I was at target yesterday picking up a father's day card and there was a card with all these pics of George Bush side by side with different chimp faces. I remember emails going around with the same photo comparisons. Why was that funny and perfectly acceptable to my 'progressive' friends and this isn't? I mean, he does kind of look chimp-ish in the same was Bush does. Someone needs to send me the PC manual.

The baby Jesus made Bush look like a monkey. It's coincidental that he mimics them. This doll would appeal to those who think that blacks are monkeys. There's a big difference, but you know that.

Wow… as if the difference really needs explaining.

Things to consider:
1. Centuries of oppression
2. The idea of the Chain of Being, which actually considered brown people to be less human than white people.
3. The prevalence of racist material that uses the 'blacks as monkeys' imagery.
4. The importance of race in this election, which makes this depiction a little more than coincidental.
5. The fact that privileged white people, like Bush, were not subjected to similar comparisons or oppression.

Your Mama, I really hope you were making a joke I didn't catch on to… but I suspect that's not the case.

Not everyone is aware of these crazy racist terms like calling an African American a "monkey", Go easy on Your Mama. I swear I had never even heard the "N word" until I moved from Canada to Georgia when I was 10. Then I never ever heard the monkey thing until way later when I moved further south to Florida. People are so nasty. True story.

i think the doll is cute but i don't see everything as racist. i'm not voting for obama but for some reason the cute monkey doll make me like obama a little more.

What janice said.

LOL @ mammoth

We'll never be equal until we treat each other equally and that includes respecting each other equally and making fun of each other equally. If I observe that Obama looks kind of chimpish and Bush looks kind of chimpish, but I only make fun of Bush, I'm censoring myself for no other reason than fear of censure by the Political Correct Police like Janice and anonymous. While I certainly didn't mean it maliciously, I'm not going to pretend I don't see what I see- two guys who look chimpish. And no offense to Cord but I seriously doubt Obama is reading this blog and if he is, surely he's savvy enough to see that no offense was meant. If not, he's going to spend a lot of valuable campaign time chastising people for inconsequential silliness.

If you really want racism to go away, stop looking for it where it doesn't exist and thus desensitizing others to true incidences of racism that should outrage them when they occur.

Your Mama- WELL SAID. So tired of the race card. I accept I am not as bright as asians on IQ scores. Or as strong physicly as other men, often more emotional than most guys, but I can and do laugh at myself. Besides, we are all monkeys. We have no evidence for anything else. Some are just less evolved than others. It does not mean we have less oppertunity, not anymore.

Political Correct Police, maybe that's your version.

Aware of history and the sensitivities it causes is mine. You're free to choose as you will.

stop crying

I think it was a bad idea for obvious reasons, but I also think it's kind of cute and might have bought one. Monkeys ROCK! A monkey in a suit is right up there with a monkey dressed like a butler in my my book.

Or a monkey with a yellow rain jacket and matching hat. You can't say no to that.

BTW, if it matters (which it probably doesn't), when I first saw this, my initial reaction was how cute the monkey in a "monkey suit" was. Then I saw the title and was thought, "Ohhhhhh….whoops". Point being, my mind wasn't in that mind set to be malicious by making a doll that would offend, and I wasn't in hyper-sensitive mode to all things around me. I just saw a doll.

i really wish people would stop referring to "playing the race card" as if it's some sort of game.

jesus. pointing out racism and bigotry is now off limits too? we're just supposed to just deal with it? if we ignore it, it will go away?

some of us are less evolved? and who are the less evolved? not as bright as asians? there are really so many problems with your comment, i'm sort of stunned.

and maybe not everyone is aware of the terminology that has been used in this country to oppress black people, but us black folks sure as hell are. and once you DO become aware of it, and DO become aware of the perjorative nature of such terminology, and DO become aware of how hurtful such terminology can be and you continue to use the terminology anyway, then there is seriously something wrong with you.

if you show this monkey doll to any black person in this country, i bet my left boob you're not going to get a "oh, how cute" reaction. and if that's playing the race card, then, game on.

that being said, monkeys are teh awesome.

if you observe that obama looks chimpish and bush looks chimpish and you are aware that likening black people as monkeys is racist or hurtful and you refrain from exclaiming "heyo, obama looks like a monkey" simply because you're afraid of the PC police, and not because you are aware of the insensitivity of such a statement, then there's something wrong with you.

likening black people to* monkeys

i need a beer.

STM, especially at #15, you said it better than I ever could.

I don't know exactly if there is in english a good translation for: "Wehret den Anfängen". (it's from Cicero, so quite an old saying…)

Which means: try stop the beginning (if it is something bad, of course). Sth. like nip it in the bud.

Because here german it means that certain jokes/things are going too far to be funny. And stupid/bad educated/ignorant/lazy people could read a message in them and not just see the play with stereotypes in the (sometimes funny) intended way.
Because often it IS intended to show the bad side of the stereotype as to make it a little bit more true.

So quite some hidden agenda here. Call it propaganda (like the nazis did with jokes about jews) or manipulation. But be aware of it.

And yes: GWB was in quite another position than Obama. Just like the same "joke" with a Jew or a Swiss Catholic has VERY VERY VERY different meaning!!!

As someone who in my lifetime has had white women follow me to the showers to see if the story about black people having TAILS was true, I can say to you in all sincerity that there is NOTHING funny about likening black folks to monkeys. Just cause it doesn't bother you, doesn't mean it's not offensive to people of color. You're tired of hearing about racism? We're tired of living it.

BTW, I'm not that old. This happened in the 80's.

"you're tired of hearing about racism? We're tired of living it."

Spot on.