Barack Obama magazine flap shows an irony deficiency

[NJCher]

The New Yorker's cover illustration has sparked a flurry of outrage among the Democrat's supporters. Hey, people, it's a joke!
By JAMES RAINEY
July 15, 2008

We've already scratched thrift, candor and brevity off the list of virtues in this presidential cycle, so why not eliminate humor too?

That seems to be the fondest wish of a few commentators and legions of Internet blatherers, who spent much of Monday vilifying New Yorker magazine for this week's cover, which depicts Barack and Michelle Obama as a couple of gun-toting, flag-burning, America-hating terrorists.

It seemed fairly obvious to me, my 8-year-old and, likely, the majority of readers of one of America's finest magazines that the cover drawing by Barry Blitt was a parody. In other words (for those still struggling with the concept), the joke was not on the Obamas but on the knuckle-walkers who would do them harm by trying to turn a couple of fresh-scrubbed Harvard Law grads into something foreign and scary.

Yet online discussion boards from coast to coast overflowed with anger and despair that the image of the golden young senator from Illinois had somehow been taken in vain.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-onthemedia15-2008jul15,0,2297403.story



Cher

[zippy890]

1. really

I'm thinking the print press journalists are doing this on purpose to create a blog-o-rama firestorm. They're poking us with an stick cuz they're feel like they be getting poked by the blogs/etc.

I say HA! and another hee hee hee. cuz it is funny. Michelle looks like Angela Davis from the 60's.

[ixion]

2. ah yes, it's always just a 'joke' when it's culled from a dem... of course,

when it's culled from a rethug, it's an 'outrage'.

Just imagine what the response would have been if they had caricatured McLame as a Nazi with little illegitimate black children scampering around his feet. Would that be a 'joke', too?

Probably not, although it would be in precisely the same genre.

[BOSSHOG]

3. The exposure of this months cover

might lead the New Yorker to do something along those lines to mccain on next month's cover. Now that they've gotten conservtives on record that, hey its only a joke, lighten up.

[ixion]

5. hypocrisy is the hallmark of the neocon movement

it wouldn't even slow them down. They'd simply claim that they love a good joke as much as anyone, but this was "over the line" or some such bogus type of claim. At which point, of course, all the MSM will lay themselves supine at their feet and beg forgiveness.

[Buzz Clik]

4. Interesting post with the identical title:

It's the actual title of the editorial, but you couldn't tell that from reading either post. Curious.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6502313

[bemildred]

6. Oh bullshit.

Ridicule is "humor" too, and so are ethnic jokes and stereotypes, and such things can have political effect. You don't get a blank check to spout racist and bigoted crap just because you claim were trying to be funny.