Barack Obama and Racist Jokes

I wrote an article awhile back pointing out just a few of the many racist jokes circulating about Barack Obama all over the web. Unfortunately, this has created a mini race war in the comments section, with some readers angry at me or at other readers' comments. A few other readers have also decided that the article has simply become a place to post racist jokes.

It's amazing to me that Barack Obama can have such a high approval rating at the beginning of his presidency and still be attacked by so many. Unfortunately, the way I've seen many attack him is by attacking his race, not his politics. I've also noticed that when you try to talk to these people about his politics and what he's been doing for the country lately, they are completely clueless (and since you basically get a detailed description of everything he's been doing if you watch any news channel, even FOX News, there's no excuse for not knowing anything about what's going on). So my thoughts on these people are that they don't understand what's going on; this makes them fearful; and they tell racist jokes aimed at Barack Obama as a means of attacking him any way they possibly can.

I really don't think racist jokes are always completely inappropriate. Some of the greatest comedians make jokes about their own races, parts of their culture, or stereotypes within their own races. Many black comedians have been doing this for years, and white comedians have started to take note. This is where the blue collar comedy guys come into play; they basically poke fun at rednecks and Southern white culture constantly, making their audiences (which are composed of people who are parts of these cultures) laugh nonstop. And of course there are also Jewish comedians, Hispanic comedians, Asian comedians, and female comedians who all make jokes aimed at their cultures, or, when it comes to women, their sex. Because, let's face it, we can't take ourselves too seriously and all need to laugh at ourselves every once and awhile.

But there is a distinct difference between these comedians and the people who are telling racist jokes about Barack Obama, other than the fact that the comedians share the race of the people they poke fun at. They are telling their jokes with an understanding between the audience and themselves; they audience knows that this person is a comedian who has no ill will toward them and is only trying to make them laugh. But when someone filled with hatred tells a racist joke, you can see the reason they are doing it written all over their face. And often it won't stop with the joke; more ferocious, hate-filled attacks will ensue. This is their way of letting you know that they are trying to do more than just make you laugh; they want you to feel the same way they do about those who look different than yourself.

I will point out, however, that most of the people I know who are extremely racist and enjoy telling jokes like these don't just hate races that aren't their own, they're also usually sexist, and they just generally hate anyone whose views are different than their own. So what they are, in short, is an army of Archie Bunkers.

I love that there are so many different cultures in America, and I don't mind the fact that my race will be a minority in a few decades from now (don't worry, Rush Limbaugh, you'll be long gone by then). I also love the fact that we can all laugh at ourselves every now and then, and I appreciate a good joke about us white folk as long as the person telling it is doing it just to be funny, no matter what their skin color is. There was an episode of Seinfeld that kind of puts into perspective the touchy way jokes about cultures are handled in our society, when Jerry believes that a man became Jewish just for the jokes. This really does show how careful we have to be about clowning around in our society, and that, perhaps, if we just stick to jokes about our own cultures, we might get along a lot better and keep our cultural diversity colorful and a little more hate-free.

But Barack Obama gets the last laugh, because the man is half-white. So if he wanted to tell a black joke or a white joke, he could do either. He's smarter than that, however, and wants to unify all races in America. He's not a black man or a white man, but an intelligent man who wants us to judge each other based on our intelligence, kindness, and integrity, not our skin color.