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Watermelons on the White House Lawn?
The mayor of Los Alamitos, Ca, Dean Grose, decided to send the following email to friends living in his town. The email was sent from his personal account.
"No Easter egg hunt this year."
One of the recipients, local businesswoman and city volunteer Keyanus Price, a black women, got the email and wanted a public apology from the mayor.
Price said, "I honestly don't even understand where he was coming from, sending this to me. As a black person receiving something like this from the city-freakin'-mayor - come on ..." Grose confirmed to the AP that he sent the e-mail to Price and said he didn't mean to offend her. He said he was unaware of the racial stereotype that black people like watermelons. He said he and Price are friends and serve together on a community youth board.Unaware? Then what was the point of the email? Obviously he thought something was funny.
"Bottom line is, we laugh at things and I didn't see this in the same light that she did," Grose told the AP. "I'm sorry. It wasn't sent to offend her personally - or anyone - from the standpoint of the African-American race." ... Los Alamitos is a 2¼-square-mile Orange County city of around 12,000 people. The mayor who took the mayoral position in December is elected by fellow members of the five-seat City Council.Calls for his resignation came after the email was distributed. Grose admits the email was in poor taste and has effected his ability to lead the city. He will be resigning at the city council meeting this Monday.
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Grose is building up his conservative credibility. You liberals just don't understand; he's not a racist, he's an imbecile.
After Grose resigns from his position as mayor on Monday, he is going back to his job in the real world, as Orange County Spokesperson for The Bad Hair For Men. What an innovative use of road-kill.
February 27, 2009 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did anyone call him a racist? I didn't call him a racist.
February 28, 2009 4:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
These guys do more for our President and the Dems than anyone else I can think of. Ha!!!
February 27, 2009 10:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can I ask a question here? Just a little one, because I am confused about what Grose did. If Grose wasn't aware of the racial sterotype pictured in the email, why send it around? I mean, why would any president plant watermelons on the white house lawn? How can that dumb b**tard even begin to think there was a person in the US would think he didn't mean to offend.
I told my friend that now Obama is president the racist are going to be crawling out from under their rocks and we are going to shocked at what is still out there. Well, here they are and I am glad we get to see them in the light of day. I hope they keep it up - self exposure is the so much easier and faster then anything the liberals can do.
February 28, 2009 7:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know that he is a racist. Does one have to be a racist to traffic and in racist humor?
February 28, 2009 8:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
I find it patently ridiculous for anyone to suggest that he or she is "unaware of racial stereotypes" for black Americans or any other ethnic group for that matter. So, yes, Mr. Grose knew exactly what he was doing, and while he thought he was being funny with his white friends and colleagues, he had to know it would get broad circulation (the point of sending in the first place).
Now perhaps we'll get the ever popular "Colbertian" excuse "I don't see color," which is why he made the mistake of sending it to Ms. Price.
February 28, 2009 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just for clarity, he sent the email directly to her. He send it to at least one of his black friends.
February 28, 2009 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
correction: to traffic in racist humor?
February 28, 2009 9:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, if he wasn't before I'd say sending out this email puts him in that camp. He might have thought he wasn't racist but sending this email shows where his mind is at. For instance, if you traffic in slave labor you support slave labor right?
February 28, 2009 9:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think so.
February 28, 2009 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Then I guess I don't follow. Can you explain?
February 28, 2009 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think this depends on what the definition of racist is. Here are a few definitions of racists.
and few definitions of racism.
Using these definitions, I don't see how to definitely determine Grose is a racist.
February 28, 2009 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would argue that implying that African Americans enjoy eating watermelon (a stereotype)is discriminatory (why watermelon in the picture and not, say, pumpkins?)and prejudicial (do all AA's like watermelon?). And isn't making a joke towards someone else's race implying your racial superiority? IMO if this dude didn't know all of this beforehand, then he's in need of some serious educatin'....
February 28, 2009 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
"why watermelon"
He wanted to make or relay a joke based on stereotypes. Comedians do this all the time. It doesn't mean they are racists.
"And isn't making a joke towards someone else's race implying your racial superiority?"
Often it is but not necessarily so. Look. I'm not saying you are wrong. I'm just saying I don't know if this guy is racists or just the purveyor of a bad or insensitive joke.
February 28, 2009 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
♫ ♪ The Times they are a Changin' ♪ ♫
But apparently some have not yet noticed!
February 28, 2009 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dean Grose apparently didn't get the memorandum from Michael Steele, regarding the "new face" of the GOP.
February 28, 2009 2:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know Grose seems like small time to me. He was elected by a city council made of 5 people. He admits his mistake right away. Gives the poorest of excuses (he didn't know). He resigns soon after he is called on it. Very different then the nonsense we see on the national level.
February 28, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are right, Grose is small time but there are lots of little small time Groses out there and they add up. He may not be burning crosses but what he did is hateful. And it is people like Grose that when they hire people will not hire the equally qualified black person, preferring the white one. Grose will probably be elected Mayor again next year anyway.
February 28, 2009 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd cut outgoing mayor Grose some slack; he just lost his job and reputation over a dumb email. And he's not necessarily racist, just humor-impaired.
The whole premise of his "joke" is the stereotype "All blacks like watermelon," and the fact that the new president is black. That's it. It's unclever and unfunny.
But not at all like the N.Y. Post cartoon, which was violent, nasty and, in my opinion, overtly if disingenuously racist.
Of course people should learn not to stereotype, in part because it's an essential building block for actual racism. But it's not racism in and of itself.
And there's nothing intrinsically negative about liking watermelon. More black families are poor, and watermelon is a relatively inexpensive summer treat, so maybe there's even something to the hackneyed stereotype.
Anyway, we're on track to build new and better stereotypes:
If Obama gets two full terms, little kids will grow up for whom every president they have ever seen or heard was black.
An image of competence and authority will leave little room for watermelon "humor."
But it takes time for familiarity to erase centuries of assumptions. We might hope that all racial stereotyping would have instantly vanished Jan. 20, but have patience. Eight years should do it.
February 28, 2009 7:07 PM | Reply | Permalink