Here are Barack Obama Bucks in which the Democrat candidate for president is depicted on a $10 food stamp issued by the Chaffey Community Republican Women led by a housewife named Diane Fedele. See the photos and story, which have prompted legitimate outcries of racial insensitivity from Obama supporters.
The ‘Obama Bucks’ image shows Obama surrounded by food that has historically been stereotyped with southern black individuals, most notably fried chicken, watermelon, ribs and Kool-Aid. Those are racial stereotypes from our past that are rightfully repudiated in 2008 when noticed.
But the good news is that we are progressing beyond the power of such stereotypes. At a basic level, Barack Obama is merely surrounded by food we all eat. That is the way the San Bernadino GOP woman from ‘Chaffey Community Republican Women’, Diane Fedele, says she saw it when she sent a newsletter out containing the image which she had found in her email box.
She says that she was making an argument that Barack Obama will usher in a socialist welfare state, not that Obama is black. We all know that already. Diane Fedele has since apologized profusely. Assuming she is telling the truth, in an odd sense she seems to be the enlightened one among us.
As a man of color, I too confess that the image doesn’t have the power it would have once had in the past. People who react with righteous indignation are the folks who see color first, people second. It’s just food, and the sooner we all see it that way the better. But we are not quite there yet as a nation.
The Obama campaign, of course, is trying to have it both ways on race. They explain to us that Barack is a new kind of candidate, that race does not matter anymore. They are mostly right, but then they complain vociferously anytime a picture like Obama bucks appears or John McCain talks about beating Obama in a debate. Barack Obama seems much too sensitive.
So what are your feelings about Barack Obama depicted on food stamps as Obama bucks? Does the stereotype bother you that much or is this a ho-hum in 2008?
Note to commenters: read comment policy before using charged language. Beyond that, attacks on this one woman serve no useful purpose except to ingratiate yourself so they will be removed. Please rise above useless pettiness and address the big-picture context of the article.
Obama Bucks (Video)
October 16th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
I had a black friend who to this day refuses to eat fried chicken or watermelon because of this stereotype, so I don’t find this particularly funny.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
i once worked at kfc … white people eat chicken too … at least in massachusetts
btw, never ever eat at kfc
i won’t elaborate
October 16th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I would call it WTF ? I am a Southern woman, I grew up on those very foods as did many others ( not KFC…homemade) and I don’t even know how that stereotype got started. This is BS, and needs to stop.I see this as an extreme over-reaction. The woman that did it, if she thought only people of color ate those foods consistently, would be classified as a pure nitwit/moonbat.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
you reap what you sow, he started it.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
The Republican party long ago lost its supposed moral authority when Rove decided that the best way to win the election was to pander to the small minority of fringe elements. It has been the tail wagging the dog for the past 8 years. Many serious conservatives who care about the state that the Republican party has fallen have spoke out and are finding themselves recipients of this incredibly vile partisanship. Google George Will and William Buckley and Kathleen Parker. It is no longer a matter of differing opinions and paths to making this a great nation. Now it is more a matter of being “moral” versus “immoral”, “patriotic” versus “treasonous”, etc. The Republican party has turned a blind eye to the hateful, divisive elements such as Rush, O’Reilly, Coulter and are now claiming that they really are not like that. Sorry, but it is a little too late to try to distance yourself. It rings hollow and it will take a very long time to reestablish the Republican party as a real mainstream party.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
My hell, will you liberals ever take responsibility for anything? You guys didn’t loose because of Darth Rove, he is not a magical God. You lost because you nominated horrible candidates. Scoreboard b*tch.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
hmm, well if thats true, then why are Rush and O’Reilly at the top of their ratings?
you know nothing of Rush or the people who listen to him, otherwise you wouldnt be talking such nonsense, Darren!
i would never try to distance myself, its the RIGHT side!
one thing is true, the republican party needs work, we all know that are are working on it.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Where do you begin with this? I have a news flash for Diane Fedele. You cannot go to church every Sunday and then turn around and preach hatred Monday through Saturday and think all is good with God. You have to search your own soul. Whatever any of us writes or chat about this would matter. The only thing that matters is what you feel in your heart. I pray for you and wish you well. May God (yes, that God that protects us all) have mercy on your soul.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
It’s an image being circulated as political criticism so it’s hard to take innocently, particularly when the foods picked are tied to well-known stereotypes. There’s a lot of food that could be called American – coca-cola, hamburgers, french fries, etc – but she picked the ones that matched the stereotype. It’s hard to take innocently so at best, the selection, is more thoughtless and callous and definitely not innocent.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I am a white 73-year old white male who finds this very offensive. It is the current strategy of the Republican Right-Wing-Nuts to continue to try to divide the People of this Country. It’s unbelievable they continue this type tactics. Obama is an intelligent, decent man with a dedication to solve the problems created by the Republicans. I guess that scares them. I suggest this – let’s ALL scare the HELL out of them and get out and VOTE for Obama/Biden on November 4.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I just discovered this on the news …Diane is the biggest idiot on the planet to insult our intelligence and for that I thank her because she probably made those that were black supporting the group run from her like there was no tomorrow! We Democrats love her for that! Keep up the rac**st image Diane cause we will embrace those u just ran off with open arms!
October 16th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
It’s really ironic,when you look at things from a historical perspective, that these very sterotypes are attributed to African Americans when, in reality they were all learned on “master’s” plantation. The ignorance that is so prevalent among the rac**st right is not that surprising to me. What’s unfortunate to me is that many of these same people who take these positions of hate, are in positions where they have to deal with minorities, and make decisions affecting peoples lives. We’re talking doctors,lawyers,real estate bankers,etc. It’s very saddening that some people can’t come to grips with the fact that this world is not theirs alone. No matter who comes to this country, blacks are always disrespected the most. As long as we’re scoring a touchdown,smashing a homerun,or slam dunking the ball, we’re o.k. But, when we display our intellectual prowess things change quickly! We suddenly become a serious threat. Wake up people, it’s like Sam Cooke once sang ” a change is gonna come” and no matter what you say or do, you just can’t stop it! I hope that you all will wake one day to the realization that we are all brothers and sisters. And I truly hope that by then it will not be too late. Best wishes to all!
October 16th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
[...] Apparently, the Chaffey Community Republican Women, led by Diane Fedele, have been distributing Obama Bucks–$10 Food Stamps with a Very Racist depcition of [...]
October 16th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
On the one hand, I think those stereotypes should have zero power. None. It’s stupid. It doesn’t say anything about anybody to say they like watermelon. Good golly.
On the other hand, it would seem this think was done to be inherently hurtful based on race. Did they do one of these for John Kerry?
And it’s so stupid. And it plays to the lefts preconceptions of red state America and conservatives. It’s like handing them a gun and expecting them not to shoot.
And this kind of stuff makes it impossible to convince people on the issues. It doesn’t make a point about Obama’s socialism, it just shuts down dialog. It doesn’t open up discussion, it closes it. As a political strategy, the Obama Bucks thing is idiotic.
And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
OMG! she said it’s just foo?!?! well people eat ham sandwiches and pbj too I don’t see any of those? WTF I am just stunned!
PS. obama too sensitive? he’s the one who said he could handle the attacks I thought McCain sounded whinny…and god knows how they complained about sarah being attacked.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
i won’t pretend to be offended, but it is distasteful and blatantly rac**st.
consider this having happened to mccain, except instead of racial symbols there was a diaper, alzheimers medication, dentures, and viagra.
i think you would agree that the creators and the defenders of such a thing were childish an dim, at best.
i doubt any respectable republicans would (publicly) defend this thing.
foolish housewives, too much time and too much money.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I’m suspicious of these type of activities or incidents. I’m a black woman from Georgia. As a child when we enjoyed our summer family reunions it never occurred to us that we were stereotyped for enjoying southern fried chicken, homemade churned ice cream, pound cake, pies, okra, fried corn, and watermelon (which is a great high water content fruit full of vitamins and fiber). After we learned that White people called us all kinds of racist names we ignored that and continued to enjoy our food. These types of food, back in the 60s, were free of pesticides and chemicals since we grew our own and bought some at the Georgia Farmer’s Market. We were healthier back then. We always had the attitude “Sticks and Stones…” We never stopped doing something simply because white people laughed at us and called us names. We knew some white people hated us but we worked through the system and built our own homes and thrived in our communities. And we fought for Civil Rights and got some laws changed so we could get rid of segregation. Integration did not stop some whites from hating us. And we believe that you should vote for whomever you choose whether it is a white candidate or a black candidate. Unfortunately, some black candidates will play the ‘race card’ so everyone will get all emotional and they will use white guilt to win the vote. It’s an old tactic. They will use others, maybe some white people, to do their dirty work. Try to always read between the lines. Research your candidates and look at the timing of some incidents especially in the twenty-first century.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
She is probably just an elitist, wealthy Republican who has been living a privileged life that never included dark people. To be that ignorant is somewhat shocking, but is possible among the sheltered, wealthy elite. She should get out more.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Ok, so the choice of including watermelon, fried chicken, and barbecue ribs is purely coincidental and not intended to be racial. PLEASE…
October 16th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I think the only reason people are talking about what this obscure woman or group of people have done with these “bucks” is because of the nature of the 24 hour sound byte driven news cycle. Who cares about these people? They’re irrelevant, even if attempting to be ra**ist.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Hate it. Enjoy the 15 minutes of fame, Diane…it is well deserved.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
OK I was raised in the South and we all like these foods and yeah, we know our stereotypes to. But, as my mother would say if she were still among us, THIS IS JUST TACKY. There was no worse epithet in her book. So CA ladies’ clubbers, you are being TACKY. You know what that means. Shame.
October 16th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
P.S. If she ever meets Barak Obama she is going to have to call him “Mr. President”. WooooHooo!!!!!!
October 16th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Marvin,
It is impossible to believe that anyone wouldn’t know that those are offensive stereotypes. I would say it is safe to say that Diane is a bigot.
If I use the same logic, It is impossible to believe that Obama didn’t know what was preached in his church, or that Rezko was a slum lord, or that Aires was a terrorist.
Case made on both points.
October 16th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
P.S. Thank heavens Diane isn’t running for president.