16th Jul 2008
New Yorker and Obama
Great debate on the radio this morning about the now infamous front page of the current edition of the New Yorker. I am inclined to come down on the side of free speech although If I were in the Obama campaign I might feel this one could be far too easily exploited by opponents. You can appreciate that they will want to do everything possible to ensure the most electable democrat in a decade gets his cigar in November.
Kathleen Parker has a good piece on RealClearPolitics which is worth a read. She argues that satire must be protected for free speech to be strengthened:
“The intent of the illustration should be clear to anyone attuned to current events. Cartoonist Barry Blitt was poking fun at all the rumors and fearsome phobias circulating about the Obamas among a certain contingent. We know who they are.
Viral e-mails claim, for instance, that Obama is a Muslim; that Obama was sworn into the Senate using a Koran instead of a Bible; that Obama isn’t a patriot because he refuses to wear a flag pin or put his hand over his heart during the national anthem; that Michelle Obama is militantly anti-American. And so on.
All these claims have been clarified and/or refuted for anyone curious enough to seek the truth. Even so, a certain percentage of people will continue to believe what they choose no matter what.
In any case, those about whom the outraged presumably are most concerned are: (1) unlikely to pick up a New Yorker; (2) unlikely to be swayed or disabused of their preconceptions. So what exactly are they worried about?
That yahoos just passing by a newsstand will see those images and have their paranoid suspicions confirmed?
Such is elitism at its most self-destructive. Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and former New Yorker staffer, put it nicely to the San Francisco Chronicle: “The essence of what they’re saying is, ‘I get it, but I don’t trust the people in Kansas to get it.’”
Sanitizing satire either to buffer the sensitivities of those who consider themselves more highly evolved — or to withhold kindling from those deemed less sophisticated — is all of a piece.
Ignorance is the common denominator.
While one strain of ignorance likely springs from misinformation or a lack of educated knowledge, the other is more virulent by virtue of its opposite circumstances”.
They are debating the new Belfast Logo on the radio as I speak. Reaction is generally positive.
I’m all for free speech and wouldn’t censor this image. But that doesn’t remove its rubbishness. Typical “New Yorker” mag being over-clever.
I’ve been lurking for a while, but never commented before. I just wanted to point you in the direction of the masters of political satire, John Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who have jumped on the coverage the cartoon has been getting by the major news networks. Here is one link: http://www.indecision2008.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=176628
I love how Stewart gives the Obama camp an alternative response, rather than finding it tasteless and offensive, the response should have been, “Obama finds this in no way upset about the cartoon that depicts him as an muslim extremist, because you know who gets upset about cartoons….. muslim extremists”. Stewart, as always does a good job of defending satire and highlighting the ignorance at the heart of the news networks, that take humour and turn it into fear. Once again a simple cartoon image has created a massive debate about free speech.
I do agree with you, that the Obama campaign should be worried about how easily this is being exploited by the other side and by the entire American media. The sense of fear and hatred of Muslim extremists that has gripped the country during Bush’s presidency, is being brought right back to the surface by the controversy surrounding the cartoon.
well this early i really can’t tell which i would side with, but i am leaning towards obama. Furthermore, the GOP base is not even warming up to mccain (of course, i could be wrong) and even though it’s still early in the game, this just proves to show how we see our candidates to-date. i know i will get burned for this, but i think mccain is a warmonger. i get the impression that he doesn’t care to what happens to our troops in the middle east and the other parts of the world. Can’t we just all get along? i think it is time for a purification; i think it is time for a change; i think it is time for obama time. Now that the candidates are set for the US Presidential Election, Barack Obama and John McCain are beginning to set the tone for their campaign.
The soaring prices are affecting the costs of everything from food to housing market crisis. There are also significant issues on local and global environmental impact. While there are many issues, we need to look at our next leader and determine which will have the best course of action going forward…..I recently watch the two video in Pollclash about this issue, Obama and McCain talk about this…
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