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[gutshot]

http://www.bostonherald.com/photos/holbert_cartoon

Seriously? The racial stereotype wasn't even necessary, just kinda thrown in there. Casual racism at its finest.

 

[ComputerMKII]

I don't get it.

 

[barik]

"Hey, this joke doesn't quite work yet. Maybe some racism will help?"

 

[studyguy]

Boston needs to step up their game.
Belgium is miles ahead in the poor taste/racist jokes category.

 

[DietRob]

Uncalled for. Holding up the belief that Boston is chock full of casual and not so casual racism.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

"Hey, this joke doesn't quite work yet. Maybe some racism will help?"

Basically.

But it's nice to see my city breaking that racist stereotype.

 

[Affeinvasion]

If the caption said "went farther" then I think you could make the assumption that the guy in the bath tub ifs being portrayed as being racist. Either way it's kinda weird for such a simple gag.

 

[DrFunk]

I don't get it.

read this

 

[Mister Wilhelm]

This cartoon is bad and the writer should feel bad.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

 

[Afrodium]

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that this was unintentional. Watermelon isn't the punchline. But at the same time, does watermelon toothpaste even exist?

 

[Mesoian]

It's weird because even as a racist joke, the set up, the punchline, the delivery...none of it works.

It's a really awful comic.

 

[massoluk]

Not racist, just really lame punchline.

 

[Dictator93]

This is so so so great. Oh man.

 

[Two Words]

Boston needs to step up their game.
Belgium is miles ahead in the poor taste/racist jokes category.

"Hey guys, did you know black people kind of look like apes when you put ape parts on their face???"

 

[PetriP-TNT]

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that this was unintentional. Watermelon isn't the punchline. But at the same time, does watermelon toothpaste even exist?

Pretty sure I had watermelon toothpaste when I was in 6th grade. It was horrible.

 

[Dany]

It's a pretty awful joke too.

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that this was unintentional. Watermelon isn't the punchline. But at the same time, does watermelon toothpaste even exist?

It does.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

Newspapers, everyone.

 

[studyguy]

Pretty sure I had watermelon toothpaste when I was in 6th grade. It was horrible.

Would orange flavored toothpaste taste terrible out the box?

 

[AkuMifune]

It's too left-field not to be intentional.

Perhaps they were only painting the intruder as a bigot, but giving the cartoon a racist overtone is unnecessary and uncalled for.

 

[davepoobond]

for some reason this asshole's about page is blank, among other things fucked up with this paper's web site.

http://www.bostonherald.com/users/jerry_holbert


remember, its not just the artist that drew it. there are EDITORS who approve things and allow this to be published. they are every bit as culpable and responsible.


i dont think the the guy who got in was even white, wasn't he a Latino or something?

 

[ComputerMKII]

read this

Why would you use this stereotype in a contemporary cartoon? It makes no sense

 

[MrToughPants]

You have to be delusional to think this isn't racist.

 

[Apath]

"Hey guys, did you know black people kind of look like apes when you put ape parts on their face???"

Wonder why they did such a good job photoshopping Michelle but it looks like they used MS Paint on Obama.

 

[Kathian]

Is accusing someone of liking healthy food really that insulting?

 

[aGuyInaBearSuit]

Wouldn't surprise me if it was unintentional, but come on. Someone should have caught that before it went to print.

 

[turtle553]

There's a different version floating around. No one is sure which is the original yet:

http://www.gocomics.com/jerryholbert/2014/10/01

 

[grandjedi6]

I'm going to assume that the intention was to make the intruder racist rather than the cartoon itself

 

[kirblar]

It feels like they're trying to portray the intruder as racist by using that language, which seems unnecessary given that it's not the main thrust of the cartoon.

edit: Oh possible photoshop job?

 

[grandjedi6]

There's a different version floating around. No one is sure which is the original yet:

http://www.gocomics.com/jerryholbert/2014/10/01

Why would you change it to watermelon? Most likely the editors caught it and changed it but not before it was uploaded to their site. Or maybe it's all one big hoax? I mean, has anyone seen it on the site itself?

Note the real question... Was this in any of their print newspapers?

 

[turtle553]

It feels like they're trying to portray the intruder as racist by using that language, which seems unnecessary given that it's not the main thrust of the cartoon.

edit: Oh possible photoshop job?

The watermelon line was in the Boston Herald, but not clear if that was the original or someone at the paper changed it.

 

[blackflag]

Obviously they are saying the intruder is racist. How much of the super Obama haters seem to be.

 

[Chariot]

There's a different version floating around. No one is sure which is the original yet:

http://www.gocomics.com/jerryholbert/2014/10/01

This looks better. The text looks centered and the Watermelon one is a bit too much to the left in my eyes.

 

[morningbus]

I'm going to assume that the intention was to make the intruder racist rather than the cartoon itself

This is the Herald, man.

These guys posted a picture of a woman dying in the streets on their front page.

 

[turtle553]

Why would you change it to watermelon? Most likely the editors caught it and changed it but not before it was uploaded to their site. Or maybe it's all one big hoax? I mean, has anyone seen it on the site itself?

Note the real question... Was this in any of their print newspapers?

It made it to print.

 

[gutshot]

Why would you change it to watermelon? Most likely the editors caught it and changed it but not before it was uploaded to their site. Or maybe it's all one big hoax? I mean, has anyone seen it on the site itself?

Note the real question... Was this in any of their print newspapers?

The watermelon version is both on the Boston Herald's website (see link in OP) and printed in the paper itself.

 

[SliceSabre]

Absolutely vile and disgusting. The Editor needs to be fired and blacklisted.

 

[darkazcura]

Well the Boston Herald is a terrible newspaper.

Uncalled for. Holding up the belief that Boston is chock full of casual and not so casual racism.

Ugh not this again.

 

[sixteen-bit]

T or F: Boston is pretty racist for a Northern metropolitan city

 

[BennyBlanco]

besides being completely tasteless, i'm not sure how this even works as a joke

 

[slit]

The comic was stupid, but I think the insult was directed towards the intruder not to Obama.

 

[impetuous_silly]

I took the cartoon to mean that the character in the bathub was racist/ignorant/dim-witted.

 

[TheOohChild]

I'm sure I will be offended by this once my confusion subsides. They really shoehorned that in there.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

The comic was stupid, but I think the insult was directed towards the intruder not to Obama.

I'm not sure how this happens.

 

[slit]

I'm not sure how this happens.

You're not sure how what happens?

 

[Faiz]

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that this was unintentional. Watermelon isn't the punchline. But at the same time, does watermelon toothpaste even exist?

It does, we have some for my son. It's pretty new I think. Which is why I fall on the side of "we didn't think this through properly".

Also,

The watermelon line was in the Boston Herald, but not clear if that was the original or someone at the paper changed it.

Seems accurate as well, but still ill-considered based solely on the reaction some will have.

 

[grandjedi6]

Aaaaaaand the apology:

BOSTON (CBS) – The Boston Herald issued an apology Wednesday for a political cartoon mocking President Obama and the Secret Service security failures.

The cartoon shows the president brushing his teeth in a White House bathroom with a surprised look on his face as a white man sits in the bathtub behind him, asking Mr. Obama, “Have you tried the new watermelon flavored toothpaste?”

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/10/...izes-for-obama-watermelon-toothpaste-cartoon/

 

[dave is ok]

besides being completely tasteless, i'm not sure how this even works as a joke

The joke is that the intruder got so far into the White House that he's taking a bath in the bathroom while Obama is brushing his teeth and making casual conversation.

Any other flavor would have been making the same joke. I'd like to believe it was an honest mistake but who knows.

 

[darkazcura]

T or F: Boston is pretty racist for a Northern metropolitan city

False but people on GAF will tell you otherwise for bad stuff that happened in the 70s/80s. Usually someone here will bring up the Bruins tweets also, but that's pretty much been proven to mostly not be from people from Boston.

Boston is pretty segregated into different areas because of those events from decades ago, but the city isn't any racist than any other city. I think it's a little silly to qualify a city as racist anyway. Especially one that is as liberal as Boston and a city where over a quarter of the population is pretty much college students.