by Richard Meese

Created on: August 16, 2008

Barack Obama should NOT appear on FOX News because of their unforgiveable ethnic slur against his wife by the FOX news department.

In highlighting a story about Michelle Obama, the FOX "crawl" appearing in print below her photo stated "Obama's Baby Mama to give speech". I continue to be astonished that FOX has never been taken to task for such a blatant ethnic slur.

The term "Baby Mama" orginated in the black community and refers to an unmarried black woman with children. It is not a compliment. The implicaton behind the slur is that the black woman in question isn't worth marrying. For a major news network to use it in reference to the wife of a Presidential candidate is wrong on several levels.

First, it calls attention to Michelle Obama's race. "Baby Mama" is used almost exclusively to describe an unmarried BLACK women. No one would dream of calling Cindy McCain "John McCain's Baby Mama", so why do it to Mrs. Obama?

Secondly, it is derogatory and disrespectful. Michelle is Barack Obama's wife and mother to his children, not a ghetto floozy having babies with mutiple men. If a total stranger walked up to Sean Hannity's wife and asked her, "Are you Sean's baby mama?", I doubt she would be pleased. If her husband were present, the stranger might get a punch in the face.

Barack Obama is a gentleman and wouldn't stoop to that level, but he should boycott the network until they formally apologize to his wife.

As to the network's defense that it was an innocent attempt at humor, they are either incredibly naieve or lying. If they honestly don't know that the term "Baby Mama" is an ethnic slur against black women, in effect offering the "We're just stupid old white men" defense, then it is incumbent on minority staffers like Juan Williams and Geraldo Rivera to educate them. But both of these men have remained silent, content to cash their FOX paychecks rather than right a moral injustice.

Which brings up another intriguing question. If FOX news is as "fair and balanced" as they claim to be, where is the disrespectful "crawl" under their photos of Cindy McCain? FOX has never been disrespectful to Cindy McCain and would never dream of calling attention to her race.

So, until I see the words VANILLA BEER QUEEN under the next photo of Cindy McCain on FOX News, I will continue to do what Barack Obama should do.

Boycott FOX News. Fair and balanced? My ass!

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