Debate on political correctness finds the birthplace of Mardi Gras



Even the 133-year-old Comic Cowboys are bowing to the king of modern-day communication - political correctness.

The Cowboys, in a letter Friday to Mobile City Councilman Fred Richardson, promised to "cease from comments which may be hurtful to our citizens" following outrage about the 2017 parade that included floats with derogatory statements toward African Americans.

As one AL.com commentator pointed out Friday: "A sad day indeed when the Comic Cowboys capitulate to political correctness."

The outrage prompted Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and City Councilman Joel Daves to resign their membership from the krewe that has long paraded their satire on the city's streets during Fat Tuesday with a simple message of "Without Malice."

The reaction to this year's parade in Mobile, where Mardi Gras is the king of all the city's annual events, has been split. Opponents say the entire production was akin to allowing racist language to parade on city streets before tens of thousands of onlookers. Meanwhile, supporters of the Comic Cowboys have fired back, calling the opponents oversensitive while using popular terms such "snowflake" to describe those easily offended.

In Mobile, critics of the Comic Cowboys parade said the signage paraded through downtown Mobile was racist. Among the most criticized was a sign mocking the Black Lives Matter movement by depicting a cartoon version of a black man running with a TV, accompanied by the legend: "BLACK LIVES MATTER DEMANDS JUSTICE But apparently it will settle for BIG SCREEN TVs."

Another sign suggested that Trump's African American outreach could be a pledge to "Make America Mo' Great Again."

At least three signs poked fun at the city of Prichard, a predominately black and poor community north of downtown Mobile.

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