Comments on: Oprah

By: lessa

lessa — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:14:03 +0000

Oprah was a local talk show host in Chicago from 1984-86. She went national in 1986. Jesse Jackson ran for nomination to be president in 1984 and 1988. Therefore #1 has the right answer. Oprah was not very powerful in those days. Al Sharpton is a joke.

By: Francois Tremblay

Francois Tremblay — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:00:38 +0000

This is a racist and inflammatory cartoon, which should not have been published. On the other hand, it takes the piss at Oprah, something which I support enthusiastically. This is a hard one to decide.

And yea, the joke is about the racist concept of “blackness.” Some “blacks” are too “black” or not “black” enough to be publicly endorsed. It’s so disgusting that it hardly deserves discussion, let alone a cartoon.

By: brien

brien — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:38:06 +0000

I stopped reading when I saw the word “Oprah.”

By: Rain

Rain — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:22:47 +0000

I think that this is complicated in a way that I as a white person cannot completely understand. I think it has to do with exactly “how” black Obama is seen as (as in, some would say “not black enough”–a charge that some might level against Oprah as well.)

it seems to me to be a charge that Oprah NOW decides to support a black man in politics . . . so Carl, the thing is that Curtis is saying that they are NOT interchangeable and . . . again, I don’t like to speak to this because I am not black, but the sense I get is that Curtis is upset because Oprah is supporting an “acceptable” black man but wouldn’t stand up for any other black man.

By: Carl

Carl — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:10:05 +0000

I’m offended. Curtis believe that all black people are interchangeable? That’s horrible.

By: bAT L.

bAT L. — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 08:31:13 +0000

Ohhhh, race …. I miss a lot of jokes since I choose to ignore race as a descriptive factor. I would have been utterly stumped if not for the comment, but I’m still not sure that’s what it means. I think Curtis’s dad is very surprised at his sudden spout of wisdom (if there does happen to be wisdom there).

By: LD

LD — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 06:43:21 +0000

Or the dad is surprised by how out of touch Curtis really is. Oprah was much less powerful in the 80s when JJ was running. And, unlike Obama, Sharpton is 100% unelectable.

But I also like the “self-important buffoon” response.