11291: Fast Feeders Fight First Lady.

From The Los Angeles Times…

Michelle Obama’s nutrition campaign comes with political pitfalls

The first lady has pledged to fight junk-food ads aimed at children. But some say her desire to work with businesses kept her quiet when she was needed most.

By Matea Gold and Kathleen Hennessey

WASHINGTON — Shortly after she launched her signature anti-obesity initiative more than three years ago, Michelle Obama signaled she would take on a contentious issue: advertising for snacks, soft drinks, sugary cereals and fast food aimed at children.

She denounced ads that use cartoon characters to push junk food. She bluntly told executives “to step it up” to improve the foods they market to children.

And she promoted a White House “action plan” on obesity that praised a federal effort to come up with voluntary marketing guidelines — the most significant attempt in decades to limit ads targeting children.

But when food and media companies — including many that supported her anti-obesity campaign — mounted a fierce lobbying battle against the guidelines in 2011, the first lady went silent.

It wasn’t until earlier this year, after the guidelines had been blocked, that Obama resumed her call for more responsible food marketing.

Nutrition advocates disagree over how to rein in food and beverage company practices that they believe contribute to obesity, including the roughly $1.8 billion spent each year on marketing to kids: Will companies respond to voluntary efforts or only to government pressure?

Obama has come down on the side of persuasion. She has used her celebrity to reward corporations that join her campaign to encourage children to eat better and exercise more. And she has largely avoided public policy fights that could pit her against the companies, arguing that obesity cannot be eradicated “by passing a bunch of laws in Washington.”

Administration officials say she has notched some notable successes, and they blame Congress for killing the marketing guidelines.

But some who see themselves as Obama’s allies in the fight against obesity believe her desire to create partnerships with industry kept her quiet when her voice would have counted most. Fourteen companies that back Obama’s anti-obesity campaign helped kill the voluntary advertising guidelines, lobbying reports and other records show.

“The White House got cold feet,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who had championed the guidelines. “It sort of undermines everything that the first lady was doing.”

::

Since Obama launched “Let’s Move!” in February 2010, White House officials have insisted that working with industry is the only way to achieve the first lady’s goal of ending the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation.

“Business and business leaders are a vital component of the solution,” said Sam Kass, the executive director of Let’s Move! and the first lady’s senior policy advisor on nutrition. Obama declined a request for an interview.

The administration did secure industry backing for a requirement that restaurant menus list calorie information. And the first lady rallied support for a 2010 law that expanded the free school lunch program and set nutritional standards for food sold in schools.

But many public health advocates believe a more forceful approach is needed to limit food marketing.

“The industry has proven itself untrustworthy,” said Kelly D. Brownell of Duke University, a leading expert on obesity who has sometimes advised Obama’s program. “Somebody needs to lean on these companies more strongly.”

Obama has worked through the Partnership for a Healthier America; she is honorary chairwoman of the nonprofit group, which was set up to negotiate pledges from food providers to fight childhood obesity.

Wal-Mart has agreed to promote more healthful foods and build grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods. Darden, owner of the Olive Garden and other restaurants, promised to improve its children’s menus. And 16 food and beverage manufacturers, including Kraft, General Mills and Nestle, pledged to cut calories from their products.

The organization, however, has secured only a few pledges to change the way companies market food.

Read the full story here.

10972: Butting In On Mrs. Obama.

From The Washington Post…

Michelle Obama’s posterior again the subject of a public rant

By Krissah Thompson

They’re at it again.

The latest public rant against Michelle Obama’s effort to promote low-calorie school lunches was recently caught on tape in Alabama — the usual protest against the federal government meddling in local business. And then it quickly found its way around to the first lady’s posterior.

“Fat butt Michelle Obama,” said Bob Grisham, a high school football coach who was surreptitiously recorded by one of his students. “Look at her. She looks like she weighs 185 or 190. She’s overweight.”

Grisham, who was suspended Monday, is neither the first nor the most high-profile person to feel moved to comment on the first lady’s physique. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has repeatedly called her Michelle “My Butt” Obama. And Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, the Wisconsin Republican, issued an apology after he was caught commenting on her “large posterior.” (Grisham has also said he misspoke.)

Michelle Obama obviously is not the first first lady to be subjected to criticism for the way she looks. Hillary Clinton was accused of having “cankles” — slang for chubby ankles. One of her predecessors was immortalized in song by the group Mission of Burma: “I’m haunted by the freakish size of Nancy Reagan’s head /No way that thing came with that body.”

But what is it with Michelle Obama’s critics and the fixation with her derriere?

“We have a history in this country of white people not showing adequate respect for and devaluing the bodies of black women, and this most definitely falls in line with that,” says Ayana Byrd, the co-editor of the anthology “Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips and Other Parts.” (Grisham, Limbaugh and Sensenbrenner are white men.)

The focus on this first lady’s posterior has historical antecedents. It reaches back to the imagery of Hottentot Venus, a woman from what is now South Africa whose naked body and pronounced posterior were paraded in shows throughout 19th-century Europe. On to the selling and trading of black women’s bodies through slavery. In modern times, black women’s figures continue to be up for public discussion in ways that are celebratory (see: “Brick House” by The Commodores) and insulting (see above).

Michelle Obama — who is 5-foot-11 and praised for her fashion sense, her bangs and her toned biceps — regularly emerges in polls as one of the most popular public figures in the country. (The White House does not discuss her weight.) She has graced magazine covers from Vogue to Better Homes & Gardens. Women’s health magazines have created workouts to help other women get “Michelle Obama arms.”

Her presence as first lady challenges the historic view of a black woman’s place and notions of beauty, says Michaela Angela Davis, a fashion expert who has campaigned for more positive images of black women in the media. “Michelle is black from a distance. She’s a real black girl,” Davis says. “A lot of people have tried to make diversity into this weird beige thing. Her presence is just really powerful to interject into the global consciousness.”

The first lady’s critics “are reacting to the culture in which they’ve grown up or they are using it as a code to racialize Michelle Obama and remind people that she’s black,” says Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory University. “It is unreasonable to expect a nearly 50-year-old woman to have the body of a 25-year-old. She looks great for her age.”

Although the White House declined to comment, Michelle Obama was asked a few years ago during an interview whether the focus on her has affected her body image.

“No, not really — but I thank God I’m 45 in this and not 35. I feel bad for young women going through the same thing, because [at that age] you don’t know who you are. I know what makes me happy,” she said. “My message to women: Do what makes you feel good, because there’ll always be someone who thinks you should do it differently.”

Translation: Naysayers, butt out.

10486: First Lady Delivers.

See it here.

10450: First Slave Lady Michelle Obama.

From Madame Noire…

Todavía Esclavos: The Real Message Behind Fuera de Serie’s Michelle Obama Cover

By Brande Victorian

Yes, that’s who you think it is. The wife of Barack Obama, the right-hand woman of the Commander-in-Chief of our nation, the First Lady of the United States; naked, nude, depicted as a slave on the cover of the August issue of the Spanish magazine, Fuera de Serie. Seated wrapped in an American flag, with one breast exposed, and a wrap around her head in the likeness of the famous Afro-Guadeloupean female slave painted by French artist Marie-Guilhelmine Benoist in 1800, the weekly lifestyle supplement to the Spanish newspaper Expansión wants to convey como “Michelle Se Come A Obama (Michelle eats Obama).”

It’s hard to say which came first, the clever headline that accompanies the feature on the Flotus, “Michelle Tataranieta De Esclava, Dueña De América” (Michelle great-great granddaughter of a slave, owner of America) or the brilliant idea to use artist Karine Percheron-Daniels’ nude image of her. But one thing that is consistently clear throughout the entire piece, whether by imagery or word choice, is the idea that Michelle Obama is and always will be a slave in far too many people’s eyes, no matter how far we’re removed from physical enslavement, and how high of a position she’s climbed to in society.

Before even dissecting the slave imagery depicted throughout this article, on the surface is a simple form of disrespect that is undeniable—the First Lady of the United States in the nude. Michelle Obama is far from being the only person Percheron-Daniels has recreated in this way, in fact she’s developed an entire series of “famous nudes” that includes portraits of Princess Diana, Eva Peron, Albert Einstein, and even Barack Obama in the buff. Though I can’t be completely certain, I’m almost sure none of those images has been plastered on the cover of a magazine in such a distasteful way, however. Not to mention, I would be shocked to find someone had the audacity to paint any of our other previous first ladies (or presidents for that matter) in such a way. And what’s most interesting is that despite being nude, all of the famous figures are shown naked with either a blank canvas behind them or elements that were relative to the time and place in which they existed. The same can’t be said of Michelle Obama, who it’s clear many would like to still think of as a slave, but who is a free woman, and a descendant of a free woman, who is also a descendant of a free woman. So why the slave representation?

According to Clutch, Percheron-Daniels wanted to showcase an “alternative unexpected reality” that allows us to “view famous individuals in a different way.” Michelle Obama as a slave isn’t all that unexpected, unfortunately, and it’s interesting how none of her other nude subjects are depicted in such a so-called alternative way. Digging herself into an even bigger hole, the artist says transforming Michelle Obama into Benoist’s slave figure was done “for obvious reasons.” So obvious, that she neglected to explain them, so allow me to fill in the blanks. The obvious reason is Michelle Obama is an obvious and proven descendant of slaves and the powers that be would never want her or any other negro/negriss to forget that no matter how far they climb up the socio-economic or political ladder, they (we) are and will always be nothing more than someone else’s laborers. We will always answer and be owned by someone else. And no matter how many rights we legally obtain, we will never be free. By choosing to use such a jarring image to tell the story of how America’s first lady “seduced the people of the United States” and “stole the heart of Barack Obama,” as Fuera de Serie describes her, it’s clear the magazine agrees with that mentality and wants to spread the message loud and clear: todavía estamos esclavos. We are still slaves. It’s a good thing there are more Barack and Michelle’s out here who are determined to prove that slave mentality false.

10181: Mickey Mouse Maneuver.

Reuters reported Disney will stop some junk-food advertising on children’s TV shows and websites. “Some” is the critical word here. Disney, of course, will not stop using its characters in promotional and licensing tie-ins with junk-food manufacturers. Hell, the corporation would introduce Mickey Mouse Malt Liquor® if there were a possibility of profit.

Disney to stop some junk-food ads on kids’ TV, websites

Reuters

Walt Disney Co., owner of the ABC broadcast network and a suite of cable channels, will stop accepting some junk-food ads on TV programs, radio shows and websites aimed at children, according to sources with knowledge of the plan.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger and first lady Michelle Obama plan to make an announcement on Tuesday in Washington, the sources said.

The United States faces an obesity epidemic. Nearly one-third of U.S. children are overweight or obese, and a 2006 Institute of Medicine report said junk food marketing contributed to childhood obesity.

The Disney move follows New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s announcement last week of a plan to ban sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces (about half a liter) in most restaurants, theaters, delis and vending carts throughout the city.

The ban, also aimed at fighting obesity, would affect drinks equivalent to what McDonald’s Corp calls small and has incensed food and beverage makers, many of which have agreed to voluntary nutritional measures.

Disney plans to cut advertising during children’s programming on its networks such as ABC and Disney XD or its kid-focused websites for foods that fail to meet minimum nutrition requirements, the sources said.

A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment on Tuesday’s announcement.

The media and entertainment conglomerate introduced voluntary guidelines in 2006 that prohibited licensing of Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters for foods that fail to meet minimum nutrition the requirements.

The guidelines set limits on the amount of calories, fat and added sugar for main and side dishes and snacks.

Last year, top U.S. food and drink makers including Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola and Kellogg Co agreed to voluntary nutrition criteria for products advertised to children.

9664: Schooling The Clueless.

From The Root…

Mrs. YoMama Controversy: Not Again

By Mary C. Curtis

It should be common sense; here are some helpful hints for how to avoid forwarding racist emails.

One thing I hate to do is act as teacher to the clueless. But it’s clear, after the speaker of the Kansas House, Republican Mike O’Neal, forwarded an email with pictures making fun of first lady Michelle Obama’s appearance and calling her “Mrs. YoMama,” that school is once again in session.

You would think these folks—including Wisconsin GOP Rep. James Sensenbrenner, with his unhealthy obsession with what he called the first lady’s “large posterior”; the South Carolina Republican activist who once compared her to a zoo’s escaped gorilla; and all the other offenders—would have at least learned self-control. But since they can’t seem to help themselves, some lessons bear repeating. Read and learn.

1. When people who aren’t black use slang that purports to be “black,” it just makes them look incredibly foolish. To all who thought the email O’Neal sent was hilarious, you need to know that black people don’t go around saying “YoMama” in conversation. (After holiday visits with family, I can report that the term did not come up once.) Use the term around anyone, particularly your actual mother, and random black people within earshot will make that circle-around-the-head motion and slowly back away. (Hint: Black people call other black people by their names.)

Words such as “YoMama” are used by people who don’t know anything about black people to mock them. It’s how they imagine black folks speak, and the fact that they spend so much time imagining such things is something they probably should discuss with a doctor. Either that, or spend some time with black people.

2. The cartoon in O’Neal’s email showed Mrs. Obama’s hair blowing in the wind and compared it to an image of Dr. Seuss’ Grinch. Hair is hair. A black person’s hair is no exception. It comes in all different textures and styles. We wash it, dry it, curl it, straighten it or leave it be—and sometimes it even blows in the wind. Our hair is not a secret weapon or a hiding place for one.

3. An apology goes something like this: “I messed up; I’m sorry.” In O’Neal’s apology, first reported in the Lawrence Journal-World, he said he didn’t read the email before he forwarded it and had no idea it labeled Mrs. Obama with a racist slur. He made clear that he did indeed intend to share the cartoon, which he thought was a real thigh-slapper.

In a statement, O’Neal said, “I’ve had bad hair days too … To those I have offended, I am sorry. That was not at all my intent.” Did you write that statement—the one that repeats one part of your insult before implying that anyone who had a problem with the email might be too thin-skinned—with a straight face, Mr. O’Neal? No apology at all would have been better.

4. No woman likes to be insulted and demeaned or compared to cartoon characters. Just because black women are used to such treatment (and worse) in America does not mean they think it’s OK. Would your wife or mother, daughter or sister, like it? What would you do to the guy who spread insults about them? Keep it up, and even no-drama Obama might be tempted to punch you in the mouth.

5. A little history and geography lesson is also in order for those who continue to grumble that the president and first lady took a Hawaiian vacation on the taxpayers’ dime. All presidents take well-deserved breaks; many Americans, for that matter, return home for the holidays. For me, that meant seeing hubby’s mom in New York and my family in Baltimore. President Bush loved to clear brush in Crawford, Texas.
President Obama returns to Hawaii because he was born and mostly grew up there. (Yes, it is a state.) It’s where the grandmother who helped raise him lived until her death in 2008. He can’t help it if his home has beaches, warm weather and killer optics.

In November 2012 there will be an election when all those who want a new family in the White House will have the chance to make their dreams a reality. It’s how America works. Until then, the first family we have is the image the United States presents to the world. Some respect, or at least good sense, is in order.

And one final lesson: When you receive a nasty email, “delete” works so much better than “forward.”

Mary C. Curtis, an award-winning Charlotte, N.C.-based journalist, is a contributor to the Washington Post’s She the People blog, The Root, NPR, Fox News Charlotte, Creative Loafing and the Nieman Watchdog blog, and she was national correspondent for Politics Daily.

9658: Mike O’Neal Is O’Racist.

From The Associated Press…

Apology follows email referring to Michelle Obama as ‘Mrs. YoMama’

By Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal apologized Thursday for forwarding an email poking fun at first lady Michelle Obama and referring to her as “Mrs. YoMama.”

The Lawrence Journal-World reported Thursday that O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican, sent the email from his personal account. The email also had a photo comparing Mrs. Obama to the Grinch and the subject line, “Twins separated at birth?”

The photo has been circulating on the Internet and shows Mrs. Obama’s hair being swept by the wind, recalling a drawing of the fictional Dr. Seuss character from the classic Christmas cartoon. In forwarding the email, O’Neal joked that he’d “had worse hair days.”

“Cartoons are intended to be humorous,” O’Neal said in a statement. “This one made me laugh — I’ve had bad hair days too. I forwarded it too quickly, missing the text included in the body of the email. To those I have offended, I am sorry. That was not at all my intent.”

It was the second email O’Neal sent from his personal account regarding President Barack Obama and his family. The Journal-World reports that O’Neal recently sent along an email to House Republicans referring to the president with a Bible verse that says, “Let his days be few and brief.”

Spokeswoman Alyson Rodee said the email was referring to Obama’s days in office.

Rodee defended the forwarding of the second email, describing it as a “lighthearted political cartoon.” She said it also dealt with “extravagant spending of taxpayer funds” by the first lady when many Americans are struggling.

“I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing Mrs. YoMama a wonderful, long Hawaii Christmas vacation — at our expense, of course,” the email says. Mrs. Obama and the president, a Democrat, spent the holidays in Hawaii, where he was born and mostly raised.

But Kansas Democratic party Chairwoman Joan Wagnon said the email demeaned the first lady and that forwarding it was “highly offensive, disrespectful and unacceptable.”

“Regardless of how he feels about President Obama’s politics, Speaker O’Neal’s decision to promote language demeaning Mrs. Obama is simply wrong,” Wagnon said.

The earlier email, also circulating on the Internet, refers to a bumper sticker that reads “Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8.” The verse says, “Let his days be few and brief; and let others step forward to replace him.”

“At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!”

9525: Racing And Racism…?

First Lady Michelle Obama was booed at a NASCAR event on Sunday. No big surprise.

8782: UnCommon Controversy.

From The New York Daily News…

By inviting Common to the White House, Barack and Michelle Obama miss a golden opportunity

By Thomas Chatterton Williams

The conservative backlash against the Obama administration’s decision to invite Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr., the rapper known as Common, to the White House on Wednesday night for a poetry slam is both overblown and off the mark.

Citing the lyrics of a poem that Common recited during an HBO appearance, Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin and even the New Jersey State Police have all joined the chorus of voices depicting the emcee as “dangerous,” “controversial” and a ghetto “radical.” In fact, he is none of these things. Common, a Chicago-native formerly known as Common Sense, is — as far as these things go — a socially conscious lyricist who has toiled in relative obscurity for most of his career, and to some degree, still is overshadowed by his far more flamboyant and ignorant colleagues. He is what used to be called a “backpack rapper,” meaning that your white, pot-smoking college roommate would be exponentially more likely to find him interesting than would any gun-toting thug on the street. To criticize him as some diabolical “threat” to God-fearing, law-abiding Americans is both disingenuous and willfully blind to the overall body of his work.

However, there are some real reasons to be disappointed with the White House over this invitation. The truth is that the first black First Family has — or perhaps I should say “had” — an unprecedented opportunity and platform to push black America forward and away from the dumbed-down and omnipresent influence of hip hop music and culture. Michelle Obama could have used the occasion of her highly publicized poetry slam to highlight and promote the work of literary artists who are not part of the hip hop echo chamber. In fact, that is what she did do, but these other artists have been forgotten in the controversy surrounding Common. Why was it necessary to invite him in the first place?

As Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, put it, Common was invited to the event “partly because of his efforts to bring poetry to audiences that don’t get to experience it. And we think that’s a positive thing.” This is a problematic justification for a couple of reasons.

First, these audiences are precisely the ones that most need to be shown that poetry — and for that matter, literature, self-expression, black identity and life in general — exist outside of a hip hop vacuum. Using a rapper, even a backpack rapper, as the means of reaching out to these audiences only reinforces the very provincialism the White House is supposedly seeking to counter.

Second, it is our sad reality to find ourselves in an era in which the bar for what is considered to be “positive” is set so low that anyone who rhymes words together for a living and refrains from advocating selling drugs may be said to fit the label. No, Common is not the negative force so many conservatives would now have us believe he is. But neither is he anything all that great, either. He’s pretty neutral in the grand scheme of things.

On the other hand, the Obamas, since they took the national stage by storm several years ago, were and still are in many of our eyes truly positive examples not of black people but of Americans in general. On more than one occasion, the President has spoken candidly and bravely about a slew of cultural traps that continue to bedevil our nation’s black youth. And when he has spoken, we have listened. This is why it is so dismaying to see him undermine his laudable message and example through his and his wife’s sometimes too-close proximity to hip hop artists and powerbrokers.

We don’t need the Obamas to tell us that Common is a great poet or that Jay-Z and Lil’ Wayne are cool entertainers. That is the message we hear everywhere around us. What we do need desperately is for the Obamas to use their unrivaled visibility and influence to push us in new and uncomfortable directions. Sadly, this was another missed opportunity to do just that.

Williams is author of “Losing My Cool: Love, Literature and a Black Man’s Escape from the Crowd.”

8541: Food For Thoughtlessness.

Perusing the menu in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• An Indiana restaurant that erected billboards making references to the 1978 Jonestown cult massacre (pictured above) decided to take down the signs after receiving complaints that the message was offensive and insensitive. However, customers can get a great meal deal at the restaurant through the equally offensive Groupon.

• Rush Limbaugh dissed First Lady Michelle Obama for eating short ribs during her trip to Colorado, insisting the meal contradicted her promotion of nutrition and exercise. “The problem is, and dare I say this, it doesn’t look like Michelle Obama follows her own nutritionary, dietary advice,” said Limbaugh. “And then we hear that she’s out eating ribs at 1,500 calories a serving with 141 grams of fat per serving … I’m trying to say that our First Lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue or of a woman Alex Rodriguez might date every six months or what have you.” Would someone please serve the obese former drug addict a pitcher of cyanide-laced Kool-Aid?

8396: Dap Goes Pop.

FYI

8376: Women’s Wit And Wisdom.

Girl talk in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Comedienne Joan Rivers pulled a joke about First Lady Michelle Obama from her stand-up routine. The joke, drawing comparisons between Mrs. Obama and former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, went like this: “We used to have Jackie O. Now we have Blackie O!” Rivers decided to dump the line, fearing she’d be deemed a racist. “I thought it was a funny complimentary joke when she first came [to the White House],” said Rivers during an interview. For Rivers to expect people to view any of her jokes as complimentary is, well, insulting.

• After over a year of postponing taking her oath as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Rev. Bernice King announced she doesn’t want the job at all. The decision to step away from the rights group co-founded by her iconic father comes on the heels of SCLC internal divisions, scrutinized finances and the indictment of its former chairman on theft charges. What’s next—booking Joan Rivers as entertainment for the next SCLC convention?

8144: Miscellaneous Mumbo Jumbo.

Miscellany in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The first licensed clothing line commemorating the Jackson 5 will launch in February 2011. Look for plenty of clumsy tie-ins with Black History Month.

• General Motors is firing Mr. Goodwrench. Despite 37 years of serving as GM’s dealer service icon, the character will be eliminated February 1, 2011. Great, dump him on the first day of Black History Month.

• A conservative Muslim government minister in Indonesia sparked controversy for shaking hands with First Lady Michelle Obama. The official has historically flaunted his conservatism, saying he avoids contact with women not related to him. Now the man is claiming Michelle Obama forced him to shake her hand. Whatever. This scenario will no doubt completely confuse the group of Americans who believe President Obama is a Muslim.

• Former BP Chief Tony Hayward admitted during a recent interview that the oil company was unprepared for the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the media frenzy it generated. Gee, thanks, Tony. Although the majority of people on Earth could have told you that around, oh, April 20, 2010.

• Sources indicate the initial findings of President Obama’s independent commission into what caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster will support many of the conclusions BP made in its own internal investigation. Hey, somebody make sure Tony Hayward gets copies of both reports.

7568: Chief Executive Offender.

From The New York Daily News…

Tennessee CEO Walt Baker sorry for ‘humor’ e-mail gag comparing Michelle Obama to Tarzan’s chimp

By Michael Sheridan
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

An emailed “joke” from a Tennesee CEO comparing the First Lady to a famous movie chimp ended up being no laughing matter.

The CEO of the Tennessee Hospitality Association issued an apology this weekend for an offensive e-mail he recently sent to several people, including members of the press and a public official, comparing Michelle Obama to Cheetah from the Tarzan movies.

“I deeply apologize to anyone who is offended by this action,” Walt Baker said in a statement.

“I hope that those who know me realize that the message was not intended to be malicious or hurtful in any way and can find it in their hearts to forgive me.”

However, Baker is apparently confused on why someone would find it offensive, describing the joke as “political humor.”

“I did not think or consider its implications, other than that it was political humor,” he wrote. “I am saddened that anyone misinterpreted the sentiments behind the e-mail.”

Baker’s e-mail, which someone had sent him and he forwarded, contained a photo of Michelle Obama along side a photo of Tarzan’s chimpanzee sidekick.

“I have never considered myself bigoted, or racially insensitive, or a racist,” Baker told News Channel 5.

The president of Nashville’s Convention & Visitors Bureau, Butch Spyridon, was one of the people to receive the e-mail, and said he was “embarrassed” by the gag.

“The content is deeply hurtful to all in our city and beyond,” he wrote in a statement. “The attitudes expressed in the email are both appalling and unacceptable, and are not shared or condoned in anyway by the NCVB or by me personally.”

Spyridon said Baker’s marketing firm, Mercatus Communications, has since lost its contract to help promote the city’s new convention center.

“The e-mail was extremely offensive,” Nashville’s Mayor Karl Dean said in a statement. “It does not reflect who we are as a city and our values.”

According to WSMV Channel 4 News in Nashville, this isn’t the first time an e-mail with racist content has caused a controversy in the southern city.

Back in October, several hundred state workers received an e-mail proclaiming “white pride,” and shortly after that, 20 Senate staffers were sent an e-mail from a legislative aide with President Obama seen on a black background as just a pair of eyes.

“I regret having done it,” Baker said on News Channel 5. “I wished I had not pushed that button.”

7282: Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.

Holiday appetizers in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Did anyone else think—upon learning of the Virginia couple who crashed President Obama’s state dinner on Tuesday—that there would have been a much different reaction had the two been minorities?

• The offensive image of First Lady Michelle Obama has been removed from its original source, a blog called Hot Girls. Google added a text ad above the image titled “Offensive Search Results” that stated “Sometimes our search results can be offensive. We agree.” Look for Bing® to capitalize on the mess.

6859: House Music.

From The New York Times…

Music in the (White) House

By Rush & Molloy

White House social secretary Desirée Rogers is firing back at critics who think the Obamas are letting pop culture cheapen the presidential residence.

The administration took some heat when it recently let Mariah Carey’s husband, Nick Cannon, use the North Lawn to tout “America’s Got Talent.” But Rogers tells us, “The President wants the White House to be a stage.

“We want Americans feeling they’re part of the house,” the stylish Rogers told us at a gathering of the Creative Coalition this week.

The Obamas’ populism — and this woeful economy — explain why they’ve chosen to host fewer grand state dinners and more public events where children are invited.

“It’s great to see a performance there,” she said. “It is more than great when you’re also teaching.”

On Monday, Wynton Marsalis was there teaching jazz. On July 21, the subject will be country music.

The Obamas dig country?

“They like all kinds of music,” said Rogers, who promised classical and Latin will follow.

And, since the White House screening room has only 42 seats, she said, “We might have a big screen on the lawn.”

Rogers, who schmoozed with a Coalition crowd that included Dana Delany, Tim Daly, Rocco Landesman and designer Nanette Lepore, said she was told the black-tie crowd at state dinners would never dance.

“So we got Earth, Wind and Fire,” said Rogers, the first African-American to hold the job. “And by the end, they were doing a conga line.”

6840: Dead Men Walking.

Sorry statements in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• GOP activist Rusty DePass has made his own life a living hell, as he’ll likely face a storm of criticism for his racist remark involving First Lady Michelle Obama. The moron commented on a Facebook report about the escaped gorilla at a South Carolina zoo by writing, “I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors—probably harmless.” DePass apologized, of course, and even compounded the problems by insisting he was referring to a statement made by the First Lady. “The comment was hers, not mine,” explained Depass, saying Obama recently remarked that humans descended from apes. Not sure what DePass descended from.

• Activists are organizing to protest the sexual harassment women routinely face while riding public transportation in Chicago. Riders have been surveyed, indicating incidents of harassment are frequent. “A lot of people don’t realize that when they’re getting catcalled or someone touches them in the wrong way, that’s harassment,” said one activist. “They think that’s just part of their day.” However, no one thinks Rusty DePass is cool.

• Captain America is not dead after all. After getting killed two years ago, the iconic comic book hero is being resurrected in a series titled, “Captain America Reborn.” His first mission will involve kicking the ass of Rusty DePass.

6706: Michelle Obama—Chief Diversity Officer.

From Newsweek.com…

Michelle Hits Her Stride
The first lady’s diverse approach to diversity.

By Allison Samuels

There have been plenty of un-veiling ceremonies for new statues at the U.S. Capitol. But when Michelle Obama peeled the cover off the bronze bust of abolitionist Sojourner Truth last week, the moment was heavy with symbolism. Truth is the first African-American woman to be honored with a statue in the Capitol. In a way no first lady before her ever could have done, Obama connected the dots between herself and the black feminist pioneer. “Now many young boys and girls like my own daughters will come to Emancipation Hall and see the face of a woman who looks like them,” she told the gathering. “I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the first lady of the United States of America.”

It was just the kind of scene I’d been hoping for when Barack Obama won the presidency last fall. I knew that Michelle Obama was already changing the way we see ourselves as African-American women. But I also hoped she would begin to knock down ugly stereotypes and educate people about American black culture. What’s remarkable now—just over that much-hyped 100-day mark—is how quickly and decisively Michelle has taken on the issues that matter most to us.

From the start, Michelle never shied away from being an African-American role model. “I think it’s clear that Michelle Obama is very comfortable in her own skin,” says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center of American Women in Politics at Rutgers University. “She’s not sending a message that I’m the first lady who just happens to be African-American. She’s saying I’m an African-American first lady. There is a difference, and she’s not afraid to show that.”

One place that difference is already showing up: the White House guest list. When Michelle held a daylong program for Women’s History Month in March, white celebs Sheryl Crow and Fran Drescher were among the invited “role models.” But “I would say that 80 percent of the women role models were African-American,” says Debra Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Holdings, who was asked to speak. “And that was just amazing to be a part of because these women are just not given that type of recognition enough.”

While black stars like WNBA champ Lisa Leslie and singer Alicia Keys fanned out to talk to students at D.C. schools, Michelle herself headed to Anacostia High School, one of the city’s most troubled. Michelle shared her own modest background and described the ridicule she faced from neighborhood kids for “acting white” when she got good grades. “To have her sit right before us like that and seem so real and sincere was like a movie or something,” says La Tisha Butler, 17. “We were all tripping because she said getting good grades wasn’t acting white … I could tell she really cared about us. It wasn’t just some speech.”

Later that night, more than 150 girls—also mostly minorities—were invited back to dinner at the White House, where they were paired up with women like actress Debbie Allen, black female astronaut Mae Jemison and Rutgers University basketball coach Vivian Stringer. “I can only imagine as a young black girl what that would have meant to me to see and hear all those women tell me I could be what I wanted,” says Stringer, who juggled coaching games in the NCAA playoffs to attend.

There are few photo-ops that show the first lady with anything but a diverse group. “Mrs. Obama’s agenda has always been to include everyone and make sure the White House is open to all people,” says Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Michelle’s press secretary. “We make a point at each event to make sure you see all types of faces of people with different types of stories. It’s exactly the same thing she did on the campaign trail.”

Friends say that Michelle’s own self-confidence and comfort in navigating between different cultures has made it easy for her to implement her own agenda now. “She’s her own woman with her own ideas, and that wasn’t going to change just because she got into the White House,” said one friend who asked not to be identified discussing private details about the Obamas. “She knows she’s the first role model black women have seen at this level and she knows the incredible opportunity she has to uplift them.”

Obama’s outreach to her own community has also meant granting interviews to publications that don’t normally rate a seat in the White House briefing room. In her cover story with Black Hair, Michelle described her morning routine of getting the girls ready for school. (The magazine also featured styling tips from Michelle’s hairdresser.) This month, Michelle and her mother, Marian Robinson, are on the cover of Essence; inside, they speak about raising confident and successful children in the black community. And this is her second Essence cover since January. “Our audience is fascinated by this woman and her family,” said Angela Burt-Murray, editor of Essence. And she is gracious enough to share that with us. She knows what she means to our community.”

You might think all this focus on African-Americans might be a turnoff to the nonblack part of the nation. But so far Michelle’s approval ratings match or even surpass her husband’s. Last month, she hit 72 percent in a Gallup poll. “Who could have seen this coming after the New Yorker cover and all the other negative press she received last year,” says Walsh.

Part of Michelle’s appeal may stem from her diverse approach to diversity. She turned the White House fountains green for St. Patrick’s Day and, along with the president, hosted the White House’s first-ever Passover seder. “She did exactly the same thing when she was an executive in Chicago—put a group of different people together and allowed voices to be heard that hadn’t been before,” said Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Capital and who has known the Obamas for more than 10 years. “That’s who she is—it’s a natural thing for her to do.”

Michelle’s agenda is playing out in subtler ways, too. The first lady has made a point of wearing a variety of lesser-known, minority designers—a habit that has infuriated some established designers. But model Naomi Campbell thinks the first lady’s clothes are meant to send a distinct message to designers who rarely hire black models. “Why would she concern herself with mainstream designers who don’t even put their clothes on women who look like her in ads or fashion shows?” Campbell asks.

There will continue to be endless opportunities for Mrs. Obama to make a difference in the African-American community over the next four years. And endless opportunities for critics to assess her impact. But for many African-American women like me—who still stop in awe when we see her face on magazine covers—just knowing Michelle Obama is comfortable in her own skin is a pretty good start.

6399: What’s Out.

Toying with the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Ty Incorporated is shelving its dolls inspired by Sasha and Malia Obama, despite the company’s insistence the toys were not modeled after the girls. First Lady Michelle Obama officially dissed the dolls last month. The Ty website now lists Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia as retired, while eBay offered the duo at up to $100. Look for replacement dolls Bold Barack and Magnificent Michelle to debut soon.

• Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was released from prison after serving 99 days for lying during a 2007 whistle-blowers’ trial. A spokesman said Kilpatrick is scheduled for a job interview in Texas on Wednesday. Wonder how he’ll explain the 99-day hole in his résumé.

6363: Tossing Cookies.

Cooking up the news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A Greenwich Village bakery cooked up controversy by creating “Drunken Negro Face” cookies to honor President Barack Obama on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The place received numerous complaints from folks in the community. “I’m sorry that people were offended by the cookie,” said the owner. “We were just trying to make a large number of people happy, and instead we made a large number of people confused and angry.” The bakery is—you guessed it—French..

• First Lady Michelle Obama dissed the new dolls fashioned after her daughters. “We believe it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes,” stated a White House spokeswoman. Now toymaker Ty Incorporated is backpedaling, claiming the dolls—named “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia” are not representing the Obama girls. Ty is fucking lying, pardon our French.

• Harley-Davidson announced plans to fire 1,100 workers, citing the bad economy. “We reduced our production levels prudently in 2008, helping our dealers achieve lower inventory levels,” said the chief executive, “and we’re going to show similar discipline in 2009.” Either that or introduce the Obamotorcycle.

• Toyota officially passed General Motors as the world’s biggest automaker. GM’s only chance to regain dominance would involve introducing the Obamobile.

• Microsoft deleted 1,400 workers, and plans to trash up to 5,000 jobs in the next 18 months—firing employees for the first time in its history. Folks were told to clean out their Microsoft Offices and, oh, never mind.