LAST EDITED ON 11-28-10 AT 05:27 AM (EST)

Pepe, just to clarify, I didn't say or intend to suggest that the creation of the image had anything to do with race or was racist. Some may very well see it that way, but I purposefully did not say that. I think FP posted this in the spirit of bashing and good fun that we have enjoyed here for many years. I agree with you that Naonka has been ridiculed here and in other threads because of her deplorable behavior and not because of her race. What I said is that I thought this picture was distasteful and dehumanizing and especially so because the subject was a woman of color.

What I meant is that its effect on me was stronger because of who was being portrayed. It isn't the image per se, but my reaction to it. Imagine an image of a soldier getting shot. Yes, that would be disturbing. Now imagine a baby getting shot. Most people would find it much more disturbing because of who was being portrayed. That isn't a perfect parallel, but it may give you some idea of the difference to me between this image and other Survivors getting bashed. Black women are not babies, I am not suggesting that, nor do they automatically merit special protections, but due to the historic and current disrespect and mistreatment of them in our culture (and other cultures around the world), this image was disturbing. It isn’t that the intention behind the image was racist (I don’t think it was), it’s that the effect on me, viewing it through the lens of history, was much stronger than it would be perhaps if another person was being portrayed.

BTW, I remember that picture of Katie (faintly) and I didn’t really like it either, but I don’t think it was quite as powerful as this one.

This is certainly something about which reasonable people can disagree. As I said above, it’s hard to please everyone when it comes to humor.


edited to fix grammar