More Obama Monkey Business - Jim Crow Images Reappear

Does this look like Barack Obama?

A Utah Couple thinks so, or thought so. They may have stopped selling their odd lil' monkey doll product. They called it TheSockObama doll.

Does Curious George look like Barack Obama to you? A Marietta, Georgia bar owner thinks so.

Now what about ...

... this doll? Does it look like Obama? A German manufacturer thinks so.

Now I don't know what the Germans are thinking. In my humble opinion, that little doll looks a lot more like Dr. King than Obama. My hunch is that the German manufacturers don't see that it makes much difference. Obama's black (self-identified) and the doll's black, so there. But the other two purveyors of modern day Jim Crow toys are American. And they just don't get what all the fuss is about.

I have a little empathy for the Utah couple. There aren't many blacks in Utah. And the ones who live there have plenty of stories about whites in a pre-60's era state-of-mind; of people doing things like just walking up to them and rubbing their hair out of curiosity. I sincerely believe that David and Elizabeth Lawson of TheSockObama doll infamy meant no racial offense. But they are learning that we black folks, and folks who care about our feelings, have a thing about black folks being portrayed as animals. Monkeys no less. Go figure.

BUT THERE'S AN UPDATE (6-19) the doll may not be shelved just yet, despite cries of racism from around the country. Now they are looking for a new toy maker.

For now, there are no images of the doll on their website now: just an apology.

At first, I believed their plea of "naiveté" - that they didn't understand. Now, I don't. The Lawsons know exactly what they are doing now.

I don't want to get all "grand conspiracy" on you but I think these Jim Crow portrayals of Barack Obama are examples of racism boiling out into the open. Obama's strong candidacy is triggering a lot of reaction. Think about the bar owner. Via protests outside his bar, press reports and customer complaints, Mike Norman has been made very well aware that black people find it offensive when other people portray them as monkeys. He doesn't give a care. He says black folks, and the people who care about our feelings, just need to get over it and stop being so sensitive. That's a racist stance.

In effect Norman is saying "You people don't know. I know what's good. I know how you need to feel. Because I say so."

The good news is that you can no longer buy TheSockObama doll or an Obama as Curious George t-shirt, for NOW!. The publisher of Curious George threatened to sue.