The letters to the editor keep coming in regarding "The Sock Obama," the offensive doll being marketed by a West Jordan, Utah, couple that equates a presidential candidate Barack Obama - an African-American - to a monkey.

A typical argument, expressed in one letter, says that "the Obama sock toy is not any more offensive than Pat Bagley's Salt Lake Tribune cartoons depicting President Bush as a monkey. The only difference is that Obama is black and Bush is white."

No, it's not the same thing. When you depict George W. Bush as a monkey, you are criticizing Bush as an individual, not making a statement about all white people. Depicting Obama as a monkey, because of its historical and cultural precedent, is making a comment about all black people as inferior.

Some historical examples:

• The 19th-century physician Josiah Clark Nott, in his book Types of Mankind, theorized that the human race was actually several species -- and its illustrations misleadingly suggested that “Negroes” were a class between Europeans and chimpanzees.
• In 1983, sportscaster Howard Cosell was criticized for saying "look at that little monkey go" during a run by Washington Redskins receiver Alvin Garrett, who is black. Cosell said his intent was not racist -- and, in fact, he had used the "monkey" remark to refer to white athletes on occasion.
• One of the Los Angeles police officers tried in the 1991 beating of Rodney King sent a computer text message referring to a domestic disturbance in an African-American family as ''right out of 'Gorillas in the Mist.' ''

Some have defended the Lawsons, the marketers of "The Sock Obama," by saying they didn't know the monkey comparison is racist. If they didn't, that's surprising but not impossible. But now they do know - and if they keep pursuing their plans (as the Tribune has reported), they cannot hide behind ignorance as a defense.

Others say the Lawsons are protected under the First Amendment. True enough. They can say any bigoted thing they choose - but they shouldn't be shocked if the exercise of their free-speech rights doesn't leave them as societal outcasts.

Labels: Barack Obama, politics