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?