| Feb 28 @ 1:00 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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SimplyImp
Posts: 1,051
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LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP) ?
Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose shared an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year," as seen in this screen grab.
Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose issued a statement Thursday announcing his resignation. (File)
* Mayor Under Fire For Watermelons E-Mail (2/25/2009)
The mayor of a small Southern California city says he will resign after being criticized for sharing an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year."
Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose issued a statement Thursday saying he is sorry and will step down as mayor at Monday's City Council meeting.
Grose came under fire for sending the picture to what he called "a small group of friends." One of the recipients, a local businesswoman and city volunteer, publicly scolded the mayor for his actions.
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.
Located in Orange County, Los Alamitos is a 2 1/4-square-mile city of around 12,000 people.
http://cbs2chicago.com/national/Los.Alamitos.Email.2.945952.html
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| Feb 28 @ 1:07 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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DiamondRain
Posts: 6,354
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I have seen this kind of stuff many times in the business world. People who should know better share these sorts of ethnic/racial "cartoons" and "jokes" all the time.
I have sometimes been amazed at personally dealing with people in high profile positions that would participate in this kind of thing. Fact is, we are all human and do dumb things like that.
But if you get caught, you must suffer the consequences. And that is clearly what happened here.
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| Feb 28 @ 1:40 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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Nightowl001
Posts: 7,500
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Oh, yeah. There was this one, I agreed with DR on, too. If you make the error of publicly disseminating politically unacceptable jokes, either racist, sexist, or otherwise generally demeaning, then you have to deal with the consequences. Hopefully, the consequences will help convince the next couple of generations just how unacceptable such behavior actually is, and they will grow up being truly outraged by such, not just keeping it private.
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| Feb 28 @ 1:47 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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ronl11
Posts: 3
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I actually dont find it offensive. It is time for ya'll to get a little thicker skin.
This Politically correct left wing BS is taking this country in a very wrong direction.
HadBush been president, nothing would have been said.
Had Bush left 50,000 troops in Iraq all hell would break loose.
Had Bush spent 4 Trillion dollars this month a war would be on.
Had Bush had half his appointees rejected for tax problems what would the verdict be?
come on, lighten up some.
this man should not resign.
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| Feb 28 @ 1:58 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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Gallows_Humor
Posts: 13,662
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 ...yeah right.....whatever....
btw..welcome to the forums... 
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - The mayor of a small Southern California city who was criticized for sending an e-mail showing watermelons in front of the White House says he will give up the mayoral post but remain on the City Council.
a token resignation is just that...
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| Feb 28 @ 2:32 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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Angel54214
Posts: 18,199
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Grose just might end up stepping down from his city council seat as well for the town is enraged. It's getting ugly with the watermelons being thrown at his office and causing local police to safeguard it. Monday night holds promise for Sharpton's arrival as well.
People just don't realize it's walking on egg shell times. Everyone must learn and rethink first before doing or saying anything that will activate freedom of expression over freedom of speech when it comes to the political stage.
For those that don't know the history connection of watermelons and racism, this site is informative:
http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/may08/
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| Feb 28 @ 4:59 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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pomegranate
Posts: 1,676
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It's amazing that there are people who actually have to stop and figure out whether or not something they're saying or doing is racist in nature. Everyone knows the stereotype associated with black people and watermelons...the postcard incident was no accident. Do people ever stop to THINK about what it is they're doing? Surely someone would know how offensive it is, and that they'd have to suffer the repercussions from it. Sheesh.
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| Feb 28 @ 6:43 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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POPO
Posts: 1,040
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Wow! so if blacks are associated with food, such as watermelon, ribs, and chicken, it's racist?  Ironically when looking for the best Ribs or Chicken  everyone knows to go to areas where allot of blacks are the same with other ethnic foods
So with this thinking, then any culture identified or known for certain foods it's racist? 
If whites are associted with burgers or steaks is that racist too? 
Or if Mexicans are associted with beans and tacos is that racist too? 
If Puerto Ricans are associated with Rice y beans is that racist too? 
How about Asians, if their associated with Rice and Egg Rolls their racist also? 
How about Middle Eastern peeps with Curry, that's also racist? 
Let me see if I have this right? In the New Liberal Society of Tolerence and Acceptance, poking fun at one's food preference, or the kinds of foods they are best known for this is unacceptable? How Tolerent... 
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| Feb 28 @ 8:06 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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pomegranate
Posts: 1,676
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Watermelon is not an ethnic food. I agree the best ribs and chicken here are in predominately black neighborhoods. However, ribs and chicken aren't "ethnic" foods; they're not African cuisine. They're not soul food. They're more associated with Southern cooking...I absolutely LOVE watermelon and fried chicken. Don't see anyone depicting me on a postcard with a huge silly grin on my face while eating it, do you?
The racism doesn't exist just because of the association with food!! It's the NEGATIVE association that makes it racist.
From: http://www.authentichistory.com/diversity/stereotyping.html
Imagery is a cognitive process that allows us to "see" mental images. What we see is based on our own experiences, especially if the subject is a person, place or thing we're familiar with. Imagery of less familiar subjects might be based on sources from outside our personal experience, especially from popular culture. When we are thinking about large groups of people categorized by such characteristics as race, gender, age, or class, imagery is very problematic. All too often imagery of peoples is imbued with exaggerated physical, behavioral, or cultural characteristics called stereotypes. These oversimplified ideas are assigned to people simply by their identification as belonging to that group. In other words, we tend to lump large groups of very diverse peoples together and then assign the entire group individual characteristics. Stereotypes can be both positive and negative, and can lead to a form of bias called prejudice (an attitude), and even used to justify discrimination (an action).
Although there can sometimes be small amounts of truth in stereotypes, they are not accurate representations. Beginning in the early Nineteenth Century, popular culture produced by the wealthy White society fabricated non-Whites by using such things as literature, theater, engravings, prints, paintings, cartoons, Victorian trade cards, dime novels, household products, advertising, radio and television shows, comic books, postcards, souvenirs, and children's books, toys, and games. Sometimes their stereotyping is so common that they can be recognized as caricatures and given names. The creation of these caricatures was both intentional and unintentional, and most people didn't even notice it was happening. This latter point explains why these caricatures are still very much with us today. They evolve over time, maybe becoming a little less obvious, but they rarely die off completely, and new ones are constantly being created. Unfortunately, we all base our behaviors towards others on some level of stereotyping, often with hurtful and destructive results. Sometimes even the peoples being caricatured believe the stereotypes because they too have been influenced with them. Sometimes we even do it to ourselves.
(Much more info in the link)
[Edited on 2/28/2009 8:22 AM]
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| Feb 28 @ 8:39 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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POPO
Posts: 1,040
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Watermelon is not an ethnic food. Then what's the problem? do blacks eat watermelon or not? How is this racist?
I absolutely LOVE watermelon and fried chicken. Don't see anyone depicting me on a postcard with a huge silly grin on my face while eating it, do you?
Pommy Mommy, ahhh you don't have a pic?
The racism doesn't exist just because of the association with food!! It's the NEGATIVE association that makes it racist.
Watermelon is now the new Racial Food? How is watermelon racial? Isn't it sold in all grocery stores... So is that racist?
When we are thinking about large groups of people categorized by such characteristics as race, gender, age, or class, imagery is very problematic. All too often imagery of peoples is imbued with exaggerated physical, behavioral, or cultural characteristics called stereotypes.
So watermelon is stereotyping?
These oversimplified ideas are assigned to people simply by their identification as belonging to that group. In other words, we tend to lump large groups of very diverse peoples together and then assign the entire group individual characteristics. Stereotypes can be both positive and negative, and can lead to a form of bias called prejudice (an attitude), and even used to justify discrimination (an action)
Ever been to a Mexican back yard BBQ? we have watermelon too... shouldn't that be racist? .
With your thinking, shouldn't Mexicans be mad at Restaurants that are non Mexican, that have Taco Tuesdays? or celebrate events with Taco's?
Help me, Help you understand...it's only racist if want it to be...
I've brought watermelon to back yard parties, when many brothers were there, guess what, no one said I was racist, they were just glad I brought it...
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| Feb 28 @ 8:55 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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pomegranate
Posts: 1,676
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Don't call me Pommy Mommy.
Let me ask you this, Popo: Are you obtuse by accident or by design?
From the same link I provided above:
Numerous primary sources chronicle Black resistance to slavery through "silent sabotage," or, day-to-day acts of resistance. Stealing from the master was one example. It seems logical that, given that food would be among the most desirable of items a slave would pilfer, and chickens and watermelons would have been commonly available. Solomon Northup, for example, tells of being put in charge of punishing slaves who got into the master's watermelon patch. Rather than carry out the punishment, Northup had the slaves show him the way to the patch. The connecting of Blacks to chicken and watermelon was done in a way to dehumanize Blacks and subject them to ridicule. This process helped contribute to prejudice and discrimination. Surprisingly, many young people are unaware of the long history of these stereotypes, while some older Black people refuse to eat watermelon because of that history. And yet the stereotype still exists. In 1989, while stationed at a Marine Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, I was standing in line at the chow hall and noticed a particular theme in the day's cuisine. The main offerings that day were fried chicken, black-eyed peas, and watermelon. I soon realized, to my horror, that it was Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. I do not know if this gesture was intended as a racist joke, or if the head cook really thought that offering such food was a way of honoring Dr. King.
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| Feb 28 @ 8:59 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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capobeachguy
Posts: 4,739
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¡Dame sandía, por favor!
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| Feb 28 @ 8:59 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,030
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People just don't realize it's walking on egg shell times.
BIG TIME!!!
And you have the black racebait-for-profit bunch and bleeding heart white liberals ready to jump all over any little thing...
That being said, a mayor, being a "public servant", is going to be held to a higher standard, like it or not. It comes with the territory. If this guy was too dumb to know the negative feedback that was going to come from posting this, then he's likely to be too dumb to be a mayor...
This is going to be a long enough 4 years just because of the Bamasiah's policies and the direction he wants to take the country. Folks better develop a tougher skin pretty quick or it's going to be long AND stupid too...
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| Feb 28 @ 9:03 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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SimplyImp
Posts: 1,051
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Folks better develop a tougher skin pretty quick or it's going to be long AND stupid too...
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| Feb 28 @ 9:04 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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POPO
Posts: 1,040
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Don't call me Pommy Mommy.
Let me ask you this, Popo: Are you obtuse by accident or by design?
Pommy Mommy, calm down cupcake.... 
your so predictable, I think you just love to fight... your always mad 
I have a great idea...let's agree to disagree over some watermelon...
Come On Girl.....ya know ya wanna..... 
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| Feb 28 @ 9:04 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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pomegranate
Posts: 1,676
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I thought for the most part the negative association with blacks and watermelons had pretty much run its course. Why is it being brought to life now? Why do you think depiction of such stereotypes should be ignored? What if, when Bush was in office, there were pictures of rednecks all over the White House lawn?
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| Feb 28 @ 9:07 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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pomegranate
Posts: 1,676
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Pommy Mommy, calm down cupcake....
Don't call me Pommy Mommy, and don't call me cupcake. The rules specifically state to not call people by names they don't want to be called. It's not funny, and I don't find it endearing, either. In fact, it's insulting, and you meant it that way.
Do it again, and I will report you.
[Edited on 2/28/2009 9:08 AM]
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| Feb 28 @ 9:07 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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capobeachguy
Posts: 4,739
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What if, when Bush was in office, there were pictures of rednecks all over the White House lawn?
There were...and of Mexícans, too!!!
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| Feb 28 @ 9:11 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail
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pomegranate
Posts: 1,676
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Oh, really? Show me stereotypical pictures of rednecks and Mexicans all over the White House lawn. Were the Mexicans wearing huge sombreros, taking siestas, eating burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrritos and dancing the Samba, while the rednecks were beating the hell out of them? Did the rednecks arrive on their John Deere tractors, dressed in cuffed overalls with Camel cigarettes tucked into their sleeve?
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| Feb 28 @ 9:15 AM |
Mayor Resigns Over White House Watermelon E-mail |
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SimplyImp
Posts: 1,051
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Did the rednecks arrive on their John Deere tractors, dressed in cuffed overalls with Camel cigarettes tucked into their sleeve?
No, they arrived in pickup trucks with the "bed" filled with water. Invited Bush for a swim.
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