Can’t You Take A Joker?

Controversy: The poster, which depicts President Barack Obama as Batman villain The Joker has divided U.S. opinion

Posters of President Obama depicted as Heath Ledger’s The Joker are cropping up in cities like Los Angeles and Atlanta.

The poster shows Obama in the white makeup of the famous Batman villain, complete with green hair and frightening red lipstick.

“Socialism” is written beneath the picture.

And, of course, people are ranting and raving about it, calling it mean spirited and dangerous.

Was it mean spirited and dangerous to depict Ronald Reagan’s face covered in AIDS related open sores? I will never forget seeing those dispicable posters plastered all over San Francisco in the 80s.

Was it mean spirited and dangerous when Democratic operatives printed and posted pictures of George W. Bush’s face on the body of a Special Olympics athlete with the horrifying words “Voting for Bush Is Like Running In The Special Olympics: Even If You Win, You’re Still Retarded” insulting millions of mentally and physically handicapped Americans??

Probably no more mean spirited and dangerous than President Obama cracking a Special Olympics joke on national television on the Tonight Show.

What was more mean spirited and dangerous I wonder? When alleged comedian Wanda Sykes joked about hoping Rush Limbaugh’s kidneys would fail or when President Obama laughed at the joke?

And I seem to be the last person to remember Alec Baldwin’s insane rant (it was supposed to be a joke I am told) during the Clinton impeachment hearings that we should all march on Washington and KILL all the republicans…their families, too. Funny stuff, huh? The audience seemed to think so. And nothing was really made of it. It sure wasn’t labeled mean spirited and dangerous.

Some critics of the Joker poster seem to be more offended by the “Socialist” title than by even the demented makeup job.

But the left never really protested George W. Bush being labeled a terrorist…the top terrorist on the planet according to singer Harry Belafonte.

I hate to break it to you, Presidents for hundreds of years have been spoofed in political cartoons and satire. President Obama is not going to be the exception.

The Joker poster actually seems quite mild compared to my earlier examples, which go well beyond the bounds of satire, humor, and good taste.

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