What do you think?

Do you think an Obama Chia-Pet is offensive, insulting or in bad taste?

Apparently Walgreens thinks it is as they have pulled them from their shelves.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/09/chia-pet-creator-shocked -walgreens-pulls-obama-model-shelves/

Personally, I don't find it offensive or in bad taste. If the ceramic part exaggerated the facial features of African Americans or made it "cartoonish" then it would be in bad taste and should be pulled.

I don't want one of these or any other Chia pet, but I don't see anything wrong with it if someone is so inclined to want one.

What do you think?

I think the thing is awesome! If I were Obama, I would have one!

I haven't seen one, but it seems sort of stupid, but not racist.

Let's face it, Obama is a person with African type hair. If the Chia pet happens to look like his hair when it grows, than it just does.

There are cartoonish characterizations of all Presidents and lots of other people. Suddenly when the person happens to be African-American, people want to attach racism to it. That's stupid as is the whole Chia pet concept.

The hair would have problems growing on the top part of my Chia face.

Broadway I think you've actually stumbled upon a marketing idea for Chia Pet. With today's technology people could go on line to a web site, attach a digital picture of themselves that would be re-created into a facsimile of themselves in Chia Pet form.

You're brilliant Dan!!

PS..I'm not bothered by the Obama Chia Pet

Sounds cool to me. But, I understand that Walgreens does not want to do something that may piss off customers. Makes perfect sense to pull them from shelves.

Agreed.

The Chia Obama guys can just sell direct. This kind of thing would probably do fine, Internet only sales.

Personal Chia heads are a good idea! There is some pretty good 2D to 3D tech shown at the last few Siggraphs that would probably make the "send in your photo" deal work.

I don't see it as "racist" but it could cause controversy, and when you own a business, it should be your goal to create as little controversy as possible.

Would the discussion be the same if the item of discussion was a George Bush Chia Head?

"Would the discussion be the same if the item of discussion was a George Bush Chia Head?"

No it wouldn't. There is a double standard which is rather obvious.

>>George Bush Chia Head
It would come with a optional shoe to throw.

So the Chia people should just offer a set of Presidential Chia heads! Do one a month, and people can collect them, or select them!

Work backwards, through all the Presidents! That's a lot of Presidents. Good for a multi-year sales campaign. The Chia people never had it so good. (maybe I should make a phone call!) Would be a home run man! Out of the park, putting Chia in the minds of people like they could really use right now.

Call it the KSKD stimulus plan for Chia company.

After a time, the Obama Chia head would then be valuable, instead of questionable.

Where there is controversy, there is opportunity.

Political novelty items ranging from questionable to poor taste. Droll descriptions, a whole Web site of camp:

http://www.stupid.com/fun/politics.html

"No it wouldn't. There is a double standard which is rather obvious."

No double standard here. You're comparing apples to oranges. Obama is black and and Bush is not. One has hair that could be an afro, the other doesn't. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a chia pet's growth looks like an afro after a while.

I like the "Yes we can opener"!