Which side are you on over the New Yorker cartoon cover satirizing the misinformation about the Obamas? White media’s hyped outrage or with the eye-rolling cool people? Or, maybe you belong to a group often misunderstood and reduced to cheap jokes derived from stereotypes and minimal understanding? Is your view of satire clearer than other people’s view of satire?
Tags: attitude · new yorker · Obama · satire4 Comments
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4 responses so far ↓
here’s my take from a day or two ago
http://noebie.net/2008/07/15.html
on further reflection i’m not sure that i got it right
here’s an alternative take from someone i respect
http://www.eccentricity.org/2008/07/new_yorkers_impaired_sense_of.html
that this cartoon has been such a touchstone is an indicator of the jumbled complexities of politics, religion and race in america
it amazes me that anyone other than those on the lunatic fringe could still consider obama a “radical muslim threat” to our country - but sadly this appears to be so, and their numbers seem to be significant…hence all of the uproar
it is ironic that an image that intended to point out the lunacy of that fear is being decried for propagating it
Thanks, Bri, for that link to eccentricity.org — I particularly like the following point made by the author of the article in your second link:
“You’re expected to take a leap of comprehension that isn’t normal for political cartoons, with no cue to do so. If that cartoon were printed on the cover of some sort of Fox News magazine, without caption, the message would be clear: Obama is a Muslim terrorist-loving America-hating weirdo. As it is, coming from the New Yorker, the reader is left with (not particularly funny) ambiguity, and confusion about what the message is supposed to be. Basically, if the whole image were drawn inside a TV screen box with a logo of “Fair and Balanced” or some such, it would have been a lot funnier, much more understandable, and probably not have caused a whisper of outrage.”
My take? Umm, Get over it. Whether it was intended as satire or as a slam against Obama, I think dwelling upon it only increases any negative impact it might have. I think that our political system, as it relates to campaigning, has become so out of control that if the media wants an item to be an issue, it will, and if they don’t, it won’t. What is most telling is that political cartoons targeting mccain (google “mccain political cartoons” for examples) do not receive the attention (or the outrage) of those that target Obama (or other former Democrat candidates). Get over it, already, America. Some may question whether Obama is truly an American citizen, but (as a registered Republican) I don’t think there’s any reason to think that he’s a terrorist-loving, America-hating anything. And I think most Americans realize that.
Good to see you again, Average Joe. I appreciate you sharing some perspective here from the right, as it takes views from many angles to get a clearer picture of nearly anything.