This Day in Racism History – Berlusconi’s ‘Suntanned’ Gaffe

When I first heard of this, I thought it was just another awful overreaction where nothing can be at all funny or spoken lightheartedly if it had any vague reference to race.

I just thought Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi was trying to be funny (and failing) and being an overall jackass.  As my only real knowledge of Silvio were from videos of ‘him’ (not really him, but I thought it was him at the time I first saw the video) eating boogers and making humping gestures at a male traffic cop (I think that one actually is him), his ’suntan’ comment seems positively restrained.

Judging by the reaction described in this New York Times article (the article is actually from yesterday), and the litany of slightly-beyond-just-stupid acts and remarks of his in the past, I think I’ll reserve judgment.  Maybe his comment was racist, maybe not.  Silvio Berlusconi certainly does seem like a huge dumbass though.

… and the cow goes moo