NAACP Calls For Firing of N.Y. Post Cartoonist

[tekisui]

Source: CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Leaders of the NAACP on Saturday called for the firing of the New York Post cartoonist whose drawing lampooning the federal stimulus bill has drawn charges that it's racist and encourages violence toward President Obama.

Speaking at the civil rights group's annual meeting in New York, NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous said that if Sean Delonas is not fired, the group will call for protests of the paper and Fox television affiliates, which are owned by Post parent company News Corp.

"There is consensus that if the Post does not ... get rid of the journalists who are responsible for this bit of hate speech seeing the light of day, that we will move this from a local, regional issue to a very national issue," Jealous said.

The group also called for the cartoonist's editor to be fired.

Many critics said the cartoon played on historically racist images by appearing to compare Obama, the nation's first black president, to a chimpanzee that had been shot by police officers.

more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/21/chimp.cartoon/
________________________________________________________________________

:woohoo: Keep the heat on!~

[vaberella]

1. I support this initiative but it won't happen.

NY Post has done this in the past. Although they've never "sort of" apologized before. This won't make them fire anyone.

[IntravenousDemilo]

2. May I assume, then, that this is also not fair comment?

Because I think it is.

[tekisui]

3. I never saw that image until this week, and I've seen it a hundred times.

Who cares about bush's dumbass facial expression, and mental in-capabilities?

You wanna show me where Obama looks like a chimp?

[IntravenousDemilo]

4. Just saying that comparing one pres to a chimp is the same as comparing another pres to a chimp.

I don't believe in a double standard. I can't look into the soul of the Post cartoonist and know what his intentions were; for that, I'd have to hear it straight from him.

I also suspect that Obama himself isn't all that perturbed by the cartoon. He's far too big of a man to worry about it.

[Luminous Animal]

6. Dog whistle accomplished.

The white supremacist hate group Stormfront immediately recognized the monkey as Obama and, on their discussion board, titled their thread on on the topic: Look At Today's Political Cartoon! (Monkey posing as obama!) And they laud the cartoonist for his bravery.

In that same thread (to which I will not link) one of their members posted this:

You might be a White Nationalist if:

1) You laughed at that cartoon.
2) You laughed harder at Uncle Al's outrage.
3) You're only mad because you didn't think of it first.
4) You posted it on the office bulletin board.
5) You posted it on your black supervisor's door.
6) You copied it for Xmas cards.
7) You personally autographed a copy and sent it to your favorite black politician.
8)You only wonder what kind of ammo the cop was using.
9) You keep a copy in your wallet next to the kids' pics to show your friends.
10) You store it in in the ol' hard drive and repeatedly use it on Stormfront, (like the Heineken Looter Dude.)

If the racists think that it is racist...

[IntravenousDemilo]

7. Sorry, but when I saw the cartoon, what came to mind was the old saying about...

... putting a million monkeys in a room with typewriters and eventually they'll come up with Hamlet. As a graduate of journalism school, I tend to like to give fellow journalists (and editorial cartoonists are journalists) some benefit of the doubt, even if they work for the New York Post.

I honestly didn't see the racist aspect of the cartoon until it was pointed out to me, but that may be because, unlike the Stormfront people, I'm not a racist.

[Luminous Animal]

8. The world does not revolve around what you think...

The fact that you did not see it, does not mean that the cartoon is not racist.

And it was not only racists who recognized the racism in the cartoon. Many anti-racists and those who suffer from racism saw it, as well.

[IntravenousDemilo]

9. Well, it should. n/m

[Luminous Animal]

11. Ha!

:-)

[IntravenousDemilo]

12. You know, your President got a very nice -- nay, jubilant -- reception when he visited here.

Even the rather stolid CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge couldn't seem to contain his glee. It was great.

Must make a nice break for you guys to have a President that everybody doesn't hate, eh? It sure is nice not to have to hate the US President. Like most Canucks, I like Obama mucho mucho mucho.

I wish he'd change his mind about gay marriage, though.

[Luminous Animal]

15. I am very pleased with the reception...

Thanks Canada!

[Spazito]

16. Is is possible you did not "see" it because you have not connected the history behind...

racism in the United States? You are unaware of the historical depiction of blacks as apes/chimps/monkeys/ in racist propaganda used to dehumanize them? Have you not looked at the totality of the work published by the cartoonist? He is well aware of how to use satirical symbolic caricatures to make his 'point'.

He is, simply put, a homophobic racist.

Edited to add: On the page preceeding the racist cartoon was this photo:



As you previously posted, you are in the field of journalism, etc, given that I can only assume you are also aware of the use of juxtapositioning to ensure the public makes the 'right' connection to the message you are attempting to send. If so, do you truly believe these two are totally unconnected?

[Zuiderelle]

14. After seeing his anti-GLBT stuff today for the first time, I don't even care what his intention was

with this one.

This hateful shitbag isn't worth defending.

http://glaadblog.org/2009/02/20/call-to-action-sean-delonas-the-new-york-post/

Here are some delightfully innocent ones:

[TheWraith]

18. There isn't a long record of deriding white people by comparing them to monkeys. nt

[goclark]

5. I fully support the NAACP's stand ~ they had to speak out

strongly on this issue.

I happen to be African American so I'm sure that there are others who can not possible feel as passionate about it as we do but believe me, it is a major issue for us.

Mr.Jealous is doing a superb job!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Jealous

[MadBadger]

10. Yea, not gonna happen. If anything he'll get a promotion.

[vaberella]

13. This happened to cross my mind. n/t

[AnotherMother4Peace]

17. The "cartoon" was a statement, & consistent with historic racist depictions. The NYPost

knows this very well. It is also very well aware that the depiction of an assassination of a black President depicted in such a derogatory manner is extremely irresponsible journalism. They know this, yet they do it anyway. I hope they are held accountable.