Comic Provocations in Racial Culture: Barack Obama and the “Politics of Fear”

Abstract

President Barack Obama's candidacy and election represented a momentous milestone in U.S. racial history; yet, the declarations of postracialism that followed his election are grossly premature. Comic discourses on race that reflect racial realities and constructions prominently illustrate the lasting significance of race. I consider the dominant public reactions to a controversial New Yorker cover illustration that satirized fearful discourses about Michelle and Barack Obama during the 2008 election. The dominant responses to the illustration revealed pervasive colorblind, antiracialist discourses and scapegoating rituals that erect significant obstacles to racial justice. These reactions illustrate the potential of racial comedy to provoke important conversations and debates about race that force people to make sense of racial culture.