Culture & Society
The NY Post racist cartoon: Are we really surprised?
By: Devona Walker
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Fri, 02/20/2009 - 13:53
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A lot of folks are justifiably outraged over Wednesday's New York Post cartoon that depicts President Barack Obama as a dead chimpanzee.
But the cartoonist says it's not about Obama.
So he insults us once with the cartoon, then insults us again, thinking we are stupid enough to buy this line of crap.
This is clearly supposed to be Obama.
The monkey was pampered by his white owner and then had to be put down. This is right out of the annals of plantation ideology. And ain't nobody fooled by that B.S.
This is our president, regardless of party affiliation, and Rupert Murdoch should know better than to allow this type of racist culture to fester within his news organization.
Then, if matters weren't bad enough, on Thursday evening, after Al Sharpton spent the entire day stopping traffic outside their New York City offices, The New York Post released a half-assed apology.
They still maintain the cartoon was not racist. But for all those folks — the ones who don't happen to disagree with The New York Post in any other way — who were offended anyway, we apologize.
Here’s what the head of the National Association of Black Journalists, Barbara Ciara, said about the cartoon in an International Herald Tribune story:
“How could the Post let this cartoon pass as satire? To compare the nation’s first African-American commander in chief to a dead chimpanzee is nothing short of racist drivel.”
I agree with Ciara. It is drivel. But you know what, call me cynical, but I'm not all that surprised.
This is The New York Post after all. Rupert Murdoch has run it and Fox News with the same level of racism, disrespect and divisiveness. This is the same corporation who signs paychecks for both Sean Hannity and Bill O’Riley. It uses the “fair and balanced” motto without even a hint of irony.
I am more surprised that people are finally showing a little outrage. News Corp. has been getting away with this crap for years.
Devona Walker is The Loop's senior reporter/blogger. She writes the Post-Race? blog.
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COMMENTS
There is no question that that cartoon was in fact racism disguised as
satire. I am not surprised.
However, I have not considered The New York Post a reputable newspaper
for at least 15 years.
I don't read it nor do I buy it.
There are drug dealers and prostitutes who have more integrity than the NY Post.
In my opinion, the NY Post is nothing more than a tabloid. Any reader or writer
worth their salt does not give this publication any credibility whatsoever.
For the HUMAN RACE of the USA - 3 words: FREEDOM OF SPEECH. That's all.
If it has feathers like a duck, and it walks like one, and it says "quack, quack" what is it? For the NY Post rag and its owner to say that it wasn't racist, and it didn't clearly refer to the newly elected president of the United States, it lacks "cojones". Why did the FCC allowed Ruppert Murdoch, a foreigner no less, to own two newspapers and two TV stations in the same venue? Wasn't it against their own FCC rules? This guy Steve Delonas, I may not have his name right, already created racist political cartoons many times. No one said anything before, but this time he went way too far.
Sometimes, first ammendment or not, there should be some degree of respect for the duly elected president of a country. These creeps are lucky they are not living and spewing hate and racism in a country like North Korea, Russia, Cuba, and many others. It was racist and it was directed straight to the president of the United States. A man chosen by 65% of the people of this country to try to solve a monumental crisis, created by a previous irresponsible administration.
The NY Post was definitely in the wrong for this cartoon.
i agree with calinative. It was definitely wrong.
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