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William J. Zick
New York Post’s Cartoon – Offensive and Racial?
“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” reads the caption of a right wing major newspaper, The New York Post, which published a racial cartoon (see below) depicting two cops shooting a chimpanzee that attacked a woman in Stamford, Connecticut, last Monday.
The cartoon is in reference to the $787 billion economic stimulus package which was signed by President Obama on Tuesday. This package encountered strong republican’s opposition both in the House and the Senate due to its size and its failure to stimulate the economy fast enough.
According to the Huffington Post:
At its most benign, the cartoon suggests that the stimulus bill was so bad, monkeys may as well have written it. Most provocatively, it compares the president to a rabid chimp. Either way, the incorporation of violence and (on a darker level) race into politics is bound to be controversial. Perhaps that’s what Delonas wanted.
This is not the first time cartoonists have mixed race and politics in their satirical illustrations. Last year, The New Yorker magazine featured in its cover, then Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama dressed in as a Muslim, standing in the Oval Office with a flag burning in the fireplace and his wife Michelle as a terrorist.
In a statement released by Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network, as cited in the Huffington Post, he writes:
The cartoon in today’s New York Post is troubling at best, given the racist attacks throughout history that have made African-Americans synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual inference to this form of racism when, in the cartoon, the police say after shooting a chimpanzee, “now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill.”
In this new environment, where the leader of the most powerful country in the world is an African-American, comedians and cartoonists face a challenge in finding the right balance between race, politics and satire.
Muti This
Dave | Feb 18, 2009 | Reply
Reverend Al Sharpton is over-reacting. There is nothing to suggest Obama is being depicted as the chimp in the cartoon.
CareTaker | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
I think the cartoon spiteful, insensitive and racist! Who just signed a stimulus bill? Barack Obama.
By deduction Obama is being depicted as dead chimpanzee. Period. This is grossly distasteful — and it doesn’t matter if it was George Bush that signed the stimulus bill, it would be wrong still!!!
Teisha | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
When will this STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOW MUCH MORE ARE WE WILLING TO TAKE
WE ALL MUST STAND ON THIS ISSUE
jnae26 | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
this dont make any sense for someone to react this way
dave | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
How can you say this chimp doesn’t represent our president its clear in your face he is the one who signed the bill and fought to get it passed, its a sad day in america when we act blind to the fact that this cartoon was anything but racist check the post`s back ground this is nothing new and if you don’t have a problem with that cartoon and you think its ok then you might wanna check your race card…
Sandra Johnson | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
It never surprises me at the level of Ignorant people that we have in our world. We have people of Ignorance at all levels in the work force. This is 2009 and you would think with 143 white Presidents it would not be a big deal to have one ” Black President” as number 144. People seem to think that everything has to be for them or one way, when everything does not go your way or one way you get mad, upset, or just plain stupid and say things that show how smart you are and what kind of mind that you have. That shows people that one race is no better than the other.
Renee Greene | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
Petition
We, the African American people of the United States of America, a nation that was built upon the backs of our ancestors and profited in unique ways because of it; and we, the African American people of the United States of America, also being free men of whom some of our ancestors were not slaves in this nation, but who were also subjected to some of the most horrific and atrocious physical, psychological and emotional abuses known to mankind in modern history, is prepared and preparing to pull together to demand equitable justice from the New York Post news, its publishers, editors, advertisers, and subscribers for the racist depiction of our President, Barack Hussein Obama, in its pages.
The foundational history of this nation’s bigotry and hatred against African Americans and its black citizens is well-known and documented, as also is its continued targeting of a people who make up a disquieted majority of its citizenship. We have lived in a country for more than 400 years that claims it loves America, but apparently is not tolerant or respectful of certain Americans.
Our forefathers and foremothers have bled and died and are the heart, root, and soul of this nation. They tolerated many racial injustices to bring us to a day when this would end. However, you have insulted our communities, and have paid the highest form of treason and disrespect to our President by allowing this racist and filthy cartoon to be printed in the folds of your disreputable newspaper.
The message that you continue to send, as is part of your history, is that it is “creative enterprise” to disparage races and ethnicities of people who are blood-bought born citizens of the United States of America and you send an illegitimate and ill-conceived message that it is of no consequence to continue to act in this manner toward us.
We sign this Petition today to let you know, symbolically and realistically, that this kind of thing will no longer be tolerated. Our methods and our motives have always been those of peace and the actions of the New York Post seem to want to create and stir up hatred and death and destruction in the midst of all efforts by the African Americans citizens to remain at and live in peace and quiet contentment of their lives, land, homes, and properties.
This kind of statement is viewed as a blight on the nation, as any nation that would sit back and allow this kind of thing and not rise up in force of numbers to dissuade and stop it, is no better a nation than some of the countries it attempts to help become a democracy. The United States will never be able to address freedom in the world until it understands respect for all of its citizens, including the ones who have African ancestors, whether they were slave or free.
Freedom of the media is one thing, but there must come a time when major violations of this nature are brought under control expediently. Because we are free does not give us the right to trample upon the values that made us that way.
America has adopted a set of principles on democracy called the United States Constitution, and by the rule of law and proper governance, this matter is not only considered to be racist, harassing and insulting, but it also suggests the murder of our President, which we consider to be a federal crime for which the members of the Post who allowed it should be arrested and tried in a court of law for issuing death threats against the President of the United States.
In this we find no respect for or tolerance of human rights, no respect for the rights and history of black citizens, and no respect toward the nation itself that decided that President Obama should be its leader.
We hereby call upon the New York Post to fire the cartoonist and the editors and publishers who allowed this demeaning and hateful cartoon to be published; and to issue a front page national declaration of apology to America’s black and colored citizens for the racist and disrespectful depiction; and to print a full front page apology to President Obama and his wife, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to his daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, for the suggestion that his life should be taken as a result of his efforts to return public tax money to the people who earned it.
http://www.petitiononline.com/NYP_PO/petition.html
Misi | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
This cartoon is distasteful and extremely disrespectful. Veyr low!
Brinda | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
HELLO!? The New York Post ENDORSED Obama. NOWWWWWWWWWW they’re a “right wing major newspaper”.
Which is it folks!?
I think they’re actually calling Nancy Pelosi a monkey. Is that racist? I’m a woman and I agree…in case someone wants to pull the sexist card!
Tony | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
Get over it people. It is just a cartoon no more no less.
paulu | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
The New York Post has finally apologized for this racial cartoon.
It reads:
Wednesday’s Page Six cartoon – caricaturing Monday’s police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut – has created considerable controversy.
It shows two police officers standing over the chimp’s body: “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill,” one officer says.
It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill.
Period.
But it has been taken as something else – as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism.
This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.
However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past – and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback.
To them, no apology is due.
Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon – even as the opportunists seek to make it something else.
paulu | Feb 20, 2009 | Reply
@Dave,
Thanks we have people like Rev. Sharpton out there who take up on issues such as this. Although, one might disagrees on how he does it. But that is another topic.
@Brinda,
Having the Post – a major right wing newspaper – endorse then presidential canditate Barack Obama is not the question.
The New Yorker – a left wing newspaper – also featured in its cover a racial cartoon, endorsed then presidenial candidate Barack Obama.
Historically Blacks have been racially characterized as monkeys. That is wrong. I don’t think we should play the sexism card here.
I am just curious to know what was your very first reaction when you saw this cartoon. Honestly, who did you think was the target on this cartoon?
The major player behind the stimulus was not the Senate or the House. It was President Obama, who happens to be an African-American.
paulu | Feb 20, 2009 | Reply
Well, the US is not the only country where monkeys are used as … (you get the drill)
Here is a 30 seconds Japanese television commercial posted on Blacktokyo.com.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpH9ALMceGs
And this what Blacktokyo.com writes:
Well it seems like the ugly head of racism has reared its big head again on Japanese television. E Mobile’s new cell phone commercial seems to depict a presidential campaign with “red” supporters (red is E Mobile’s corporate color and not representative of the Democratic Party (blue) in this case) in the background holding signs the say “Change.” While change is good, having the candidate depicted as a monkey is not!
link: http://www.blacktokyo.com/2008/06/19/obama-is-a-monkey-in-japan/
Brinda | Feb 20, 2009 | Reply
@paulu
My initial reaction to the cartoon was that “any monkey” could have written the shitty stimulus bill that Obama passed. I mentioned Nancy Pelosi in my first post because, in my heart of hearts, I firmly believe that she is the puppet master in control of the government both now, and during the Bush administration.
If ALL “Americans”, without issue of race, color or religion, don’t stop partying over the historical impact of electing the first black President, and start paying attention, Pelosi and her Posse (hopefully that doesn’t offend the cowboys!) of rich, money hungry, all powerful constituants will ruin this country beyond repair.
Just my opinion!
Brinda | Feb 20, 2009 | Reply
I also believe that if someone does something wrong, it’s still wrong regardless of their color.
All humans, whether American or otherwise, have the same choices to make in life. It’s just that some don’t hang onto the past as their excuse for not succeeding.
It’s the whole “entitlement” thought process that will be our downfall. And just so we’re clear, there are rich and poor that feel they are entitled to things, whether they’ve earned them or not.