At Saturday morning's protest, when several hundred people showed up at U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's regular coffee with constituents to either demonstrate against health-care reform or counter the anti-healthcare demonstrators, one hardy protester (she's the woman at the end of this video, who tells someone in the crowd that if they want socialized medicine they should go to Russia and "get the hell out of my country") stood in the same place for nearly three hours, holding up a printout of a sign depicting Barack Obama made up to look like Heath Ledger's Joker character in The Dark Knight.
Although [The Dark Knight's Heath] Ledger was white, and the Joker is white, this equation of the wounded and the wounding mirrors basic racial typology in America. Urban blacks -- the thinking goes -- don't just live in dangerous neighborhoods, they carry that danger with them like a virus. Scientific studies, which demonstrate the social consequences of living in neighborhoods with high rates of crime, get processed and misinterpreted in the popular unconscious, underscoring the idea. Violence breeds violence...Try telling all that to the folks at the Cleaver rally -- and they'll tell you that you're a stupid, crazy liberal, and that, no, the sign's not racist. It's The Joker. Ha ha ha.
Superimpose ... the Joker's makeup onto Obama's face, and you have subtly coded, highly effective racial and political argument. Forget socialism, this poster is another attempt to accomplish an association between Obama and the unpredictable, seeming danger of urban life. It is another effort to establish what failed to jell in the debate about Obama's association with Chicago radical William Ayers and the controversy over the racially charged sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Obama, like the Joker and like the racial stereotype of the black man, carries within him an unknowable, volatile and dangerous marker of urban violence, which could erupt at any time. The charge of socialism is secondary to the basic message that Obama can't be trusted, not because he is a politician, but because he's black.
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Maybe I should read more aboput this Obama health care plan. I don''t know why people are so against everyone havikng access to health care. As a foreign citizen the perception I have of American health care is that if you can't afford health insurance, when you get a heart attack they just leave you to die on the street. Am I wrong in assuming this? Why is the word 'liberal' a dirty word in America, when the alternative is corruption, war, greed and lack of freedom of speech?
Stop, all racism. Accuse everyone, blame the media, society.
And love dogs and cats. It's in the bible.
Ok, THC I don't completely agree with you, because I think it's one thing to mention your race to help prove a point, but when you use it as a defense, or a excuse for...anything I consider that a play on the race card. Anyways, sorry for misunderstanding you.
I have to agree with Matt the first poster
I see this as a insult to the Joker, Who's true anarchist ideals are are nothing like socialism. but hey if Barrack Husein Obama wanted to overdose in a hotel room I would not shed a tear.
WTB a Libertarian President in 2012
I didn't call you stereotyical, Dre. I was paraphrasing what you were saying about "stereotypical black people." I disagree with you but I don't mean that kind of disrespect.
My point is that nobody who uses the phrase "stereotypical black people" should be complaining that other people are "playing" a "race card."
Allen - I probably should have prefaced my comment with the statement that I am a massive comic book geek, and that I thought the protesters could have picked a more creative image that Heath Ledger's Joker. The implied metaphor between the pic of an anarchist, and the socialism title beneath is silly and ill-contrived. You read way too much Obama worship into my comment.
Well, THC the only reason I brought up my own color is because it seems that the media has been trying to force feed me and other black people the idea that this image is racist. It's just nice to know that if I opt not to play the petty race card the media will be there to play it for me without my consent.Also, I would greatly appreciateit if you thought more about the words you write down before you write them.
Calling me a sterotypical black man means that you must already have some small box already made up for me to fit into without even meeting me. I'll leave it there, because I hate to read the comments section on most websites these days cause it always ends up here, and very nasty. Now, if you'd like to dispute the points I made about the picture being blown way out of order and being twisted by opinions to appear racist, then please do. I love a good (constructive) debate.
And to C.J. Janovy, I'm sure there are articles on other things, but I just thought this would have gone away by now. I will be checking out those links you posted too. Thank you. This is only my first time here, so I still need to poke around a bit.
I'm just now hearing about how people are being attacked by SEIU members outside to Obama "town hall". I hope you'll be looking into that for us at some point.
Calm down, Dre -- we have done lots of stories about "something that actually matters like healthcare 'reform.'" Here are just a couple links to cover stories this year, and there's plenty of other reporting on this blog if you care to search.
"House of Pain: Scenes from the health-care struggle in Jefferson City": http://www.pitch.com/2009-06-1...
"The Cure from Kansas: As Kathleen Sebelius leaves to help Barack Obama reform health care in Washington, here's a checkup on what happened in Kansas": http://www.pitch.com/2009-04-0...
There's nothing funnier than someone saying everyone ELSE makes everything about race and THEN adding "As a black man I make it a point to never fall into the sterotype of other black people who play the race card like the deck consists of nothing else."
To paraphrase, "It's not about race except when stereotypical black men make it about race."
How is this news?! Furthermore, how is this racist?! You can't make obama look like the joker without white makeup, right? besides, his hair and lips were colored to make the transformation complete into the joker. I could see racism if he were just in white makeup with the words "uncle tom" in place of socialism.
I hate when people have to try and make everything about race. It's so very cheap. Oh, and I think people are looking to deeply into the differences between the fictional joker's way of thinking and Obama's. Obviously it was done just because it looked funny. You people know that, but if you reported it for what it was there wouldn't be much to report on. Way to drag out a story that nobody cares about, instead of something that actually matters like healthcare "reform".
As a black man I make it a point to never fall into the sterotype of other black people who play the race card like the deck consists of nothing else. Infact, I never play it. I don't like seeing other people using it in place of a valid defense/response either. Love it or hate it it's just a stupid picture. Get over it!!!
In reaction to Matt's comment. If you were to compare this to any Bush protest posters you would find much of the same type of statements coming from the left. Note that you never called it a cheap shot then. The only difference is that the national media was pushing the "cheap" news around the world for rest of the world to see, and to condemn. I agree with you in saying it is a weak argument, but from the other side of the aisle. Please remind your own party of this when the Republicans take office after Obama screws us internationally. Joker indeed.
Given that the Joker was an anarchist, not a socialist, the poster is a cheap use of pop culture to provoke a reaction. Weak.
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