Anthony Gomez 10-20-13
Mr. Cassidy Block
4
Racism
Article
The article I read was called “Obama rodeo clown incident
illustrates nation’s continued racial divide”. It was about a ring leader
taunting a clown who had a mask of President Barack Obama in the rodeo. As the
ring leader taunted the clown, he played with his lips as the bull charged at
the clown. The people In the crowd said it was a joke but clearly it wasn't In
the article it says “I've got no respect for him,” said Virgil
Henke, 65, a livestock farmer who explained his distaste for Obama with several
falsehoods about his background: “Why, he’s destroyed this country. How much
freedom have we lost? I don’t care whether it’s a black man in office, but we
have to have a true-blooded American. I think he is Muslim and trying to
destroy the country, catering to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.” This
one person was saying that he has nothing against Obama race but he is bringing
being a Muslim into play. He is saying that Obama has brought negativity into
America because he is “Muslim”. That right there is a stereotype and racist.
Reflection:
This is a clear example of racism and
the fact that a lot of people think it’s a joke is not funny at all. It
degrades Obama as a human being. Also in the article it says “At the rodeo here last Saturday night, a clown
wearing an Obama mask stood on the arena’s dirt floor, propped up like a straw
man with the appearance that a broom stick was going up his backside. A second
clown called him “ya big goober.” Before letting the bull loose to charge at
the clown with the Obama mask, the second clown provided live narration over
the loudspeakers”. This shows me that people enjoyed this racism and were fond
of it. This is degrading and unacceptable in our society.
Do you agree that these acts were
just a “joke”?
If do not believe these acts were
not just a “Joke”, explain how they should the rodeo host be punished? If you do
believe these acts were just a joke, explain why.
I enjoyed reading the article but I find the beginning of this article pretty hysterical. I find it funny because the 65 year old man believes that Obama is Muslim, he is not a true blooded American, and that he is trying to destroy the country. That is probably the most idiotic comment I've heard from an older person or in general in a while. First of all, Obama is Protestant, he was born in Hawaii which is a part of the US therefore that makes him a "true-blooded American" and obviously if you become president you would want to improve your country, not destroy it. What this man said is just blatantly racist and ignorant but I guess some things will just never change but COULD be improved.
ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting and disturbing at the same time. I feel that people didn't see as racist at the moment but did find it funny, just like many of us would find it funny if it was a George Bush mask. I feel that people get sensitive about the topic and we should be more open even if we greatly disagree with people. Though we could improve as a society, it is also very important that we try to understand people and their points of view.
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