Another ‘Cruel Joke’ About President Obama
Posted By The Editors | February 27th, 2009 | Category: Hot Topics | 57 comments
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By Stacey Patton
“Sometimes things aren’t always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden . . .” so said Phaedrus, a first century Roman slave and writer of Greek tales.
In recent days, a photograph of a Barnes and Noble book display honoring the inauguration of President Barack Obama has gone viral over the Internet because it prominently includes a book about monkeys with the other titles. The circulation of this photo with calls to boycott the book chain comes in the wake of protests and editorials over a racist cartoon published by The New York Post that featured President Obama as an ape being gunned down by police officers.
But hold on to your wigs and britches folks. Before the NAACP, Rev. Al Sharpton and other concerned citizens pick up signs and start making demands to fire managers and employees or telling consumers to stop buying books from Barnes and Noble, there is another side to the story.
Yes the photo is authentic. And yes the incident did happen at the Coral Gables, Florida store. But it turns out that it was a cruel joke by a customer and not a decision made by the store.
“This was not a company driven decision,” Edgar Chang, the store manager, said in an interview with TheDefendersOnline. “We are not sure how the book got in the window, but we believe it was put there by a customer who didn’t like the fact that Obama won the election.”
The store is located in the Miracle Mile Mall on a busy stretch of highway. The display windows face that highway. While customers walking in or by can clearly see titles in the window, somehow the store’s manager and employees did not notice the monkey book for three or four days.
“We didn’t notice that it was there,” said Chang. “Employees park in the lot in the back of the store. We just put up displays but we never go up to the windows until it’s time to change them.”
Barnes and Noble spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating said that employees were interviewed and there was a thorough investigation of the incident.
“Barnes and Noble would certainly not do something like this,” Keating said. “We put up a display to honor President Obama. Once we discovered this, four days later, it was immediately removed.”
Keating said that the store deals with similar types of pranks on any given day. From time to time customers will move titles from one area of the store to another. In a statement issued to the media Keating wrote: “I’ve seen situations where someone put a book about sex in the children’s section,” she said. “In this particular case, we do not condone whatever message may have been intended with the placement of this title in our Presidential display. It certainly was not part of our merchandising and we regret that we didn’t see the placement of this title immediately.”
The story continues to grow and spread like a virus through cyberspace, with e-blasts and accusations that Barnes & Noble is racist. Some are calling for boycotts and firing of employees.
The incident has prompted the bookseller to consider ways to secure its display window so there won’t be a similar episode again. This is a classic example of how rumors spread in cyberspace, sparking strong reactions and often gathering support without thorough fact-finding or asking deeper questions. As a result, people can be misinformed, tensions can be inflamed and our attention can be diverted from the more serious, substantive issues of the day.
Stacey Patton is Senior Editor/Writer for TheDefendersOnline and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
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You wrote – “Keating said that the store deals with similar types of pranks on any given day. From time to time customers will move titles from one area of the store to another.”
But Stacey, moving a book from one subject section of the store to another is entirely different than accessing a display IN THE FRONT WINDOW and changing books! And over the course of three or four DAYS NO CUSTOMER mentioned it to the store personnel!?
I agree with you that we “chocolates” (as humor writer, Larry Wilmore, would wryly have us rename ourselves), shldn’t be trigger happy when it comes to calling for boycotts and the like. But when a person or institution denies culpability for an offensive act, we really have to make sure their explanation holds water.
Where’s the outrage over Steel? http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0209/Steele_offers_Jindal_slum_love.html
Dear Eric,
Thanks for your comment on this topic.
I share your sentiments about the store’s flawed management practices in this situation. When I asked the store manager and spokeswoman how they could have missed this inappropriate title in their display window for days, they explained that their employees don’t enter the main entrance nor do they visit their display window on a regualr basis. Strangely, while customers passed by the window for days, the store hadn’t recieved any complaints. And even more strange is that this display was put up in early January but the photo and the calls for a boycott has just gone viral in the past two or three days, on the heels of the recent controversy over The New York Post article.
The spokeswoman did indicate that this incident has prompted them to change their policies and to be more vigilante about securing and monitoring their displays. No matter what I think about the store’s odd management practices or whether or not their explanation for the incident holds water, my job is to investigate and report the facts of the story and let readers decide for themselves whether they want to believe the folks at Barnes and Noble, or whether they want to proceed with protests and boycotts without asking deeper questions.
I appreciate your insights and contribution to an intelligent dialogue on this incident. Stay tuned for more provovative and stimulating content from TheDefendersOnline.
Stacey Patton
Writer/Senior Editor
I totally agree with Eric.
I really have a hard time believing that no one from managment and/or employees did not notice the display. Eric Holder was right, this is a nation of cowards when it comes to the issue of race and racism, always an excuse and explanation for the obvious. The individual(s) who changed the display is a perfect example.
I just want to say when the email was circulated to me to boycott Barnes & Noble after reading the email and seeing the picture I was furious. I live in Arizona and called the store directly to inquire about this. I just couldn’t believe such a reputalbe book store chain as Barnes & Noble one I certainly patronize would be responsible for this. I called the store directly and inquired about it. The book seller that took my call was very polite and respectful of my call. She breifly explained what actually took place and referred me to the defenders online website and yes I forwared the information she gave to me to all those that were contacted along with me.
But what reallly impressed me about the book seller the Coral Gables, FL store is that she personally apologized to me for what happened sincerely, and she didn’t have to go that far. Her apology went a long way with me, so as for me and my dollars we will continue to support Barnes & Noble. In closing I thank you Barnes & Noble for having employees that are genuinely concerned about the feelings of their customers and not just there for a pay check.
Sincerely,
Candace Mayfield
Thank you Ms. Patton for being on the job!
I too received an email with the photo telling me to boycott B&N. Initially I was angry when I sat the photo. I called the story just like Candace did. The employee I spoke with, while friendly, didn’t seem like the brightest person in the world and she didn’t speak English very well. So I spoke with the manager and he didn’t seem like all the lights were on upstairs either. So I can kind of see how they missed this display.
E.J.
Stacey, you are the best!! Thank you for keeping me abreast of crucial events. I believe this conscious raising incident, not only for Barnes & Noble, rather for all of us, because it is the required mental check list for “How are we doing (or not)?… as supposedly sensitive human beings. We must remain mindful and observant when in positions of touching the lives of others (a daily reality) & with the much needed awareness of America’s worse disease (as stated by Einstein)…racism! I believe that our individual truth and respect for oneself & then others are a daily exercise in evaluating who we really are.
I have just returned from Southeast Asia and still absorbing all that I witnessed & experienced. And humanity, or inhumanity, is globally interwoven. The unfortunate reality is that Americans are so insulated & isolated, and we, all to often, select to remain in that myopic position, even when it comes to our own communities.
You sound vibrant and wonderful.
If ever, time permits, I would so enjoy speaking with you.
All great things for you…
Love to you,
Shelley
Just a thought:
Suppose I wanted to discredit the book store, because I had grudge going or I wanted to focus hate for conservatives or Republicans in general. I could easily place this book in the window, take a picture of it and then blog with righteous indignation that the Corporation was promoting racism or that this was placed by a war mongering Dick Cheney.
Not that, that could ever happen, oh no. Never.
You’d have to be a complete moron to believe that book would ever be approved for an Obama display by anybody who actually worked at Barnes and Noble. Management would crucify any bookseller who even suggested it, much less actually put it up.
I work at a bookstore and I can tell you that A. customers pull this stunt ALL THE TIME and B. it is trivial for a customer to get into those display areas. Those areas aren’t blocked off or anything… you just walk right into them. And except for the employee actually tasked with changing the display once a month, other employees don’t notice them at all. They’ve got way too many other things to do, especially with hours cut so drastically due to the current economic conditions. Which reminds me… stop wasting the employees’ time by calling the store and whining. It’s not their fault and you’re just making their already-difficult jobs even harder.
Eric, please think about this.
Who is more likely to play an offensive prank like this? An overworked bookseller who generally has no reason to look at the window displays unless it is time to change them over, and who would face unemployment if caught doing such a thing? Keep in mind that jobs are hard to find these days. The best case scenario for the bookseller is having to face the accusations from the community, and phone calls from all over the country as the word is spread.
Or a customer who has all the time in the world while in the bookstore? Who has nothing at all to lose if caught? Who can point and laugh at the store while the email goes everywhere, causing people everywhere to call to voice their outrage?
When I saw that picture, it felt like a kick to the stomach. There is no excuse for that kind of disgusting act, and I can assure you that the company certainly would never be so stupid as to support it. Everyone I know in the company is highly offended that someone would use one of our stores to promote racism, joke or not.
Ellen James,
Did you stop to think that perhaps the managers are exhausted from addressing the situation to the hundreds of customers that are probably calling in? I highly doubt the employees are unintelligent. They are most likely tired of people calling in to give them a hard time. After all, it’s a store in Miami, Florida. They are probably tremendously busy as it is, so dealing with the store traffic on top of the phone calls is probably pretty rough. Give them a break.
[...] TheDefendersOnline.com: “Sometimes things aren’t always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden . . .” so said Phaedrus, a first century Roman slave and writer of Greek tales. [...]
The real problem here is that someone published a book called “Monkeys” with a darn ape on the cover.
Our Barnes & Noble Bookstore here in Beaumont, Texas is one of the few public businesses in which open discussion about the election and the economy is common and all views are welcome without nasty retorts.
And I, as a life-long Democrat, can testify that many of the regular workers are liberals and would have had a flat-out stroke had this happened to their bookstore.
Now, some very die-hard Republicans also come in and buy books, as well.
I’ve observed that the workers never argue with them.
Neither do I; we just walk away, wait until they leave the area, and continue our discussion.
When I come in, several regular workers often ask me for the latest news about the administration, the economy, what I thought of his address to Congress and they welcome my reports, since they often have to work during the evenings and miss the news.
We only talk if it’s not busy.
So, this prank was very likely a rabid conservative customer.
At our bookstore here, a customer would have to get behind the counter and onto a stepladder to get to a window display.
I can’t believe that would be allowed, frankly.
All the nasty propaganda going on around the Web is truly horrifying.
Not to mention the CPAC convention this week, when, as Rachal Maddow pointed out tonight, the sad expression of people actually rooting for their government to fail.
In this day and age.
Fortunately, as Maddow points out, they are in a minority of 25 to 30 percent — no more.
Those people are just the sad minority of people in this country who are too childish to face reality.
Most people I talk to are so delighted to have Barack Obama, this intelligent, bright man, at the helm.
An economics professor told me yesterday that he really believes President Obama will be one of the two or three finest orators to come along in the over two-hundred year history of our country.
And, as he points out, this stimulus and associated legislation works, he will be historically listed as one of the top presidents ever.
We talked about the history of the Great Depression.
He pointed out that, in 1937, when FDR began (too early) to balance the budget and “cut spending”, that was the only year the rise out of the Great Depression faltered.
My professor friend said that he believes President Obama is doing everything right and that we can have great confidence that we will eventually rise out of this, if we follow these prescriptions.
That comes from a man who was known as the toughest loan officer in our area, when he worked for a bank.
So, not to worry, these racist bigots are in the minority.
What we ordinary folk need to do is storm Congress and demand they pass his legislation every time Congress has a vote.
We can do that through the Internet.
And I can tell you, Congressmen do pay attention.
Don’t let even the most conservative Congressmen or Senators get away with voting against legislation we need without giving them a piece of your mind.
I do.
They hear from me.
Go get’em!!!
this is probably an example of why this country (world?) is spiraling out of control.
You people are going up in arms about what is, at best, a tasteless JOKE, but your elected leaders are pulling all sorts of corrupt things on you and where is the outrage?
Do you jump on the horn when you hear about Lobbyist/Earmark scandals? Do you jump on the horn when you find out about mismanaged and misappropriated government funds? How about nepotism scandals?
No, because that would take being engaged with your country and daily current events on more than a superficial “fwd:fwd:fwd:fwd:” email variety. Just go ahead, keep reading the garbage in your spam email folders and voting for the candidate that makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside rather than their politics or knowing anything about them.
Its like political correctness has neutered our country.
The USA is a country of airheads.
mB
MJB: Hmmm. First we are “a nation of cowards.” Now we are “a country of airheads.”
I find it hard to believe that the stoe employees, who put up displays at least not notice that display, not to mention the managers not see this display & find it disturbing. Are these not the folks who work in this type of business who feel that they have above intelegence? Are these folks unaware of the ugly, harsh & brutal treatment on my people? Are these folks @ this store want me to believe that are unaware of this thinking & treatment still exist for us? I will answer. They do not care about my people on any level. And, please don’t ask them to… To those who care, thank you.
Hmm, I just received the boycott email. It also made me furious and I immediately sent off an email to B&N corporate offices. Then with a cooler head I did some research and found this explanation. However, since the boycott email has already gone viral, I suggest Barnes & Noble do a little bit more than issue a statement. Being that they are a prominent national bookstore and often provide a venue for booksignings, etc., perhaps they could offer their stores (in partnership with thedefendersonline) as a venue for a series of discussions on Racism in America (and the world for that matter). Not only would it help alleviate negative attitudes toward B&N, but help continue the national discourse on racism. I’m going to send B&N another email and suggest just that.
Was there no store security tape?
In all of the denying and saying that they didn’t look at the display, how did the store management know that the book had been in the display for three or four days, not more or less?
There was possibly racism involved in this incident but I am sure it was not propagated by Barnes & Noble. Did the first person who saw the display complain to management? Did the person who took the picture make any attempt to have the book removed? Everyone who passed by that window and didn’t mention the problem to management are as much or more complicent than Barnes & Noble.
Not every tasteless act requires outrage as racism. If everyone who sees racism in everyone who is not like them could only see the racism in those who are like them………
Where we the outcries when President Bush was compared to a monkey? Don’t tell me you didn’t get that viral email with the small pics of monkey faces compared to his facial expressions? Don’t get me wrong, the man was not my favorite guy, but you can’t expect people to stand up for one race when another is not given the same respect. Why is one race/religion/ethinicity/etc more deserving of diligent national discourses than another? Why can you call someone white trash but you would never be able to call a black person trash without a riot?
Hello. I am a bookseller in Atlanta, GA. First let me say that I am sorry that this has happened. While I do not believe for one second that the display was put up or sanctioned by B&N in any way, I am sorry that someone would stoop to such a low level with this prank. That said one of the things about the picture that jumps out at me is that the “Monkeys” book has a bargain sticker while non of the others do, and B&N separates their bargain books from the regular books for displays. I would also like to point out that B&N is most often accused of being TOO liberal. Many conservative customers complain that B&N is part of the “Elitist Liberal Media” who don’t give enough face time for right-wing authors. This seems to me as a person who took an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. They got to spread their hateful imagery and got to blame a business they felt was on the wrong side of the political line. Once again I would like to say I’m sorry that this happened, as my college poli-sci prof. said, “We are past the point of segregation and laws. We are now to the point of Hearts and Minds”
Stacey Patton you are a fraud. You say that you “investigate and report the facts” after reporting “it turns out that it was a cruel joke by a customer and not a decision made by the store.” When did you decide that this is fact? Did Mr. Chang’s comment that “we believe it was put there by a customer who didn’t like the fact that Obama won the election” help? Aren’t you at all curious enough to investigate why he has sudden insight into the motivation of the culprit?
[...] a mockery of our real struggle for mutual respect and equality in this nation. Stacey Patton at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Blog seems to agree with me on this, but what do you think? Am I taking this controversy too seriously? [...]
Uh, has anyone done a search on this? Has anyone noticed that this picture appears fake? I think you’ve all been had. Please check this stuff first – before making a national issue.
Yup, I was right. Fake: http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/reference/a/top_25_uls.htm
Oh boy Michael.
There are ways to see when the book is received, and when it was put out on the store floor. Maybe days went by the time the store realized there was an outrage and pictures were being posted on the internet (which are timestamped).
I think it’s funny that people STILL think that it was the company’s idea. dumb.
[...] African descent as apes has deep roots in American history. That recently these attacks have been directed toward the President of the United States simply shows how long lived and intractable such racist attitudes are. Ditto [...]
This actually made me laugh when I read this..because of the ridiculousness of it all.
OF COURSE Racism still in this country and although we have made huge strides it always will in some capacity unfortunately. It’s just a fact. There will always be a reason for one person to hate another.
I am however not boycotting Barnes & Noble. It’s ridiculous to blame the actions of one employee on an entire chain and although they say it was a customer I find that hard to believe and I understand that they are embarrassed about what happened but I have friends that work in book stores. It’s nearly impossible to get behind those window displays. If it was an in store one that would be different.
Boycotting or banning an entire franchise due to one person’s actions (who, if found, was probably fired) is just ridiculous. That’s like blaming an entire race for the action of one person. It’s hate perpetuating hate. It’s not any better behavior. Think about all the African American and other races of people that work for Barnes & Noble that would be affected by such a boycott. A mass boycott would most definitely cause stores to be closed and people to be laid off. Do we really need more of that in our struggling economy?
THINK.
SPREAD LOVE NOT HATE
PS – I am speaking as a woman of African American, Cherokee Indian, German and English decent. Much like Obama a smorgasborg of ethnicities.
My heart almost stopped. I don’t know where this display is in the Coral Gables store. But at most Barnes & Nobles, a customer would have to walk behind something and squeeze through a small space to put the book there. It depends on where the glass display is located. I agree that the apology was lacking.
I live in Orlando, FL and have seen a customer get into one of those displays at B&N so that they could get a book out of the display. That incident occurred about a year or so ago. I don’t know if this was done by an employee or a customer, but I do know that it is not impossible for a customer to get to those displays. Considering that one of my arch conservative co-workers hates B&N because it is too “liberal,” I highly doubt that this event was condoned by the company or the management at the store.
I laughed too, call me a monkey anytime. Monkeys and babies are cute! Our new First family is so beautiful, intelligent and full of heart that I am sure some people are jealous. I am so glad that Obama said yes to leading us out of this mess the country is in. This is not worth the emotional trivia that it is. Let us focus on real things it is only offensive if we take offense. I think this was perpetuated by someone who wants to incite anger and hatred. Don’t fall into this emotional game that is being played. Keep your center. From another mutt/ monkey of African American, German, Native American and Jewish descent.
My nearest Barnes & Noble has a gorgeous 5 foot window display commemorating our first African American President with dozens of related books, audio cd’s, mags, and art. It truly is a beautiful tribute! Immediately upon entering is a small well merchandised table commemorating the Inauguation, twenty feet away is a larger table with even more Obama materials near the Customer Service Desk is a large table of titles celebrating Black History Month. Anyone that feels that this corporation is anti-Obama or anti-african american is seriously mistaken.
Plus what other establishment, besides the Library, invites the public inside to READ FOR FREE for AS LONG AS THEY LIKE! What a resource to the community!
p.s. Last Fall I remember plenty of representation of books showcasing the different parties!
[...] to the Defenders Online: Yes the photo is authentic. And yes the incident did happen at the Coral Gables, Florida store. [...]
When I first saw this picture, I knew this was just a prank that the store managers didn’t catch. Just by looking at the photo from a merchandsing standpoint, one can tell that there were missing spaces and someone just dropped the book in. The the restocking of the shelves were neglected in the same way that they are in many stores. Had it been intentional the space would have been fully merchandised.
First let me say I work for Barnes & Noble. Second this was NOT DONE by Barnes & Noble. The most likely scenarios are these: #1) The book was put there by someone playing a prank so they could get their 15 minutes of fame. #2) The book was put there by someone who hates our President and/or Black folk. #3) The book was put there by someone who hates Barnes & Noble. #4) The book was put there by someone trying to get the public to discuss Racism in America. Bookstores are busy places, and we Booksellers work hard and look at books ALL DAY LONG. I don’t know if the book was in the window for 1 sec or 4 days, but I do know as soon as someone noticed, the book was removed from the display. My vote for who put the book in the window is the person that took the picture and/or the person that tried to start a scandal on the Internet. At my B&N we have Liberal and Conservative NICE people that work here and we care about our Customers no matter what their personal beliefs are. Buy more books, it’s good for your brain.
I am a former bookseller, and I can tell you that it is not hard for someone to play a prank and move around a display. Things like this happen frequently. Also, the store is busy and employees don’t have time to constantly monitor every single display in the store. After seeing the same displays over and over every day it is hard to notice a slight change in the display. Also the displays in the window are not changed VERY often. They are changed monthly at best, depending on the promotion. I worked at a Barnes and Noble and this is my two cents about that part of it. The nature of some of the customers that frequent the store suggests that…it was probably a customer prank. The employees didn’t notice…they are working barely above minimum wage jobs standing on their feet in excess of 9 hours a day and surrounded by countless books—it can happen.
I also find it discusting that a Mrs Clinton baby picture was included in the display they should have never allowed Hilery to pressure them in putting there.
Seriously the stores are 25,000sq feet with 200 thousand books or more they have more to do than keep up with stupid red necks pulling pranks. Books stores are as liberal minded as it gets so you know they are just as mad as you are with one exception. Not like you babies they are not cring and trying to put blame on others. They stepped up took the balme and moved on. Get a life and move on too.l
I used to work at a bookstore (not B&N), and stuff like that is pretty common: customers change displays (sometimes in gross ways) and if the display isn’t updated/monitored, then stuff like that can go unnoticed. Not to excuse what happened, because the store is responsible for its own image and maintaining their displays, but it’s extremely likely that it was a customer. The contents of the display shelves are dictated by higher levels than the individual’s store staff or management, and it’s doubtful that particular combination of book topics would have been approved by a district or regional manager. Seriously, we used to find all sorts of random stuff, like pr0n in the children’s display sections, or an entire display with the books face down because a customer hated the author.
I read all of the comments above mine. What I experienced was a thorough understanding of what happened or could have happened. I also noticed that the anger level dissipated as i approached the last comment.. I did reply to all of the people on the email I received and sent a copy to Barnes and Noble customer service . Their reply satisfied me when coupled with y the dialogue on this blog and diffused any anger I had and I have already moved on. Kudos to the NAACP and all of the people that took the time to make a comment. The time for change had arrived and we “did good”
can I just go ahead and copy and paste the comment from ‘a bookseller’ – because it spot on…
I work at a bookstore and I can tell you that A. customers pull this stunt ALL THE TIME and B. it is trivial for a customer to get into those display areas. Those areas aren’t blocked off or anything… you just walk right into them. And except for the employee actually tasked with changing the display once a month, other employees don’t notice them at all. They’ve got way too many other things to do, especially with hours cut so drastically due to the current economic conditions. Which reminds me… stop wasting the employees’ time by calling the store and whining. It’s not their fault and you’re just making their already-difficult jobs even harde
There is one thing that everyone is forgetting. If this store was run correctly it should never happen. Before a piliot or copilot flies a plane they walk around and check that the plane is flyable.It should never happen that a store allow a display in a window that customers are looking at to go unnotice for four days. Don’t the manager check the store everyday before its open. Don’t they walk around the store? If anyone should be let go it should be the manager. The explanation by the store is rediculous.
I am apalled that someone would even consider doing anything like this. I am an african american woman born in Alabama. These incidents are getting entirely too old. African Americans in the past were called monkeys and you can’t compare bush being called a monkey to the President now. I heard the CEO do an interview with Tom Joyner this morning and he had a certain tone in his voice where it sounded as if we should get over it, but I also feel that we as American should not blame this star for the Actions of one ignorant individual. If we give in to things like this it lets that person know that he has won. We are always going to have that one person that is going to have a problem with the color of our skin. But how we handle that is the most important thing. We don’t let this people into our lives and determine how we are going to feel or what we should do. We have to be strong Americans with common courtesy to our neighbors. This economy is in dire need of repair and this ignorance is just what it is ignorance and therefore should be ignored.
So Do Not Boycott This Store For the Beliefs of One IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People please LIGHTEN UP. You’re all looking for alterior motives of management to put this in their window display as some kind of “message” . This is a publicly traded company and it happened in 1 STORE!!! It was obviously a prank by a customer. I’m italian and if I got upset by every dumb g***** joke or reference I’ve heard I’d go nuts. How many hundred years have to go by before you let the past go? It was a joke by a customer (and kinda funny by the way) so let it go.
I am over the display…it was stupid and not surprising in Coral Gables, FL. (I believe there may have been a chad issue there a few years back) I would like to start a new chain of outrage…MICHEAL STEELE….he is more offensive and degrading to me, as a chocolate person, than any monkey book. Obama is strong enough to weather any racists imagery….I however am P.O.’d that Micheal Steele is making a mockery of the accomplishments of a proud race. Just as we get over various negative images and finally can stand tall with satisfaction that our country appears to have leaped ahead in it’s evolution…along comes Micheal Steele and puts us back 400 years….sigh…really. Thanks to Judy in Texas…You are right…we do need use our voice for good and start making these congress folks start working for our money!! There are people out there speaking for us and not saying what we want heard. It’s time we collectively use our voice beyond the blog and start articulating our expectations to those who need to know! I am on board…
I am a black woman who when i saw the email I laughed at it. It was a joke. Who knows who put it there who cares. I am so tired of black people all ways wanting sympathy for everything. The black comedians say racist jokes all day long. as soon as a white person does it we are ready to riot and go crazy. With so much REAL ISSUES going on in the world it made me feel good to smile. It was a joke it over lets get over it and focus on real things like people not having jobs, families losing everything they worked hard for, people killing there whole family because of this economics BS. WAKE UP PEOPLE IT IS NOT THAT SERIOUS.
Barnes & Noble took immediate action and released a statement apologizing to all communities.
Personally, I think the rogue theory applies given that the Coral Gables reseller was the only store in the Barnes & Noble chain to arrange a horrible display. Again, in my opinion, a boycott is certainly not necessary or warranted unless this was a trial run by the Barnes & Noble corporation.
Personally, I don’t see it, given the economy and the adverse effects that such a despicable act would have on a national chain re-seller. Does not make economical sense. On the other hand, the despicable act says a lot about the Coral Gables community.
Barnes & Noble is a reputable reselling chain and has been and continues to be a positive addition to communities across America. I do think that Barnes and Noble should make a public apology (on the Larry King Show or some noted media commentary) and remove management from the specific Coral Gables store. Most Americans would be pleased that the Barnes & Noble reseller moved with swift action and does not condone such practices.
I am a college student majoring in Business and Marketing, I have worked in retail for several years, and one of the first things we did before opening was to take what we called a “Walk Through”. This was done to catch certain things before our customers saw them. So, it stood out to me when the manager mentioned that the display could have been there for three or four days before anyone saw it.
So “Brother b”, I totally agree with you on the point that this store was not run correctly.
And “bc”, I must agree with you too–many of you may remember when Imus made that horrendous comment about the women’s basketball players being “Nappy Headed Ho’s”, and all the uproar that folloewd, well my thining was, no one ran out and called in the NAACP when the black rappers were calling black sisters Hos abd B’s, no one called for a boycott over their filthy lyrics and degrading videos. And many times I have witnessed many black women, listening to this mess at the highest volumn–with the bass so loud that it caused your heart to jump–while they waved their hands in the air! I have even heard them calling each other Hos and B’s! So when all the outrage went out, I thought, are they kidding! And “Tired of the BS”, I stand with you too, laugh it off and move on, it is not worth the airtime, anger or outrage when whole families are being killed because of the state of the economy, it is time to pray!
Cherokee Indian, African American and Caucasian decent.
My email to Ms Keating at Barnes & Noble:
Dear Ms Keating,
I enjoy the store location in my neighborhood. I am an African American male in Hollywood, CA. I was proud to walk through your store and see the display of items featuring President-Elect Obama and followed by additional items featuring President Obama. It was like a shrine which seemed a bit over the top. I tried to buy one of the items and was told by management it was a prop and not for sale.
Today, it was unfortunate that I was forwarded an email regarding a display in your Florida location. I fully support Barnes & Noble effort to silence this ugly incident.
I wanted to send you this email to thank you for the display I witnessed in my neighborhood. It was a great tribute to a historical election which gives me an abundance of pride.
The fact is, the book sat there for three days. What do the employees do at this store ? This need to be looked into more.
Leroy WTF are you talking about? This need to be ooked into more? You wanna start up a detective agency? Leroy Beeswell on the case! This is so a story about it not being a story. You gotta learn to read my brotha.
Apparently Leroy can’t read. The book was in a window, and the employees park in the back and didn’t see the window display. It is rarely ever changed, so employees have no reason to be back there.
Well then i still ask, “what were the manangers and or employees doing while this person decided to change a disply ? Or did the persone sneak in at night ? No maybe they dressed up as a mananger and changed it . No better yet they stopped time and put it in the window while the whole world was frozen. The questions is…. Why did’nt a manager see it ! ?
Thank you for the clarification because I consider Barnes & Nobles my home away from home. I am an avid reader and I purchase books regularly, but I was ready to turn in my membership card.