Racism: Barack’s Double Standard

Contrary to his sales pitch, Obama isn’t even remotely attuned to the racism prevalent in our nation today, even though it’s as plain as the nose on his face or the plank in his eye.


Barack Obama met the overt and distinctly racist comments of Jeremiah Wright, his long time pastor and mentor, with an allegedly enlightened reasoning and understanding that he proposes America needs to adopt in order to “heal” from past racial afflictions. Obama begrudgingly distanced himself from Wright, but loyally upheld his ties to the congregation that celebrated in Wright’s pro-black racist expression and belief. In contrast, Obama has demonstrated little enlightenment, reason, or understanding with respect to Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski.

Ramirez-Sliwinski, a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, was reportedly asked by the Obama campaign to resign after she made a remark that was interpreted as racism. She apparently used the word “monkey” with regards to the dangers and appropriateness of children climbing around in a tree near her home, and unfortunately for her, those children just happened to be black.

Let’s take a look at why this might be offensive.

Analogous idioms are possibly the most common and effective method of expression used in verbal communication. It is remarkably commonplace, exceptionally helpful, generally expected, and widely accepted that some sort of comparative example will be used to emphasize or articulate accounts of even the most mundane ideas, occurrences or situations. While analogies can be used for the purpose of offense, and often are, there is no inherent quality of analogous expression that implies offense.

Monkeys are typically perceived to be cute, active, and mischievous, and they spend a great deal of time living in, climbing on, and swinging from trees. Our understanding of monkeys influences us to reference them in relation to cuteness, particular degrees of activity and mischief, and…trees. It would be highly inaccurate, inappropriate, ineffective, and absurd to reference alligators, stallions, or ostriches when describing or comparing play or mischief within a tree, monkeys enjoy that distinction almost exclusively.

It is highly common to reference children as “little monkeys.” It is a charge made against countless children by countless individuals in countless situations. Since it is not uncommon to endearingly reference or rebuke any bouncing, running, screaming, or merely cute child as a little monkey, we have to rationally conclude that to become offended by such usage would be irrational.

To assume a racial connotation, especially in the context of Ramirez-Sliwinski’s comment, is more to demonstrate racial bias than to recognize it. We would not be justified to assume a racial slur referencing “a bull in a china shop” or “a dog with a bone,” so why are we upholding or justifying the asininely hypersensitive assumption that “a monkey in a tree” is somehow inherently and universally racist.

In the same fashion that Obama failed to immediately and unconditionally denounce Jeremiah Wright’s words and/or sentiments, he has also failed to address the obvious injustice committed against Ramirez-Sliwinski. Obama’s very well written and well delivered rhetoric try to portray his awareness, disapproval, and sensitivity of racism, but his actions instead clearly demonstrate his ignorance, acceptance, and practice of racism.



Because this is a fairly recent development, I haven’t had time yet to completely vet every aspect of the story (I do have a life you know). I offer that caveat because the story seems way too cut and dry to leave any doubt in American minds about Obama’s racism, yet the veil is still in place. So, rather than jump to any immediate conclusions about the political biases or intellectual deficiencies of Obama’s supporters, I will instead assume that there are details about this story that have yet to come to light. I’m not particularly familiar with the source of the article and cannot speak to their credibility, so I invite readers to search out additional sources for information on this story. Please post your findings, so all may expand their visibility and understanding of the issue.