But I do think it’s racist for that reason. It’s like they couldn’t even be bothered to make a mask that looks like the person, and they all look alike anyway, so that’s good enough, right? To me, I would not have thought it was Obama except for the context. It looks nothing like him except for skin color.
I vote not racist. Ignorant, but not racist.
On the plus side, the Kenyan village can relax. We seem to have found three spares.
The question wasn’t if the guys in the picture where racist. The question is if the mask was. Its the same mask that vendors sell on the streets near the White House.
I think it looks reasonably like Obama. They got the ears and the hairline right.
Let’s suppose, for whatever reason, that Obama did, in fact, steal his shirt. Why would he write “Obama Stole My Shirt” on his chest with a marker? Why not wear a shirt that reads “Obama Stole My Other Shirt”? At least that would be ironic and not utterly stupid.
It’s a politico-economic criticism. He’s saying that the poor economy, which of course is due to Obama (as he sees it), went beyond taking “everything but the shirt off his back” and even took his shirt. His having another shirt to wear would contradict this and defeat the purpose of his statement.
No reason at all to think it’s racist.
Many reasons to think it’s retarded.
To be perfectly honest, I think it’s inda racist to think its’ racist.
The mask is creepy and stupid, but makes me think “RACIST” only because the skin color is so off. Racists tend to exaggerate otherness features. If Obama were a Jewish guy, the mask would have a nose out to the sidewalk.
I feel dumber just for having looked at that picture.
If it had said a village in Hawaii or Illinois, that wouldn’t have been racist, of course.
But see, that’s an example of why the opposite game doesn’t work. There is no comparable saying that would apply to George Bush. Without context the opposite would be to say a village in [some European country of his background] but I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you that that wouldn’t be remotely the same thing.
How do you know he’s white?! Maybe he’s a black albino who is part of the Back-to-Africa movement and dislikes Obama for catering to the white devil too much and not being true to his Kenyan roots, is what I would say if I was some of the people in this thread.
Bush isn’t actually from Texas
Another vote for mind-bogglingly stupid, but not racist. Obama is black. People who don’t support particular politicians often like to caricature them. Put those two facts together, and you can end up with what’s in that photo.
If Hilary Clinton were president and the man in the picture was* wearing a mask that wasn’t an overly good representation of her, but was clearly female, would the mask automatically be sexist? I don’t think so.
- Technically I believe that should be “were”, since it is the past subjunctive (?), but “were” sounds awful to me. Any grammarians care to weigh in?
Just for fun this once let’s not be ridiculous. Bush wasn’t born in Texas but he grew up there. Who the fuck cares? What does that have to do with anything?
Yes it should be “were,” and yes it’s the subjunctive (not “past subjunctive,” which I don’t believe exists). In this instance the subjunctive indicates a condition contrary to fact.
How is it you’re comfortable with “If Hilary Clinton were president” but not with “[if] the man in the picture were wearing a mask”? Are you sexist? Racist? Maskist? 
If I were capable of doing so, I’d make a smart-ass response to that. 
It’s funny you say this. The mask is suspect to me precisely because the skin color is so dark it suggests racial mockery, or at least racial stereotyping (“All black people are literally black looking!”).
For the record just saw the same exact mask in Walmart in the Halloween section. Right next to the Romney masks. They didn’t get it from Stormfront. It’s a standard cheap Obama mask.
Because this one is designed to make him look stupid (the lack of teeth). I at first wasn’t sure, but I looked closely at the actual mask, and it contains obvious black stereotype alterations to the president’s appearance. You’ve got a racial stereotype and trying to make them look stupid. That’s racist.
I’m actually surprised so many of you don’t think it so.
Also, both “was” and “were” are acceptable for the past subjunctive now. I got laid out by an English major in college when I kidded her about it.
If the mask played on some Illinoisan stereotype and was deliberately designed to look nothing like her but instead stereotypically female, then, yes.