Hurry, hurry, step right up! Get yourself a cool monkey/Obama t-shirt.
Marietta bar owner Mike Norman says the T-shirts he’s peddling, featuring a look-a-like of cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a banana, with “Obama in ‘08″ underneath, are not meant to offend.
Norman acknowledged the imagery’s Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey. We’re not living in the (19)40’s,” he said. “Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears — he looks just like Curious George.”About a dozen prostestors rallied against the shirts Tuesday afternoon, condemning them as racist and asking Norman, longtime proprietor of Mulligan’s Bar and Grill on Roswell Street, to stop selling them.
Marietta native Pam Lindley, 47, joined the protest after reading about the controversy online.
“I don’t want people to think this is what Marietta is all about,” she added, motioning towards the tavern. “This is what some people think the South is still like. Marietta’s come a long way but I guess it’s still got a little ways to go.”
What’s just as scary is the poll results so far. I grabbed this last night from the same web-page. 
No Trackbacks To “Racist Obama T-Shirts for sale: ‘Curious George’“
No racism here. How ’bout we put a white hood on ol’ Maverick McCain?
As a former resident of the Atlanta area for over 20 years, I can state that Marietta is indeed racist!
McCain could then say he was “honoring the Pope” by wearing “vestments.”
I think the author or his family who wrote the Curious George books should sue this tavern owner for everything he’s got. After all, this isn’t the 1940’s.
Read this by R.C. Lewontin, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at Harvard University, here is an excerpt:
Over the last thirty five years a major change has taken place in our biological understanding of the concept of human “race,” largely as a consequence of an immense increase in our knowledge of human genetics. As a biological rather than a social construct, “race” has ceased to be seen as a fundamental reality characterizing the human species.…
This is little more than a PR stunt. It is good that no one printed the name of the bar so that it would profit from the attention. No matter how nasty, people will flock to a place just to say they were there.
Wouldn’t be the first time this country elected a chimp this century.
How can anyone with a brain not think this is racist!! I can just hear the slurs (and laughter) being made in the bar about it. Pathetic!! I feel sorry for the decent people of Marietta!
It’s obviously racist. Overall, however, I think it’s a pretty benign statement, I mean, listen to the messenger. He’s a classic right-wing mouth breather.
That’s the South for you. I lived down in FL for many years and came to know quite a number of blatant racists. But, of course, they don’t see themselves as racists… They’re just good ol’ boys who love America!
I think the SNORGTEES Greece Lightning T-Shirt Banner Ad is more offensive.
Wow. This is embarrassing - I live here in Marietta. The results for “It’s racist” are up a bit now, though. We’ll see what they’re like at the end of the day.
The difference in neighborhoods here regarding racism is extreme. You’ll find places like where I live that are some of the most integrated spots imaginable - my father (from Ohio) calls my street “the UN.” But then drive a few blocks and you’ve got rednecks flying the Confederate flag.
Can we PLEASE shut up about “this is the South for you”? I live in South Carolina, and this t-shirt would be offensive pretty much anywhere you go here. Might get your ass beaten down if you wore it in a college town. You want racism? Hell, go to Chicago. Go to Los Angeles. Be a black man walking in the wrong neighborhood in Brooklyn. Man, I get tired of folks who think they understand the South because they read some Faulkner once during a literature course.
Comparing a human to an ape is rarely used in a positive sense. W isn’t referred to as ‘the chimp’ because he’s so cute and like-able. If the bar owner is truly that oblivious to the insult in the comparison he needs some remedial education quickly, as do the other 41.65% who think it’s fine.
ignorance is bliss
So, saying/printing “General Betray Us” needs an act of Congress, but this is fine. I’m wondering if the guy’s business is suffering and he’s hoping someone will burn it down.
How can someone with such an excellent blog not know how to spell “alike”?
Sorry, I just couldn’t let this one pass.
When the opponent is a republican, we all know: “It’s gonna get ugly.”
America has to unite and flush the entire GOP down the toilet of history this november.
Ah, my current home state of Georgia once again making the news for our great traditions of tolerance and ethnic sensitivitude.
And they wonder why people have such a dim view of the south and southerners.
They ought to spend less time printing tee shirts and more time at their snake handlin’ church.
The same restaurant used to display on its outdoor sign the message “I wish Hillary had married OJ.”
And who can forget the Hillary “nutcracker,” on sale at novelty shops around the country.
The Curious George T shirts need to go — they are clearly racist.
I’d also like to see similar outrage at the sexist comments and actions that are routinely directed towards Hillary Clinton.
steve davis @ 13:
Yeah, OK. I guess living in North Florida for about 15 years doesn’t quite qualify me to “understand the South.” FYI, college towns everywhere are usually more progressive than normal.
Funny I always thought of Bush as an evil curious George, only dummerer.
Not only is it politically incorrect (or racist), it’s grammatically incorrect. ‘08 with a single quote in front of the 08 should be an apostrophe. OK. that’s the elitist desktop publisher in me railing against Microsoft smart quotes.
At least the Clintons have finally found a way to pay off their campaign debt.
Good grief! Not racist? Ummmmmmmm….what a bigoted jerk. Obama is a brave and talented man who doesn’t deserve this.
cnn.com has a video of the klansman who owns the bar and the name of the place is no secret.
steve davis @ 13:
Dude, I’ve grown up in the south and have lived all over the country. Yes, many people everywhere would find this racist, but the difference is that in many parts of Dixie, people think racism is OK. People in other parts of the country may be racist, but most of them know it’s not accepted (yet they are that way anyway.)
I’m having carpet installed, and one shop I looked into seemed to be just what I needed, and I was assured the job would be done well in the following manner: “Our installer has been working for us for years. He’s a black man, but he does a good job.” Oooooh, so glad he assured me of that, ‘cos I’d be worried if an installer showed up at my house and his skin color was different than mine. How EVER could I trust him to do a good job?
steve davis @ 13:
You are spot on. Racism is alive and well all over this country. We even see racists who call themselves progressives and enlightened. The msm would have us believe we have come along way since MLK gave his “I have a dream speech”. but the truth of the matter is,we haven’t moved much at all.
Surely you jest. Racism? From the district that gave us Newt Gingrich?
I wonder what the copyright holder of the curious george trademark would think of this?
Agent_M @ 18:
The problem is that this racist is probably a good ole boy democrat.
There are many “progressive” bloggers that post here who would like to own that shirt.
Sorry, but I don’t think the monkey on the t-shirt resembles Curious George. This is simply another blatant case of racism.
This country is an embarrassment.
diamondmc @ 33:
I am curious as to how you reached this conclusion?
This is so totally disgusting that I’m ashamed to be an American. I’m an oldster and I thought we had gone past this division by race. Does this man have any idea just how hurtful this is to not just Obama, but to all African American families to be pictured like that. There must be a remedy of some kind in the Courts. What does he think of Obama’s white part? Between the sly Muslim slurs and race - we have really reached a new low in Politics.
Someone should put this on a t shirt with the words “Marrietta Georgian” underneath.
I just called Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Boston to alert them that this guy is using their copyrighted imagery. I hope they are interested, and might put a stop to it. We”ll see.
ashton @ 36:
My point is that its not just repugs who are racists. Lets not delude ourselves that racism runs along party lines.
adam franklin @ 32:
I don’t think he’s going to like it! Someone needs to send this story to him! ;)
xoites (One White Vote for Obama) defends Constitution @ 38:
Nice one, Xoites!
It’s offensive and racist.
The latest results of the Atlantic Journal overwhelmingly say it’s racist too, which is a good sign:
What do you think of the Obama T-shirt?
It’s racist 61.78% 13531
It’s fine 38.22% 8371
Still nearly 40% think it’s OK. Ugh.
Jerry Hooten @ 39:
Good job! In fact we should start a campaign to DEMAND that they get an injunction immeadiatly.
As West Virginia shows, most white Americans are still not ready to elect a black man as their president. Sadly, I’m afraid a lot of people will vote Red strictly on account of skin color.
Left&Left @ 34:
Really? Name one?
I wish I could say I’m shocked that someone in this day and age and in this country of all places, would openly display something like that but sad to say I’m not.
That t-shirt sums up the USA in a nutshell. We give lip service to a whole bunch of lofty ideals but when you peel back the phony facade we reveal ourselves to be crude, racist, hateful and ignorant.
It’s a sad day to be an American.
Another shirt for you folks to chime in on:
http://dirtycoast.com/product_view.php?id=118
Oh ya….racist.
I just sent an email to the following email address, which I am guessing might play a role in Houghton Mifflin trademarks:
trade_permissions@hmco.com. Don’t know if that is the right place, but I figured it’s worth a shot.
Yes the shirt is offensive but the Republicans in the fall are going to do much worse to Obama. It won’t be this obvious but believe me it is going to be ugly. The only way to combat it is to be unified after the convention, Democrats standing together to show the Republicans that their 527’s and whisper campaigns will not affect our choice for president.
steve davis @ 13:
No, we can’t. Just like we can’t criticize the South for its continuing racism without somebody boo-hooing that we’re picking on the poor ol’ South. Last time I checked, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn didn’t have a history of segregated drinking fountains and lynchings (among many other things). You won’t hear people in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn calling Obama “Boy”, but, in 2008, you can find a congressman in Kentucky (which is in the South) doing that very thing.
xoites (One White Vote for Obama) defends Constitution @ 38:
Hey, cut it out with the antineanderthalism.