Cartoon Outrage Or Hypocrisy

The Women’s Media Center on Fifth Avenue claims “it strives to make women visible and powerful in the media.” Even though I’ve written almost a thousand op-ed columns for New York newspapers in the last 10 years, this organization and its president, Carol Jenkins, hasn’t a clue that I’m a conservative. Nevertheless, I’m on their mailing list and have never responded to their notices until now. Ms. Jenkins sent me a “Dear Alicia” note asking me to join in the outrage over the insulting Obamas New Yorker cartoon.She wrote: “The New Yorker owes the Obamas, and the rest of us, an apology — and retraction of the cover. I know that those of us who demand this will be called predictable ‘whiners,’ enemies of free speech and, of course, humorless. But a line was crossed here by a publication seemingly not the least bit in touch with the murmuring, low grade fires of unrest burning across this country. Not clever enough by half, the cartoon reinforces the worst fears of those who experience the Obamas as ‘unknown’ and legitimizes those who’ve been agitating a colossal smear effort.”To which I responded: “I also have been spending considerable time thinking about the so-called satiric New Yorker cover of the Obamas but my take is somewhat different. Yes, I did find it offensive but at least Michelle Obama is depicted as a strong albeit radical black woman. I don’t recall much discussion of the cartoons by noted artists like Doonesbury, Oliphant and Danziger depicting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with slavery connotations. I’ve never seen much outrage at the cartoons labeling Clarence Thomas as an Uncle Tom, either. Apparently, despicable and racist satirical cartoons are fine when mocking conservative black Republicans but are not to be tolerated when Democrats are the foil.”I haven’t read the New Yorker magazine in quite a while, and when I would occasionally pick it up in a doctor’s office, I’d skim through it for the cartoons, which were always rather clever. Many years ago I recall one depicting a black man talking to a white man at a cocktail party with the latter saying (as best I can remember), “I’m sorry, but I think you’ve made a mistake. Someone who’s been oppressing you for a hundred years would be much older.” Now that was funny. This New Yorker cover was supposed to be satirical but satire sometimes sails over one’s head. Vanity Fair just released a rather lame cartoon on its Web site showing McCain on a walker, his wife holding pills, and the Constitution burning under a fireplace with President Bush’s portrait overhead.According to Ms. Jenkins, the “characterization of Michelle Obama is particularly gratuitous — the militant, angry black woman — complete with an attack weapon. In the old days, before everybody (women, people of color, and the working class) got hot under the collar, this ‘satire’ would have been acceptable, ever so charming stuff. Now it’s singularly obtuse, and worse. It makes one wonder, again, about the makeup of the New Yorker staff — was it not diverse enough to elicit even a single protest?”There was no big fuss about Garry Trudeau’s “Doonesbury” cartoon of Mr. Bush referring to Ms. Rice as “brown sugar,” or Ted Rall’s cartoon having Ms. Rice proclaim herself Mr. Bush’s “House nigga.” Noted political cartoonist Pat Oliphant showed Ms. Rice as a parrot with big lips and Jeff Danziger had her muttering like Butterfly McQueen’s character Prissy in “Gone With the Wind.” Nor has there been any concerted effort to condemn Don Wright’s cartoon showing Justice Thomas as Justice Scalia’s lawn jockey.When has-been calypso singer Harry Belafonte called Colin Powell, the first black Secretary of State, a house Negro doing the work of his master, Mr. Powell responded with true diplomatic grace that criticism of his political position was fine, “But to use a slave reference, I think, is unfortunate and is a throwback to another time and another place that I wish Harry had thought twice about using.”In each case those vilified responded in a dignified, graceful manner ensuring that the defiler would be the one who came off looking stupid. Besides, getting angry about a cartoon is so yesterday.So, Ms. Jenkins, I’m afraid I won’t sign your petition of protest to the publisher of the New Yorker until you recognize that it’s just as offensive to ridicule black Republicans. Considering that the Women’s Media Center was founded in 2005 by Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem, you may have a long wait.acolon@nysun.com

Cartoon Outrage Or Hypocrisy

Cartoon Outrage Or Hypocrisy

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