The following image of some Atlanta billboards was posted over at Think Progress:
It wasn't the political messages on the signs that immediately caught my attention. Let's take a closer look at the artist's rendering of Obama:
Now, as an exercise in comparison, let's take a look at an actual photograph of him:
Given that the above picture was one of the first that came up in a Google image search of "Obama", and given the obvious similarities, it's quite possible that this photo was the model for the billboard drawing. Even the background is similar.
Now let's compare again:
Let's try and be objective here. Notice any differences? Did the artist choose to emphasize or exaggerate certain features?
It's important here to distinguish between the above rendering and a caricature. A caricature, as defined by Merriam Webster is:
1 : exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics
I chose not to post any Obama caricatures, since I'm concerned with copyright issues, but they're not difficult to find. Would you describe the above artist's rendering as a caricature?
I'll give you my opinion, as objective as I can make it: this is not an attempt at caricature. The artist deliberately exaggerated Obama's African features in order to scare people.
Can their really be any doubt remaining as to what motivates rightwing fear of Obama? Turns out he really didn't need to check "black" on his Census form. When it comes to the people most frightened of him, that fact was not only never in doubt, it is central to the issue.