Listen Up Stephen Colbert: Barack Obama Is Not Hitler

On Obama, no visitor of this site is unaware of where I stand and what I stand for. I fear that a lot of his foreign policies are no different from Bush's and, in some rare instances, even worse. I'm neither impressed by his domestic policies, which I think have completely ignored the dire circumstances facing communities of color. That said, however, I stop at no checkpoint to defend President Obama, Michelle Obama, or their two adorable daughters, from racist characterizations--of which there have been many (liberal and conservative), since their ascension to prominence two years ago.

One recurring theme regarding Obama, promulgated by the Right-Wing, has been that his policies are Socialist, Marxist, and Communist. They're not. Most recognize these charges as the desperate howls of a defeated, and nearly extinct, major political party. But many within this party have taken their antagonism a step further. They have used racial code-words (overt and covert) to describe the new president as an 'other,' one unlike his predecessors.

Beyond the obvious fact that he's the first (acknowledged) president of color, they have sought to question his intelligence, wondering whether as a former-Junior Senator, he really earned the merits of becoming the nation's 44^th president.  

Others, unfortunately, have made unfound parallels between Obama and widely detested foreign leaders (dead or alive), including President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, and even President Adolf Hitler. Those who have dared defend these parallels suggest no ill will is meant. Obama's policies simply mirror the kinds of Dictatorship, Fascism, and Nazism the aforementioned are largely credited for, they say.  

For this reason, it was saddening to watch a recent routine by comedian Stephen Colbert, where Obama's face was doctored with a mustache eerily similar to Hitler's.   

Those who don't know Stephen Colbert would only be further confused by watching his Comedy Central nightly news show, The Colbert Report. According to credible sources, he is a flaming liberal but delights in portraying a hard-line conservative (rumored to be Bill O'Reilly) on his show. In fact, a study conducted by Ohio State University, this past April, discovered that many conservatives believe Colbert "only pretends to be joking and genuinely mean[s] what he" says.

I'm not Stephen Colbert's biggest fan, but I occasionally switch on his program for some refreshing satirical irony. Nonetheless, there's a danger in the level of persuasiveness with which he is able to convince conservatives that they have an ally in him.

In his routine last night, Colbert covered Obama's recent interview with CNBC, in which he discussed FOX News' avowed devotion to "attacking" his administration. Colbert, comically, suggested that Obama was in fact talking about him and, to refute this charge, he would "give some favorable coverage to President Obama." At this, a picture featuring the Obama-Hitler mustache appeared on the screen. Steven protested the decision to his producer: "No... We are not using the Hitler mustache. ... Not tonight."

Though articulating some concerns, the studio audience was too embroiled in the joke to maintain its composure. But I don't find it that funny. There's nothing rib-cracking about comparing Obama, whether verbally or photographically, to one accused of murdering over 6 million people. No. Nothing funny at all.

It is sad that in this age of multiculturality, most White comedians still can't put together a joke about Obama's presidency that is not stoked with racial insensitivity. It is also ironic that when Wanda Sykes brilliantly ripped apart hate-monger Rush Limbaugh, last month, she was attacked by everyone, including the White House, but Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Sean Hannity, and other White comedians aren't dealt equal amounts of scrutiny.

What this suggests, I believe, is that even in the comedic world, the line from the Minstrel hall to the stand-up lectern remains unbroken.   

Watch the sketch below: