Arizona Radio Host calls Obama a Monkey

[Stuart G]

Source: Think Progresss

Arizona Radio Host Calls Obama a ‘Monkey’

| Barbara Espinosa, the host of an Arizona radio show called “Hair on Fire,” called the President a “monkey” on a recent radio segment. “I don’t believe in calling him the first black president,” she said, “I voted for the white guy myself. I call him a monkey.” When outrage erupted over her racist comments, Espinosa went on the Internet to defend herself. In one comments section, she linked to a Google image search of the words “Obama as monkey cartoon” and wrote, “With a last name of Espinosa I’m anything but racist.” She also wrote a post on her website titled “YES! I Did Use the Word Monkey and Obama in same sentence…” You can listen to her original comments here:

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/19/502136/az-radio-host-calls-obama-monkey/

[teddy51]

1. Sorry, but people like her don't need to be given any air time.

[Stuart G]

5. This one was completely overlooked by mainstream media..

I found out that it happened a couple of days ago..

Mainstream media totally ignored this racist slur.
A woman gets barred from speaking for using the word "vagina"
Nothing happens to this person for calling Obama a racist slur on the airwaves..
This country is nuts..

[teddy51]

7. The question begs an answer. Why would she call him a monkey in the first place and

then try hard to defend her actions? Sorry, she deserves no air time!

[RKP5637]

16. Damn that is sooo true, "This country is nuts.." or certainly some of

the people. Each day amazes me more. Some countries would have locked her up for a statement like that ... I believe in free speech, but I think it's severely misused and tarnished in the US by jerks like this individual. It's a national pastime for these "Hate-Jockeys" to say crap like this.

[Lionessa]

2. I used to call GWB a chimp, isn't that essentially the same?

I guess with the "I voted for a white guy" prelude it could be called racist. But just the "monkey" part I can't see a being any different than me calling baby bushie a chimp or anyone else. Seems TYT had no problem with similar names for GWB either, iirc, so even tho I'm a nobody, I would think TYT folks are about equal, maybe even bigger.

[KamaAina]

4. Bush isn't black.

Equating African American men with monkeys or apes is the oldest trick in the racist bigot book.

[RKP5637]

18. Excellent point!!! n/t

[lakercub]

10. I don't think it's the same at all

The term monkey is insulting in both cases (and meant to be), but in the case of Bush it is clearly an insult directed at one man. There are no cultural or racial overtones for calling white people chimps that I'm aware of. However, when calling black people monkeys there is a massive racial component that goes with it as blacks were often compared to monkeys out of the jungle for a very long period of time in order to show their racial inferiority.

It is a double standard but, frankly, I don't care. White people used these terms for generations, and now the racist ones are pissed off they can't use them anymore. If they went after Obama's appearance based solely on, say, his ears, they may be able to have their fun without hitting on the racially sensitive stuff. But when they say monkeys (or tar babies), the likelihood that they are racists or are using racial dog whistles is ridiculously high.

[magical thyme]

12. I don't think it is the same

People nicknamed Bush the chimp because his facial features are chimpanzee-like, and his posture and long arms also fit the picture. Not to mention his undignified, childish antics. It was a nickname, derogatory for sure, but specific to him as an individual. Furthermore, he opened the door to that, calling people who worked for him by nicknames as well. Remember "turd blossom?"

Likewise, the GOP nicknamed Clinton "Slick Willy" for his unfortunate behavior issues. Again, a nickname aimed specifically at him for his own behavior.

On the other hand, racists have historically referred to blacks "monkeys," (and arabs as "camel jockeys" or "ragheads," and so on), and that sure seems to be the sole basis of their calling Obama a monkey, because he neither looks nor acts like a monkey.

[one_voice]

13. It's not the same...

monkey/ape/gorilla was never used as an insult because of race with white people. It was and apparently still is against black people.

It's always been an ethnic slur against black people, that's the difference.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

29. No, it fucking isn't. nt

[PavePusher]

46. I agree. n/t

[panzerfaust]

50. "the 'monkey' part I can't see a being any different ..."

Because of ignorance of the history of anti-black racism?

Americans still linking blacks to apes

Crude historical depictions of African Americans as ape-like may have disappeared from mainstream U.S. culture, but research presented in a new paper by psychologists at Stanford, Pennsylvania State University and the University of California-Berkeley reveals that many Americans subconsciously associate blacks with apes.

In addition, the findings show that society is more likely to condone violence against black criminal suspects as a result of its broader inability to accept African Americans as fully human, according to the researchers...

Or because things like this just seem normal:

[toopers]

52. Should african-american republicans be offended by Bill Maher's recent comments?

Bill called the GOP the "party of apes"!

[Lionessa]

53. No, I don't see that they should.

I guess the racism I heard growing up never included primates, so I just don't see it.

I also just have a philosophical issue with a white man being called a chimp is okay but calling a black man a monkey isn't. Seems like oranges and oranges to me in this day and age, wherein monkey isn't that I've ever heard (till it was used against Obama, and have subsequently been so informed) as a racial slur

[arcane1]

3. “With a last name of Espinosa I’m anything but racist.”

Doesn't she realize how utterly stupid that sounds?? Only white people can be racist?

[KamaAina]

6. Because Latin@s are never, ever racist against African Americans.

Except in L.A., of course. And Phoenix, apparently.

[teddy51]

8. You forgot Florida, Zimmerman, Travon Martin.

[KamaAina]

27. Looks like I also forgot this

[Stuart G]

9. Racism and Hate are everywhere..

It is still wrong to call a public figure like the President that kind of racist name..

At one point David Petraeus (current head of CIA) was called by some who were against the war..Betray Us..

The right wing went of like an atom bomb...Disrespectfull to the General..etc..
We want an apology..now..
They forget so easily...

[EFerrari]

38. That was the name he was given by his own men, not by MoveOn.

MoveOn just borrowed it.

We need to liberate Arizona before it sinks under the weight of all that racist stupid.

[awoke_in_2003]

25. And Dallas...

My wife is Mexican American, and I can assure you that prejudice against African Americans does exist in the MA community.

[shanti]

51. they sure do!

i'm here in cali, and i personally know MA who are bigoted against AA as well, my BIL in particular.

[EFerrari]

37. She's white.

And if she's ethnically Latina, I'll eat Kid's leash. Okay, maybe I'll just chew on it a while. lol

[ForgoTheConsequence]

23. Not just that.

That name doesn't mean shit. There are lots of white Europeans with Spanish surnames. And there are plenty of Neo-Nazis in South America and Spain.

[EFerrari]

39. I wonder how many times she's dog whistled to her nutcase audience

and then used that red herring to get off the hook.

[kurtzapril4]

45. "With a name like Smuckers....."

Old commercial tagline. Kind of appropos here.

[BlueJazz]

11. Obama is an Ape...not a Monkey.

[one_voice]

14. ????

[lakercub]

15. I'm assuming (hoping)

this is from an evolutionary standpoint....where all human beings are apes.

[BlueJazz]

19. Oh Yes. I was just pointing out the woman's ignorance.

[BlueJazz]

17. All humans are Apes.

[one_voice]

20. ah...

thanks. makes sense.

[awoke_in_2003]

26. Don't say that out loud...

You will make the people who think we were made from dirt cry

[oldhippydude]

28. i came so close to posting an alert....

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

21. All hate radio rolls on

But the media is librul, so it's okay.

[hrmjustin]

22. Well she is just not too bright. n/t

[iuhsfsdfk]

24. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[methodman]

30. Reverse Thinking Republicans and their smarter descendants

I love the republicans Whatever they are thinking about themselves they attribute to the other guy or party. Romney's VP pick might be Marco Rubio or Tim Pawlenty or Rand Paul. The Southern Baptists voted in a black person president for the first time in their history. Whose pandering seem to swing more from trees reactively. Besides if a bonobo ape was hired to be the interpreter as a commentator for the Daily Show he/she would sign a more interesting conversation than any of the republican candidates.

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_savage_rumbaugh_on_apes_that_write.html

[lonestarnot]

31. Hmmmf.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=george+bush+and+monkey+pictures&id=F41765DC41B663FF1B6D7BC829AF57CF8B3D410F&FORM=IQFRBA

[ChazII]

32. Programming line up

http://www.1100kfnx.com/index.php?/program_lineup/

I can't find her show. I will be contacting the station tomorrow to voice my concern for what ever it is worth.

[eggplant]

33. Wait, people named Espinosa can't be racist? n/t

[progressivebydesign]

35. Yes, Esponosa apparently means "colorblind" in Spanish. n/t

[progressivebydesign]

34. "with a last name of Espinosa, I'm anything but racist."

FAIL. Unless Esponosa is an African name, she damn well could be very racist, and IS racist. Does she think only caucasians can be racist? What an idiot. What a racist.

[EFerrari]

36. Blog post has been pulled. n/t

[AsahinaKimi]

40. How about this?

http://www.eurweb.com/2012/06/arizona-radio-host-barbara-espinoza-calls-the-president-a-monkey-audio/


tons of info here too:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/16/1100538/-Racist-Arizona-GOP-Radio-Host-Calls-Obama-First-Monkey-President


how to contact the radio station:
http://www.1100kfnx.com/index.php?/contact/

[EFerrari]

41. Thank you, Kimi.

[AsahinaKimi]

47. you are welcome!

dou itashimashite!

[MrScorpio]

42. I'm convinced that there's a not so secret program to hire dumbasses as talk radio hosts

They're all over the place

[KatChatter]

43. The upside is at least she did not call him the N word...

which many of us know is going to come before November.

[judesedit]

44. Consider the source. She's going against her own people like Adam West

What's new? There are many dumb Americans, unfortunately, due to our piss poor educational system. Hopefully, the teachers will actually be abe to teach the students the facts....not propaganda, in the future. Pray alot.

[Catlover827]

48. I am so tired of this shit

Our president has been more disrespected than any other president in our history. I'm very proud of the dignified, classy way he has taken all of this crap.

[newspeak]

54. with all of the people looking for jobs, this is what our corporate media pushes on the masses?

I'm tired of the ignorant, hate spewing blowhards the corporations are hiring. What is their agenda? It seems like divide and conquer and direct the bigotry, blame and hate towards a certain group. Now, who else had a great PR apparatus? Hmmm, let me think? Gee, hitler's PR guys also found many scapegoats; like jews, homosexuals, people of color, gypsies, slavs, communists, unionists. It seems the blowhards never change.

It looks like espinoza, must be the european spanish type because she's looking very "white" to me.

Also, someone needs to tell her that president obama's mother was white. Oops, that might be a greater sin in their bigoted eyes.