Offensive?
The cartoonist says that he was trying to make fun of the right wing’s portrayal of the Obamas, but many got offended anyway. I don’t get the Michelle Obama part. What’s with the afro? Is that supposed to be a “black radical” look? Is she supposed to be dressed like an African Guerrilla fighter? I haven’t seen anyone try to paint that picture of her.
I don’t think that this cartoon is as offensive as Fox News referring to Michelle Obama as “Obama’s Baby Mama“, but that incident didn’t seem to get the attention that this one is receiving.
Either way, the cartoonist did the job of getting people talking and bringing to light the phony caricature the right is trying to paint in the minds of voters…
The take at Stereohyped
The take at Racialicious
Filed under: Posts of no Benefit, Race
I didn’t get the afro myself.
it’s apparent that color predominates this presidential campaign. A couple of weeks ago, I was looking at an AOL poll about Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain.Even though the poll was small, the majority of those people who voted in said that they didn’t like Michelle Obama as well as Cindy McCain. They didn’t even give the woman a chance and they already know what she’s already like.
If there is anything this presidential campaign has taught me is just how the US showed the true colorsof our country. Even within the Democractic party,There are those who will not vote for Barack because of his supposed gender.( yeah, uh huh, we know the deal).Look around the world. In countries like Argentina, Liberia, Pakistan and England, they have/had boasted women presidents With Liberia and Pakistan being conservative countries ,who would have expected that?In Belize, they have their first Black president.Politically ,it seems that the world are more progressive than the U.S.
I remember when Joe Lieberman ran out for president. He’s a White Jewish man and people had a hard time accepting his religious backrgound. Mitch Romney( even though I don’t vote Republican), John F Kennedy,Keith Ellison, even Colin Powell,who people wanted to see run for president ,was bombarded with death threats because of who he was.
In spite of their backrgounds,people should be able to run for political office without persecution. Barack should be able to run for president without this happening to him.If people are going to jeer him at least give they should give the man a chance to establish a record for people to judge him by. I find it funny how some of these Democrats( the bigoted ones ,of course) are already saying that they would not vote,or vote for John McCain. Racism a thing of the past? Nope! this whole presidetial campaign only tells part of the story.
Ever seen the way Dr. Rice has been portrayed by Arab media in cartoons?
Obama needs to get thicker skin. This is what cartoonists do. What is the big deal?
Any of you ever seen the signs and t-shirt that lampoon the right that Obama supporters wear at his rallies? If Obama didn
The afro was a resurgent hairstyle in the age of the black liberation movement of the 60s and 70s–think Black Panthers, et.al. So, yes, Michelle is being pictured here as a black radical in that vein.
Is it offensive? No. Mostly Democrats are afraid of seeing unfounded criticisms like what this is lampooning sinking their candidate the way that Kerry was sunk by the Swiftboat campaign–which was so filled with untruths as to amount to satire but was instead taken quite seriously. In an effort to alleviate their fear, they are attacking this picture for psuedointellectual reasons like “it doesn’t work” or “it’s offensive” and “the New Yorker would never run a piece like this on McCain.”
And, skip, it is of course, completely absurd that Obama has avoided talking about issues of substance. His speech on race in America was one of the most important speeches of this campaign and one of the most forthright speeches given during any presidential campaign in the last 40 years or more. His op-ed yesterday on Iraq and his speech today contain incredibly specific details of exactly where he stands in general on that very substantial issue and how his view is distinct from McCain’s. His website is filled with very specific policy plans for healthcare, social security and a host of other substantial issues. If you haven’t heard him talk about issues of substance that is hardly his fault.
I’m not offended by the cover. I understand the satire.. but it was a little over the top. The New Yorker editor used a previous cover of the Bush cabinet sitting in a flooded Oval Office after Katrina as an example of how they do this type of thing all the time.. not quite the same thing. Namely there is element of truth to that cover!
I don’t have huge issue with it.. but since the cover has made the rounds…you’re going to have many who don’t see the satire..
“some people laugh.. some people need an explanation” - D. Leary
The fox thing may not be getting that much attention since it is not a big deal, after all, it was Obama’s own wife, who referred to him as her baby’s daddy…what’s the difference?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VnMrJwUCZDk
Ironic, isn’t it that the Party that has fought so hard for the rights of Americans to exercise their rights of freedom of speech by burning flags, etc. is so up in arms about the New Yorkers exercising of that very right.
What is truly amazing is that a Left wing rag like The New Yorker ran such a cover!
Jim Panzee, I have been going through the grueling task of reviewing Barack Obama’s website and have written several articles critiquing it already Barack Obama Website Series. I wanted to become more informed in regard to his policies because the media is not doing a very good job of outlining them. I encourage others to do the same (or read my summaries). They may be shocked!
How on earth is it amazing, scottymck? It’s obviously meant to satirize Obama’s critics and those hell-bent on turning the race into one built on (incorrect) stereotypes, not to cast Obama in a critical or negative light.
Actually, it’s meant to sell magazines!
These are excerpts of Senator Obama’s comments tonight on Larry King Live regarding the cartoon.
LARRY KING: Considering that, though, there’s a lot of e-mails going around. It gets rather terrible. A “Newsweek” poll shows that 12 percent of America believes that you’re a Muslim, and 26 believe — 26 percent believe you were raised in a Muslim home. A lot of misinformation. How do you fight that?
SENATOR OBAMA: Well, you know, by getting on “Larry King” and telling everybody I’m a Christian and I wasn’t raised in a Muslim home. And pledge allegiance to the flag. And, you know, all the things that have been reported in these e-mails are completely untrue and have been debunked again and again and again. So, all you can do is just tell the truth and trust in the American people that over time, they’re going to know what the truth is.
One last point I want to — I do want to make about these e-mails, though. And I think this has an impact on this “New Yorker” cover. You know, this is actually an insult against Muslim-Americans, something that we don’t spend a lot of time talking about. And sometimes I’ve been derelict in pointing that out. You know, there are wonderful Muslim-Americans all across the country who are doing wonderful things. And for this to be used as sort of an insult, or to raise suspicions about me, I think is unfortunate. And it’s not what America’s all about.