Creators of ‘The Sock Obama’ toy plan to move forward with production.
Creators of ‘The Sock Obama’ toy plan to move forward with production.
Last week, ThinkProgress reported on a racially-charged stuffed monkey toy called “The Sock Obama” being sold online. After strong public reaction, the creators decided against manufacturing the product, and they posted an apology on their site:
An Apology
We are very apologetic to all who were upset by our toy idea.
We will not be proceeding with the manufacturing of this toy.
Thank you.
GD
The Salt Lake City Desert News now reports, however, that the creators have retracted their apology and said that they plan to move forward with manufacturing, as “a few new opportunities have been presented.” They also “issued a long news release that defended the monkey as a victim of double standards and unfair censorship.” They blamed “blogging dens of resistance” for the initial outcry.
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67 Responses to “Creators of ‘The Sock Obama’ toy plan to move forward with production.”
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And there would be 24/7 fake outrage by the MSM if there was a
June 17th, 2008 at 9:53 am"Shriveled Prune McGrampa" doll.
Blogging Dens of Resistance Unite!
June 17th, 2008 at 9:54 amFreedom of speech has a caveat. You cannot hurt other people. Racism hurts other people.
This is not about freedom of speech, but about ethics. Sheesh!
June 17th, 2008 at 9:56 am"Blogging Dens of Resistance"???
Oh, that's just too precious!
How much does anyone care to bet that the 'new opportunities' that 'have been presented' come from some anonymous right wing donor who might also, incidentally, own a cable 'news' network?
June 17th, 2008 at 9:57 amI wonder if these good Utah folks would find it offensive if someone sold lily white polygamy dolls made out of sacred Mormon undergarments?
After all, “a few new opportunities have been presented.”
PEACE
June 17th, 2008 at 9:59 amDr. Hussein Matt Says: And there would be 24/7 fake outrage by the MSM if there was a “Shriveled Prune McGrampa” doll.
And it should come with a companion Barbie doll that's wearing a lot of makeup and carrying a briefcase full of money, and a minature George Bush on his shoulder that utters Bushisms when the string on the side of its extra large head is pulled. Heck, if we're going to give them a dose of their own medicine to make a point, I think it should really go over the top...
June 17th, 2008 at 10:01 amBlogging dens of resistance?
These people are really stupid.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:03 amRacist and stupid.
It's almost impossible to believe that anyone wouldn't see the obvious racism of this product, and to defend it by claiming that our current president has been compared to a lesser primate just shows that the promoters flat out don't get it -- that is, if Bush was an incompetent BLACK president, he wouldn't be compared to a chimpanzee, he would be compared to something that suggested sub-human intelligence without the racial overtones. After all, his detractors wouldn't want to send the message that his failures had anything to do with his race.
But I look at it this way. Racism thrives in dark places, kind of like mushrooms. Bring it out and expose it to the harsh sun, and it tends to wither. When this sock monkey sees production, it will get even more publicity, which will backfire against the original intent. The people who are attracted to this toy by thinking it's cute or funny are most likely the people who would never vote for Obama anyway. However, others will see the ugliness of such blatant racism and be appalled.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:08 amThis is the perfect representation of the kind of people comprising today's Republican Party. They aren't even worthy of our contempt. It's obvious their mothers and fathers have damaged them far beyond the healing powers of our pity.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:11 am"a few new opportunities have been presented' = Ra$ci$i$t$ have $$$!
June 17th, 2008 at 10:13 amWhether Obama wins or not, right now he's doing frighteningly good. Check out these shocking results!
http://www.votenic.com
June 17th, 2008 at 10:15 amI imagine Perry and the Swiftboaters are financing this tasteless, racist, insulting piece of hate-filled propaganda. Just oh-so-typical of the scum from the GOP.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:17 amLots of fun when we compared GWB with a monkey but now look at the precedent we've created.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:17 amRacism is alive and well it seems. I am highly offended at the little sock dolls are made into something designed to diss Obama. It is really over the top.
I had this exchange with an acquaintance during the Ohio primary. "Who are you going to vote for?" Me: "Obama" Him:
June 17th, 2008 at 10:18 am"But if you do that THEY are going to take over." Me: "But aren't THEY, US?" Him: Dead silence.
osage Says: This is the perfect representation of the kind of people comprising today’s Republican Party. They aren’t even worthy of our contempt. It’s obvious their mothers and fathers have damaged them far beyond the healing powers of our pity.
Fortunately, this kind of intolerance is virtually non-existent in the youngest generation. Perhaps it is like the children of alcoholics who do not drink themselves for having watched the negative and destructive behavior of an alcoholic parent. My father was very racist but my brothers and I are very tolerant. We say how much he excluded himself because of his hatred and did not want to be like that.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:18 am"It's OK for there to be hundreds of thousands of Google sites containing references to our current president's resemblance to a chimpanzee," the Lawsons' statement said. "However, it's not OK to make that same association regarding our possible next president."
Because Bush occasionally acts like a primate, not that he's related to them.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:19 amrogerse Says: Yup, I guess all the faux controversy just resulted in free publicity and promotion.Yes, lets not do anything, but talk about how bad it is and where not to buy it.
It's not faux controversy. I wish you could, just for one day, get to walk in the shoes of someone who is black or female to understand how very real this issue is.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:20 amrogerse Says:
Yup, I guess all the faux controversy just resulted in free publicity and promotion.
Sort of a reverse Rev. Wright, eh?
June 17th, 2008 at 10:21 amThough, if anyone should be offended by our close relationship to the other primates, it should be the gorillas, orangatans and chimpanzees. They've acted far more morally toward us than we have toward them.
Perhaps it's time to look at our fellow great apes differently, in a more positive light, and as a result, lose another perjorative.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ape
June 17th, 2008 at 10:25 amI'm going to buy TWO, and stand them up so they're fist-bumping each other.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:26 am"It's OK for there to be hundreds of thousands of Google sites containing references to our current president's resemblance to a chimpanzee," the Lawsons' statement said. "However, it's not OK to make that same association regarding our possible next president."
that is a good point... have always thought so too...
whoddu thought it would come back to bite us in the azz...
June 17th, 2008 at 10:29 am“It’s OK for there to be hundreds of thousands of Google sites containing references to our current president’s resemblance to a chimpanzee,” the Lawsons’ statement said. “However, it’s not OK to make that same association regarding our possible next president.”
that is a good point… have always thought so too…
whoddu thought it would come back to bite us in the azz…
It is NOT a good point! Can't you see the difference? The sock monkey is a very racially charged image that is very hurtful for all African Americans!
But I am thinking about buying old blonde barbie dolls and attaching a case of money in one hand and a vial of pills in the other and selling them. I am sure all Stepford wives would think this was offensive!
June 17th, 2008 at 10:36 amrogerse Says: You know your just playing right into they’re hand?.Are you going to buy some and show people how bad it is?.
How is pointing out the racism in a toy playing into their hand?
No I will not buy one. I won't even speak about it outside of this blog because the people I know will be adequately outraged on their own so that I don't have to mention it. I don't know many racists outside of here, and generally don't have much contact with them. You should try it, it's refreshing to surround yourself with progressive people. Oh, wait, that's right - you already do - you come here.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:40 ambig_ear_monkey & rogerse.
best friends forever.
:)
June 17th, 2008 at 10:55 amIf only it weren't so easy for trolls to create multiple accounts. Kinda makes banning futile -- by email, anyway.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:57 amIt would be a compliment to call rogerse stupid.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:59 amI'm thinking Bob Perry came through with some venture capital, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why....?
June 17th, 2008 at 11:00 amEver since I heard Bush called "Chimpy McHitler" by the NYT's conservative Brooks, I wondered how Republican faithful would respond. A monkey doll for Barack Obama fails the creativity and class test, but is true to form.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:07 am'Lil Black Sambo was a cartoon character back about a half a century ago. It did the same thing this sock puppet does; perpetuate racism, give racists something to laugh about but, mostly, portray Black people as monkeys.
This isn't funny. Comparing Bush to a Chimp was a natural, due to his jerky movements, grade school speech level and arm flailing while he tries to speak.
Barak Obama is, perhaps, the greatest orator this country has seen in decades. He's a bright ray of sunlight in a government so self absorbed and paranoid of it's own citizens that it now ranks second to last in World opinion / support.
The beauty of this is that Obama will prevail. Racists supporting the sock puppet will find themselves exposed to others for just what they are.
Obama can handle this. We can handle this. In fact, the swiftboating & dirty rumors are just beginning. Hang on. Support Obama, & never be afraid to call a racist racist. Not only do they deserve it, it's our civic duty.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:08 am“a few new opportunities have been presented.”
There's nothing new about racism.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
June 17th, 2008 at 11:10 amWow, one genius troll chooses to go by Big Ear Monkey, the other by John Kerry.
My feeling is keep it up, suckas! The more American's can justify associating the right wing with racism, the more they will run Left.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:36 amSo Hail to the chimp is only acceptable for a white guy?
June 17th, 2008 at 11:39 amIf there actually were a god, I doubt he'd have time for web building. Too many starving, abused and neglected children to care for.
If we don't point out racism and condemn it, then it stays in teh closet where it festers and breeds division. In order to solve a problem ytou first must admit there is a problem. That involves talking about it.
I really wish you neocons would learn some critical thinking skills.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:40 amYes, on first amendment grounds the company has the right to make the doll, and on first amendment grounds we can choose to ignore them, or buy them and have little Bush dolls bowing to them, there is a difference between calling Bush a monkey and making an Obama monkey doll: Bush has been acting like someone who's highest mental function has been to mimic what Chaney has told him to do so Bush can get a banana. Obama's monkey doll has been made entirely because he is black. And if you don't think so, then remove the suit and button, and you couldn't tell that it is Obama, where the Bush monkey images I have seen are obviously pictures of the president.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:45 amDitto for me....http://www.tagg-theangrygayguy.com
June 17th, 2008 at 11:47 amAgain trolls, please please please keep trying to justify your racism. It will only help us clarify which party stands for hating people based on their skin color.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:52 ammisshusseinmolly @ #8:
Spot on!
June 17th, 2008 at 12:05 pmLet them come out of the darkness and show themselves. I am a firm believer in having the racism out in the open where it can be seen and combatted. Obama's candidacy is like when the exterminators spray roach repellent into the crevices to drive them out in to the poison that will kill them. <- saw it on Verminators ;o|
The racists just can't stand it right now. So let them pop on out, so we can slap em down. (Oohh! I got the image of the "Whack-a-Mole" game just as I was typing that last sentence)
John Kerry cracks me up
June 17th, 2008 at 12:49 pm.
Just whose fault is it then, that monkies and being Black in America is synonomously being associated... ?
.
June 17th, 2008 at 12:59 pm.
Did John Kerry and Big Ears skip US History in school...?
.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:09 pm"New opportunity"=EVERY DAMN PERSON at the Republican Convention in Denver will have one of these, just like they had purple bandages in 2004 to mock Kerry. Of course, that SURE will get some MSM coverage and they will be exposed as the blatant racists they are.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:46 pmSorry- convention in St. Paul.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:47 pmbig_ear_monkey Says:
What do you call hate for a group of people based on their party affiliation?
History, deeds and good, sound common sense - the same things that made us hate NAZIS.
Any other questions, buttwipe?
June 17th, 2008 at 1:55 pmOne thing I love about the racists such as these is that they blame the victim and play the victim game at the same time...oh pity them, they are the victims of outrage...boo hoo...
June 17th, 2008 at 2:16 pmBuy the sock money, put it in the wash cycle with some bleach. It will come out looking like Dubya.
June 17th, 2008 at 2:52 pmI'm going to go way out on a limb and say, though I don't think it was a brilliant move, it may not be so bad. OK it's a sock puppet that looks a little like Obama, with some obvious racially-charged elements. However other candidates have been very successful by embracing silly caricatures of themselves - "Teddy" Roosevelt for one.
If Obama got one, and showed it to reporters, suddenly these idiotic dolls could become a pro-Obama image.
Just a thought - I doubt many people would see it that way, and I haven't convinced myself fully either.
BTW I can see ucsbclassics53's comment above as I type this. What an idiotic response. This is what the Right does all the time: take any issue of concern and claim that the concern itself is going to "divide" the country. So the solution is what? Not have concerns? Not care about something unless it's run by him/her first? Otherwise uh oh the country is going be even more "divided"? It's the classic victim response to fret about some abstract damage "out there", and not take responsibility for their own reactions and opinions.
June 17th, 2008 at 2:55 pmScaryBrownHusseinChick (ThinkOutsideTheBush) Says
June 17th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Buy the sock money, put it in the wash cycle with some bleach. It will come out looking like Dubya.
________________________________________________
Great idea. Only one would also have to change the button. It could say something like "Bring it on", or "They hate us for our freedoms", or "We're turning a corner", or...
One of the favorite talking points of the defenders of this abomination is that somehow it's OK to equate Dubya with a monkey, but not Obama, and calling anyone who supports this "double standard" a hypocrite. What they don't realize is that with Dubya, it's a negative comment about him and him alone, and it has nothing to do with race. When they do this with Obama (or any other non-white), it brings up ugly reminders of the Jim Crow days when blacks were equated with lower primates in an effort to suggest they were of a "lesser" race. Therefore, this sock monkey is an offensive slam against an entire race of people.
Perhaps they could ask a few black Republicans -- Condi Rice, Colin Powell, Clarence Thomas, etc. -- if they see any racism in this product.
June 17th, 2008 at 3:19 pmWell they should go ahead and make a McChimpy doll complete with big ears and a tail to match to be fair.
June 17th, 2008 at 4:25 pmA McChimpy doll won't be the same thing. It's really hard to slam the White race in the same way. They've generally always been the ones in power.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:52 pmOne thing I love about the Liberals such as these is that they use race as leverage to try and win arguments usually at the expense of dividing the country even more. Sad Sad Sad. Such ignorance!!
Funny to hear that coming from a person whose screenname evokes a racist stereotype...
you can't argue with history and facts, but I forgot. You're a conservative or a right-winger. You have been oppressed by the liberal bias of history and facts...
There was a scientific movement in the 19th century that sought to "prove" the "inferiority" of the AFrican by comparing their skulls to yes, that of monkeys...
and stefan, what about my comment which was obvious sarcasm was idiotic to you?
That we should ignore the racism that pervades our society? You are the ones who would like to brush it under our rug while pretending that it doesn't exist in the country...The people on the right are the same...always blaming people for getting offended and not doing anything about it.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:35 amoops, sorry, I'm not sure your comment was meant for me?...
June 18th, 2008 at 1:36 amSorry, stefan. I should have read the comment more carefully. it's been a long day...
June 18th, 2008 at 1:39 amWhat's funny about all this is the fact that every little thing that pisses of the black community is deemed racist. Have sum fukin cheese to go with the wine and git over it.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:50 amI am blonde, so are my husband, father in law, father, daughter, mother. I HATE blonde jokes. We were out the other night and the girl at the cash register couldn't figure out that my daughter is 25, by looking at her ID. She looked at us and said "I don't do math. Yall are blonde, you understand!" Well my blonde husband is a very smart successful CHEMICAL ENGINEER for 35 years. My daughter is a HydroGeologist. She said "I wanted to say I MADE A B IN DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS!" It is horrible to assume that all blondes are dumb, or that all redheads have bad tempers, or that all people with brown eyes are dumb"
June 18th, 2008 at 9:53 amBut it is OK to make fun of people with light color hair, it is PC. Makes me SICK! No one should be made fun of because of the color of the hair or skin!
June 18th, 2008 at 9:54 amucsbclassics53, I wonder if Obama becomes president, if every time the public doesn't agree with one of his policies, if he will whine about the race card!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 18th, 2008 at 9:55 ambartie, that was excellently written, but instead of trying to compare whose oppression is more legitimate, how about we all bond to strike back at the forces of oppression? Sexism, racism, homophobia deserve to be stamped out but those who oppress us with those canards WANT us to be divided, want us to accuse the other of playing the victim card so that divided we will fall. There are those who want to take away the rights that women and African-Americans have fought SO hard and died to achieve, but if we stand divided, they will have a better chance at doing so. This campaign is not only historic in that a woman and an African-American man fought a highly contested race for the Democratic Party nomination, but the sexism and racism have reached historic proportions. You have seen the NUTCRACKER doll, right? It's just as offensive, but those on the right feed off sexism and racism to convince themselves that they truly are the victims and that our concerns are only instances of playing the gender or race card. Imho, that's how the right stamps out any legitimate talk of dealing with sexism and racism by accusing us of playing victim. They WANT us to be convinced that racism and sexism is of the past and that these nutcracker or Obama dolls are nothing but light-hearted attempts at humor.
Notice that they always tell us to GET over it...
June 18th, 2008 at 2:58 pmfOLKS like RePUBLICAN strategists work tirelessly to keep race at the forefront for the electoral cycle. If they don't then they might lose Southern white voters who might vote for their economic interests if it weren't for the race card and the Southern Strategy...
Funny how it's okay for the GOP and their allies to play the race card with their pins and covertly racist ads but when we cry out about racism, then we're the ones playing the race card...
June 18th, 2008 at 3:38 pmand bartie, the thing is the First Ladies to be are both not being served well by the sexism of the media. Why are they talking about recipes and such when they could be talking about policy and what they could bring to the White House? Why is it that they're only talking about what to cook and what are their favorite recipes? it is insulting to both Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain...
June 18th, 2008 at 3:49 pmThe myth of affirmative action is that African-American students with D or F averages are admitted before white students with A averages. That is clearly not the case. The system looks at those with equal merits and then takes the minority. Sure, it might seem unfair, but it's hardly the black and white issue you suggest it is.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:35 pmYou talk about ancient history. The Republicans may have been instrumental in passing the Civil Rights legislation of the 60s, but where did the Southern Democrats or Dixiecrats if you will migrate to? That's right, the Republican Party. No party is perfect when it comes to race, but when it comes to using race-baiting, the Republicans have replaced the Democrats as the party who will resort to it.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:36 pmThe Southern Democrats were attracted by Nixon's use of the Southern Strategy and it showed when they migrated en-masse to the republican party. There is a reason why the Republican Party dominates the South as it does and there is no reason to believe that the GOP is pure when it comes to race.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:38 pmRepublicans generally do not care about race. Their believe is that if you do a job better than everyone else, then you deserve to have that job. Contrary to what the democrats will have you believe, it is a merit based party, simple as that.
Funny, I thought the Republicans were instead of a merit based party, a cronyism based party, as evidenced by Bush's appointments such as the horse judge to FEMA with no disaster-management experience and countless others...
June 18th, 2008 at 4:39 pmyes, and it's too bad Republicans don't return to their glorious roots when it comes to race...If we only had the Radical Republicans of the 1860s today...we would be so much better off...if we had the principled Republicans of the 1960s who made the Civil Rights legislation possible, we would be so much better off...
As I said, no party is perfect on race, but I GUESS you're returning to the old Republican canard of if a Democrat does it, then our same actions are excused...
o btw, I take it you'll be condemning legacy programs as well...or the rich white man's affirmative action? I believe Bush benefited greatly from it...
June 18th, 2008 at 4:47 pmyou are right, pmvark, that the Republicans deserve a lot of the credit for advancing civil rights, but their actions today are a shameful retreat from those principles...
June 18th, 2008 at 4:48 pmbut your argument about Republicans not caring about race rings hollow when the Republicans have used affirmative action to stir up resentment in whites THROUGH bake sales...
June 18th, 2008 at 4:56 pmAs political historians Raymond Tatalovich and Byron W. Daynes write (Moral Controversies in American Politics: Cases in Social Regulatory Policy, p. 64):
Affirmative action has been used by Republicans for three decades to try to splinter the Democratic base of women, minorities, and working-class white males. The Nixon administration sought to pit white workers against black recipients of affirmative action, and peel off the angry white males from the Democratic Party and encourage them to vote Republican. The strategy was successful in the 1972 presidential election, and much more so in appealing to the "Reagan Democrats." By the 1980s Republicans could run against the programs they had created in order to appeal to the white working class.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:01 pm