More Sotomayor racism--this time in cartoon form!

Since this has got to stop (and since so much awareness and anger was--rightly--raised over this cartoon) I'm going to do what several have already done and post this with a "why this is acceptable" rant.

Jessika over at Middle Raged Punk has posted the offending cartoon, pointing out the obvious racism, but the sexism as well:

So the image of Obama asking “Now, who wants to be first?” to a group of men holding sticks, waiting to beat up a smiling Sotomayor who is strung up on a rope sends a strong message to any woman or girl who has opinions or wants to achieve in a male dominated field.

This has to fucking stop. Is a successful woman so threatening that people must resort to racism and sexism in an attempt to silence her? Advocating the violence against a woman (in a painfully obvious racist manner) is unacceptable. What's worse is that Sotomayor is clearly a qualified and intelligent woman, and this cartoon and commentary like it reduce her to a racist stereotype that says violence against strong women is acceptable since she is overreaching her social place. Fucking. Bull. Shit.

Send in your complaints to the newspaper (follow the link to Jessika's page for full submission guildelines--must be under 250 words). Let them know that this is unacceptable.

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Update: I sent an email to the general link (Yourviews@oklahoman.com) and one to the editor (ekelley@oklahoman.com). Here is a copy of the email I sent:

Dear Editor:

In case you are somehow unaware of the offensive cartoon depicting Sonia Sotomayor strung up like a pinata, I would like to point out exactly why it is offensive. 1. Having a Latina woman hung up as a pinata is ignorant and racist, calling on stereotypical imagery of Hispanic culture. 2. Obama wearing a sombrero is similarly offensive. 3. That the cartoon-version of Obama asks "Who wants to be first" while Republicans are ready with sticks implies a perceived justifiable violence against women. This violence speaks volumes, as a warning to any woman who dares be successful, who dares be intelligent and whose body exists as a challenge to racist white men. This cartoon is racist and sexist commentary that dehumanizes Sotomayor, and others like her. It is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable. I demand that your paper and the artist issue an apology for this ignorant hatred immediately.

Sotomayor's threatening to old white men--who knew?

The right has relentlessly continued its racist and sexist attack on Sotomayor. Surprise surprise. Their arguments and basis for these attacks is weak, at best, having almost no substance. She has been called "dumb" and and "affirmative action case" despite her obvious intelligence and accomplishments. Take a look at her resume. It's clear that these attackers are grasping at straws.

In a post called "The white man is being oppressed" over at Salon, the author points out the origin for most of the "reverse racist" fodder in a 2001 speech Sotomayor gave in which she said she

would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.

This, taken out of the context of the speech, is what has the rightwing white men twisting themselves in a knot. They find this speech so threatening to their privileged whiteness that they call her the very thing they're guilty of. This is projection, folks.

The attacks Sotomayor is receiving is indicative of the society in which we live. Not only must she endure sexism (as a woman in a patriarchal society, she must be extra intelligent and hardworking to keep up with her male counterparts) as a Latina she must also face racism from white men who find her threatening to their privilege. It is so simple to write her off as an "affirmative action case"--surely she took away opportunity from an already privileged white man. Women who graduate from Princeton as summa cum laude are certainly stupid, right?

I love how the idiots like Beck and Limbaugh are so quick to lash out at a successful WOC in a move that clearly indicates their own insecurities and projections. Sadly though, there are those eating this shit up.

Language: Today's phrase is "reverse racist"

You could make this a drinking game. In fact, the video is more bearable if you drink along. Go ahead. Every time some white man calls Sotomayor a "racist" or a "reverse racist," drink!



Well, that didn't help like I thought it would. But anyway, here are a bunch of privileged white men throwing the word "racist" around, aiming their hate at Sonia Sotomayor, calling her a "racist" and a "reverse racist." This is simply their way of exhibiting racism against her in an attempt to project their own hate and bigotry onto her. Gotta love the ol' scapegoat tactic.

Undoubtedly, these men have heard the term "racist" before, and certainly have heard it aimed at them. But rather than owning their privilege and recognizing their own bigotry, they've decided to take the very term they shrug off daily and use it against Sotomayor. And for added ire, they've decided to invoke the phrase "reverse racist," which actually is an admission that the term "racist" is applicable to whites only (as the privileged group), and seeks to spin it right back. Ridiculous? You bet it is.

These men are fuming because an intelligent WOC is now in the Supreme Court. They're already frothing at a black man leading our country--now we have women in positions of power? Oh noes!!! And to think she beat out some poor white man because of affirmative action. Ugh. I'm sick of this.

Also, I'm going to cite Renee on this one:

Another 101 fact, racism equals privilege and power therefore, it is not possible for a person of color to be racist. We may have individual prejudices but racism is an impossibility. I would furthermore point out to you that calling someone a “reverse racist” is nothing more than a silencing technique.

So to all these white men crying about Sotomayor's (imagined) "reverse racism" (I'm talking to you, Beck): STFU.

H/T: Eschaton