Is This Cartoon Racist?

@aidan,

I agree with all that, yet the cartoon still comes across as racist, at least to me.

@roger,

And I can see how that would be Roger -
You know, one thought did occur to me, and that is that having been living over here, I may not be as in tune anymore to the extent to which race as a subject does permeate everyday life - especially politics.
I have to say that it isn't ever my first thought anymnore - with some relief actually.
So maybe I am viewing it more as someone who's somewhat out of touch with the reality.
Sad to admit that - I'd rather believe that it wasn't so much in the forefront of everything anymore.
I guess I took Obama's election as an indication things were more peaceful.
Maybe not - what do I know about anything anyway - except that I do know I'm always looking for the happy explanation so that's basically what I always come back to.
Maybe that is a form of blindness.

1 Reply

@roger,

roger wrote:

I agree with all that, yet the cartoon still comes across as racist, at least to me.

So WHAT ??

Your comment comes across as politically correct, at least to me.

David

0 Replies

Everyone is perfectly FREE
to utter statements regarding race,
be thay explicit or implied.

We do not have freedom of speech
and freedom of the press EXCEPT as to race.

David

1 Reply

A typically incoherent comment by this member. This post suggests that we only express ourselves freely with regard to race. But i'm never surprised to encounter incoherence from this sources.

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@aidan,

Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!

Don't you know that the right has been targetting the ACLU?

The irony would be if that which they love to hate should fight for the creator of this racist cartoon, which some of them defend in the face of sense and history as not being racist, from a right wing rag, to have free speech.

Of COURSE it's consistent with the ACLU's mission.

That is not wherein the irony lay.

3 Replies

@aidan,

I did not deny that it would be ironic. If you intend to piggy-back on my posts, don't use them to erect straw men. Better yet, don't piggy-back on my posts, given your all too obvious failure to comprehend what most people here post.

1 Reply

@Setanta,

okay

0 Replies

@dlowan,

dlowan said:

Quote:

Don't you know that the right has been targetting the ACLU

?
No, apparently I've been living in a cave.
(joke)
You know what - maybe I do know a little bit about my own country. It seems you think you know more - but I'd hazard to guess that you really don't.

Quote:

Of COURSE it's consistent with the ACLU's mission.

That is not wherein the irony lay.

And I don't think I commented on wherein any irony lay - neither did you - I just said that if the ACLU decided to take this case on - I'd be in agreement that it was a worthy cause, and I wouldn't find it ironic at all -0nly appropriate - a fulfillment of their mission statement without regard to political ideology - which again - would not be ironic - only appropriate.

Quote:

Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!

You seem to frustrate very easily - at least around me. Maybe you should give me a rest.
I wouldn't mind that at all.

1 Reply

@dlowan,

dlowan wrote:

The irony would be if that which they love to hate should fight for the creator of this racist cartoon, ...

It's not a racist cartoon.

Quote:

... which some of them defend in the face of sense and history as not being racist, ...

Anything related to a monkey must be racist, because "sense and history" tell us so? Is that right? We should suspend logic and reason in the face of "sense and history"? Or are you acting on faith in your belief of what the artist must have intended?

Quote:

... from a right wing rag, to have free speech.

If it was not in a "right wing rag," I wonder if you would be so quick to leap to conclude it's racist. I suspect you would respond, "Of course I would. It's racist either way." Yet I think a great many of those who posture this as a racist cartoon -- whether you are among their ranks or not -- would respond, "No ... a leftist rag wouldn't employ a racist cartoonist," or "No ... a proper leftist isn't a racist," or some other similar drivel.

It's not a racist cartoon, and that has nothing to do with the political viewpoints of the newspaper.

And I wouldn't find it the least bit ironic. The ACLU has on occasion fought for the correct cause. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again.

maporsche's comment from yesterday is logical, and yet no leftist seems inclined to respond to him:

Yesterday, maporsche wrote:

Again, the ape doesn't represent Obama. There is nothing in the cartoon to suggest that. For example, there is no characterization of Obama done to the chimp (just a normal looking primate). And the caption clearly says that it's referring to who WROTE the stimulus bill. Obama did NOT write the stimulus bill, therefore it's painfully obvious that the chimp is not referring to him.

You guys are TRYING to make this a racist message, for what reason I can only imagine.

I suppose that anytime a monkey/chimp is used in a cartoon they must be referring back to black people right?

3 Replies

@OmSigDAVID,

David said:

Quote:

Everyone is perfectly FREE
to utter statements regarding race,
be thay explicit or implied.

We do not have freedom of speech
and freedom of the press EXCEPT as to race.

I understand this statement perfectly. I don't find it incoherent at all - only true.

2 Replies

@Ticomaya,

Tico said:

Quote:

And I wouldn't find it the least bit ironic. The ACLU has on occasion fought for the correct cause. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again.

But Tico- that's not what the international media says....

Quote:

maporsche's comment from yesterday is logical, and yet no leftist seems inclined to respond to him:

I did - maybe not directly to Maporsche- but I agreed with everything he said.
But maybe I'm not a real leftist (is that the same thing as liberal) just like I'm not a real Christian (as per Frank Apisa - where's he gotten to anyway).
What am I if I don't have these labels to define me?

Actually - a good friend of mine described a true liberal as someone who truly believes that everyone has the right to his or her own specific belief and respects that right - even if those beliefs directly oppose his or her own.
I try my best to be a true liberal. I don't think a true liberal would ever try to tell someone else what to believe or how to interpret a cartoon.

0 Replies

@aidan,

aidan wrote:

David said:

Quote:
Everyone is perfectly FREE
to utter statements regarding race,
be thay explicit or implied.

We do not have freedom of speech
and freedom of the press EXCEPT as to race.

I understand this statement perfectly. I don't find it incoherent at all - only true.

So what? The question isn't "Should this racist cartoon be censored?" This thread is about whether this cartoon is racist or not. And obviously OMSIGDAVID agrees that it's racist. He just doesn't mind. And you agree with that. That must make you feel great.

2 Replies

@kickycan,

What must make me feel great? The fact that people are racist?
Or the fact that people have the right to freely express their beliefs?

1 Reply

@aidan,

The fact that you agree with OMSIGDAVID and the rest of us who think the cartoon is racist.

1 Reply

@kickycan,

No, actually it makes me feel sad- racism of any sort makes me angry and makes me feel sad.
But I don't believe that my feelings take precedence over the rights of others.

And actually - unlike others who think that it's all been said as far as racism is concerned - I don't believe that to be true. So I don't necessarily think it's a negative thing when something like this comes along to open the discussion.

Someone, on one thread or another, I think it was Gargamel and on this thread actually, posited that he wondered why a few square inches of ink should concern people more than the real injustices they see going on around them every day and I think that was a really good question/point.

I can't get upset about this cartoon - because I see other things all around me every day that cause me to get more upset - and that's where I expend my energy.

2 Replies

@aidan,

Who's upset at the cartoon? I'm just commenting on how the phonies on the right are making hypocrites of themselves by pretending they don't see anything racist in the cartoon.

It's like when Obama made the lipstick on a pig comment during the campaign about John McCain's policies. All the phonies on the right were up in arms, so sure that he was basically calling Sarah Palin a pig. But now here, the cartoonist had the purest of motives and of course the cartoon couldn't possibly be construed any other way than as an innocent commentary on the stimulus bill.

What a bunch of hypocritical phonies.

1 Reply

@kickycan,

Well, you gotta talk to them about that. I've said over and over and over again that I can see how it can be construed both ways. I'm just saying that until I have proof - I'm not gonna think the worst about anyone - even this cartoonist.

That's just sort of my way of getting through life - you know- thinking positively until it's been proven that there's absolutely no way I can do that.

And actually - I recommend it as a way of approaching life - it helps you feel good about the world until you see you absolutely shouldn't (in order to save your own skin). Just don't be totally stupid about it.

1 Reply

@aidan,

aidan wrote:

I've said over and over and over again that I can see how it can be construed both ways.

At least we agree on something then.

2 Replies

@kickycan,

Yeah - and I bet if we ever really listened to each other - we'd find a lot more that we agree on.

That's why I hate this labelling and assuming ****. I refuse to do it.

1 Reply

Is This Cartoon Racist?

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