SubscribeOutrage At Obama/Curious George T-Shirts
From New England’s NECN and a highly incensed Associated Press:
‘Curious George’ publisher may sue T-shirt vendor
May 16, 2008
MARIETTA, Ga.—The publisher of the popular children’s book series “Curious George” is considering legal action against a Georgia bar owner for selling T-shirts that show the inquisitive monkey peeling a banana with “Obama in ‘08″ printed beneath the image.
“Houghton Mifflin Harcourt did not nor would we ever authorize or approve this use of the Curious George character, which we find offensive and utterly out of keeping with the values Curious George represents,” said Richard Blake, the company’s spokesman.
Bar owner Mike Norman, who began selling the shirts in late April, has said they are not meant to be racist. He said he thinks the Illinois senator and the character “look so much alike.”
Bill Nigut, southeast regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said Norman is being disingenuous.
“He can pretend he doesn’t understand what the message of that T-shirt is, but he knows full well that’s an offensive and demeaning stereotype used to insult African-Americans,” Nigut said.
Of course you remember all of the similar outrage expressed when the left made a cottage industry out of comparing President Bush to a chimpanzee?
We don’t either.
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14 Responses to “Outrage At Obama/Curious George T-Shirts”
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May 16th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Then, to be fair, the author of this cartoon book should be sued. That is…if the Curious George people aren’t a bunch of flaming libs.
http://home.nyc.rr.com/jadedem/gw1.html
May 16th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
It be all about the money bro.
At least this raises the standard of discussion, I mean, why were we wasting time talking about Americans getting killed in Iraq?
May 16th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Not to mention the clearly racists and despicable ‘comic’ renderings of Condoleezza Rice that make appearances on editorial pages now and then.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Obama doesn’t eat bananas he eats arugula.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
“Obama doesn’t eat bananas he eats arugula”
So that makes him a “arugula-eating surrender monkey”
May 16th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I don’t like your equivalency on this….. I understand that things are “skewed”vis-à-vis race relations, but using an image of a primate regarding blacks has a long, sordid history and any continual use should be ignored, not defended. I think you missed the mark on this one…..Anyhow GWB DOES look a little simian. I think he can handle it…..
May 16th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
It is a double standard issue Chicago. This is supposed to be a Country where everyone has the same opportunity, and similarly, must endure the same challenges. I can not accept a scenario where it is perfectly acceptable to compare GWB to a monkey, but absolutley wrong to compare BHO to one.
Along the same lines, where were the publishers of Curious George when their copyrighted image was being used to disparage GWB? If they are so outraged at thier copyrighted image being used in association with BHO, why no outrage over the GWB association? Legally speaking, the doctrines of Laches, Estoppel, and Waiver would be an affirmative defense to any suit they might bring since, in failing to protect their image rights when the GWB comparison was drawn, they have implied that they assented to the use of the image for political satire.
Here is another thought as well. Why all the Outrage by the Obama camp? The shirt appears pro-Obama. Way to castigatge your supporters.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I’ve never seen the Republicans/Conservatives ever use the monkey in that manner TheChicagoWay. No offence, but, that might be overreacting. I believe they are referring to monkey like mentally, not physically.
Laura Ingraham has always had a “But….Monkey” on her site but, it doesn’t discriminate.
http://www.lauraingraham.com/
Move America Forward had a “Surrender Monkey” that despicted Reid and Pelosi as such for wanting to surrender from the Iraq war.
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/moy051807.htm
Good comments, bullforever. The Democrats set the rules of civility and want to take their ball and go home when sentiments are reversed. Were the Liberals saying that Bush looked like a monkey?
I guess the “Monkey” means many different things to different people. But, debating the “monkey” is funny. This issue should be taken with a grain of salt. That’s all. :-)
May 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
“I don’t like your equivalency on this….. I understand that things are “skewed”vis-à-vis race relations, but using an image of a primate regarding blacks has a long, sordid history and any continual use should be ignored, not defended.”
Who is defending it?
May 16th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Bull. I agree that it is unacceptable. However, my main point is that it should be ignored, not rationalized by bringing up an opposite example…. We can always bring up unfair comparisons, but what’s the point? By doing so, we are no better than the race baiters, black and white, that rely on these ongoing “tit for tat” machinations to perpetuate their fertile field of divisiveness. Unfortunately, with respect to the publisher of Curious George, they are rightly concerned about damages to their reputation BECAUSE of these same historical negative connotations. Hell, they probably MADE money on that last example shown in the post. If not, then they ABSOLUTELY have a claim for damages.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
That the publisher and the artist of Curious George only now speak up does show that they approved of the use of the comic to insult Bush, They should therefore sit back and shut up!
While I understand that this can be seen as racially offensive, I doubt that is the reason for the outrage.
More likely it is simply an attempt to silence negative images of the messiah.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Chicago you are missing the point - legally, if the copyright/intellectual property owners did not/threaten to sue when the CG image was used to bash Bush, then they have no legal standing to sue when it is used (without Barack’s face superimposed) to promote Obama. . . This is not tit-for-tat unfair comparison, it is the simple statement that if A was not sued for using the image, B should not be either.
I must assume that this is what happens when someone lives their life seeing everything, experiencing everything in ‘emotion’ - you must then attach an emotion to everything, every event, every occurance in life. No wonder some people sound so immature, some people accomplish nothing and some people go through their entire life with a chip on their shoulder. Everything that ever happens in the World is not about You. . .or Me.
And to be honest, if this (criticism, angst, outrage, attempts to silence) are what Obama The Movement is going to bring to America - I will pray he doesn’t even win the nomination much less the Presidency. For right now, I will assume most of this is his ’supporters’ and the msm driven drivel.
But I do admit, it would be nice to hear Obama The Movement say Enough of this. . .
May 17th, 2008 at 5:43 am
Hey, Chicago, we have a saying in the deep south. What goes around comes around. If President Bush and President Reagan can be compared to chimps, well…………………! I just love it when libs get a taste of their own medicine don’t you?!? By the way the appropriate response for Senator Barak Hussein Obama on these T-Shirts is the French word, Touche………..! ROFLMAO
May 17th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Consider how the Democrats portrayed Abraham Lincoln — also as a chimpanzee. They have a l-o-n-g history of this level of insult.