Friday, February 27, 2009

Watermelons

The southern CA mayor who sent out an email with a picture of the white house lawn covered in watermelon plants and the comment, "no easter egg hunt this year" has resigned. His constituents have expressed concern with working with him, given the overt racist overtones of the email, which he says he sent to a "small circle of friends". Obviously, in the land of the Internet, these things really can't be expected to remain private - one of those "friends" took offense and publically chastised him.
Grose says he accepts that the e-mail was in poor taste and has affected his ability to lead the city. Grose said he didn't mean to offend anyone and claimed he was unaware of the racial stereotype linking black people with eating watermelons.
"Unaware of the racial stereotype". Which is an obvious lie. If he didn't know that it was a racial slur, why did he send the image? What's funny about it, if you don't associate watermelons and black people? What did he think was funny about it?

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