| OneHungLo |
04-01-2018 05:34 AM |
Selectman candidate calls photo 'humorous' -- NAACP says it is offensive
https://i.imgur.com/LDUlHBp.png
^^ How is that picture not funny? :1orglaugh Black people have turned into the biggest snowflakes :2 cents: :2 cents:
Quote:
STOUGHTON, Mass. —
A candidate for Stoughton’s Board of Selectmen is defending a social media image he posted in 2012 that depicts a black person with an exaggerated nose and lips, calling it “humorous,” and accusing political opponents of a smear campaign.
The Brockton Enterprise reports Peter Buckley, who is white, made the image his Facebook profile picture in August 2012. The image was still visible in a history of Buckley’s profile pictures Monday.
Reached by phone Monday, Buckley said he would not apologize for the image, and advised anyone offended by the image to reach out to him personally.
“It’s just humor,” Buckley said. “I like humor, whether it’s a picture or written word. If I find it humorous, I will share it.”
When asked specifically if he found the image in question humorous, he confirmed: “Of course I did.”
Buckley wouldn’t explain why he found the image (which appears to be a doctored photograph of a black person with warped and enlarged nose and lips) humorous.
The Enterprise was first contacted about the image by Stoughton resident Joe Feaster, a former interim town manager in Stoughton and former president of the NAACP’s Boston branch.
“If he found that humorous, I find that very, very sad,” Feaster said. “He couldn’t represent me if he found that humorous.”
Phyllis Ellis, president of the Brockton branch of the NAACP, called the picture “offensive, period.”
“Peter Buckley was insensitive in 2012 when it was first posted, and he is insensitive today,” Ellis said. “He said he would not apologize because he did not see a problem with it. Peter Buckley is the problem.”
Buckley is one of four candidates vying for two seats on Stoughton’s Board of Selectmen. He is running against incumbents Bob O’Regan and Stephen Cavey and former selectman Peter Brown, who was recalled from his seat in December.
The election is set for April 10.
Buckley is a former 14-year board member of the Stoughton Housing Authority and a Town Meeting representative. He works for the town of Arlington as legal counsel.
He frequently shares images and internet memes publicly on his personal Facebook account.
“My Facebook is for that reason,” Buckley said. “It’s for humor. Anybody who knows me knows that.”
Buckley said he found the controversial image on Facebook in 2012 before making it his profile picture. The origin of the image is unclear — a Google image history search shows it appearing a few times on various Facebook pages and chat forums.
Buckley said he believes the revived reaction to the 2012 photo was an effort from a political action group in Stoughton seeking to sabotage his campaign, and called it “ridiculous” that people were offended almost six years later.
“If it was that bad, it would have been brought to my attention in 2012,” he said. “If they want to think it’s racist, go ahead. I’ve never been accused of that in my life.”
Feaster said any sort of smear campaign was beside the point — Buckley did indeed make the image his profile picture in 2012.
“I suppose some of us may interpret that image in different ways,” Feaster said, noting about 20 percent of Stoughton residents are people of color. “I will let the people decide. We’ll let them judge.”
Selectman candidate calls photo 'humorous' -- NAACP says it is offensive
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