Posted on 09/17/2012 12:59:52 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Rodeo clown was behind racist joke about Michelle Obama
It was rodeo clown Mike Hayhurst of Barstow, not announcer Ed Kutz of Arroyo Grande, who made an offensive, racist joke about first lady Michelle Obama over the public-address system of the Creston Classic Rodeo, a rodeo board member confirmed Sunday.
Spectators initially believed and reported that Kutz made the comment Saturday. Both he and Hayhurst were on microphones at the same time.
Speaking Sunday on behalf of the rodeo’s nine-member board, Mike Barrett said the rodeo is not responsible for the joke and will ask Hayhurst for a letter addressing the issue and a public apology. The board will discuss at its next meeting whether it will fire Hayhurst, and it will review scripts for future performances by any clowns.
“We probably won’t be using his services in the future,” Barrett said of Hayhurst.
The joke, as told by Hayhurst, went like this: Playboy is offering Ann Romney $250,000 to pose in the magazine, and the White House is upset about it because National Geographic only offered Michelle Obama $50 to pose for them.
According to rodeo board member Tom Hansen, the joke fell flat.
“Creston didn’t find it funny. This isn’t the kind of thing we trade in,” Hansen said.
Hayhurst was not performing at the rodeo Sunday. He was taken to an area hospital Saturday evening for head injuries, Barrett said. He did not know whether the injuries were related to an incident at the rodeo Saturday in which a bull tossed Hayhurst into the air.
When reached on his cellphone Sunday and asked whether he wanted to apologize for the joke or explain his comment, Hayhurst said: “I cannot believe how insensitive you are. I am in the hospital.” He then uttered a vulgarity and hung up.
Hayhurst has performed at the Creston event for several years but is an independent contractor and not officially affiliated with the rodeo, Barrett said. According to Hayhurst’s website, prorodeoclown.com, he has performed as a rodeo clown since 1977. He was once a city police sergeant and is now a charter school administrator.
Kutz, who was erroneously identified as the one who made the comment in initial reports, declined to speak to The Tribune on Sunday.
At the rodeo Sunday, as organizers distanced themselves from the comment, several people in attendance said they were not offended by the joke and did not believe an apology was necessary.
A woman who refused to give her name but said she lives east of Creston said, “It’s called freedom of speech. I don’t think (Hayhurst) did anything out of the ordinary. ... Let’s not blow things out of proportion.”
Another man who lives in Creston, who also declined to be named, said, “It’s not racist at all. It’s a joke. If these people are offended by that, then they don’t need to come to our rodeo.”
But one woman, who also would not identify herself, said, “It’s offensive on many levels. It’s also offensive to women, and it’s not an appropriate comment for a public forum.”
Yeah, and I bet ya they never even got paid!
Hey, this could be a new cause for Mooshell!
when do the riots start?
Instead of the usual center page foldout, they would have to use a three page fold out to get wide loads butt in the photo.
And the Montagnard (Mountain Yard) women in Vietnam.
IMO white women, and Asian women, have some of the most beautiful breasts around. The ones shown in NatGeo were of women who’s breasts hung down like socks with rocks in them. To me that is not attractive. They looked like they had been run over with a truck tire.
Big flat breasts that look like two dogs looking at your feet are not as attractive as smaller perky breasts that look you in the eye and say “Hello”.
1940 enemies: Stalin, hitler, Mussolini
2010 enemies: plumbers, clowns, radio-show hosts, ex-giftshop clerks
California Rodeo Clown.
I didn’t know they were such big news makers.
code word... like “Chicago”, “Peanut butter & Jelly”, “Chair” and many others?
If that is racist then Obama is a treasonous bastard. Of course there are other precedents that establish that.
Now, THAT is racist!
I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant is that look at the Rodeo Clown he lost his gig because of what he said and because he said it about Michelle Obama. Had he said it about Condi Rice or Laura Bush there would be no controversy.
I take that back.
IIRC, Hawkeye Pierce was complaining in one episode that someone had torn pages out of the Nat Geo magazine in the camp outhouse.
As a kid I was offended by NatGeo's blatant racism. Long before Blazing Saddles I wanted to know "where's da white wimmin at?"
But she calls herself an African American. If this is racist then is she embarassed with actual African women and how they live?
He should have said that putting her in National Geographic would be an insult to gorillas!!!
I guess the majority of the people that frequent rodeos were offended.
One of our rodeo clowns said the only good thing about the cash for clunkers program is that it got a lot of obama stickers off the street :-)
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