Oh. My. God [View all]

[Number23]

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/K55OJZ_FFuIYixS47B6dFw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/



There aren't enough facepalms in the whole damn world. Heads need to ROLL at Sports Illustrated.

I cannot believe this is still happening in 2013. 2013!!!!!! This crap was tired and offensive in the 70s. For these people to still be doing it now is utterly inexcusable and well past the " but, we didn't know!" statute of limitations.

Glad to see people speaking out about this.

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/are-these-sports-illustrated-photos-offensive---164134203.html

"These photos depict people of color as exotic backdrops," David Leonard, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Critical Culture, Gender, and Race Studies at Washington State University, tells Yahoo! Shine. "As with beautiful oceans, picturesque trees, people of color are imagined as exotic, as novel, as foreign, as uncivilized and as a point of comparison for the civilized white beauties scantily clad in bathing suits. Beyond functioning as props, as scenery to authenticate their third world adventures, people of color are imagined as servants, as the loyal helpers, as existing for white western pleasure, amusement, and enjoyment."

... Evelyn Hu-DeHart, Professor of History and Ethnic Studies, Director, Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America (CSREA) at Brown University tells Yahoo! Shine: "It's understandable why some would find these photos disturbing. The juxtaposition of scantily-clad white, modern, cosmopolitan and western woman against natives, animals, exotic scenery, primitives (African native), traditionals (Chinese fisherman; ethnic minority girls in China);

I am absolutely stunned. Between crap like this; the number of tv shows and movies that in 2013 still seem perfectly fine without having a single brown face on screen; the fact that Vanity Fair (and other mags) can go YEARS between black faces on their cover; and the fever pitch frenzy from some people over Beyonce's performance at the Superbowl, I understand more than ever why blacks folks had our own media.