So true. That’s its virtue and its downside.

All kinds of crazies post on Kos. Including literal crazies who think the government is reading their minds — those diaries are interesting to say the least.

Abhorrent stuff like this may posted by people who, charitably, may be too stupid to know what’s wrong with it — which wrongness is explained quite well by you, thanks!

In this case I’d hope that’s what’s going on — that the artist didn’t think of the red dress issue, and was otherwise trying to indicate that the Republican Party leadership were like KKK members and would quite honestly try to torture and kill Michelle Obama if they could — without realizing that the image itself is a PTSD trigger. (Given that the Republican leadership are actually literally ordering kidnappings and torture, and claiming that they’re good things, I can see where such a person would be coming from.)

Or sometimes stuff like that is just posted by truly abhorrent bigots.

I am disturbed that anyone thought this was a good idea.

I’m also disturbed by how many people are too witless to look past the superficial form of the image to parse out its meaning.

For crying out loud, people, the branding iron reads “UPPITY LIBERAL”!

D, I don’t think I entirely understand all of what you’re saying about who it was assaulting — since in seeing it I feel it, strongly, as viscerally violent toward the actual person who is in it as the target of the violence it portrays.

But I guess I would say this: If the white creator of that image did it primarily as a communication to other white people, then that to me is yet another layer of ugly. Because that is yet another layer of making Michelle Obama, a Black woman, into an object to be used for communication between whites.

And just in general: there is NO doubt in my mind that white liberals and progressives from all over the country can and often do practice racism/white supremacy. I have seen it over and over again in my life.

that image was the equivalent of visual C-4.

How many of us know how to handle C-4?

and, this person didn’t either.

There should have been something that said ‘ stop’, ‘ wait up’. I believe the racebaiting in this Democratic race has desensitized folks.

The picture alone should have been the diary. There truly were no words that could be more powerful than his visual C-4.

An image Cindy McCain being raped by a gang of black men donning Obama logos was posted on a right-wing blog.

“My take is that the artist feels he is creating a satirical cartoon about those who promote racism in this political season. He is mocking them. He does not necessarily have to possess this belief system in order to create this cartoon: he simply understands it. He is saying this is what they are trying to do to Cindy.”

Acceptable? Excusable?

So, in your update are you willing to excuse this Obama supporter because he was really attacking whites who criticize Michelle’s statements?

What about the whites, like me, who view this and are rightly offended? Do we deserve to be compared to the evil, murderous KKK simply for engaging in debate?

Make no mistake, questioning Michelle Obama’s view of this country maybe considered unfair by Obama supporters but it is NOT the same as torture and murder! This image is insulting and comtemptuous towards whites.

But why have consideration for my feelings? I am a human being. A woman. A loving wife. A devoted mother. A successful professional. Intelligent. Smart.

White. Conservative. And not worthy of being defended against charges of racism?

Yes, to be clear, “One Citizen”, who hails from West Virginia, is a Kos diarist and CREATED the image. It was an anti-GOP diary about the Southern Strategy (the image is now gone from the diary). It is my view, given what we have learned of the underbelly of WV (and even trying to give SOME benefit of the doubt with explanations from Jim Webb on the culture there), that that place has a pretty damned bizarre way of viewing things. It is a different kind of racism there, based purely not on experience but ignorance and fear of the unknown. They are fearful of Obama, not just for being black, but for his strange name. Maybe even that he lives in Chicago.

One Citizen has written a couple of diaries on race, where it is clear that he is sympathetic to those who have suffered under racial injustice. However, One Citizen is so far removed from the African American experience, he just is hopelessly tone deaf and does not understand how hurtful the image he created is. I also think there is some truth to the idea that it has come too easy for Democrats to paint the GOP as the “racist party”, while sweeping under the rug race problems it has in its own party.

Anyway, I agree that the photo is so unbelievably out of line and wrong.

I feel that the creator of this image cares nothing for the feelings of the viewer. It is an in-your-face assault on whites, not Michelle Obama, meant to drive home a political point.

Make no mistake, the message is: the GOP is as racist and evil as the KKK and whites who criticize Michelle Obama are guilty of the equivalent of rape, torture and murder! No one should be offended because, after all…it’s true.

Bittergate…true
Rev. Wright…true
Michelle Obama’s comments…true
Bush = Hitler…true

Whites who take issue with comments made by Michelle Obama, or dare to challenge the veracity or ideology contained therein are the ones who are being hatefully and disgustingly portrayed.

Dehumanizing Michelle Obama is necessary in order to reveal the truth. She is being portrayed as a victim of evil.

IMO, nothing could be further from the truth.

Michelle’s Obama’s comments are open for criticism and can be intelligently and thoughtfully refuted, defended or explained without having to resort to expressing nothing less than vile, hatred toward those with whom one may disagree. But this is an all too prevalent tactic of the left for avoiding candid debate and crushing dissent among those who disagree with their viewpoint.

This image reinforces the very worst in all people, preying on fear and hatred toward those with whom one may have a disagreement.

Exactly. Context is everything and I picked it up immediately.

So using racist imagery to decry racism is racist?

Compare this to the ‘curious george’ t-shirt, and ask yourself how is this different? Is this worse?

Does party loyalty really merit excusing racist actions?

I say NO!
___________________________

Anon I agree with what you are saying. My point is that that for every one white person who understands the FEAR, RAGE, and TRAUMA perpetuated with the imagery ’s use there are many white people who think its just rude because of the emotional distance they have from slavery and Jim Crow.

If all white people understood the deep emotional wreckage that still exists in our society I believe deeply that white people who we the ones tearing down the site themselves. I believe there is a lack of empathy in our society and it stems from true ignorance.

Whether you mean it or not, racism is racism. I am with you.

I wasn’t silent when the race-baiting started and I won’t silent about this; and when an AA women is portrayed in this manner it diminishes all of humanity. Thanks for reminding us of the importance of building bridges, at the same time holding firm that there is that which is intolerable.

I have to admit that it’s difficult to offend me but I don’t find this offensive at all.

And you people who think that you shouldn’t use “offensive” – which is subjective – language and images to make a point that you even you would agree with have been living in a politically correct world for way too long.

Most are so busy looking for racism there that when it comes from another liberal, they feign shock and ignore the equally racist history of the democratic party.

There’s blood on all sides, but only one gets mentioned.

Here’s my question (and Komack, feel free to take a stab): why is it that whenever something’s mentioned about Barry or Michelle, the liberals have to try to find something that’s equally as “bad” about McCain or his wife?

Is tit-for-tat really helpful to anyone’s strategy?

-NOOOOOOO!
Not Cindy McCain!
Not Mrs. Straight Talk Express!
I’m shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you!

And: I may not entirely understand the context — am I correct in understanding that this image was actually MADE by someone who posts at Daily Kos? (I know this should be obvious but this is disorienting me and making my perception fuzzy somehow, and apparently I’m not able to fully focus.)

I’ve played with making images, nothing this elaborate by any means. But the thing is: given what I have experienced and the concentration needed to put things together, my take is that to make something like this takes sustained attention in a way that …. what am I trying to say here? …. it requires some sort of sustained attention that implicitly requires a sort of spiritual acceptance of what the image says.

And I really don’t know if that’s the right way to say it, whatever I am trying to describe …. it’s just that to my perception, making such an image would require the maker to be acting from a sort of a historical-spiritual-political (if that’s the right way to put it) inner deadness to what that image is saying and how it feels, its violence.

I can’t seem to get past this piece, the actual making of the image and the state that someone would have to be in to be able to do it. I can’t seem to get past that for some reason, I don’t know why.

And I’m sorry if any of this is redundant or incoherent; I really am significantly disoriented right now by the violence of the image.