Reactions to Obama poster at Club Velvet
Clearly there has been a huge response to Sam Moore’s decision to hang a poster on the side of Club Velvet depicting Barack Obama as The Joker, captioned with the word “SOCIALIST.” Here’s a brief roundup of some helpful links, as well as some insight from community members at Monday’s protest…
Clearly there has been a huge response to Sam Moore’s decision to hang a poster on the side of Club Velvet depicting Barack Obama as The Joker, captioned with the word “SOCIALIST.” Here’s a brief roundup of some helpful links, as well as some insight from community members at Monday’s protest…
- Background about the original image
- Original post on River District News about the poster
- River District News’s follow-up post concerning the NAACP protest
- Links to national coverage
- NBC12’s coverage, including excerpt from Sam Moore’s statement about the image
Here’s what a few people had to say at this afternoon’s protest…
“We need justice – [Moore] needs to come out here like a man and face the media. This is about justice. If I could go up there myself I would rip the sign down. This sign needs to come down!”
“The KKK doesn’t have to put their hoods on in America any more. We know who you are.”
“This is not about color, but a mentality of color.”
“Were still fighting the civil war.”
“It’s time for separation – I’m ready to die, y’all want to bring it, I’m going too bring it.”
“We are free to be against this sign. We are free to be put it up. We are free in this country. Don’t people understand that by us being out here, we have given Moore what he wants? Grow up – this is giving a titty bar too much attention – We all ought to just go home.”
“You are not free to hate us for the color of our skin, just as you are not free to hate people due to their disabilities.” (in response to the previous speaker)
“If this was a picture of Bush, we know it would have been taken down immediately. This breaks my heart and I’m sorry this is happening.”
“The letter that Mr. Moore wrote doesn’t justify his actions. This is unacceptable! This is not appropriate for the community!”
Go to River District News for updates.
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Valerie Catrow
Valerie Catrow is editor of RVAFamily, mother to a mop-topped first grader, and always really excited to go to bed.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
Like I care what the owner of a trashy strip club thinks, especially about race and politics. What a fucking moron. I don’t hate Obama and I don’t like him, but I hope he comes down here and punches Moore straight in the mouth.
This article is a little one-sided just quoting people at the protest. Of course those people all oppose the banner. Take a look at the River District stories and you’ll see there are a lot of people in support of this banner, or at least the owner’s right to put it there (agree or disagree with the message).
Despite all Moore’s rage, he’s still just a rat in a cage.
I don’t like the idea that people instantly pull the “racism” card when someone expresses dissatisfaction with Obama. Protest this all you want but they have no right to make Moore take the banner down. The same freedom that allowed him to put the banner up allowed them to stand on the street and protest. The people demanding it be taken down need a simple lesson in our Constitutional freedoms.
Why is this about racism? The sign says socialism and because its Obama and not Clinton its automatically about race? No one went crazy about the stickers and banners depicting Bush when often those were a whole lot worse. I personally didn’t favor Bush at all so I thought seeing stickers that said “F the president” was hilarious. No one went kicking and screaming about it because its about politics and that’s all its about! Having a sign up of President Obama with his face painted and the word socialism written underneath isn’t about race what-so-ever, its about a political view that Obama is a socialist or has similar world views and nothing more. It is getting old that every time you say anything negative about the way our president runs our country or that you disagree with him in any way its automatically a racist remark… from a poster originally made by a Dennis Kucinich supporter, to yelling out ‘You Lie!’, to a tax day tea party. Apparently it was the highest form of patriotism to protest the Republican president but heresy or outright racism to protest our new “dear leader.”
Good point, Wolf. That’s why we linked to the site. We encourage everyone to go to River District News to get more input from the community.
This may not be about race, but it’s “perceived” as a racial issue to many people. Whenever a bunch of white people are protesting the decisions of a black president, perceptions begin to form [right or wrong]. And if we want to ignore that fact, then be ready to handle the consequences.
Real dialogue and productive debates always take into consideration the cultural filter of another person [again, right or wrong]. Alot of this makes sense to us when speaking to someone from another country, yet I think we have yet to realize that there are strong cultural divides that still remain in the states. If were not willing to acknowledge that, we will always be stuck asking the question “why”.
This has nothing to do with racism. Idiots. If you disagree with Obama, it doesn’t make you a racist, it actually makes you a realist.
Some men just want to watch the world burn.
Post of the day.
Sam Moore Biggest Douche in RVA. He should put it on his Cheesy Hummers. This Guy is a spoiled shit, who begged to get out of jail because some guy dressed as the joker was poking his butt.
He has a legal right to decorate his place the way he wants and the poster is not inherently racist but a pop culture reference.
Still, I can only wonder what would happen if I had a large building in a prominent Shockoe Bottom location, and I decided to hang a huge banner of Eric Cantor in blackface, or Cantor’s head on the body of a teenage boy texting in class. Would the city put up with it, or find some way to take it down? I think I know the answer.
At least this will be another great national story that makes Richmond look like a used, 1950s rubber douche bag.
the banner cracks me up. it is not about race, its about obama being a frickin joke! racist people always play the race card. double standards are alive and well.
From an etiquette standpoint, it’s rude to lampoon anyone rather than to respectfully disagree with that person. The fact that it’s a large banner referencing trendy pop culture may also point to Moore and / or his minions not having the ability to criticize via the pen or some other civilized, more substantial means.
But from a legal standpoint, I’m happy to live in a place where people can display whatever banners they want on their private property (keyword here is “private”) without fear of being drawn and quartered. However offensive a banner may be, it’s a reminder to me of my own freedom to hang whatever banners I please.
Of course this is an issue as old as the hills, so I’ll rely on this lovely phrase attributed to Voltaire:
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
From a film loving standpoint, what does the Joker have to do with socialism?
No matter where you stand on this debate, it’s safe to say that all of us had to do a wikipedia search on “socialism.” The google image search of it involves a lot of fun beards!
However, being reminded about overrated Christian Bale movies is the sort of distraction that stops any productive discussion & keeps us uninformed about the health care proposal.
I think “Newsies” would be a better movie to use to spark future debates, since that at least is about labor laws.
Kelly – Justin just reminded me that the Joker does indeed blow up a hospital. However I maintain that Ursula would be a better villain (and still immediately recognizable), since she wants to put all of us IN HER LITTLE GARDEN.
From the LA Times article linked above:
“Regardless, Alkhateeb [the original artist] does agree with the Obama “Hope” artist about “socialism” being the wrong caption for the Joker image. “It really doesn’t make any sense to me at all,” he said. “To accuse him of being a socialist is really … immature. First of all, who said being a socialist is evil?”‘
Susan, I think its because Leon Trotsky played the Joker in the original Batman TV Series…I think…actually I may have made that up.
Freedom of speech is all fine and good, and frankly he has a right to hang the sign. However, the guy really has some grapes. Given the crimes he has been charged and convicted with, he ought to be hiding in a hole, instead of drawing attention to himself. He needs better lawyers.
That said, he is obviously a right wing nut. It would be great if someone put up a sign of McDonnell standing next to a subservient, barefoot,
pregnant women; or Bush in a clown suit with a toothbrush mustache.
Or better yet, a poster of Moore himself hiding from the an ABC official, while raping an underaged girl, after having stabbed someone to death.
How about holding a huge sign of Moore at his next court date, painted up as the Joker with “Rapist” written under it? Isn’t that my free speech right, too?
It’s hard to take seriously the socialist position, when it is being advocated by boobs such as Moore, Palin and Beck. They lack of knowledge about what socialism really is hilarious, if I didn’t feel so bad for the uneducated.
Thanks for making yourselves look crazy and out of touch. It makes the job of progressives and forward-thinking Americans that much easier!
The joker from Batman was a dangerous homicidal villain. The right wing grabbed onto that image because it plays on white fear while stripping a respectable and intelligent man of his dignity. Add in the political mischaracterization and you have one among many gutter-tactics of the modern American fear-mongering lynch-mob. This kind of stuff would be ridiculous if they weren’t having such success with it.
I find the poster offensive, an embarrassment to all of us who live and work here regardless of how we feel about Obama, and hope there is an appropriate way for the city to require its removal.
“…while stripping a respectable and intelligent man of his dignity.”
That is the best way to make fun a dignified person.
Wow… this sign just tells all of us how crazy these conservatives are. What I don’t understand is how that guy can post a sign on the side of his place when the public has to pay the price of looking at it. I have to pass that damn corner everyday and this does not make my day start out very good.
I call for a car horn revolt, every time anyone passes that corner they hold down their horn. Time is not an issue hold that horn down at whatever time you happen to pass by it. You also have the right of free speech and expression. My free speech comes from my cars horn blaring all day and night long!
Fear-mongering lynch-mob? Gutter tactics? Did you just open yours eyes to the world of two-party politics? This is the same silliness we’ve been dealing with for 8 years from the anti-Bush fanatics. The difference is when people burned him in effigy and spread photos of a chimpanzee mimicking his facial expressions across the internet no one cried racism.
So… wait… what? Am I to assume the President is a Supervillain?
AWESOME!
I hope he has a diabolical scheme like blocking out the sun or creating an army of mutant bees! Now THOSE are causes I can stand behind.
Hey, progressives how about when you do it. Go to Vanity Fair, this picture was really clever in its time.
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/07/bush-as-joker.html
Pot meet kettle!
A response worth checking out:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/photo.php?pid=2614823&id=819367439
Obama is a creep. He is a socialist. Its not about his race. Its about truth.
So was it raciest when Bush was depicted as the Joker in Vanity Fair and posted all over liberal sites? The race card is losing it’s power. It’s being played too much. NAACP is a racist org anyway. They only work for one color skin.
EXACTLY, P.
I honestly don’t see much difference between the KKK and NAACP. Notice its still called the NAACP, and not African American after all these days. Dont they hate being called “colored” anyway?
The funniest thing is that this was a ‘hot’ item in the blog world a couple months ago. Ole JT might put up the NRO cover of Sotomayor as an inscrutable asian next.
I agree that race has nothing to do with this. I’m sure Moore would have sex with or sell drugs to any 14 year old, regardless of race, creed, or religion.
That cheeky low blow being delivered I’ll say this:
Sam Moore is a blight on Richmond local business, government, and society. Personally, I think he should be ignored (since the hummers and banners make it obvious that’s what he fears most). But, if we want to choose the more traditional “run him out with pitchforks and torches” I think that a misguided anti-racist mob can be just as effective as any other mob. In the good old days, just running arrogant pedophiles out of town was enough for a protest, but if the race card is going to be a catalyst for the ultimate desirable end of Sam Moore’s hi-jinx then so be it.
Bottom Line:
banner not a race issue
but if NAACP (or whoever) wants to give Moore a pain in the ass for the wrong reasons at least someone is.
Although the poster may or may not be racially motivated (depending on who you talk to and who is using it) – I find it interesting that a representative from the Nation of Islam was stating he was ready to “die”, and ready to fight. Now I know his standpoint was certainly more radical, and that members of the NAACP did not approve of his sentiments.
However, throw this into the mix – I just spent an hour with a man from the Sudan yesterday telling me about the horrible war stories of how radical Muslims have been tearing apart his motherland for the past several decades.
How can one Muslim man be so defensive of any “attacks” on an African American (his perception), while another man be so appalled by the murders of his African American family by radical Muslims?
Race?
What race?
Are you talking about the Kentucky derby or perhaps the Indianapolis 500, Oh I know you mean the
Daytona 500, right!
How ironic; The NAACP claims race bias against a “non white” Artist!
The artists name is not Alchabuba, it’s Alkhateeb!
Sam Moore did not create the “JOBAMA” image.
What is the real reason Sam Moore displays the “JOBAMA” SOCIALISM poster?
Sam Moore says, “it” (the “JOBAMA” poster)
expresses his displeasure of:
The Obama Administration.
Notice Sam Moore did not say
“it” (the “JOBAMA” poster) expresses his displeasure of Obamas skin color.
Although Alkhateeb claims he was making no political statement with
the art work (the “JOBOMA” poster) why did Alkhateeb create the poster in the first place?
If his motive was purely artistic, why did he choose this picture for his subject research?
The “JOKER” character represents a criminal mind.
Albeit the “JOBAMA” poster was seemingly created by happen chance, is there any truth to the implied expose?
Are Obama’s actions based on criminal intent?
It seems this may be the more important question begging to be answered.
Cisco d
My favorite was the women at the protest carrying “Strippers for Obama” signs.
I think it will be more about the patrons of the venue not going to the venue. So question becomes is a patron’s horny drive more important than justice?
What about a poster of Obama snorting coke with the caption President underneath it. Obama said in his book he used to snort coke. dont blame me i didnt vote for a cokehead, the Obamaites did
Right now he’s the only thing at Velvet NOT snorting coke.
ZING!
No real need to have the Taliban or Alquaeda on duty, we have republicans and libertarians, who know nothing about doing what they can to lift their country up, nor rising to the occasion to assist their fellow americans, and everything about what it takes to drag it down, offer no help, and sit on the sidelines with nothing but attacks and cheap insults.
wow what a bunch of morons. you people talk about sam like you know him. when all you know is what you have read in a paper published by a town who has fucked with a man just because he owns a strip club. has sam had run ins with le? yes! has he had situations where people have tried too kill him? yes! and he has stood the test, been his own defense and struggles too stay on top of those who try and stop him. sam is a richmond folk hero. he is standing up for each and everyone of our rights and if he is made too comply or bend we all loose!
the city of richmond has been after him for a long time because sam is strong enough too take a stand! its not a question of right or wrong. its a question of freedom.
sam tried too open a resturant yet richmond said “no” not near the childrens museum? wtf is that about it was a resturaunt not a strip club!
then sam had a picture painted on his building of a women he fealt was beautiful both inside and out “princess diana” the media thrashed him for that. no we could not have anyone the likes of sam have that on his building.
well i dont blame sam for putting up the banner infact i can think of a few other peoples faces around the va “mobster” goverment officials that should be plastered in a light more realistic too their charactor.
so before you go accusing sam of being racist or using poor judgement by hanging his banner just keep in mind its the “sam moore’s of this nation who occasionally test the rights we all enjoy lets not get in his way lets all enjoy the fruits of his labor.
not anyone of you could enjoy the freedoms you do if not for the SAM MOORES OF THIS GREAT NATION!
It took so long for a Sam Moore fanboy to surface. Proof positive they are few and far between.
But, I mean, NAMBLA is a thing, so I guess there’s someone to defend everyone?