What’s a Fourth of July parade in Norfolk, Neb., without a racist, redneck float? The epitome of Cornhusker political commentary featured a pickup truck with a zombielike effigy of President Obama in overalls outside an outhouse with the words “Obama Presidential Library” on it.
To their credit, the commentators did spell all the words correctly, which means they are probably not Tea Party members.
The float apparently was approved by the parade organizers, the Odd Fellows Club, since it had an official float number in the windshield.
Although parade judges awarded the float an honorable mention and one judge said it was the most popular float ion the parade, not everyone saw the humor, according to the Omaha World-Herald:
Norfolk resident Glory Kathurima said she attended the parade with her 9-year-old daughter. As a black woman living in Norfolk, Kathurima said she found the float to be an offensive depiction of the president. She emailed Norfolk Mayor Sue Fuchtman as well as the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce and the Norfolk Daily News to voice her disapproval. She also wrote to the Norfolk Odd Fellows Lodge, which coordinated the parade.
Kathurima said the float seemed to be calling the president stupid, and the message seemed clear: “I don’t like Obama.”
The World-Herald also received several emails from people expressing concern. One email, from a person who said she had grown up in northeast Nebraska, called it disrespectful that such a display would be allowed in a parade that celebrates America’s history. The Nebraska Democratic Party also issued a statement, calling it one of the “worst shows of racism and disrespect for the office of the presidency that Nebraska has ever seen.”
Norfolk City Councilman Dick Pfeil also voiced his displeasure with the float.
“The City of Norfolk doesn’t condone that,” Pfeil said.
The councilman noted, however, that it was up to the Odd Fellows to approve the floats. A representative of the Odd Fellows did not return a phone message from a World-Herald reporter Saturday evening.
According to Wikipedia, the International Order of Odd Fellows is dedicated to the following purposes:
- To improve and elevate the character of mankind by promoting the principles of friendship, love, truth, faith, hope, charity and universal justice.
- To help make the world a better place to live by aiding each other in times of need and by organizing charitable projects and activities that would benefit the less fortunate, the youth, the elderly, the environment and the community in every way possible.
- To promote good will and harmony amongst peoples and nations through the principle of universal fraternity, holding the belief that all men and women regardless of race, nationality, religion, social status, gender, rank and station are brothers and sisters
- To promote a wholesome fraternal experience without violence, vices and discrimination of every form.
Far be it from us to judge, but it would seem the IOOF missed the high moral boat with this low-brow float.
