Comments on: Another ‘Cruel Joke’ About President Obama

By: Penny Gary

Penny Gary — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:40:32 +0000

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.

By: L.T. Beeswell

L.T. Beeswell — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:32:44 +0000

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 ! ?

By: um

um — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:46:16 +0000

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.

By: Nplease

Nplease — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:12:39 +0000

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.

By: Leroy T. Beeswell

Leroy T. Beeswell — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:48:11 +0000

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.

By: T Jones

T Jones — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:05:16 +0000

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.

By: Beloved Woman

Beloved Woman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:16:02 +0000

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.

By: Jerome

Jerome — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:53:16 +0000

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.

By: Tired of all the BS

Tired of all the BS — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:48:53 +0000

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.

By: NFW

NFW — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:52:05 +0000

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…

By: Gee Q

Gee Q — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:10:59 +0000

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.

By: christy

christy — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:27:14 +0000

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Brotherb

Brotherb — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:00:48 +0000

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.

By: also a bookseller

also a bookseller — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:29:20 +0000

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

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:48:12 +0000

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”

By: anna

anna — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 02:25:41 +0000

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.

By: OHMY

OHMY — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:11:39 +0000

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

By: Dana

Dana — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:19:22 +0000

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.

By: BooksellerDave

BooksellerDave — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:14:00 +0000

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.

By: Chocolate Retail Buyer

Chocolate Retail Buyer — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:19:21 +0000

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.

By: We’re So Post-Racial [Presidential Racism Watch] at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:00:27 +0000

[...] to the Defenders Online: Yes the photo is authentic. And yes the incident did happen at the Coral Gables, Florida store. [...]

By: Book Stores Rock!

Book Stores Rock! — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:58:18 +0000

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!

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:06:16 +0000

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.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:02:37 +0000

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.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:11:20 +0000

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.