Comments on: Google stoops to their level, fights freedom http://swizec.com/blog/google-stoops-to-their-level-fights-freedom/swizec/904 Drinker of tea Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:59:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Swizec http://swizec.com/blog/google-stoops-to-their-level-fights-freedom/swizec/904/comment-page-1#comment-2087 Swizec Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:27:52 +0000 http://swizec.com/blog/?p=904#comment-2087 You say don't forget the cultural context, but that's exactly what the PC movement is supposedly fighting for! That everyone would think of black people as just another type of human, when the PC movement blows up over everything that could potentionally smell like racism they are artificially creating racist tensions where there might have been none to begin with. Simple fact is: Humans are a type of ape. Stop being childish and just deal with it. You say don’t forget the cultural context, but that’s exactly what the PC movement is supposedly fighting for! That everyone would think of black people as just another type of human, when the PC movement blows up over everything that could potentionally smell like racism they are artificially creating racist tensions where there might have been none to begin with.

Simple fact is: Humans are a type of ape. Stop being childish and just deal with it.

]]> By: Sebastien http://swizec.com/blog/google-stoops-to-their-level-fights-freedom/swizec/904/comment-page-1#comment-2086 Sebastien Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:06:16 +0000 http://swizec.com/blog/?p=904#comment-2086 I think every satire happens in a context, is associated with a cultural referential that you cannot just forget. When Bush was represented as a monkey, it was to mock his apparent dumbness close to the one of the monkey (I'm not saying he is dumb, I'm just saying the picture said he is). The association is direct and not so much loaded with history: everyone says he's dumb, what animal is known to be dumb? It could have been a donkey, or a bat, but the most obvious was a monkey. Now the problem is that the story is completely different for African American. Here the reference is not that she is as dumb as a monkey, the reference is clearly related to what generations of racists have shamefully claimed: that black people would not be human beings, that they would be an "inferior race". And what is inferior to human beings evolution-wise in people's mind? Monkeys. And what this image tries to say is something like "look, she's just like the other ones". That's how the same effect applied to different people doesn't trigger the same reactions. Don't forget the cultural context. I think every satire happens in a context, is associated with a cultural referential that you cannot just forget. When Bush was represented as a monkey, it was to mock his apparent dumbness close to the one of the monkey (I’m not saying he is dumb, I’m just saying the picture said he is). The association is direct and not so much loaded with history: everyone says he’s dumb, what animal is known to be dumb? It could have been a donkey, or a bat, but the most obvious was a monkey.

Now the problem is that the story is completely different for African American. Here the reference is not that she is as dumb as a monkey, the reference is clearly related to what generations of racists have shamefully claimed: that black people would not be human beings, that they would be an “inferior race”. And what is inferior to human beings evolution-wise in people’s mind? Monkeys. And what this image tries to say is something like “look, she’s just like the other ones”.

That’s how the same effect applied to different people doesn’t trigger the same reactions. Don’t forget the cultural context.

]]> By: Moniqa http://swizec.com/blog/google-stoops-to-their-level-fights-freedom/swizec/904/comment-page-1#comment-2085 Moniqa Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:00:13 +0000 http://swizec.com/blog/?p=904#comment-2085 Great blog post! I think the question: why is it political satire to shoop a white person into a monkey and a horribly horrible sadistic act of racism when a black person is shooped? is a very important one to ask yourself and everybody else! Great blog post! I think the question: why is it political satire to shoop a white person into a monkey and a horribly horrible sadistic act of racism when a black person is shooped? is a very important one to ask yourself and everybody else!

]]> By: 3pike http://swizec.com/blog/google-stoops-to-their-level-fights-freedom/swizec/904/comment-page-1#comment-2084 3pike Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:30:22 +0000 http://swizec.com/blog/?p=904#comment-2084 I can't find it! I can’t find it!

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