On Saturday evening a rodeo clown wearing a Barack Obama gag
mask roused the Missouri State Fair rodeo crowd---and (eventually) riled the media.
Here is the Kansas City Star account of the event and the
subsequent fallout.
Let's examine the article:
Let's examine the article:
The
Facebook writer said he had taken a Taiwanese student to the rodeo Saturday
night in Sedalia.
Every story I’ve seen about this articulates how the
“whistleblower” took a Taiwanese student to the event, but no story seems to
elaborate why that matters. Perhaps the
publisher (of the Facebook posting that “broke” the story) was dismayed that a
foreign youth had to witness this spectacle, which has been criticized by many. After all, according to MO Senator Claire McCaskill:
“[Y]oung Missourians
who witnessed this stunt learned exactly the wrong lesson about political
discourse—that somehow it’s ever acceptable to, in a public event, disrespect,
taunt and joke about harming the president of our great nation.”
Though not a Missourian, the young Taiwanese student
witnessed something amazing about our great nation indeed: free speech. Those from Taiwan likely have unique
potential to appreciate our free speech rights, after all. So while it may not have been in the best
taste, this rodeo bit hardly seems harmful.
In
a statement from Lake Ozark, Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill called it
shameful and unacceptable. She noted that the fair receives taxpayer dollars
and is supposed to be a place to celebrate the state.
From the article [as well as the sound byte that played all
over media outlets on Monday], the audience cheered and laughed in response to
the clown and the announcer’s play-by-play. In other words, they seemed to be celebrating their tax dollars adequately.
Okay, so ALL taxpayers should have the right to enjoy the
event. I get it. But let me take you back to 2004, regarding now-defunct (and Democratic National Committee-funded, in part) Air America.
The Randi Rhodes Show played a mock movie trailer jokingly
presenting an assassination of then president George W. Bush. Following the bit, Randi told her audience
that she didn’t understand why the Bush family could not treat 43 like the
Corleone family (Godfather novels/movies) treated Fredo –a reference to taking
him “fishing” only to assassinate him and dump his body.
Where was the outcry?
(Don’t lose sleep looking for it.)
The bottom line is that these reactions, once again, reveal
a liberal double standard. So long as
the joke goes against Barack Obama, it must be racist, hate-filled,
unacceptable. So long as it mocks George
W. Bush (or conservatives), it is satire, parody, justifiable.
(Game of Thrones, anyone?)
I hope the hosts of the aforementioned Taiwanese girl take the time to
explain to her that, while perhaps in poor taste, Bozo the President was the perfect
example of why the United States are the Land of the Free.
