Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Russian MP's Obama with banana picture sparks racism debate
Source: The Guardian
Russian MP's Obama with banana picture sparks racism debate
Shaun Walker in Moscow
theguardian.com, Monday 16 September 2013 13.35 BST
The subject of racism has become the focus of a public discussion in Russia after an MP from the Duma caused outrage by posting an image of Barack Obama on Twitter that was photoshopped to include a banana.
Irina Rodnina, an MP from Vladimir Putin's United Russia party and a triple Olympic champion figure-skater, posted the picture on her personal Twitter account.
The image features Obama chewing, while a hand in the foreground waves a banana at him.
Rodnina insisted that there was nothing wrong with the photograph, and said she had been sent it by friends in America. "Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, and you should answer for your own hang-ups," she wrote.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Shaun Walker in Moscow
theguardian.com, Monday 16 September 2013 13.35 BST
The subject of racism has become the focus of a public discussion in Russia after an MP from the Duma caused outrage by posting an image of Barack Obama on Twitter that was photoshopped to include a banana.
Irina Rodnina, an MP from Vladimir Putin's United Russia party and a triple Olympic champion figure-skater, posted the picture on her personal Twitter account.
The image features Obama chewing, while a hand in the foreground waves a banana at him.
Rodnina insisted that there was nothing wrong with the photograph, and said she had been sent it by friends in America. "Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, and you should answer for your own hang-ups," she wrote.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/16/russia-obama-banana-racism-debate
5 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
And the woman quoted is an asshole.
As black American I refuse to negotiate with foreign assholes on what is offensive to us and what is not.
So fuck 'em all. 
I've got enough problems with people in the US - so that sniveling little snot faced child can go scratch.
