Maybe her pet name for him is 'Toby'.

[Shockeye]

Mom Mad Over Son's 'Most Whipped' Photo In Yearbook

POSTED: 10:41 am EDT May 18, 2005
UPDATED: 10:47 am EDT May 18, 2005

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -- The mother of a high school senior elected "Most Whipped" by his classmates has asked for a recall of Boynton Beach High's 2005 yearbooks over a photograph of her son wearing a collar and leash.

Robert Richards, 19, was photographed with then-girlfriend Melissa Finley, who is holding the leash. Richards is black and Finley is white.

Richards' mother, Jacqueline Nobles, said the picture reminded her of the poster for the 1970s miniseries Roots, which featured a manacled slave.

"I know it's supposed to be in fun, but there are people still having trouble with African-Americans' past and this will be offensive," Nobles said. "This picture, to me, is very distasteful."

School district spokesman Nat Harrington said the pictures were inappropriate and the school would investigate. He said there could be "serious disciplinary consequences" for the yearbook adviser and "anyone else who should have brought it to the forefront for review before it was published."

About 240 copies of the yearbook were distributed before Nobles complained Tuesday. The principal is holding the remaining 460. But Richards, who came up with the idea for the pose, said he and Finley don't find the picture offensive. He said he and his peers are less conscious of race than older generations.

"We don't see a problem with it," Richards said. "If there was a black girl doing this in the picture, it wouldn't be an issue."

[HaemishM]

MOST WHIPPED? What the fuck ever happend to "Most Likely to Succeed" and shit?

[Paelos]

Ok two things:

1) The kid involved came up with the idea and doesn't think the picture is racist.
2) The couple was interracial, so obviously they have a progressive mindset towards race.

The Mom is an idiot.

[shiznitz]

In my high school, everyone in the class got a "most...." title of some kind that were mostly inside jokes. For example, a girl dated hockey players and had the last name Cooper: Most Likely Found on a Hockey Stick. I was "Makes the Biggest Impression" because my nickname was carved in at least half of the cafeteria trays.

edit: I was replying to Haemish, obviously. And, no, my nickname was not douchebag.

[WayAbvPar]

My pet's name IS Toby!


He is named after Toby Ziegler, the curmudgeonly Director of Communications on The West Wing (pre-suck, that is).




There. You just got 15 seconds closer to going home for the day. You're welcome.

[Strazos]

Yeah, lets compromise because some dumbass has a problem and cannot come to terms with her own cultural history, and gets upset over high school jokes.

Moron.

[TheWalrus]

Race will be an issue only  as long as we make it one.

[Strazos]

It stopped being an issue for intelligent people at least decades ago.

Unfortunately, we're outnumbered by the Acolytes of Teh Stoopid.

[voodoolily]

I don't think many African Americans who still live in the south are afforded the luxury of "getting over it". But it does seem like one of those things that just got blown way outta proportion. Maybe the mom is just bitter that her proud black son is dating a blue-eyed devil.

[Viin]

I don't think many African Americans who still live in the south are afforded the luxury of "getting over it".

Hmm. I'm not black and I don't live in the south, but I thought for the most part it was pretty civical for the most part these days -  except for maybe a few isolated incidences. (But then, people are assholes all the time - I don't think the color of your skin would be anything other than an excuse). Maybe someone who knows better can say?

[Abagadro]

Oh come on. A picture of a white person holding a black person by a dog collar and leash with a caption of "Most Whipped?"  I know it was unintentional, but no one saw that this might be misconstued?  Remove any one of those elements and it isn't even a blip on the radar, but put them all together and it's the perfect storm for potential bad reactions.  It's bad taste if nothing else.

[Strazos]

Of course it's in bad taste...it's just not anything I would really care about.

[HaemishM]

It's extremely bad taste, but I find it quite comforting that it was the kid's idea. I find it even more encouraging that not only was it the kid's idea, THEY HAD NO CLUE THAT IT MIGHT BE CONSTRUED AS RACIST, ONLY AS RACY. Which means to them, it had nothing to do with racism, with a white woman having power over a black man, but all to do with a man being pussy-whipped by his girlfriend. You know, that whole "future generations not getting their hangups from things they've never been exposed to."

Maybe in another 20 generations or so, our kids won't even know what discrimination is.

[Ironwood]

It's extremely bad taste, but I find it quite comforting that it was the kid's idea. I find it even more encouraging that not only was it the kid's idea, THEY HAD NO CLUE THAT IT MIGHT BE CONSTRUED AS RACIST, ONLY AS RACY. Which means to them, it had nothing to do with racism, with a white woman having power over a black man, but all to do with a man being pussy-whipped by his girlfriend. You know, that whole "future generations not getting their hangups from things they've never been exposed to."

Maybe in another 20 generations or so, our kids won't even know what discrimination is.

I feel sure there was a South Park episode on this....

[Strazos]

You are indeed correct. It involved a flag with white stick figures lynching a black one....they were later changed to include all the colors of the rainbow.

[Pococurante]

The lynching sticks were of all colors or the lynchee... ;)

[voodoolily]

It sounds like a quilt made of the fabric of diversity. A veritable rainbow of tolerance.

[Strazos]

The lynching sticks were of all colors or the lynchee... ;)

The Lynchers...

And they were all (including the victim) made to be smiling.