Missouri Fair clown draws criticism for Obama mask

I get that some people just hate the guy and think "the race card" is played too often. I always point out that Obama himself almost never plays the race card, but I get it. Some liberal commentators do use it too often, and "Racist" is a strong charge to be tossed about lightly. But to think that this story isn't an example of racism, stretches the limits of my imagination...

Missouri Fair clown draws criticism for Obama mask.

This is the first sentence in the AP story...

A clown wearing a President Barack Obama mask appeared at a Missouri State Fair rodeo this weekend and the announcer asked the enthusiastic spectators if they wanted to see "Obama run down by a bull."

At one point, another rodeo clown came up and played with Obama's lips as the crowd screamed wildly. That's right, his lips.

The Republican Lt. Governor denounced it as "disrespectful". A spokesperson for the Republican governor said he agreed.

The commenters at the end of the AP story, however, make me about as depressed as I can be about this country. I try to remind myself that these are just the loudest voices, not the majority, but it's not easy to do when you read the way these commentors compare this rodeo act to run-of-the-mill political satire you'd see somewhere like SNL.

As someone who has written satire, I'd like to offer my critique of the satirical content. Having a white guy dressed as a black guy being chased by a bull while someone plays with his big lips is not satire. It's an historical recreation of a minstrel show. Satire would be having a black guy dressed up in white face being chased around by a junkyard pit bull while someone plays with his WASPy nose.

That would be satire.

It would also be racist and offensive.

Just like this was.