When Does Political Satire Go Too Far?

A listener brought by a couple tee shirts with this depiction on it while I was on the air.  He wanted me to promote the sale of the shirt.  My comments are at the end of the postings.  

The question I asked, in posting this depiction on my show’s Facebook page was this: Is this “ok”?  I didn’t give my opinion, I wanted other’s opinions.  I asked that they post a simple “Yes” or “No”.  If they had to comment, keep it short and to the point.  Below are the results.  My comments are at the end.

Deanna Waldo Glancy: No

Substantia Erus: Yes

Christopher Taylor: I don't have a problem with it, The poster just doesn't make any sense to me.

Cindy Pantalone Schnurbusch: no

Doug Drury: No. This is descending to the depths of the left. I would like to thing conservatives are above this.

Patty Abel: No. Evolution of man is wrong--even if I don't agree with his policies.

Marilyn Couch: No

Cecily Rappe': No

Trina Timmerman: No. I am certainly not into political correctness or seeing racism everywhere, but this just feeds the Left more fuel for fodder. Too closely compares Obama with apes. Poor taste.

Rick Taylor If I were black I would be very up set with this picture. I do not like this posting as we did not come from apes.

Georgette Lusey McClelland: No!

Monte Miller: No, Although I despise the man's ideas, thinking and lack of leadership, he is falible man and is just not suited for political office of any kind. Evolution is not a viable concept anyway, just some nut's theory that went viral pre internet. The real tragedy here is that our culture has fallen for the idea that socialism is a good thing and they will actually vote for someone who could not lead a goose to water. Especially if he promises to give them their hopes and dreams if for no other reason, just to get even with the successful ones.

David Liljenberg: No. This is over the top, very poor taste, out of line.

Freddie Fults Bolman: I don't like Obama, but that is very wrong.

Cheryl Smith: no

Tommy Logan: No. Obama is at the wrong end.

Joanne Erickson Swinehart: No

Deryk Hiley: Yes. It plays directly to the President's own comment about his "evolution" on gay marriage. Nobody who subscribes to the theory of evolution should be able to logically cry racism on this. I know, logic usually doesn't apply...

Maryellen McGee: NO. I don't think it supports a positive representation of the idea trying to be expressed. It appears to be racist and will only add fuel to that never ending defense of all things anti-Obama. It might be more interesting to see him morph from muslim dress to the suited image shown.

Lora Tschiegg Lierman: no

Jairus Watson: NO, I was made in the image of the almighty God and that also means the President as well.

James Austin: No

Douglas A Bolton: No. From a moderate Republican.

John R McCain: No

Kathy Swanson: NO!!!

Debbe von Blumenstein: NO!!!!

Brenda Atkinson: No.

Dave Eaton: yes

Tanya Shubin: no

Matthew Robert Wood: NO

Carol Webb: No, I believe in evolution and I wouldn't vote for Obama for any reason but this does not depict evolution it depicts racism.

Michael Holman: No.

Bonnie Ziegler-Wienke: No.

Sonja Bliss: No

Johnnie Burt: No.

Fred E Avera: No, this is over the line.

Tina Schneider: No, no way to justify the image no matter what you believe or what side of the political spectrum you fall.

Jeanne Pryce: NO.........but yes to stopping progressive evolution per Obama.......

Bryan Hodson: Yes. Racism is a red herring.

John West: No

Marci Friesen Brown Yes. I support free speech not political correctness.

Denise Quinn Nanke: No - frankly is not imaginative and it's unoriginal. Why step into the gutter with the left when we have the truth on our side. Add in a dash of humor and we win!

John Brandt: No! Although I really can not stand the man, I agree w/D. von Blumenstine above. We are better than that!

Roger Ewing: I like it but NO we do not need to give the Liberals ammo.

Gena Pegg: NO...obscene and disrespectful.. because of the iintention.

Mat Rapoza: No. It is in poor taste.

Jim Lowen: No, becuse it lowers our argument to 'their' level and, indirectly, acknoweges eveloution as legitamate

Trish Wilson Andersen: No ... Cant stand Obama but poor taste...dont stoop to this kind of rhetoric. The man has given us so much amunition to use against him, why go here?

Mike Owens: No. We have not evolved from monkeys. I greatly dislike and dissapprove of his policies but this is below our (conservatiives) values.

Trent Klug: yes

Frankie Cascioppo: No

Dustin Thomas Muravez: No. I see where its coming from, but it does have an implied racial slur. That is the first thing I noticed when I saw the picture.

Ivan Simar Jr.: No

Marilyn Walsh: No. Not appropriate in any circumstance.

Cathe West: Nope! Not okay!! I don't agree with much of anything Barrack Obama stands for or has done but this is insulting and degrading. Regardless of where a person's stands politically, Obama is still the President of the United States and the office is worthy of respect.

Laura Morley: Yes.

Judi Pike Atherton: No. Very inappropriate. Not a supporter of Obama, but this is wrong.

Mary Evelyn McIntosh: No

Angela Witt: No.

Amanda DeForest: No!!!

Andrew Isaksen: no

Robert Drouhard: No. Makes no sense.

Bill Chapman: No.

Jason Wilson: no

Linda Ford: No, I'm very conservative, but this is inappropriate.

Jefferson Leach: Yes

Doug Day: I understand it, but I think that i will be taken way out of context and be used as ammo against conservatives as being racist. So that being said, NO.

Chuck DeLong: No. I am not an Obama fan but this is oh appropriate and is degrading

Jerry Allen: It is great! I have a t shirt with it on the front and it is my favorite shirt!

Steve Everett: No...inappropriate for sure...dislike!

Lou Thelen: No. It's pretty rude. BUT, if Romney were depicted and the word 'conservative' replaced 'progressive,' don't you think The Media would nod and approve?

Rebecca Roth: Yes, it's what progressives believe and want us to believe--that the progressive movement is the pinnacle of evolution.

Byron Shinkle: No - It's a non sequitur and it's counterproductive because it reinforces the Left's ill-perception of the Right, that we're all racist troglodytes.

Dale Hummel: Yes

Jack Tackett: Yes, its want they think

Glenn Moose McClatchie: No

Joan Bechtel: No

Brian A Frazier: No, Not appropriate

Polly Jobe: Yes.

Richard Marquis: NO, man did not evolve from an ape, he was created in the image of God. Nuf Said.

Matthew Yong: Yes. It is a political comic.

Josh McIntosh: No

John Forgard: No

Chris Bolinger: Yes, this picture is worth those thousand words!

Courtney Goode: No

Aaron Mengucci: YES its not made to be racist. Was it racist in our text books when it ends with a white guy or when 4 years ago they had president bush at the end of it. Was it racist when Obama asked for African Americans for Obama this government is to big and these socialist ideas needs to end. I am sorry that u went directly to race with this because that's not what I was thinking at all when I had these shirts made.

Charlotte Brown-Thomas: a lot of people would say it is racist.

Don Bauerle: "NO" Needs a better man to show progression

Kenneth William Wheeler: No....... Only because I don't want to hear people whine that it is racist. Remember you cannot say Chicago now either, that's racist too.

Tracy Brinkman-Hansford: Yes.

Evan Kersgaard: No

Necole Riesterer: No

Janice Stanford Spindler: No! It seems disrespectful of the office of the Presidency to me.

Eric Hill: No

Pamela Clark: No, this is not okay. One thing life has taught me...Our imagination is only limited by our ability to think, and whomever thought up this one is very limited. The sad part is most won't even understand what this means....

Rhonda Hittle: No... I am so tired of all the negativity of both parties... And I agree with Janice. It is disrespectful..

Sandy Frederick Scribner: No this is not acceptable to me!!

Lyle Gibby: yes

Lois Anderson: NO

David Runninghawk: Yes, put Bush's photo there, see how no's turn to yes.

Aaron Keena: Yea yes correct

Lynne Pope: NO!!!!

Steve Rogerson: NO

George Katsinis: NO

Sheri Moore Atchley: No

Nancy Burnett Felker: No; it's inappropriate regardless of political beliefs.

Richelle Davidson: No. This is demeaning to all humankind.

Bruce Griffin: No

Patricia Hines Willems: No, regardless who it is, humans didn't evolve from apes!

Luanne Robertson: We are conservatives. What is says is right.( IN RED ) The picture is DISGRACEFUL ! Bill,You are a Patriot! KEEP THE FAITH !.

Yvonne Denise Roche: No. I don't like it. I am neither conservative or liberal. I do not belong to any party. I am opposed to the mud-slinging and extreme rhetoric. Furthermore, I am opposed to the idea of "us" versus "them." This only inflames passion and reduces reason.

Jake Kittrell: No. It, along with all the hate ads and spending on guirilla scare tactics, sure sais a lot about the current status of campaigning and the need for a more intelligent forum for debate, and the desperate need for campaign reform.

Paula Vance: That is awful.

Marilyn Denny: NO.  I am a conservative Republican, and no fan of Obama, but he is still our President--still the face of our country--and it is never classy to ridicule leaders in such a fashion. It gives the impression that our leader is little more than an ape, which is not the image we want going to countries who hate us and might attack. Also, it's just not true. Obama might not always be the brightest, but he knows his agenda, and is very clever in pushing it through.  A misleading, offensive cartoon.

Mike Shaw: No.

Dr. Jacqueline Lang: NO.

Sonja Sandgren Polack: No, this cartoon is not alright. Thinking the cartoon is one thing but showing bad manners is another...I miss the responsibility of self-control by each of us as individuals. As far as the position of President of the United States of America, we would do well to respect it, as well as the Constitution.

Bill Distad: No - too unkind and even cruel

Jack Mason: Extremely poor taste!

Jill Cannon: No. This is tacky.

Sue Briggs: No.

Donna Keller: NO

Mike Younce: This is a disgusting post and I cant believe someone would post something like this of our president!!!!!

Collene Keena: No. I don't care for Obama, but this is in very poor taste.

Dana Kottek: No. bad taste/semi racist

Megan Duffy: Absolutely....YES!!!

Matthew Beals: No. Its redundant. "Progressive evolution" also easily associated racially derogatory symbolism

Sandy Hill: ha ha ha ha , a definate yes!

Susan Dickinson: NO..Extremely bad taste!

Micheal Mengucci: I am a strong yes.

Carol Denn:y No

David Brahin: yes..... it's fine except for the fact that "evolution" has never progressed passed a theory. Progressives are really REgressives who want to go back to PRE U.S. Constitution.

Joanna Woods: No

Aaron Mengucci: To everyone who said yes, come get your stop the progressive evoltuion shirts from silver falls pawn in silverton free of charge and I will donate a dollar to the wounded warrior fund for every one picked up. Bill thank you for this wonderful discussion it is amazing how everyone is programmed.

Kevin Hawes: No.

Willie Milligan: yes

David Hicken: Yes. The question is "is it ok?" not if it is appropriate or inappropriate or tasteless. I find it tasteless in many ways, but it is free speech, which so many are trying so hard to limit. Waa! It's offensive so you can't say that. Yes, definitely ok. Just not appropriate. But I'll fight to the death for you to be able to wear the t-shirt.

Jeanne Fredrickson: someone's gonna play the race card, so No.

Leonard B. Shultz: NO

Steven Crimmins: NO... The faces don't evolve right, they tried to keep the more chimp-like face all the way up to the one before "modern" man (Obama). By the time it shows man as fully upright, it should look fairly human. Seems racist and conservatives are above that right?

Susan Kellis: Do you have to ask, really? No it is not all right. This is racist and disgusting that someone would use this image in 2012. How long will it take for us to treat each other with respect.

Martin L. Epperly: Yes, its funny. O'bama is the next ape.

Robyn Gabriel: No

Cathy Clark: NO

Sandy Metheany: NO, I do not believe in evolution

Francine Harrison LeBlanc: No.

Susan Briggs Capell: No, says nothing, and not funny

Nancy Doerfler: wrong!

Matthew Denny: After working it out in my mind, I will say, "Yes", because it is the artists opinion on the man, and we have freedom of speech. So for a news paper or internet site, it carries no more offense than has previously been put out there in a political cartoon. but I would keep it out of the church bulletin or the school news letters where political biases have no place.

Sheba Dawn-Wooddell: I say no. It looks like Geico just got a new spokesperson.

Jennifer Keel Klopfenstein: No. Despite his inability to be the leader this country needs, he's made in Gods image.

Marcia Hayes Farr: No, it's definitely a racist photo. Doesn't matter to me, though, I will vote for President Obama, the best president we have had since Clinton.

Christy Boyer Ford: No! I'm completely against Obama as our president, but this makes me cringe. We are not racists if we don't agree with the president's policy, but if an ad like this would certainly feed that idea.

Aaron Simmons: As I was reminded by a friend just recently, while it may be acceptable to disagree with someone on a Political level(Whether it be on Political Philosophy or Policy); it is NEVER Acceptable to turn those disagreements into attacks on a personal level.

Marilyn Denny: Legal yes. Okay, no.

Michele Martinez Thompson: Not OK

Patricia Chase: no i do not like

Kevin Potter: Poor taste at its worst, but don't attack any embassy's, okay.

Ann Holt Sexton: no.

The Conservative Hammer: YES, YES , YES, YES!!

Pam Griffith: This is so disrespectful. I believe in the two party system and I am not a fan of our current President 's politics and I believe it oh sides should share its viewpoints and engage in discussion with kindness, dignity and respect for others. This is awful.

Ok so obviously the overwhelming vote is “NO”.  Here’s my take on this.  A listener brought by a couple tee shirts with this depiction on it while I was on the air.

Once I saw it, I have to say I laughed but then upon looking closer I realized that this was not something I felt was appropriate to wear.  I took it around to all of the staff at the station (and I need to remind the reader that our staff are ALL staunch Conservatives) and everyone of them were very clearly in the “no, I’d never wear something like that”.

I took it home to my wife who said pretty much the same thing, my pastor, my closest friends and again ALL said pretty much the same thing.  Now I have been accused of being “Politically correct” for not wanting to promote this tee shirt and that’s ok, that’s just someone’s opinion.  I think we can do much, much better than this.  I love bashing this man on a daily basis but this is not appropriate in my opinion and to pull out the “you’re PC” card is not only a slap in my face and those who said “no” in this poll, but it’s also pompous, just as pompous as the man in the depiction.  So, have fun, make fun tee shirts, bumper stickers, signs, but let’s go after the man’s record, or lack thereof, his actions, or lack thereof and heck even his poor brother who lives in a shack, but, to have a monkey on one end and a black man on the other?  Not appropriate no matter HOW you want to parse it.  Just my opinion.  I want to thank EVERYONE who participated in this!  Thank you!