# Would you consider this bottle opener racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584 "2016-05-12T00:46:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/1 "2016-05-12T00:46:19Z")
You can see it here [http://www.amazon.com/Obama-Bottle-Opener/dp/B00T6NVORK](http://www.amazon.com/Obama-Bottle-Opener/dp/B00T6NVORK) Someone gave it to me as a gift. It wasn’t intended as a racist symbol, the person who gave it to me is a big Obama supporter. I just wonder if it would be appropriate for, say, a group of coworkers or other mixed group. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/2 "2016-05-12T00:57:21Z")
Racist? Not to me. But its not my type of thing either. The same basic premise with George W wouldn’t appeal to me either. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/3 "2016-05-12T01:00:17Z")
It certainly gives off a minstrelsy vibe. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/4 "2016-05-12T01:36:16Z")
Obamist. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/5 "2016-05-12T01:38:37Z")
Not racist. Poor taste, yes, but not racist. Obama supporter here. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/6 "2016-05-12T01:39:19Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/7 "2016-05-12T01:49:09Z")
No. Just dumb. And they haven’t singled out Obama for cartoonization, by the way. You can get the [Clinton](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Bite-Hillary-Clinton-Bottler/dp/B00ZDD3QU0/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1463017630&sr=1-2&keywords=Clinton+Bottle+Opener) version too. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/8 "2016-05-12T01:53:27Z")
I don’t think it’s racist, but I’m sure there’s more than a few people out there who would take offense. And it is tacky as hell. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/9 "2016-05-12T02:04:41Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Racist? Not to me. But its not my type of thing either. The same basic premise with George W wouldn’t appeal to me either. I’m not sure if you are talking about Prez # 1 or Prez #43, but I’m not sure it matters. Like **monstro** , it gave me a bit of a minstrelsy vibe, but I know the person who gave it to me did not mean anything by it. They went on a trip to DC and they know I brew my own beer and primarily drink bottled beer, either mine, someone else’s, or I think it is a somewhat iconic caricature, but the vibe it gives me suggests that I only use it when the one who gave it to me is over and after a few uses, tell him that I am saving it for a collectable. Who knows, history may view it differently than we do now. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/10 "2016-05-12T02:13:21Z")
[Here’s Hillary](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41cisNnL4PL._AC_UL320_SR200,320_.jpg) [and Bill](http://www.coolpeopleshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/bill-clinton-corkscrew.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/11 "2016-05-12T02:43:09Z")
Tacky, borderline offensive, yes. Racist, no. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/12 "2016-05-12T02:45:49Z")
Racist? No. Appropriate for coworkers, a mixed group etc? No. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/13 "2016-05-12T02:46:58Z")
Tacky, not racist, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/14 "2016-05-12T04:49:17Z")
The racist would be the person who considers it racist. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/15 "2016-05-12T05:53:58Z")
Reminds me of an episode of King of Queens when Doug and Carrie had given these Jazz figurines to the black couple they were friends with and the wife in the couple complained they were racist and the husband says “they’re not racist… they’re just awful”. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/16 "2016-05-12T06:07:46Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The racist would be the person who considers it racist. No, the racist would be the one who uses it as an opportunity to be racist, as some undoubtedly will. Me, I’m outraged that the Role Model-in-Chief is enabling the consumption of demon alcohol. If we needed any more proof that he’s the worst president in 13.7 billion years, this is it. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/17 "2016-05-12T06:12:54Z")
I think the reason it gives some a minstrely vibe is that minstrel shows, blackface, and the like are based off cartoonish exaggerations of black features. Any hyper-stylized cartoon caricature of someone with black features is probably going to at least superficially have some similarities. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/18 "2016-05-12T06:36:33Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I think the reason it gives some a minstrely vibe is that minstrel shows, blackface, and the like are based off cartoonish exaggerations of black features. Any hyper-stylized cartoon caricature of someone with black features is probably going to at least superficially have some similarities. Exactly - they are both caricatures, but it’s at least possible for them to be unrelated in intent. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/19 "2016-05-12T12:27:13Z")
Tacky as hell. Not sure why it would be considered racist, unless the mere caricature of black person is now taboo. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584/20 "2016-05-12T12:46:01Z")
How do you know it is a caricature of Obama? Is the skin color a clue? That’s what color the man’s skin is, right? So how do you make a caricature of someone, it it doesn’t look like him? Do you think that there have ever been caricatures of a white president before, which are made (including skin color) to look recognizably like the president? There are Tv shows with live black actors in the cast. Are they racist? There re cartoons with caricaturized black characters in them. Are they racist? How do you know that some of the cartoon characters are black? Does the skin color give it away? Is that racist? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-this-bottle-opener-racist/754584.md?page=2)