Obama is young, handsome and tanned, says Silvio Berlusconi

[Dr_Acula]

obama looks rather black for a white man

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[Sonart]

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But I'd just make the guess that you don't realize what a filthy creep Berlusconi really is, or how he continually plays on people's prejudices to move his policies, line his own pockets, or please his own megalomania.

That very well may be, but that's another topic.

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[The Decider]

I define racism as the belief that another ethnic group is, by nature, or is genetically predisposed to be inferior to another. This was an off the cuff quip by Berlusconi...an attempt at good natured humor which has no trace of racism...and the humorless, PC thought police have cracked down because we can not have any of that. I despise people without a sense of humor because they make the world a bleak place. Bravissimo Silvio, for not backing down to stonefaced, humorless douchebags!

I can't figure out who you're upset at--Europeans? Americans? Italians? The Italian PM is in hot water for his sewer mouth, not just this comment about our president elect. It wouldn't matter for very long had a more rational and diplomatically skilled European leader made the comment. We must consider the source, which you haven't.

As for Biden's "clean" comment, Biden was forgiven by the "PC police." You may have noticed--he's Vice President Elect.

[Nono]

Very well put, Decider. You have penetrated all the layers of here's-the-PC-police-again-gawd-help-us and hey-that's-kinda-funny-actually and put your finger on the real point.

Not all references to race are necessarily bigoted.

Jeez, I'd hate to think I'd given the impression that I believe that. In truth, I've always been partial to the "We's lawyers" joke, and often trotted it out in risky company with my claim that it's by no means inherently racist -- it's just a joke.

But suppose Sarah Palin had told that joke during the vice-presidential debate (one wouldn't put it past her) ... Who would doubt that it was racist and foul?

[maximdewinter]

I can't figure out who you're upset at--Europeans? Americans? Italians? The Italian PM is in hot water for his sewer mouth, not just this comment about our president elect. It wouldn't matter for very long had a more rational and diplomatically skilled European leader made the comment. We must consider the source, which you haven't.

As for Biden's "clean" comment, Biden was forgiven by the "PC police." You may have noticed--he's Vice President Elect.

Who's upset? I think the comment "controversy" is much ado about nothing. Politics can be such a dour affair...being a quipper myself I welcome almost any attempt at lightening things up from either side of the spectrum. I think the answer to this silliness would be for Obama to make an equally innocuous comment about Silvio's appearance.

[Sonart]

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But suppose Sarah Palin had told that joke during the vice-presidential debate (one wouldn't put it past her) ... Who would doubt that it was racist and foul?

Which joke... "We's lawyers"? Alas, I'm not familiar with it.

"Young, handsome and tanned"? C'mon, I'd hope to gawd no one would think badly of it, no matter where it came from. I mean, think... the second of the three descriptions was "Handsome". Omigosh, how insulting! Not to mention that when a white person is referred to as looking 'tanned', it usually means they look healthy and vigorous. That would mean that Sarah Palin - a white woman - would have called a black man good looking and sexy, and you're suggesting it would be seen as racist and foul?

ONCE AGAIN, calling Obama 'tan' is a light-hearted, sideways reference to something that is not only extremely obvious to the whole world, but extremely notelworthy! By gawd, he is black and he's America's, and Europe's, first leader of color ever, at least that I'm aware of.

Regardless of Berlusconi's history of gaffs, calling Obama "Young, handsome and tanned" is more complimentary than anything else, while making light hearted note of a very historical fact. If a fellow leader can't make a light, complimentary reference to something so noteworthy, then we're taking ourselves way to seriously.

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[Nono]

Aaa -- we could go on all night about this.
In Berlusconi's mouth it is -- whatever else it may be -- a way of saying "Nobody's going to make me skirt the fact that the new US president is a nigger!"

I'd bet good money on that. And it's how millions of people understood it.

[Deadeye]

Obama is young, handsome and tanned, says Silvio Berlusconi | World news | guardian.co.uk

Silvio is in hot water in Europe for making a joke about Obama being "young and tanned." Anyone remember when Biden got in trouble during the primaries for calling Obama "clean?"

This could be an interesting new tactic that the US can use to deflect criticism around the world....political correctness. If you have something to say about the US that we don't like we can tar you with "being offensive" or a racist.

Now you've got me.

Do black people tan? When a black guy works out in the sun does he get darker? I just don't know.

Obama is a nice looking fellow, in kind of an Alfred E. Newman sort of way. I don't care about his looks or the charm that he's supposed to have. I just hope that he can be a good president.

[Nono]

I don't care about his looks or the charm that he's supposed to have. I just hope that he can be a good president.

For once I agree with Deadeye.

[Deadeye]

Yeah, people tend to be oversensitive about racism.

Obama is called a Black Man by many today. I think. He is also called an African American. Which is what white people are too if they move from Africa to here.

His racial make up is half Caucasian and half Negroid. He is, what used to be called, and still is among people who study such things, a "mulatto". However, sometimes, in the early history of slavery in the US the term mulatto was used to discribe Negros slaves who were born in the US and not in Africa.

However, none of that means a hill of beans. Barrack Obama is soon to be the President of the United States. His race should mean nothing whatsoever. Trouble is it does, and that's bad.

[Sonart]

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Obama is a nice looking fellow, in kind of an Alfred E. Newman sort of way. I don't care about his looks or the charm that he's supposed to have. I just hope that he can be a good president.

That's nice.

Way off the topic, but nice.

In Berlusconi's mouth it is -- whatever else it may be -- a way of saying "Nobody's going to make me skirt the fact that the new US president is a nigger!"

I'm going to concede that, coming out of the... er.... wrong mouth, this could be true. And since I claim no particular knowledge of Berlusconi, I'll concede to your expertise on his history of racist comments. As the old saw goes, "You better be smiling when you say that, partner." Taken with a smile, it's a perfectly harmless joke. With a sneer, perhaps not.

Otherwise I stand by my opinion.

And btw, thanks for your note on the "We'z Lawyas" joke. Alas, it only seemed to strengthen my argument. That joke was standard minstral "Darkie" humor, the "Dandified Coon" of Amos & Andy, in which the humor is based on blacks trying to act white, but failing hilariously due to ignorance and stupidity,

Compare it to my Tiger Woods/PGA Tour joke, which turns a standard black joke around by pointing out the singularly defining physical characteristic of a successful, heroic figure. So based only on the joke itself, I see nothing wrong with "Young, handsome and tanned."

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[Sonart]

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However, sometimes, in the early history of slavery in the US the term mulatto was used to discribe Negros slaves who were born in the US and not in Africa.

Actually, being mulato carried the implied negative - or positive - of the congress of a White Slave owner and his black slave.

However, none of that means a hill of beans. Barrack Obama is soon to be the President of the United States. His race should mean nothing whatsoever. Trouble is it does, and that's bad.

To the contrary, I think it would be great if folks felt perfectly comfortable referring to skin color. THEN it would truly mean nothing, except something that's obviously physically noticeable about them.

If he were white, with a shock of bright red hair, would it be considered bad taste to make comments or harmless jokes about it? Bald? Seven feet tall? Y'think anybody didn't notice that Obama is colored?

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I think this is exactly the difference between my having lived many years in a truly diverse culture - Hawaii - and living ones life as a racial majority. In Hawaii, race was an excepted part of everything that made you unique. Everyone felt free to joke about everyone else, because there was no majority race. If you were Haole or Pake or Portugee or Kanaka or Hapa or whatever, it was because you were. No shame. Besides, it made you easier to find in a crowd. Here on the mainland, whites seem to try to act like race doesn't exist, to convince people they're not prejudiced.

{{GASP}} "You're black?? Gosh, I hadn't noticed!"

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