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It's really awful when just because there has been a history of comparing black people to monkeys in the US as a way of denying their intelligence and humanity that some oversensitive people leap to the absurd conclusion that a picture of a black person being portrayed as a monkey is somehow race-baiting.

It is really awful, indeed. It shows that those oversensitive people are still thinking in essentially racist terms, since the first thing they look at when determining the offensiveness is the race of the one being offended. As in any other case, looking at the race at all, and taking it into account when making subjective judgment, is racist.

I'm sure it was probably drawn because the artist felt that monkeys are cute, Michelle Obama is cute, and a Michelle Obama monkey is probably even cuter, right? Because it's just stupid to imagine that there would be any racial component to it.

It was drawn because the artist draws people as apes for fun, and already drew several dozen such pictures of all races, genders etc.

Of course, I'm sure that he had absolutely no racial reference in mind while drawing Sarah Palin or Cindy McCain as an ape, but while drawing Michelle Obama, or Barack Obama, or Nelson Mandela, he was gleefully thinking of how funnily offensive it is in the context of the race being depicted. Because everyone always thinks about race all the time.

After all, you seem to do that, so how else could it possibly be for everyone else, right?

It's really awful when just because there has been a history of comparing black people to monkeys in the US as a way of denying their intelligence and humanity that some oversensitive people leap to the absurd conclusion that a picture of a black person being portrayed as a monkey is somehow race-baiting.

It is really awful, indeed. It shows that those oversensitive people are still thinking in essentially racist terms, since the first thing they look at when determining the offensiveness is the race of the one being offended. As in any other case, looking at the race at all, and taking it into account when making subjective judgment, is racist.

I'm sure it was probably drawn because the artist felt that monkeys are cute, Michelle Obama is cute, and a Michelle Obama monkey is probably even cuter, right? Because it's just stupid to imagine that there would be any racial component to it.

It was drawn because the artist draws people as apes for fun, and already drew several dozen such pictures of all races, genders etc.

Of course, I'm sure that he had absolutely no racial reference in mind while drawing Sarah Palin or Cindy McCain as an ape, but while drawing Michelle Obama, or Barack Obama, or Nelson Mandela, he was gleefully thinking of how funnily offensive it is in the context of the race being depicted. Because everyone always thinks about race all the time.

After all, you seem to do that, so how else could it possibly be for everyone else, right?

It's really awful when just because there has been a history of comparing black people to monkeys in the US as a way of denying their intelligence and humanity that some oversensitive people leap to the absurd conclusion that a picture of a black person being portrayed as a monkey is somehow race-baiting.

It is really awful, indeed. It shows that those oversensitive people are still thinking in essentially racist terms, since the first thing they look at when determining the offensiveness is the race of the one being offended. As in any other case, looking at the race at all, and taking it into account when making subjective judgment, is racist.

I'm sure it was probably drawn because the artist felt that monkeys are cute, Michelle Obama is cute, and a Michelle Obama monkey is probably even cuter, right? Because it's just stupid to imagine that there would be any racial component to it.

It was drawn because the artist draws people as apes for fun, and already drew several dozen such pictures of all races, genders etc.

Of course, I'm sure that he had absolutely no racial reference in mind while drawing Sarah Palin or Cindy McCain as an ape, but while drawing Michelle Obama, or Barack Obama, or Nelson Mandela, he was gleefully thinking of how funnily offensive it is in the context of the race being depicted. Because everyone always thinks about race all the time.

After all, you seem to do that, so how else could it possibly be for everyone else, right?

It's really awful when just because there has been a history of comparing black people to monkeys in the US as a way of denying their intelligence and humanity that some oversensitive people leap to the absurd conclusion that a picture of a black person being portrayed as a monkey is somehow race-baiting.

It is really awful, indeed. It shows that those oversensitive people are still thinking in essentially racist terms, since the first thing they look at when determining the offensiveness is the race of the one being offended. As in any other case, looking at the race at all, and taking it into account when making subjective judgment, is racist.

I'm sure it was probably drawn because the artist felt that monkeys are cute, Michelle Obama is cute, and a Michelle Obama monkey is probably even cuter, right? Because it's just stupid to imagine that there would be any racial component to it.

It was drawn because the artist draws people as apes for fun, and already drew several dozen such pictures of all races, genders etc.

Of course, I'm sure that he had absolutely no racial reference in mind while drawing Sarah Palin or Cindy McCain as an ape, but while drawing Michelle Obama, or Barack Obama, or Nelson Mandela, he was gleefully thinking of how funnily offensive it is in the context of the race being depicted. Because everyone always thinks about race all the time.

After all, you seem to do that, so how else could it possibly be for everyone else, right?

It's really awful when just because there has been a history of comparing black people to monkeys in the US as a way of denying their intelligence and humanity that some oversensitive people leap to the absurd conclusion that a picture of a black person being portrayed as a monkey is somehow race-baiting.

It is really awful, indeed. It shows that those oversensitive people are still thinking in essentially racist terms, since the first thing they look at when determining the offensiveness is the race of the one being offended. As in any other case, looking at the race at all, and taking it into account when making subjective judgment, is racist.

I'm sure it was probably drawn because the artist felt that monkeys are cute, Michelle Obama is cute, and a Michelle Obama monkey is probably even cuter, right? Because it's just stupid to imagine that there would be any racial component to it.

It was drawn because the artist draws people as apes for fun, and already drew several dozen such pictures of all races, genders etc.

Of course, I'm sure that he had absolutely no racial reference in mind while drawing Sarah Palin or Cindy McCain as an ape, but while drawing Michelle Obama, or Barack Obama, or Nelson Mandela, he was gleefully thinking of how funnily offensive it is in the context of the race being depicted. Because everyone always thinks about race all the time.

After all, you seem to do that, so how else could it possibly be for everyone else, right?

That's not the same as dehumanizing Michelle Obama for being black.

What made you think that the picture in question " dehumanizes" Michelle Obama for being black? The image doesn't have any references to race. Or is it just the fact that Michelle is black, and ape is involved? If so, then congratulations, you're racist, because you've just acted on the black=ape association.

FYI, the image was originally posted on CelebrityApe, which is a website dedicated to "ape-like" images of politicians and other famous persons. It does not in any way discriminate on race - it has similar images of Sarah Palin and Sonya Sotomayor, and countless others, Black and White and any other race/ethnicity/whatever.

Actually, here's a question for you - is that picture of "ape" Sotomayor racist?

That's not the same as dehumanizing Michelle Obama for being black.

What made you think that the picture in question " dehumanizes" Michelle Obama for being black? The image doesn't have any references to race. Or is it just the fact that Michelle is black, and ape is involved? If so, then congratulations, you're racist, because you've just acted on the black=ape association.

FYI, the image was originally posted on CelebrityApe, which is a website dedicated to "ape-like" images of politicians and other famous persons. It does not in any way discriminate on race - it has similar images of Sarah Palin and Sonya Sotomayor, and countless others, Black and White and any other race/ethnicity/whatever.

Actually, here's a question for you - is that picture of "ape" Sotomayor racist?

That's not the same as dehumanizing Michelle Obama for being black.

What made you think that the picture in question " dehumanizes" Michelle Obama for being black? The image doesn't have any references to race. Or is it just the fact that Michelle is black, and ape is involved? If so, then congratulations, you're racist, because you've just acted on the black=ape association.

FYI, the image was originally posted on CelebrityApe, which is a website dedicated to "ape-like" images of politicians and other famous persons. It does not in any way discriminate on race - it has similar images of Sarah Palin and Sonya Sotomayor, and countless others, Black and White and any other race/ethnicity/whatever.

Actually, here's a question for you - is that picture of "ape" Sotomayor racist?

Really? When I searched for "Michelle Obama Monkey" on google image search, the pictures I got was of George Bush.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm157/cin2008_album/bush_monkey3.jpg

http://www.globalpov.com/images/bush-monkey.jpg

And a monkey that got to first base:

http://klog.imjustsaying.org:81/files/images/monkey.preview.jpg

Another was of Palin being compared as an Ape

http://i.somethingawful.com/u/garbageday/apepalin.jpg

The only Michelle Obama photo was from a site called celebrity apes (a site which now seems defunct http://www.celebrityape.com/).

This furor over the photos shows a double standard in the media when liberals are concerned.