Posted on 03/15/2009 8:58:00 AM PDT by bimboeruption
A mask similar to one President Barack Obama himself wore in a "Saturday Night Live" skit prompted a Portland school principal to ban a boy from performing while wearing it at his elementary school talent show after deciding the rubber likeness of the 44th president was "inappropriate and potentially offensive."
Dru Lechert-Kelly, 11, a fifth-grader at Llewellyn Elementary School in Southeast Portland, decided to dress up like his role model and dance to a popular YouTube song that features an Obama look-alike dancing to a parody called "I Can Do Whatever I Like."
Dru performed the skit in front of teachers and students during a rehearsal for Llewellyn's annual talent show Thursday. He wore a navy blue suit, white shirt, red tie, black shoes and an Obama mask purchased at a costume shop. The choreographed routine ended with Dru on the floor in the splits.
"He practiced for weeks," said Scott Lechert, 50, an instructional designer, who along with his partner, Paul Kelly, 55, a physical therapist, adopted Dru from a Romanian orphanage in 1999 at age 1 1/2. Both dads helped Dru design his stage props -- a desk with a large presidential seal stuck to the front with duct tape. And both coached their son to "have lots of bop" and "use your shoulders" during his routine.
After Thursday's performance, the "crowd went wild," Dru said. But so did some of the adults in the audience.
"I talked to the parents who are coordinating the talent show, and they feel it's inappropriate and potentially offensive," Llewellyn Principal Steve Powell said.
When asked what was offensive about Dru's skit, Powell refused to discuss it.
"I won't say why it's inappropriate," he said. "I'm not saying anything to The Oregonian. Why? Because I don't want to."
Powell said he hadn't seen Dru's performance but has watched the parody on YouTube.
Lechert had to break it to his son: One of the talent show organizers had called to say that Dru could perform his skit but that he wouldn't be allowed to wear the mask.
On Friday, Dru decided not to perform at all -- opting instead to attend a roller-skating party.
The reasons, according to Dru: The skit doesn't make sense without the mask, and he's a little too shy to do it without the mask.
"If I don't have the mask," Dru said Friday, "it's just some kid up there dancing around."
As for Dru's parents, they find the whole thing confusing as well.
"I understand the history of black face and how African Americans were caricatured by it," Lechert said. "However, we now have a popular biracial president who is admired by white and nonwhite people. At what point will it become OK for an 11-year-old admirer to dress up as the president without fear of offending someone?"
Kelly said that as a gay couple, he and Lechert consider themselves particularly sensitive to issues of minority groups.
"We are white, but we're a minority class," he said. "We have some insight into this process of what is and what isn't offensive. There was obviously no intent to harm here -- or really any possibility of offending anyone."
As for Dru, he's disappointed -- he's been practicing for weeks. But what bothers him most is that anyone would think he'd do anything that might offend his hero: Barack Obama.
When asked what he liked most about the new president, Dru said, "He said he would try to change the world and make the economy better."
Lechert pushed his son to tell the whole truth.
"Well, also because somebody told me he has a Wii all hooked up to a huge flatscreen in the White House. That's cool."
Your choice of words is unfortunate, given your stance on the matter.
Good question. Apparently not enough, because the Romainian adoption industry is going strong.
loving American home = 2 sodomites in a perverted marriage teaching kids to emulate a leftist in a dog and pony show?
Wow.
LOL - you’re probably right.
Every “adult” involved in this is a fool;I pity the poor child .
where can i get one of these?
You make two convenient assumptions to advance your agenda.
Back to your Log Cabin with you.
I agree with you.
Two things tell it all. Dru came from Romania (European, White) and the mask is of Barack Obama (privileged victim class)
You don’t need to know anything else about this.
Oh I see, since they’re gay they feel they should get a pass from the PC police.
That’s rich.
(I actually agree with them that this is rediculous, but their reasoning on why they should be exempt from the PC police is even more ridiculous).
Loving homo home? More like an indoctrination camp.
Male homosexuals, by definition, play in scat. Much like a normal male and a normal woman exchange fluids during intercourse, so must they exchange them. Only their choice of a hole isn’t wet, it’s full of turds.
I have two questions for you. First, what is your opinion of men who play in feces? I bet you’d think they were insane, as would any normal person. Well, this is what homosexuality is, and you can’t escape it any more than you can have vaginal intercourse with a woman without getting her fluids on your penis, nor can you boast of your heterosexual virility while claiming to be disgusted by vaginal fluid. So the second question is, why do you defend men who proudly declare their practice of coprophilia?
So I’ve defined your side for you...I suggest while you’re over there you watch where you step and don’t shake anyone’s hand.
Yeah, you're right. These poor kids wouuld rot away without the sodomites lining up in droves to give them loving homes. /s
You got that one, unfortunately, as you can see from this partial graph...
Looks like the order of important minorites has shifted?
Wow, all Romanians live like that? Who knew. And conversely, all male homosexuals are adequate ‘mothers,’ and not likely at all to be the bearer of disease. Additionally, they’re known for their loving natures and ability to commit to a single individual.
Say, since both these fags want to be women, why didn’t they adopt a little girl? Think of how much fun they could have cleaning, shopping, doing each others hair, etc...hmmm...but they chose a little boy. Wonder why?
We're talking "facepalm" stupidity here.
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