that apparently somebody thought it was a good, funny, ironic idea to put a racist picture of Barack Obama on the front of a box of pancake mix and sell that mix to other racists like Lou Dobbs.

A description of the box:

While Obama Waffles takes aim at Obama's politics by poking fun at his public remarks and positions on issues, it also plays off the old image of the pancake-mix icon Aunt Jemima, which has been widely criticized as a demeaning stereotype. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.

Placing Obama in Arab-like headdress recalls 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?"

You can see a picture of it here.

And here is a CNN report on it:

I often think things like this are deliberate--that is, somebody deliberately put intentional racist imagery on the front cover to appeal to racists--but I'm wondering more and more these days, some of this stuff is SO blatant. Is it possible that this is really a case of incredibly misguided ignorance? Where racism is so normalized, it's not even questioned? Where interactions with people who *could* point out the racism in putting a black person on the front of a pancake box are simply not happening because of self-enforced segregation?

What do you think?

Related

• Racism? Que Racism? Anti-Obama Fliers Appear in New Jersey (Thursday, Sep 25 2008)
• Suspended Campaigns, Rotten Interviews (Wednesday, Sep 24 2008)