Tall Cool One

Because of concerns over being labeled “racist,” comedians have had trouble making fun of Barack Obama (there are some here). His relatively short time in the public eye has made caricatures difficult. There’s just not “much there.”

For its part, Saturday Night Live (SNL) has mimicked Obama (through the somewhat controversial depiction by Fred Armisen), but the jokes have not been grounded in anything particularly negative or hurtful. Part of this is likely due to a progressive-bias in the entertainment industry, but concerns about racism are undoubtedly at work, too.

THIS WEEK, Armisen artfully portrayed Obama as “cool,” but moved ever closer to racial stereotypes while providing ostensibly complimentary material. The performance is not offensive on its face, but even seemingly positive stereotypes are stereotypes nonetheless (few Jews are happy to be referred to as “good with money,” for instance).


This is not the first time Obama has been referred to as “cool.” For some time now, members of the mainstream media have referred to “no drama Obama” as a way to explain how the president elect’s grace-under-fire personality has handled all of the criticism that has come his way over the past two years. In May of 2007, This Week’s George Stephanopoulos asked Obama whether his race had something to do with his appeal:

STEPHANOPOULOS: You have a very cool style when you're doing those town meetings, when you're out on the campaign trail. And I wonder, how much of that is tied to your race?

OBAMA: That's interesting.

Here was our response at the time:

We LOVE the response. “It’s interesting,” which means, “what the hell is THAT supposed to mean?! All black people are ‘cool?’”

Cartoonist Kevin Moore appreciated our response and noted it in the caption to his April 22, 2008 "In Contempt" strip.


By couching that “coolness” in a jazz motif, SNL has taken the stereotype of the “cool Black man” a step farther, as jazz music has its roots deep in the African American musical experience.

For its part, Ebony magazine -- a publication with an overwhelmingly Black audience, put Obama on the cover this past August with an indication "Black Cool."

By complimenting Obama on his ability to be “cool,” SNL and Ebony Black politicians (current and future) in a box in a way that would not be the case if the target of the compliment were white. It’s not “insulting” the way Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton’s attacks were or the way Republicans invoked negative stereotypes about African Americans to question Obama’s truthfulness. In fact, it’s quite likely that Obama would not be offended personally. Still, it is important to point out that the joke rests on stereotypes about African Americans.

Too “sensitive?” That argument can (and likely will) be made. (See this “politically incorrect” Obama joke site.) We look forward to your thoughts in the comments section below.