How does this strike you?

Ok, normally I wouldn't post something like this (from my personal life) but it really bothered me, but in fairness thought maybe I'm taking it the wrong way. So on facebook my BIL posted this:

it was once said that an African American would be president when "pigs fly", indeed 100 days into Obama's presidency...swine flu




To you, how does this strike you? I'm really bothered by it and feels almost racist to me. Am I just taking this wrong?... Other things have been said by some family members of mine that seem racist, though I know they aren't but are more ignorant in their talk, IMO, as in they don't know what they are saying and how it can be taken.

Anyway...thanks. Just wanted to see a larger perspective on it...

[Deebs]

I can see that he could have meant it purely as a joke, but it is a little offensive, to me. I also think sometimes there's a difference between something you might say vs actually putting it in writing in a fairly public arena. Ellie Wiesel has stated many times, "The Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers and concentration camps, it began with words." While an extreme example of where racism and discrimination can lead, this does remind me to check myself, especially before writing something that might even be perceived as offensive. Plus, I do have some respect for any President just for the simple fact that they hold that office that deserves great respect. I don't know how I'd respond - I think it depends on your relationship.

[fluffhead]

Looks to me like something which is said in all innocence, but looks nasty in print. Which is why bloggers should have a mandatory 24 hour waiting period before posting.

[Tenacious_D]

I wouldn't take it as a racial comment...hell...I might have said it had I thought about it first.

[DCJenn]

I thought it was at the minimum pretty tacky.

J.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I just saw this on one of my friend's FB updates - he's black, so I guess that gives it a different tone?? It elicits a groan at best - but it may be some people's way of coping with a scary unknown/little know situation... I dunno...

[GrayMatterWife]

To you, how does this strike you? I'm really bothered by it and feels almost racist to me. Am I just taking this wrong?... Other things have been said by some family members of mine that seem racist, though I know they aren't but are more ignorant in their talk, IMO, as in they don't know what they are saying and how it can be taken.

1. On the issue of whether you're taking this wrong: I don't necessarily think you're taking it wrong, but I would suggest that a correct determination of whether it was racist it may requires analysis with a focus on the speaker's intent, not your feelings. Racism is determined by the speaker's actual intent, not by the hearer's perception of the speaker's intent. (Otherwise, racism would be determined by the hearer's sensitivity, lack of sensitivity, or hyper-sensitivity; not by the speaker's actual intent. Of course, actual intent intersects with perceived intent by reasonability--a speaker cannot in good faith claim that he did not have the actual intent to say something racist if a reasonable person listening would perceive his comment to be racist, unless the speaker claims ignorance of the reasonable.) So, if you really want to know if he was being racist, the starting point is determining his actual intent. Start by asking what the speaker could have meant, looking at the complete range of reasonable possibilities. However, I would say that you are certainly entitled to include in your assessement of his intent any facts you may know about this person, outside this single remark. For example, past racist comments, etc. and even that "uneasy gut feeling" you may have in response to his comment based on your previous experience with him. These things are indicators of the speaker's actual intent as determined by reasonability. But, you are also obligated to consider the speaker's genuine ignorance--you can't impute racist intent because it's actual. Being racist is a deliberate decision to treat someone on a lesser plane because of their race, knowing that race is an improper, invalid standard for judgment. If the speaker is too clueless to realize that it is improper or invalid, then they didn't form the intent to be racist. Stupid or ignorant, maybe, but not racist.

2. On the issue of how this strikes me: It doesn't make sense as any kind of commentary. It isn't funny because there's no irony. It isn't serious because Obama's Presidency has nothing to do with the swine flu occurences. It isn't clever--there's no play on words or insight. Overall, it seems like it just "doesn't work" to say anything.

3. On the issue of whether it's racist: There's nothing about mentioning Obama and pigs in the same sentence that is overtly racist, unless you want to claim that any insult or belittling of Obama is racist (which I would suggest overly expands the definition of racism and necessarily precludes any negative commentary of him, just because he is 1/2 African American). There's no historical reference to black folks are pigs (by contrast, if it were the "Monkey Flu," the comment might be overtly racist). I guess, maybe--if the speaker knew that Muslims consider swine to be unclean--there could be some weird, round-about comment on his religious childhood background, but that's not racist. It would be "religionist," I guess, and it still would be a very ineffective insult. But that sounds like a reach. However, I would argue that the comment was so strange that your "gut reaction" may be valid--it seems to be to be reasonable to think that this was MEANT to be racist, even if done ineffectively.

I don't know. I just don't get it. Swine flu flying in the air is a symbol of the pigs flying? But then, I never thought that it would only be "when pigs fly" that a black guy would be elected to the Presidency. I really think that the vast majority of people don't care about race in a way that would cause them NOT to vote for someone based solely on race.

[Auspicious]

it's a play on words...pigs would fly, swine flu (flew!).

Thanks Cassy. *sigh* I came back and deleted my idiot post, but not quickly enough. Back to the hidey-hole for me! Sorry, carry on!

[GrayMatterWife]

Thanks Cassy. *sigh* I came back and deleted my idiot post, but not quickly enough. Back to the hidey-hole for me! Sorry, carry on!

You guys are way more generous than me! I didn't think it even rose to that standard!

[Pollyanna]

A most impressive analysis Abigail.

I just thought it was silly. Not offensive or funny, just eh.

[Rapunzel]

I'll just answer the thread title: How does this strike you?

It strikes me as tacky - a silly joke that might be in poor taste.

[Sheherezade]

Ditto. It falls flat. Who knows why? I get what they were going for with the pigs fly/swine flu - but it is lame. You need the "ba da bam!" drum roll to let you know it's a bad joke....

[PrincessFiona]

Ditto on the tacky but not racist thing. I got the exact same text today from someone. My response to him was pretty much that it's a good thing that Obama's in office because even though he hates Obama he filed his taxes and discovered that thanks to Obama he's getting a pretty decent check this year.

Didn't hear back.

Thanks for the replies, good to hear other perspectives. I know my BIL isn't racist, but it just came off wrong to me, and wanted to hear your points. Btw, Abigail, I think you outdid yourself on your reply

[Meenah]

I agree with tacky but not intended to be racist.