Arizona Elementary School to "Whiten" Student Portrayed in Mural

[elder999]

Seen here and here :

An artist's decision to prominently feature a non-white child on an elementary-school mural in Prescott, Ariz., sparked so much controversy that school administrators asked him to "lighten" the child's face after a city councilman launched a campaign against the mural, according to the Arizona Republic.
The Prescott episode isn't likely to help Arizona's growing reputation as a battleground of racial and ethnic confrontation, as the state faces a widespread boycott campaign over its harsh new immigration law.
The mural, which was funded by a state grant, features the faces of four actual students at the school and is intended to promote biking and other environmentally sustainable modes of transportation. The most prominent face on it belongs to a Latino student.
Steve Blair didn't like that. Blair, local city councilman and talk-radio host, inveighed against the mural on his show last month, according to the New York Daily News:

"I am not a racist individual," Blair said on a [COLOR=#366388! important][COLOR=#366388! important]radio [COLOR=#366388! important]show[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] last month, "but I will tell you depicting a black guy in the middle of that mural, based upon who's President of the United States today and based upon the history of this community, when I grew up we had four black families — who I have been very good friends with for years — to depict the biggest picture on that building as a [COLOR=#366388! important][COLOR=#366388! important]black [COLOR=#366388! important]person[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], I would have to ask the question, 'Why?' "

 

[tellner]

Stay classy, Arizona.

 

[girlbug2]

Examples of modern day racism such as this continue to surprise me. I keep thinking, "aren't we beyond that now?" But obviously not.

Cool mural btw.I wish somebody would hire that artist to redo a few of the ugly murals blighting the L.A. landscape.

 

[tellner]

They don't even pretend any longer. As I said before, Joe Arpaio has taken a break from forcing pregnant women to dig graves for dead children. Now he's proud that the new Arizona laws are "anti-Latino". Not "anti-illegal immigration". Not "anti-crime". Against a particular "race".

It hasn't been that long since Asians could not become citizens and Americans could lose their citizenship for having relations with them. I'm surprised the anti-Chinese Society hasn't started up again. I suppose they own us so it would be bad for business.

Jim Crow is barely dead, and the Libertarians, Republicans and teabaggers want to revive it.

Fox News has a steady drumbeat of hatred towards people whose only crime is to love the wrong people. Just a couple days ago they equated gays with Al Qaeda.

Hatred of Muslims is damned near at Toten Jude! levels.

And the only reason the Religious Right isn't piling more hate onto Jews is they want us alive long enough to be shipped to Israel. Then almost all of us will be killed by Arabs which will let Jesus come back.

 

[RandomPhantom700]

Just a couple days ago they equated gays with Al Qaeda.

Where do you get this from? I don't watch Fox very often, so I'm honestly curious.

 

[tellner]

Where do you get this from? I don't watch Fox very often, so I'm honestly curious.

Bill O'Reilly on his Friday show. One of many links

Quote:

When discussing a new touching gay-themed McDonald’s commercial airing in France, O’Reilly suggested that straight customers watching the ad would lose their appetite. And when his guest, Fox News anchor Jane Skinner explained to O’Reilly that the ad was one of a series of the company’s “come as you are” campaign featuring consumers from all walks of life, O’Reilly asked "Do they have an Al Qaeda ad, too?"

Google O'Reilly gays Al Qaeda. The clip is all over the place.

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

Did you even bother to listen to the clip, or are you so scared of sharing the rhetoric your masters pass on to you that you just post that nonsense anyways? I don't watch fox or listen to this guy, but that is absolutely not what he said or insinuated.
He simply commented about the add not making a person hungry, and that it is simply a political statement. He then joked about the come as you are slogan being used and threw out the ridiculous scenario of an Al Queda version.... nowhere did he say Gays were Al Queda.
you people are desperate to make anyone not you seem evil.

 

[knuckleheader]

And the only reason the Religious Right isn't piling more hate onto Jews is .......

The leftist Lib Helen Thomas is doing for us(sarcastic)

tellner, you're a pisser

 

[RandomPhantom700]

Bill O'Reilly on his Friday show. One of many links

Quote:



Google O'Reilly gays Al Qaeda. The clip is all over the place.

O_O! Wow, every time I think he's sunk as low as possible, someone chucks him a shovel. No Spin Zone, indeed.

 

[RandomPhantom700]

Did you even bother to listen to the clip, or are you so scared of sharing the rhetoric your masters pass on to you that you just post that nonsense anyways? I don't watch fox or listen to this guy, but that is absolutely not what he said or insinuated.
He simply commented about the add not making a person hungry, and that it is simply a political statement. He then joked about the come as you are slogan being used and threw out the ridiculous scenario of an Al Queda version.... nowhere did he say Gays were Al Queda.
you people are desperate to make anyone not you seem evil.

He was "joking" (I guess) that McDonald's campaign was willing to bring anyone in, even terrorists, i.e. it has no standards. Yes, that's equating gays and terrorists. I actually agree with him on the whole not-making-you-hungry part, but the Al'Queda joke?

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

He was "joking" (I guess) that McDonald's campaign was willing to bring anyone in, even terrorists, i.e. it has no standards. Yes, that's equating gays and terrorists. I actually agree with him on the whole not-making-you-hungry part, but the Al'Queda joke?

I think thats a huge stretch... people will see what they want to see, and make the connections they want to make..
some people want so desperately for this guy and others who represent the right, or republican, or conservative, or the whatever side that they will make any connection possible.
I dont see these same people going crazy when Reid makes racist remarks, or similar from any of the heros on the left side.

 

[geezer]

Stay classy, Arizona.

You can bet we will, Todd. "Lighten the kids faces"? Heck, why not. Look what it did for Michael Jackson. Or, leave the faces brown and just alter the message on the mural so instead of "Go Green" it says "Go Greencard"... or if you really want to go for baroque, shorten it to the word "Go!" and paint in an an image of Sheriff Joe as the Archangel Michael, complete with flaming sword driving the little buggers out of Eden and back across the border! Man, I'd do that for free, except my wife is much better at murals. I'm actually more of a sculptor...

 

[elder999]

You can bet we will, Todd. "Lighten the kids faces"? Heck, why not. Look what it did for Michael Jackson.

Tongue planted firmly in cheek, I trust. This is almost funny.

Who knows what it did for Michael, though? Dude was nuttier than a wagonload of pralines.....:lfao:

It's wrong, though-almost as bad as the one I made in the Gary Coleman thread...

Or, leave the faces brown and just alter the message on the mural so instead of "Go Green" it says "Go Greencard"... or if you really want to go for baroque, shorten it to the word "Go!" and paint in an an image of Sheriff Joe as the Archangel Michael, complete with flaming sword driving the little buggers out of Eden and back across the border! Man, I'd do that for free, except my wife is much better at murals. I'm actually more of a sculptor...

Since the kids portrayed are probably citizens (else we'd surely have heard as much) this is just not funny.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Better the whole mural should come down period, since apparently no one involved can behave like adults.

 

[Cryozombie]

Dude was nuttier than a wagonload of pralines.....:lfao:

That's awesome and I'm stealing it.

 

[geezer]

Tongue planted firmly in cheek, I trust. This is almost funny.

...Since the kids portrayed are probably citizens (else we'd surely have heard as much) this is just not funny.

Sorry. Sometimes such flawed attempts at satirical humor are the only way I can deal with the appalling attitudes that we encounter daily. Honestly, I hope the school administration was being straightforward in their explanation that they just didn't like the lighting and shading of the mural. As a teacher, I must tolerate foolish actions and statements of administrators all the time. I've come to view many of them as benighted and incompetent, but mostly good hearted individuals who really care about kids and are not racist at all. I cannot say the same about the crackers from the community whose comments about the mural showed overt bigotry.

A friend of mine won a grant to paint a wonderful mural in central Phoenix back in the 90's. The mural was a beautiful celebration of the community's racial diversity. But a large portion the old Anglo community, feeling besieged by the recent influx of brown faces in the neighborhood was outraged, and tried to have the mural removed.

Fortunately, they didn't suceed. But now we have guys like Sheriff Joe who will leave the artwork and remove the people. Good Lord.