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Frazzled wrote:

Manchu wrote:As I mentioned in another thread, I'm Catholic. We eat our God. A cake shaped like an angel would only be offensive to me inasmuch as I am used to finer fair.

Pass the jesus Juice. I need to wash down these Christ Chex.

Going to go a little tangential here, but I really do like the taste of communion wafers.


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biccat wrote:What kind of sick freak thinks this kind of gak is appropriate?

So your reading of this event was support for perpetrators of female circumcision?

Manchu wrote:As I mentioned in another thread, I'm Catholic. We eat our God. A cake shaped like an angel would only be offensive to me inasmuch as I am used to finer fair.

I don't know if you have Angel Cake over the pond, but I meant actual angel cake, rather than a cake shaped like an angel



Unrelated: I suppose my family should really be having Dawkins Pudding at Christmas to show our allegiance

We call it "angel food cake" if we're thinking of the same thing. Perhaps we call it differently because some fether was actually offended?


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SilverMK2 wrote:Unrelated: I suppose my family should really be having Dawkins Pudding at Christmas to show our allegiance

Dawkins Pudding is what Richard Dawkins makes when people read his books and agree with him.

Manchu wrote:

biccat wrote:What kind of sick freak thinks this kind of gak is appropriate?

So your reading of this event was support for perpetrators of female circumcision?

No, it's not.

My question is: "What kind of sick freak thinks this kind of gak is appropriate?"

Also, sorry about referring to her as the Prime Minister.

Manchu wrote:

Frazzled wrote:

Manchu wrote:As I mentioned in another thread, I'm Catholic. We eat our God. A cake shaped like an angel would only be offensive to me inasmuch as I am used to finer fair.

Pass the jesus Juice. I need to wash down these Christ Chex.

Going to go a little tangential here, but I really do like the taste of communion wafers.


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biccat wrote:What kind of sick freak thinks this kind of gak is appropriate?

So your reading of this event was support for perpetrators of female circumcision?

Only if they're fresh. We went on a tour of the missions in San Antonio (why oh why did they not go there and not the craptacular armpit that was the Alamo???). One had an original oven and molds for wafers. They were REALLY good.

biccat wrote:My question is: "What kind of sick freak thinks this kind of gak is appropriate?"

Apparently, sick freaks who oppose the forcible female circumcision practiced in parts of Africa.


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Frazzled wrote:Only if they're fresh.

I can't even imagine what "fresh" communion wafer would be like.

Manchu wrote:

biccat wrote:My question is: "What kind of sick freak thinks this kind of gak is appropriate?"

Apparently, sick freaks who oppose the forcible female circumcision practiced in parts of Africa.

So, just to get this straight, making racist portrayals of black Africans is acceptable if you're protesting their cultural practices?*

Just to make sure we're absolutely clear on the issue.

* And in case it matters, yes, I find female circumcision disturbing and abusive.

edit: Were they also trying to make a statement about ritual cannibalism, or was that just something to bring people in the door?

Manchu wrote:

biccat wrote:My question is: "What kind of sick freak thinks this kind of gak is appropriate?"

Apparently, sick freaks who oppose the forcible female circumcision practiced in parts of Africa.


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Frazzled wrote:Only if they're fresh.

I can't even imagine what "fresh" communion wafer would be like.

fresh out of the oven. As I said, quite excellent.
The Boy on his first communion, remakring on the wine. "can I have some more?"
Interesting side note but we're bottling the Wife's specially made wine this weekend. Wisely, we're going shooting before, and not after.

biccat wrote:So, just to get this straight, making racist portrayals of black Africans is acceptable if you're protesting their cultural practices?

Racist portrayals are pretty bad no matter what the occasion. Fortunately there isn't one involved in this story.


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biccat wrote:Were they also trying to make a statement about ritual cannibalism, or was that just something to bring people in the door?

Why they chose a cake is not immediately apparent. My guess is to highlight how simple it is to ignore the issue in a developed, commercialized society like Sweden's. But no sense in trying to understand something. Back to being outraged!

Outraged I say!

SilverMK2 wrote:
They do exist though apparently...

Bam!

Manchu wrote:

biccat wrote:So, just to get this straight, making racist portrayals of black Africans is acceptable if you're protesting their cultural practices?

Racist portrayals are pretty bad no matter what the occasion. Fortunately there isn't one involved in this story.

Blackface and the "fertile African" look aren't racist anymore?

Manchu wrote:

biccat wrote:So, just to get this straight, making racist portrayals of black Africans is acceptable if you're protesting their cultural practices?

Racist portrayals are pretty bad no matter what the occasion. Fortunately there isn't one involved in this story.

in Biccat's defense that cake pretty much screams historical stereotype from cartoons etc. note the neck, large mouth, etc. To a Southerner thats, disturbing.

Test ; if taking the cake to Compton and show it to the local fine citizenry might get you killed, there might be an issue.

biccat wrote:Blackface and the "fertile African" look aren't racist anymore?

Racism is a matter of context not of rules. Black face is racist in the US because we have a history of white people putting on black face to denigrate black people ... who whites kept as slaves. Can't say I know whether there's a similar history in Sweden.

As to human proportions as depicted in African art ... I don't really see how that's racist at all.


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Frazzled wrote:To a Southerner thats, disturbing.

Agreed. Good thing then that this was a cake for Swedes!

biccat wrote:
Blackface and the "fertile African" look aren't racist anymore?

When the artist is black, and African, probably not. Also, when its not the US, but instead Sweden.

SilverMK2 wrote:

Frazzled wrote:i don't know what I am more shocked by, the cake thing or that there is an afro Swede association. Aren't there only like 12 people in Sweden to begin with, and half of them are platinum blond supermodels, and the others are busy making meatballs and future platinum blond supermodels?

I was kind of thinking that I have never seen any non-white Swedes before...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Sweden#Ethnicity

They do exist though apparently...

You have never seen them becasue they are chained up inside the workshops...

...dogma beat me too it...

My goodness, he's done a whole line of racist spectacles there!

SilverMK2 wrote:

Frazzled wrote:i don't know what I am more shocked by, the cake thing or that there is an afro Swede association. Aren't there only like 12 people in Sweden to begin with, and half of them are platinum blond supermodels, and the others are busy making meatballs and future platinum blond supermodels?

I was kind of thinking that I have never seen any non-white Swedes before...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Sweden#Ethnicity

They do exist though apparently...

Black Russian anyone?

Manchu wrote:Racism is a matter of context not of rules. Black face is racist in the US because we have a history of white people putting on black face to denigrate black people ... who whites kept as slaves. Can't say I know whether there's a similar history in Sweden.

Hypothetically, if David Duke had the same cake, that would be racist, because he's racist? But when some dame in Sweden does it, it's not racist, because she's not racist?

Sorry, I'll stick to the objective side of things. If something is racist or offensive, intent is largely irrelevant. Given that the Afro-Swedes were offended, I'm going to assume that blackface and racist portrayals of African women are considered offensive there as well, which basically destroys your "it's different in Sweden" argument.

Meanwhile, bombs are still a thoughtful answer to art:

http://www.thelocal.se/40320/20120418/


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biccat wrote:Sorry, I'll stick to the objective side of things.

This statement explains why you have such difficulty understanding things.

EDIT: Or, perhaps more accurately, misunderstanding things with such remarkable ease.

biccat wrote:But when some dame in Sweden does it, it's not racist, because she's not racist?

Or because the black, African artist signed off on the action. Because, you know, context.

biccat wrote:
Sorry, I'll stick to the objective side of things. If something is racist or offensive, intent is largely irrelevant.

No, not at all true. Nothing is intrinsically racist, or offensive, that you believe otherwise is sad.

I can see what he was trying to do, but it was very ill-advised, and no way near as clever as the artist probably thought it would be.

And the idea that a government minister would go anywhere near this is hilariously stupid. I mean, really. No British or American politician would be seen in the same building as that thing.

Albatross wrote:I can see what he was trying to do, but it was very ill-advised, and no way near as clever as the artist probably thought it would be.

And the idea that a government minister would go anywhere near this is hilariously stupid. I mean, really. No British or American politician would be seen in the same building as that thing.

Yes but British and American politicians can't even stand by what underwear they decide to wear in the morning. She was asked to do this by a black artist who sought to highlight the practice of female circumcision in Africa. The fact that everyone here is talking about it shows that the artist succeeded.

More people are talking about how offensive this whole display was, not about the message he was trying to share.

I give him full credit for having good intentions, and it is a noble cause, but the execution was horrid.

Let's have a bake sale to raise funds for a holocaust museum while we are at it. We will pull the cakes out of a crematory furnace to make sure people know what we are raising money for...

A Town Called Malus wrote:

Albatross wrote:I can see what he was trying to do, but it was very ill-advised, and no way near as clever as the artist probably thought it would be.

And the idea that a government minister would go anywhere near this is hilariously stupid. I mean, really. No British or American politician would be seen in the same building as that thing.

Yes but British and American politicians can't even stand by what underwear they decide to wear in the morning. She was asked to do this by a black artist who sought to highlight the practice of female circumcision in Africa. The fact that everyone here is talking about it shows that the artist succeeded.

Erm, I didn't need a racist cake to tell me that female circumsision (a barbaric practice) was being practiced in some African countries. Did you? Did anyone here?

She showed extremely poor judgement, IMO. Her advisors should be taken out and hit with sticks. At best, a white swedish politician cutting up a racist depiction of an african woman is just ham-fisted and condescending. WTF has it got to do with Sweden, incidentally? The whole thing is so fething random!

I'm left wondering what they thought a positive outcome would have looked like... 'Wow, guys! Really, just... wow. You really made me think about female circumcision with your African lady-cake. And the part where you cut it open and it was all red inside, like blood? I was almost moved to tears...'

Bunch of fething idiots, mate.

Albatross wrote:

A Town Called Malus wrote:

Albatross wrote:I can see what he was trying to do, but it was very ill-advised, and no way near as clever as the artist probably thought it would be.

And the idea that a government minister would go anywhere near this is hilariously stupid. I mean, really. No British or American politician would be seen in the same building as that thing.

Yes but British and American politicians can't even stand by what underwear they decide to wear in the morning. She was asked to do this by a black artist who sought to highlight the practice of female circumcision in Africa. The fact that everyone here is talking about it shows that the artist succeeded.

Erm, I didn't need a racist cake to tell me that female circumsision (a barbaric practice) was being practiced in some African countries. Did you? Did anyone here?

She showed extremely poor judgement, IMO. Her advisors should be taken out and hit with sticks. At best, a white swedish politician cutting up a racist depiction of an african woman is just ham-fisted and condescending. WTF has it got to do with Sweden, incidentally? The whole thing is so fething random!

I'm left wondering what they thought a positive outcome would have looked like... 'Wow, guys! Really, just... wow. You really made me think about female circumcision with your African lady-cake. And the part where you cut it open and it was all red inside, like blood? I was almost moved to tears...'

Bunch of fething idiots, mate.

A Swedish artist obviously felt strongly about the issue. And I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of people out there who are not aware of the practice of female circumcision simply because it is not practised in many developed countries, if any. So it is a fair and viable subject to attempt to highlight. Also many things are known about but still get exposure, such as cancer. How many people do not know about cancer? Yet there are still days where massive events are organised to raise money for and awareness of this condition.

As for why the cake is a racist caricature, probably to make it easily identifiable and to maybe put forth the idea that female circumcision belongs in the past, just like racism?

The work was supposed to be provocative and start discussion about female circumcision but instead will almost entirely generate discussion on racist imagery instead. The amount of dialogue about the intended subject will be akin to having 'a very special episode' of a TV show, or publishing a pamphlet. This has the added benefit of being in bad taste so I would mark it as a spectacular failure as it will achieve none of the intended goals while turning people away.

Don't worry guys, Swedes doing anything in Sweden is considered racist. So take it easy.

Even getting the mail? how could one connect racism to that?

KingCracker wrote:Even getting the mail? how could one connect racism to that?

All the envelopes are white or light coloured and none of them are black... frankly, I'm amazed that you did not knew this!