US a nation of cowards on racial matters

How is this racist? I mean, one of the popular nicknames some had for Pres. Bush was "The Chimperator." I honestly thought that this cartoon was a comment that this incredibly bad piece of legislation couldn't be blamed on Bush.

 

lol...I did not find it racists either until I read the article..

 

Methinks that Mr. Sharpton needs to look in the mirror and say that to himself regarding his commentary. He's the one trying to stir up old embers of racial prejudice in order to inflame, imo.

 

"in my day..." comics were supposed to be funny.

 

what you just said was funny.

 

I suspect it was an editorial (political) cartoon, and editorial cartoons have the luxury of pretending to be profound instead of funny.

 

well, all unfunny comics should be banned. lol.

 

This was always my thought too, especially as a kid subjected to the waste of funny space that was "Family Circus." Gawd, I hated that crap. And "Ziggy." Yawn.

 

You got that right, and Doonesbury, what a waste of space and ink.

Give me the Lockhorns any ol' day. Bring back Calvin and Hobbes, and while we're at it Outland / Opus.

I'll settle for Peanuts.

Ooooops, I'm veering off the subject, apologies for the brief tangent.

 

Back on topic, I received this e-mail from colorofchange.org concerning this cartoon in the NY Post. For those confused about the racist message of the cartoon, here's one perspective:

[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif] Yesterday, the day after President Obama signed the stimulus bill, his first major piece of legislation, the New York Post ran a cartoon depicting the bill's author as a dead monkey, covered in blood after being shot by police.

In the face of intense criticism, The Post's editor is standing by the cartoon, claiming it has no racial undertones, that it's not about Obama, and that it was simply referencing an incident earlier this week when police shot a pet chimpanzee (an argument that pundits and analysts simply aren't buying).1


It's impossible to believe that any newspaper editor could be ignorant enough to not understand how this cartoon evokes a history of racist symbolism, or how frightening this image feels at a time when death threats against President Obama have been on the rise.


Please join us in demanding that The Post apologize publicly and fire the editor who allowed this cartoon to go to print:
ColorOfChange.org


The Post would have us believe that the cartoon is not about Obama. But on the page just before the cartoon appears, there's a big picture of Obama signing the stimulus bill.2 A reader paging through The Post would see Obama putting pen to paper, then turn the page to see this violent cartoon. The imagery is chilling.


There is a clear history in our country of racist symbolism that depicts Black people as apes or monkeys, and it came up multiple times during the presidential campaign.3
We're also in a time of increased race-based violence. In the months following President Obama's election there has been a nationwide surge in hate crimes ranging from vandalism to assaults to arson on Black churches.4,5 There has been an unprecedented number of threats against President Obama since he was elected,6 with hate-based groups fantasizing about the killing of the president. Just a week ago, a man drove from Louisiana to the Capitol with a rifle, telling the police who stopped him that he had a "delivery" for the president.7


There is no excuse for The Post to have allowed this cartoon to be printed, and even less for Editor Col Allan's outright dismissal of legitimate concerns.
But let's be clear about who's behind The Post: Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch, the Post's owner, is the man behind FOX News Channel. FOX has continually attacked and denigrated Black people, politicians, and institutions at every opportunity, and we've run several campaigns to make clear how FOX poisons public debate.8


We don't expect much from Murdoch. However, with enough public pressure we can set the stage for advertisers and subscribers to think long and hard before patronizing outlets like the Post that refuse to be held accountable.
You can help by making it clear that the Post's behavior is unacceptable, and by asking your friends and family to do the same. It only takes a minute:
ColorOfChange.org


-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team


February 19th, 2009




References:
1. "NY Post Defends Cartoon, Slams Al Sharpton," Huffington Post, 2-18-2009
NY Post Defends Cartoon, Slams Al Sharpton
2. "Obama Photo Preceded Cartoon Of Gunned Down Chimp," Huffington Post, 2-18-2009
Obama Photo Preceded Cartoon Of Gunned Down Chimp
3. "'Curious George' Obama Shirt Causes Uproar," CBS News, 5-15-2008
"Curious George" Obama Shirt Causes Uproar, Book's Publisher Threatens Lawsuit Over Georgia Bar Owner's T-Shirt Sale - CBS News
4. "Post-Racial USA? Not So Fast." Associated Press, 11-15-2008
Post-Racial USA? Not So Fast, Obama's Election Spurs Widespread Vitriol; Children Chant "Assassinate Obama" - CBS News
5. "Arson seen in post-election fire at black church in Springfield," Boston Globe, 11-8-2008
Arson seen in post-election fire at black church in Springfield - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe
6. "Obama never worries about his security despite record number of threats," Daily Mail, 11-27-2008
Obama never worries about his security despite record number of threats | Mail Online
7. "Winnfield man with rifle said he had 'delivery' for Obama," The Advocate, 2-11-2009
2theadvocate.com | News | Winnfield man with rifle said he had 'delivery' for Obama — Baton Rouge, LA
8. ColorOfChange.org campaign -- "Dancing with the Devil"
ColorOfChange.org


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See also the Oscar Grant thread for yet another perspective on why a cartoon like this might be offensive to some.

 

lol it is about osama/obama? what ever that dudes name is... and cause he is black, so when he is pictured as a chimp, ape, monkey that can be seen to some as racist as that term is used to label black people... it is meant to be a racist comparison... Primate, strong, dense and inferior.. Then again... To some it's just a monkey.... Depends how much you read into it, like anything, can make anything seem racist.

 

The Bakke court declined to overturn an appeals court ruling vacating a district court finding that reverse discrimination is not unconstitutional.

 

As Freud is believed to have said: "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." No need to always assume a sexual connotation that isn't there.

A racist will read racism into anything.

 

Very, very, very true.

 

Hi,
How could anyone not see that post "comic" as anything but racist. We read the news of the chimp going nuts earlier in the week, so the dead chimp doesn't mean anything without the words added. The quote from the one cop pushes it over the top to being racist. It should never have been published, and the tabloid (whoops I meant newspaper) "the Post" should suffer the same fate as Don Imus.
I was going to add to the 1st thread by GtG which was closed while I was typing, about Christian church and racism in the US. But I realized that wasn't consistent with the idea. Still if one looks, sadly one will find, there is plenty of evidence that sunday has it's share of racism.

 

Well then call me "thick" then, Joe. I obviously have not have had the finer points of racism (or sour grapes) "educated" (or propagated) into me.

 

Hi SG,

Sounds like a blessing. A little less fog, that needs the heat of the sun to disperse.
Joe

 

Can you explain to me what you think the cartoon is about, then? Because I don't get it. I've heard others tell me it isn't meant to be saying that Obama should be shot like the chimp, but otherwise I don't know what it's trying to say or what the joke is supposed to be.

 

See Post #21.