People in our country are way too quick to label anything they can think of as "racist." I would never have thought about monkeys or king kong until the people who supposedly dislike these stereotypes brought them up. I'd argue that the "experts" who claim this is racist are the ones who harbor more stereotypes for even thinking of that in the first place.

No self-respecting man would agree to be on the cover of Vogue.

Ook

--Lebron

reinforce the criminalization of black men

Nephew, puh-lease!

Is cool pic. Annie Liebowitz rawks.

People need to quit over-thinking this shit.

America's ugly racist demons have been stirred up recently and that's the reason for the heightened sensitivity to possible racial stereotypes found in this story.

Either that or it's a slow news day.

Be Well.

The cover reminds me of "King Kong".

(that's racist!)

No self-respecting man would agree to be on the cover of Vogue.

Posted by rightisright at 2008-03-26 03:15 PM


Speak for yourself. Who wouldn't do the cover if given the chance to play grab-ass with Gisele?

Speak for yourself. Who wouldn't do the cover if given the chance to play grab-ass with Gisele?
Posted by DARTHCHENEY


To Patrick Leahy: "Why don't you go play grab-ass with yourself?"

wonder what the good Rev Wright thinks...

Didn't Joe post this the other day? And they didn't depict him as a gorilla, i.e., he wasn't wearing a gorilla suit or anything, but it was eerily similar to an old King Kong movie poster. I don't think there is any denying that King Kong was inherently racist.

"it was eerily similar to an old King Kong movie poster"

Only to someone who thinks of gorillas when they see a large black man. Funny that the ones claiming outrage are the only ones who had the stereotypes to notice something so stupid in the first place.

Was someone holding a gun to Lebron's head telling him to pose this way, for this magazine on this day?

No... of course not... Kind of tough to cry racism when the Black man in question was a voluntary participant...

Didn't Joe post this the other day?

Thanks. I've merged the two threads.

No Taxman, I don't. I would never have thought of that until someone else brought it to my attention. Which brings me back to my point - the people who claim this is racist are the only ones who would think of a gorilla when they see a black man. Maybe they are the racists.

I never cried racism, and you are right, if "Not Ever Going to Be As Good As Jordon No Matter How Hard the Media Tries to Make it So" thought it was racist or was offended then he wouldn't have done it. Lebron isn't offened any neither should anyone els. All I said is that the cover is a rip off of an old King Kong movie poster, and that it cannot be denied that the King Kong movies were iherently racist.

Kind of tough to cry racism when the Black man in question was a voluntary participant...

Not really. If a black actor did a Stepin Fetchit role today, it would be regarded as racist. It's strange to think that LeBron James' reaction to the cover, for which he was presumably paid, should automatically be the reaction of all black people.

Rogers, I still don't think there was any racist intent here. I can see how some could be reminded of the King Kong movies, which are pretty offensive, but in no way was there any racist intent. What's offensive to me is they couldn't come up with a better cover or think of anything original.

It's strange to think that LeBron James' reaction to the cover, for which he was presumably paid, should automatically be the reaction of all black people.

Posted by rcade

So Lebron is a sellout?

If the picture/pose were racist you would think the black man being put in the picture/pose would have said, "hey this is pretty racist."

I don't think we have to do any mind-reading and determine Leibovitz's intent. She intentionally adapted a poster of a slavering black gorilla kidnapping a white woman, putting LeBron James in the gorilla role. Whatever her intent was, it's a pretty provocative artistic decision that's worth all the jawboning here and elsewhere.

What a silly accusation. Lebron doesn't even LOOK like a gorilla. They shoulda pulled Patrick Ewing outta retirement...

"artists" that do covers like these, piss christ, and dung mary need to be rounded up, put back in to school, and made to do something productive.

I sincerely hope the photographer who did the Vogue cover doesn't consider herself an artist...

"Off with their heads!!!!"

Oh wait a minute.........

"I sincerely hope the photographer who did the Vogue cover doesn't consider herself an artist..."

She may not, but individuals with an IQ higher than their shoe size do.

Here we go again. If it helps any, and I'm sure it won't, I saw this story three days ago and it had a poll along with it. The author of the article is black and he was asking for some sort of handbook for Americans that we can look at when we need to know if we should feel offended or not by something, especially racial.

Anyway, over 90% of those who took the poll were not offended by the Lebron cover. Anyone who was upset by it is the type of person who goes around looking for something to upset them.

This again proves how tense people are about racial issues. There is no doubt that someone who has seen the gorilla picture before would think about the stereotype of black man lust for a white woman, which by the way existed at some point. Just a fact!
You can look at a picture hundred different ways!!!
Black, white, green, yellow etc would look at the picture and come up with different interpretation, and again that is perfectly fine and normal.
Just think about this, when is the last time you look at the cover of a vogue magazine, I know I don't even remember who was on the cover of the last vogue magazine I've seen. So the way I see this, the photographer/vogue knew that the picture would be interpreted in different ways with the potential of firing up people emotion about race. Now the magazine gets a lot of publicity and will cash out of course, and now more people will know the photographer (remember, there is no bad publicity). And that is the same way politicians use people emotions to divide us among racial lines.
I am just always surprised how people here who seem to be sooooo SMART always fall for this racial tactics pointing the finger at others. Remember this issue benefits Vogue/the photographer, and just reinforce the frustration that people have over racial issues...
Lebron a black man didn't see a racial spin on it, probably Gisele didn't see it, but I am sure, another black person saw it that way, and another white person saw it that way as well. I didn't see it that way at first, but I can't deny that the racial stereotype can't be seing on the pic!!!
So all of you just loosen up a little plz!!!

Personally I think he should have been dressed as "pimp lebron" form Nike adds of last year.

My wife thinks he should have been dressed in as little as possible.

Has Leibovitz commented? Has James for that matter?

This is not an issue at all. Giselle is Brzilian. She is not White.

Gee Whiz. Too people of colou on the cover of Vogue

Anyone who was upset by it is the type of person who goes around looking for something to upset them

Posted by everlong

Mind if I make a slight correction to this?

Anyone who was pretending to be upset by it is the type of person who goes around looking for something to pretend to upset them

Actually she is german, just happens that she is from brazil

I think ...

Gamma Phi's past president Jillian Krivarchka said the party was billed as a "cowboys-themed party, rather than an Indians-themed party, and that the sorority could not control how people chose to dress.


Ummm yeah, sure.

I'll take that, Rob. Sounds about right to me.

King Kong? More like King James. Whatever Liebowitz' was thinking, fuck it. I remember seeing the cover of this magazine, and my first reaction was "I wish I could be in his position: ultra-muscular superstar athlete armed by Giselle."

Cover is cool.

I thought he looked like a negro basketball player. If you think that is looking like a gorllia, so be it.

Twas Beauty that killed the Beast!

Are we still talking about this? Sheesh!! Here's the deal, peoples. With the MSM attempting to give populist Dem candidate Obama his "Dean Scream" moment by proxy through endless replays of the selectively outrageous soundbytes of Reverend Wright's sermons the country has become race concious in a way we haven't seen for a very long while. I realise that Obama's speech the other day welcomed a new national dialogue on the usually verbotten subject but THIS is ridiculous. The article in quetion was one celebrating the apparent perfection of the human body with Gisele and LeBron as two prime example of fitness/ hawtness levels that men and women should aspire to or at least envy. Men tend to favour a wedge shape with washboard abs while women still tend towards the unrealistic wasp-waisted Barbie-esque form which modern fashion still promotes despite health concerns. Lebron is a great athlete and Gisele Bundchen is ...well, Gisele Bundchen fer farks sakes! They both look good in the shot and anybody who wants to see this as being racially demeaning to LeBron James obviously has waaaaay too much time on their hands. Men are celebrated in our society for being big, imposing and aggressive, women are celebrated for being smaller, HAWTTer and doable. Fair? Maybe yes, maybe no. True? Undeniably. Annie Liebowitz obviously wanted to stir a little stink with this pic but due to prevailing over-sensitivities in the zeitgeist vis a vis racial sensitivity she got more than she bargained for. Good fer her. This cover'll prolly sell a shiatload more copies cos of that and isn't that really the point here? Quite frankly whenever Spud looks at that picture I don't really see Lebron James other than as this blur to the left of Gisele Bundchen. I have mentioned that she looks HAWT in that shot haven't I? Cos she does. Such HAWTNESS!! MMMMMmmmm Gisele Bundchen.

Be Well.

I thought he looked like a negro basketball player. If you think that is looking like a gorllia, so be it.

Posted by Sniper at 2008-03-28 12:29 PM | Reply


Cookfish,
Here we are trying to be provocative and upset the sensibilities of the hyper-libs by pushing the boundaries of taste, and then Sniper goes and posts the above...That is funnier than anything we could have come up with AND it for sure is upsetting to the liberal mind.

Yeah Chairpoodle, we're so upset.
I don't think the cover was racist, even if it was based on the poster. The girl on the Vogue cover isn't shreiking in terror like the girl in King Kong.

10-4 bitch.

"Giselle is Brzilian. She is not White.

Gee Whiz. Too people of colou on the cover of Vogue

Posted by timbci at 2008-03-28 11:45 AM"

Tim, are you drunk, or just old-fashioned stupid?

"No Taxman, I don't. I would never have thought of that until someone else brought it to my attention.

Posted by joe at 2008-03-28 11:17 AM"

Liar Flag.

"I don't see color." Stephen Colbert and Joe

Sniper, we don't call the Negroes anymore. We don't call them "Colored" either. How long you been driving Miss Daisy?

Actually she is german, just happens that she is from brazil


I think ...

Posted by chlorinehair5 at 2008-03-28 11:48 AM | Reply | Flag:

Actually the two people on the cover are simply from the same race....the human race......ya fucking tools.

What a fucking stupid story. I don't see it at all. How does james look like king kong? WTF? When I look at the cover I see James showing the typical NBA emotion after doing something spetacular, and this time he just happens to have a hot chick in his arms. If this picture would have had Dirk or Nash would we be saying it was some kind of gorilla picture?

Lebron is da man ! nuff said !

We don't call them "Colored" either.

People of color. Colored people. National Association for the Advancement of COLORED People? Forgive me if my grasp of the difference is niggardly compared to yours, but is this part of the same subclause of racial etiquette which says that only those to whom the "N" word applies are allowed to use the "N" word in describing each other? So many exceptions to your rules...it can be confusing....

"If this picture would have had Dirk or Nash would we be saying it was some kind of gorilla picture?

Posted by Jasper at 2008-03-28 01:53 PM"

Um, no. (Are you Nanc's son by any chance?)

Sniper, we don't call the Negroes anymore. We don't call them "Colored" either. How long you been driving Miss Daisy?

Posted by LetUsPrey

What do we call them now? They arn't african-Americans. Africa is a place not a race. Are they dark compleceted Americans? That would work.

"Black" works. You don't get out much, do you Snipe?

What do we call them now?

Posted by Sniper at 2008-03-28 02:21 PM | Reply


It all depends on whether or not you're in line at the grocery store on the 1st of the month.

National Association for the Advancement of COLORED People?
Posted by SE4NY6969

They named that organization 99 years ago, things were a little different then.

For some anyway.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been carrying Lebron's sorry ass for years.

I believe that most people so inclined prefer to use the name "monkey". Just a minor correction no thanks required.

Ilgauskas carrying Lebron's sorry ass? Just like Pippen carrying Jordan's ass all those years, eh? Surely thou doth jest.

Just like Pippen carrying Jordan's ass all those years, eh?

Not Pippen, Will Perdue and Bill Wennington shared that task.

People who do not learn lessons from history, are bound to repeat them.

They named that organization 99 years ago, things were a little different then.

So my grandmother (and Obama's grandmother), if they were born 99 years ago, can use any term which was in vogue 99 years ago when they describe people? I mean, without fear of me or Obama narcing them out and throwing them under a bus in front of millions of viewers?

"Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been carrying Lebron's sorry ass for years."

Yeah, just like Tony Kukoc carried Michael Jordan.

"So my grandmother (and Obama's grandmother), if they were born 99 years ago"

Sure thing, you stupid racist.

Actually she is german, just happens that she is from brazil

I think ...

Posted by chlorinehair5

If she is a German, then she would be from Germany.

I wasn't offended by the cover at all when I first saw it. I didn't see a monkey or king kong. But now after listening to all the race "experts" they talked me in to it: This is a freaking racist cover and now every time I see a black person on the cover of a magazine I am going to wonder "HMMM how did the milky white photographer subtly inject racist slander to keep the black man down"?

Keep job race "experts", keep race wars alive and kicking.

"If she is a German, then she would be from Germany."

Are you trying to be stupid or is this your natural state?

Lebron's the Man! Helped put Ohio on the map and yes Akron!

Chrissie Hynde Helped Kill the Akron image. Now 'Bron is brining it Back!

Go Cav's!

Too many people all over appear all too eager to be offended in order to promote their own hysterical view of the world.

It's disgusting.

I went to college with these types; in my experience, 99% of the time they harbor an ulterior motive: to force their perspective on everyone else, and they DGAF about the actual issue at hand.

One of the major Politicial parties in this Country is on the verge of placing for the first time an African American name to run for the office of President of the United States, an here we have some FOOLS that see every picture, every criticism of any Black as somehow an insult to the whole of the Black race, what the FUCK????

Those of you on the FAR RIGHT an those of you on the FAR LEFT, remember this if you hate someone so much that it clouds your thinking you become just like each other. You dumb fuck are so far out of the loop that you are bumping into each other. Leave us the fuck alone, you all deserve each other!!!!!!

The story behind this image and its history is well documented in Stuart and Elizabeth Ewen's Typecasting: On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality. A discussion of the VOGUE cover and related issues is found on their Stereotype & Society website: http://
stereotypeandsociety.typepad.c om