Definitely not Blatant Racism...

“Overt Racism is unlikely to appear in contemporary news coverage of politicians and candidates since racist statements and terminology have become unacceptable in Mainstream American culture” (Larson 370, IBook). Too be honest, I wholeheartedly disagreed with Larson when I read this statement. She continues by admitting that racism subtly exists in the “underground.”  During the first and second presidential races where President Obama was elected/re-elected, I could not bear to watch some of the mainstream coverage due to the overt racism – maybe Larson and I have different opinions of what the word overt means. 

Granted the photo listed above is not indicative of all mainstream media, but if I remember correctly, the concept of Barack Obama being a “Dangerous Muslim” was certainly pushed by someone – I know I didn’t imagine it… “Black Candidates can suffer under stereotypes of corruption and dishonesty” (Larson 383, IBook). Now I guess we need to determine if this is overt or not.  

Larson explains, “Old fashioned racism has been replaced by code words that imply race based threats to traditional values” (Larson 370, IBook).  I guess this poster could have been made with all good intentions; I mean, I don’t see any blatant “old-fashioned racism.”  Too be honest, I’m not sure what that really looks like. Besides it’s not like the media ever showed us Barack Obama actually associating with less than desirable people.

“Rather than present black candidates or politicians as violent, they are shown with dangerous people, accused of promoting threatening ideas, and portrayed as angry” (Larson 385, IBook).  Depending on what news channel you watched, the commentary on this association could have been different.  Glenn Beck obviously promotes the dangers of Barack Obama by showing the obvious association with someone who is viewed as completely radical and nonsensical.  Again, is Glenn Beck being blatant or subtle? I guess we don’t have to worry about answering that questions because, remember, President Obama isn’t black…