# "Obama is a chimp" Tea Party Republican is sorry if anyone was offended by her harmless satire. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 30, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320 "2011-04-30T21:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/141 "2011-05-03T04:52:07Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Daguerreoshop. Stealing this, thx. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/142 "2011-05-03T15:57:33Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The Bush chimp _tu quoque_, while inevitable, is a non-starter. The monkey Bush imagery had nothing to do with his race, but was only a caricaturization of his physical appearance (and physical appearance jokes have always been fair game for Presidents). The Obama picture has nothing to do with his physical appearance, but is only a tired attempt to mock his perceived race. The monkey Bush jokes weren’t racist, the monkey Obama jokes are. This should be clear as a bell to any intellectually honest person. You are correct of course but I have a serious question. Which physical appearances of President Obama would be fair game for caricaturization? Please avoid the use of any that might construe the artist as racist. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/143 "2011-05-03T16:09:46Z")
All his features are fair game for caricature. At least, I haven’t seen any genuine caricatures that incorporate recognizable racist tropes. _Maybe_ some drawings a little too lippy. Obama is typically shown with big ears, a long narrow head, pointy chin, big toothy grin–exaggerations of his _actual_ appearance. Portraying Obama as a chimp, besides being racist, isn’t a caricature at all, because Obama doesn’t actually look anything like a chimp. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/144 "2011-05-03T16:12:03Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > You are correct of course but I have a serious question. Which physical appearances of President Obama would be fair game for caricaturization? Please avoid the use of any that might construe the artist as racist. Quite a few people in this thread, including me, have already addressed this. He has quite prominent ears, for one thing, and that would be fair game. He’s tall and pretty lean, so those attributes could be accentuated. And his general facial appearance can, like anyone else’s, be exaggerated by an artist for comic effect. All that can be done without portraying him as a chimp or monkey. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/145 "2011-05-03T16:27:20Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > All his features are fair game for caricature. At least, I haven’t seen any genuine caricatures that incorporate recognizable racist tropes. _Maybe_ some drawings a little too lippy. Obama is typically shown with big ears, a long narrow head, pointy chin, big toothy grin–exaggerations of his _actual_ appearance. > > Portraying Obama as a chimp, besides being racist, isn’t a caricature at all, because Obama doesn’t actually look anything like a chimp. I would say that big ears and a big toothy grin are also racist tropes. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/146 "2011-05-03T16:30:51Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I would say that big ears and a big toothy grin are also racist tropes. Do you understand the differences between caricaturing aspects of an individual’s actual appearance, on the one hand, and simply drawing them as a chimp that bears no resemblance at all to the individual, on the other? It’s really not an especially difficult concept, i don’t think. And the image described and linked in the OP wasn’t even an attempt at caricature It was simply a Photoshopped image that placed Obama’s face onto the head and body of a chimp. That’s not caricature. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/147 "2011-05-03T17:14:40Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > There was once instance that i recall where we discussed a possibly racist caricature of Condoleezza Rice. You can find the thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=288115) and the cartoon [here](http://www.gocomics.com/patoliphant/2004/11/16/). > > I was somewhat conflicted on this issue. On the one hand, Rice is portrayed as a bird, specifically a parrot, in an effort to highlight her willingness to say whatever President Bush wanted her to say. To that extent, it was simply political commentary. On the other hand, the caricature did emphasize aspects of her appearance, such as large lips, that have often been used to caricature black people more generally. And which is a weird caricature of Rice since she doesn’t have prominent lips at all. So that seems like a fairly easy thing to say that the cartoonist is taking a racial stereotype and applying it to someone it doesn’t fit. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/148 "2011-05-03T17:14:47Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Do you understand the differences between caricaturing aspects of an individual’s actual appearance, on the one hand, and simply drawing them as a chimp that bears no resemblance at all to the individual, on the other? > > It’s really not an especially difficult concept, i don’t think. > > And the image described and linked in the OP wasn’t even an attempt at caricature It was simply a Photoshopped image that placed Obama’s face onto the head and body of a chimp. That’s not caricature. Yes I do. I’m not referring to the picture from the OP. I agreed with **DtC** that the picture was obviously racist. I was wondering how I as an artist (I’m not) would caricature President Obama and not worry about my cartoon being construed as racist. If I draw big lips, big ears or a toothy smile, all features that exaggerate his actual characteristics, I run the risk of being labeled a racist. That leaves me with the option of drawing a ridiculously thin person which is not particularly satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/149 "2011-05-03T17:28:06Z")
[This](http://www.signatureillustration.org/illustration-blog/wp-content/barack-obama-caricature-11.jpg) is a caricature that looks like Obama. So is [this](http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Barack-Obama-Caricature-barack-obama-749115_348_450.jpg). And [this](http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/candidates-web1.jpg). And [this](http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/us-lead-democrats.jpg) They all manage to riff on his appearance without seeming at all racist. To me, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/150 "2011-05-03T17:33:46Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > [This](http://www.signatureillustration.org/illustration-blog/wp-content/barack-obama-caricature-11.jpg) is a caricature that looks like Obama. > > So is [this](http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Barack-Obama-Caricature-barack-obama-749115_348_450.jpg). And [this](http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/candidates-web1.jpg). And [this](http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/us-lead-democrats.jpg) > > They all manage to riff on his appearance without seeming at all racist. To me, at least. They don’t appear racist to me either although depending on the context in which they were used, I could see people objecting to them. They also aren’t funny. Bush as a chimp was (kind of anyways). ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/151 "2011-05-03T17:47:01Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > [This](http://www.signatureillustration.org/illustration-blog/wp-content/barack-obama-caricature-11.jpg) is a caricature that looks like Obama. > > So is [this](http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Barack-Obama-Caricature-barack-obama-749115_348_450.jpg). And [this](http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/candidates-web1.jpg). And [this](http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/us-lead-democrats.jpg) > > They all manage to riff on his appearance without seeming at all racist. To me, at least. Caricatures emphasize a persons obvious features. That is fair. [http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/conservative\_activist\_forwards\_racist\_pic\_showing.php](http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/conservative_activist_forwards_racist_pic_showing.php) This is not. It is a frequent sign at tea baggers rallies. The chimp picture falls into that group. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/152 "2011-05-03T17:54:19Z")
This would really have been just as offensive if it had been an unaltered photo of Obama, sitting in the lap of his “parents”. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/153 "2011-05-03T18:03:11Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Caricatures emphasize a persons obvious features. That is fair. > [http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/conservative\_activist\_forwards\_racist\_pic\_showing.php](http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/conservative_activist_forwards_racist_pic_showing.php) This is not. It is a frequent sign at tea baggers rallies. The chimp picture falls into that group. I agree. **Nars Glinley** , the caricature itself doesn’t necessarily have to be especially funny. Caricatures are often part of cartoons making a bigger statement, and it’s the statement itself that is designed to be funny. For example, the cartoon of Obama dragging Hillary Clinton across the finish line is designed to be a commentary on the candidates’ fortunes during the Democratic primaries. The humor is not meant to rest solely in the caricatures, but in the overall message. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/154 "2011-05-03T18:28:45Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I would say that big ears and a big toothy grin are also racist tropes. Prince Charles is a _gasp_ negro??!?! ---
**Author:** ![Brad\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8dc957/32.png) [@Brad\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brad_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/155 "2011-05-04T03:16:35Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Prince Charles is a _gasp_ negro??!?! [yup](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=544874&highlight=black+europe+royalty) ---
**Author:** ![pikey\_pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pikey\_pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pikey_pete)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/156 "2011-05-05T01:05:23Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > If your going to make racist pictures, you could at least spend some time to make the photoshopping looks decent. amen brother, amen. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/157 "2011-05-05T05:23:08Z")
He was not interested in art. He was interested in racism and insulting the president. He knew other bigots would get the message. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/158 "2011-05-05T11:58:35Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > He was not interested in art. He was interested in racism and insulting the president. He knew other bigots would get the message. Don’t be so [faggy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508844), **gonzo**. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320/159 "2011-05-05T13:53:32Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Caricatures emphasize a persons obvious features. That is fair. > [http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/conservative\_activist\_forwards\_racist\_pic\_showing.php](http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/conservative_activist_forwards_racist_pic_showing.php) This is not. It is a frequent sign at tea baggers rallies. The chimp picture falls into that group. Although that picture is certainly offensive, it’s at least attempting to make a political comment, albeit a stupid one. The one in the OP isn’t even attempting to do that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-is-a-chimp-tea-party-republican-is-sorry-if-anyone-was-offended-by-her-harmless-satire/580320.md?page=7)