Choc-o-bama: Racist Stereotype Or Just Delicious Stereotype?
12 January 2009, 12:00 PM. By Cindy Casares
When a bunch of crazy, caucasian chocolatiers from either Portland, Oregon–perhaps the whitest place on earth–or Newark, California, (it’s hard to tell from their website), decide to mold and sell 3-inch chocolate Barack Obamas on the internet, is it a tad bit, oh, we don’t know, racist? Or, is it just delicious?
If Barack Obama was white, (Looking, that is. He is, in fact, half white.), and he had as much popular support, they MIGHT have come up with the same idea. After all, they’re chocolatiers. This is what they do. Chocolate on the brain, so to speak. They probably wanted to show their support in some small way, the only way they knew how. So they conceived of this product with the idea to donate $1 from every sale to the cause of America’s choosing. And in their west coast, liberal naive excitement, they might not have realized that some folks might take offense. Like the tipster who sent us this link. But is it a bad thing to say someone is chocolate? What could possibly be better than chocolate? We don’t know. Cocaine, maybe? A cocaine Obama would be pretty cool. Wait. Who is transcribing things from our head? Oh, we are. Anyway. Neapolitan Printing & Company, purveyors of “handmade artisan chocolates,” and the ridiculously awesome mustache on a stick, are selling these little chocolate busts of president-elect Barack Obama for $20 each (there’s also an inaugural party pack) and, yes, in true white, liberal, style, they’re holding a vote to decide who gets the benefits. But, alas! The link is not working. Perhaps they should get that fixed.
CHOC-O-BAMA [Neapolitan Printing & Company]
Related:
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Fascinated By Barack And Michelle Obama’s Tans, Breasts
Obama To End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ And Defense Of Marriage Act
Fidel Castro Gives Obama Nobel Peace Prize His Stamp Of Approval
Barack Obama Names Emilio Estefan To “Commission To Study The Potential Creation Of A National Museum Of The American Latino.”
(6) 
Post Your Comment
Did you know you can now share a link, image or video?
Click to submit your own notas.
Calling it racist is a bit much. The company makes chocolates for crying out loud! They are even donating money from it, so really, pulling racism out of it is a stretch. Would they have preferred white chocolate? Maybe a gummy Obama? Exactly what kind of confection would have been acceptable?
They shoulda done a half and half white and regular chocolate.
@Fredo: A gummy Obama sounds pretty delicious, actually. Maybe a cookie Obama?
It’s true. I just lived in Portland for about a year. While there are a good amount of minorities, it seems they are mostly immigrants that tend to stick to themselves. So, yes, overall Portland, and especially it’s youth culture, is very white and very liberal. It was a nice place, but I couldn’t stay.
I’ve lived in Portland for several years, having moved here from Oakland, CA. Is it the whitest place on earth? No, it is not. Actually, that statement is kind of offensive, and indeed a stereotypical assumption made by people that have either never lived here, or haven’t taken the time to explore the city’s surprisingly abundant cultural diversity. Portlanders, as progressive and liberal as they may be, take great pride in this city’s diversity.
That said, I find it curious that the only thing you could think of better than chocolate was cocaine. I know, a joke. But surely if you believe someone could possibly be offended by a chocolate Obama, you might see the irony.
We created the choc-o-bama in celebration of Obama, not to be racist. We actually consist of one caucasian, one mexican and one african american working together to make chocolates and tshirts. So maybe we have all our bases covered on the race issue of this project!
-xo