"If I was racist, I would have looked at it through racist eyes," she said
Diane Fedele, president of the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated is either a liar or among the stupidest women in the United States of America.
By now, many folks will have heard of the mailer she sent out to her group, introducing "Obama Bucks".
The false 10-dollar note (well, food stamp) shows Barack Obama's head on the body of a donkey (the symbol of the Democratic Party). Surrounding the image are depictions of fried chicken, ribs, Kool-Aid (c) and watermelon -- foods which, here in the U.S., have long been considered stereotypically Black.
In an LA Times article, Fedele was quoted saying, "It was poor judgment on my part. It was strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of Obama's statement that he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills." (Because he’s not a dead and White? The last time I checked, the faces on U.S. banknotes all belonged to dead White men.)
One of her group members, Kristina Sandoval, came up with the patently untrue or embarrassingly naive, "Everyone eats those foods, it's not a racial thing."
Fidele's ridiculous defense ("If I was racist, I would have looked at it through racist eyes. I am not racist, which is why it probably didn't register") didn't ring any truer.
The thing is, they will probably get by relatively unscathed.Their actions probably won't hurt their reputations much. They will continue to play the wide-eyed innocents and find people to stand up for them, sort of:
State Sen. Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) represents the area, and his wife, a Latina, is a member of the club.
"I thought it was unacceptable and a failed attempt at humor," Dutton said. "My wife isn't taking it personally because she knows the people involved. I called Diane and talked to her and told her it was inappropriate. She is a sweet lady without a mean bone in her body. But we all have to be more sensitive."
Even when the opinions of folks quoted isn't necesarily relevant to the situation. (Because, sorry, Se. Dutton, most Latinas aren't also Black.)
It saddens me that these women will probably face not prosecution and, likely, very little persecution, or even censure in their community.
"What racism?" people will ask.
But those of us who have been personally harassed with these images before don't need convincing that these women are so culturally illiterate that they only inadvertantly chose three of the most oft-used stereotypes of African-American cuisine.
By now, many folks will have heard of the mailer she sent out to her group, introducing "Obama Bucks".
The false 10-dollar note (well, food stamp) shows Barack Obama's head on the body of a donkey (the symbol of the Democratic Party). Surrounding the image are depictions of fried chicken, ribs, Kool-Aid (c) and watermelon -- foods which, here in the U.S., have long been considered stereotypically Black.
In an LA Times article, Fedele was quoted saying, "It was poor judgment on my part. It was strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of Obama's statement that he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills." (Because he’s not a dead and White? The last time I checked, the faces on U.S. banknotes all belonged to dead White men.)
One of her group members, Kristina Sandoval, came up with the patently untrue or embarrassingly naive, "Everyone eats those foods, it's not a racial thing."
Fidele's ridiculous defense ("If I was racist, I would have looked at it through racist eyes. I am not racist, which is why it probably didn't register") didn't ring any truer.
The thing is, they will probably get by relatively unscathed.Their actions probably won't hurt their reputations much. They will continue to play the wide-eyed innocents and find people to stand up for them, sort of:
State Sen. Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) represents the area, and his wife, a Latina, is a member of the club.
"I thought it was unacceptable and a failed attempt at humor," Dutton said. "My wife isn't taking it personally because she knows the people involved. I called Diane and talked to her and told her it was inappropriate. She is a sweet lady without a mean bone in her body. But we all have to be more sensitive."
Even when the opinions of folks quoted isn't necesarily relevant to the situation. (Because, sorry, Se. Dutton, most Latinas aren't also Black.)
It saddens me that these women will probably face not prosecution and, likely, very little persecution, or even censure in their community.
"What racism?" people will ask.
But those of us who have been personally harassed with these images before don't need convincing that these women are so culturally illiterate that they only inadvertantly chose three of the most oft-used stereotypes of African-American cuisine.
posted by Tea Oli at 1:35 PM
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