Home > Letters to CR Dick Hyacinth On Blue Lips On President Obama posted January 23, 2009
Blue lips and blue gums are definitely racial stereotypes, and really old ones at that. They're characteristics often associated with African Americans as criminals, particularly the "black beast rapist" stereotype of the late 19th/early 20th century. I've also read similar sources refer to skin color as blue-black, with similar connotations. I don't know if Patrick Corrigan is a native Canadian, and thus unfamiliar with these stereotypes (assuming they don't exist in Canada; given your comments, it doesn't sound like they're prevalent in the midwest either). It's also possible that the insult is simply too old and obscure to register with him or other editorial cartoonists. But yeah, I think it's probably best just to stop the practice and move on, since there's obvious evidence of malice or racial prejudice in this.
