The radio segment featured a slew of offensive statements in which the hosts seemed to revel in their own banter. At one point, one of the hosts stated, "We're not racists. It will be good to have a Negro in the White House. It will be practical. Black on white, it will be easier to shoot him."To its credit, the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council said it found, "nothing redeeming in the allegedly comedic notion that an American president should be shot, still less that this would be easier to achieve because of the color of the president's skin. It was a disturbing, wounding, abusive racial comment."
On another segment of the show, an Obama impersonator was featured in a faux interview in which the host said, "The blacks, you all look alike," and then warned viewers to hide their purses.
The council added that the comments and sketches breached regulations, saying they "went too far in terms of Canadian broadcast standards." Which is kind of a given, provided that they probably went too far as far as global broadcasting standards are concerned, save for, of course, those ever-resilient neo-Nazis and maybe the Klan on close-frequency ham radios.
Not surprisingly, the producers of the show actually denied the skits had been racist, saying they had meant to mock the characters making the offensive remarks, which is akin to saying Rush Limbaugh isn't a racist... total BS.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is supposedly conducting a probe of the show. And although it doesn't have the power to fine Radio-Canada, it can issue a public reprimand.
According to a spokeswoman for the commission, such reprimands could cause problems for the network when it comes time to renew its broadcasting license. Radio-Canada is due to apply for a license renewal in 2011.
And amid all this is the fact that Canadians, like much of the world, overwhelmingly love President Obama. Polls regularly show that Canadians like Obama far more than they do their own leaders. Tens of thousands turned up to cheer him when he made a brief visit to Ottawa in February. That makes it even more mind-boggling that a radio station would think it was appropriate to air something so belligerent.
Vintage Racist Advertising
Top left LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 1: Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav present onstage at the VH1 - Big in '04 on December 1, 2004 at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Top right: 1899 -- Uncle Tom's Cabin: Topsy Illustration --- Image by © CORBIS; Bottom right: 1930s AC spark plugs ad in The Saturday Evening Post -- Photo by The Authentic History Center; Bottom left: This cartoon image provided by the New York Post appeared in the Post's Page Six Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009. The cartoon, which refers to Travis the chimp, who was shot to death by police in Stamford, Conn. on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner, drew criticism Wednesday on media Web sites and from civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton. (AP Photo/New York Post) ** NO SALES ** Credit: Getty Images / Corbi / Authentic History Center / AP
Getty Images / Corbi / Authentic History Center / AP
Advertisement for an African-American slave sale.
Although the enslavement of mankind in general has been recorded as early as 1200 BC; the first African slaves were reportedly transported to the 'New World' in 1517. This is 76 years after the first black slaves were captured and taken to Portugal.
Bettmann / Corbis
African American Stereotypes: Products and Advertising c.1880s Tin of Nigger Hair Tobacco
For decades this product was sold in stores as chewing tobacco or for smoking. It was advertised as 'pure, unadulterated, fine old burley leaf.'
Photo Source: The Authentic History Center
The Authentic History Center
1888 -- Seal of North Carolina Tobacco - The Darktown Bowling Club Poster -- Image by © Swim Ink 2, LLC/CORBIS Seal of North Carolina Tobacco - The Darktown Bowling Club Poster
Swim Ink 2, LLC / Corbis
ca. 1890 -- Zoulou Powder Poster (French advertisement)
Because offensive advertising was permeated throughout the world for many years, (and still is, as you will see in a few upcoming slides) it should come as no surprise that in more modern times 'racism has become the scourge of European soccer stadiums.'
Swim Ink 2, LLC / Corbis
ca. 1899 --- Uncle Tom's Cabin: Topsy Illustration --- Image by © CORBIS Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Topsy was a stereotypical pickaninny character in the book, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' Uncle Tom was a slave in the book. The term 'Uncle Tom' is recognized to be offensive and a derogatory name for a black man who is abjectly servile and deferential to whites.
Corbis
ca. 1899 --- George Thatcher's Greatest Minstrels Poster --- Image by © CORBIS George Thatcher's Greatest Minstrels Poster
Early definition of minstrel: a medieval poet and musician who sang or recited while accompanying himself on a stringed instrument, either as a member of a noble household or as an itinerant troubadour.
The black-face minstrel act was a very popular form of entertainment in 19th-century America. White audiences were receptive to the portrayals of Blacks as singing, dancing, grinning fools. T.D. 'Daddy' Rice, the original Jim Crow, became rich and famous because of his skills as a minstrel. Interestingly though, when he died in New York on September 19, 1860, he was broke.
Corbis
African American Stereotypes: Products and Advertising 1899 Durkee's Salad Dressing advertisement, Harpers Magazine
Notice the broken English purportedly spoken by black Americans, 'We're gwine ter live high ter-night ...'
Photo Source: The Authentic History Centerr
The Authentic History Center
Advertisement for Clarence Brooks and Co.'s Fine Coach Varnishes uses racist stereotypes to depict a group of African-American adults and children as they cheer and watch two shirtless boxers, one of whom appears unconscious, accompanied by the text "the Championship Fight, Sullivan Wins," late 1800s. The Sullivan in the text is a reference to boxer John L. Sullivan, who fought bare-knuckled in several famous bouts.
Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images
Advertisement for the St. Louis Beef Canning Company features an illustration of a stereotyped African-American character sitting on a can of beef, accompanied by phonetically rendered, stereotypical dialect-style text that reads: 'No Sah! dont jine no Exodus so as dis Beef lasts,' late 1800s.
Showing blacks to massacre the English language, further perpetuated the false idea that African Americans were somehow unable to be educated.
Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images
Comments: (352)
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By: TEE on 5/29/2009 8:47PM
Americans disrespect our President so other countries feel that they can as well. I look at the good ole USA. For the last 10 years or so others countries do not show any respect toward us.
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By: Orville on 5/30/2009 12:42AM
Americans is such a strong statments, when you say that Americans dont like the President.The reality is most Americans and World loves President Obama. Only a few people who dont like him which is the minority.
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By: Jim on 6/01/2009 8:57PM
Pravda says the USA is now a Marist Socialist government, same as Russia. Hmm, that was a shot! Obama is a 53% man who thinks he got 100%. Most of the states did NOT support him, just the big populations. I do not care if he black, white, or green, he has destroyed America in 4 months. Congradulations. We will never recover. The USA should break apart now and let them have the Northeast megapolis and do what they will. We can give CA back to Mexico and the rest of us (IL excluded) can join Canada. This country KNEW he would win and that is why the recession happened and we went down the toilet.
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By: Rich on 6/01/2009 8:59PM
All through the last eight years we constantly had people on the left calling for the death of President Bush. Now we have the shoe on the other foot, and it still does not fit.
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By: watdafuk on 6/01/2009 9:05PM
You can count me in also.
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By: jan on 6/01/2009 10:09PM
You're kidding, right. Two of our president's have so disrespected our country to the whole world. First, Jimmy Carter goes from one tin-horn dictatorship to another apologizing for us, next is Obama and his recent tour of apology for America and laughing as a communist dictator, Chauvez, disgustingly slammed our nation.
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By: al s on 6/01/2009 10:27PM
Its never okay to make stupid comments like this, even in jest. We all know what the mighty USA has done in the last eight years, so its no wonder the rest of the world mocks us out. It will take a lot of fence-mending by Obama and Hillery to make them realize we're not "ugly Americans"!
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By: kcn9971 on 5/29/2009 9:54PM
Before we once again get our emotional blood boiling, start calling White people devils, or demand those D.J.'S in Canada be executed. Lets examine some points....1) If these men said anything truly threatening about Obama, the CIA or Secret Service would have arrested them....2)Every american president has been ridiculed in foreign media, especially in the Middle East....3) I've heard numerous radio personalities here in America call for the DEATH of Saddam Hussain, Kim Jong-il, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad....and 4) Obama is BLACK and unfortunately people are gonna say racial slurs about him PERIOD!!! He took the job knowing this and he apparently doesn't seem to be upset or stressed about it.... So maybe it's time for us to stop stressing!!
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By: Damien Thorne on 5/30/2009 1:51AM
The radio station is based out of Canada therefore the Secret Service has no jurisdiction in a foreign land. I dont think we should ever let anyone slide when they say something stupid on the basis that we should expect it. I think everytime someone says something ridiculous they should get chin checked...not in a physical way but metaphorically speaking. That goes for black people that say stupid things as well. You put your hand on the stove and get burned, you learn and you will think twice about doing it again.
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By: BODYCONSTRUCTION on 5/30/2009 11:17AM
You stupid fool, stop being an apologist for someone's else's bad behvior. Who knows, these same may be plotting to cause harm to the brother. If that happened, what would your excuse be next?
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