Sylvia, I can clearly see the chimp/Obama thing that you point out. But I think Obama's better lookin'. So I'D never confuse the message---but that's me---because I'm so smart.
I Find NY Post Cartoon Insensitive, If Not Downright Offensive
by snowbird 45 Replies latest social current
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undercover
Both my Black and White friends on this board..In the American South..Have taught me about how different things are there,than I could possibly imagine..I have no doubt they may see that cartoon differently than others..I don`t see that cartoon the same way they do..But then..I don`t live in the South..
I am from the South...born and raised. And I don't see the cartoon as racist. I can see where some people might remember old stereotypes and insults and be reminded of them, but that doesn't make the thought or intent of this cartoon racist.
There's enough real racism and prejudice that we don't need to go looking for it under every political cartoon or dead monkey. Let's deal with the real instances of hate and not go making things worse by being ultra-sensitive.
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snowbird
Oh, I forgot to thank Leolaia for her incisive analysis.
It is spot-on.
Outlaw, it's not just the South.
Sylvia
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hemp lover
I wonder if the cartoonist would've drawn this if it were a different animal involved in the attack, say a pet tiger.
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minimus
The cartoonist has stirred up other racist stereotypes in the past.
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Nathan Natas
Snowbird observed,
If he'd drawn a depiction of Rahm Emanuel facing officers with
swastikas on their sleeves, what do you think the reaction would be?Or what if he had drawn a picture of Stalin and George Bush dancing a jig? Or a snowman playing with fire?
In reality, though, he didn't do any of these.
Let's try to stick to what actually happened instead of flying off with "what-ifs" in an attempt to strengthen a weak argument.
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undercover
Pat Oliphant got in hot water during the Bush administration for his depiction of Condileeza Rice.
Notice a pattern?
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Priest73
Now this is more like it! What an ugly old man!
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snowbird
In reality he played up a racist stereotype.
There's no getting around it.
Sylvia
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SixofNine
If nothing else, the cartoon was just to stupid too be run in any major publication. The two stories, the chimp/the stimulous, have zero to do with each other. What's more, the stimulous obviously passed, so it was in no way shot down. And, also obviously, there is nothing to be gained from a satirical or ironic pov in suggesting that anyone shoot the writer of the stimulous (and yes, that is pretty well understood to be Obama, but even if not, so what?).
There is a very dangerous contingent, probably THE most dangerous contengent of Americans who are really put out that a Black Democrat is president. They use all the demonizing words in the right wing American playbook to keep their outrage up: socialist, liberal, communist, etc etc.
These same sort were outraged that a Eastern Catholic Democrat was president too. Or, as one blogger put it:
"There has been a surprising response to the NY Post's innocent political cartoon, which merely showed two policemen making a joke about the stimulus package while standing over a chimp they shot. Some people have no sense of humor.
There is no evidence that this hilarious cartoon was aimed at President Obama. Those who are invested in such conspiracy theories remind me of the same whiners who were offended by a cartoon that ran in the Dallas Morning News on the morning of 11-22-63. It was in the form of a full-page advertisement, headed with the line: "Welcome Mr. Kennedy to Dallas." It went on to ask questions about how come his administration had abandoned the US Constitution, and had taken the nation down the road to socialism/communism?
Some liberals didn't get it, and went out of their way to say the ad not only insulted President Kennedy, but also sought to incite violence. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was clearly directed to a "Mr. Kennedy," not "President Kennedy."
I, for one, can't see any difference between the NY Postal cartoon and the Dallas Morning News cartoon."
