New Yorker cartoon--satire or insult?

[Dave The Dov]

I think we should put ourselves into one of those JJ cartoons!!!!
_________________
Honda CL200

[stilltrucking]

LR wrote:

cec, I think we will find that there are enough right-thinking folks
don't be so cynical, old friend

There are plenty of right thinking folks out there.


That is why George W Bush is president of the united snakes

That is why we will probably elect John McCain in 2008.

Plenty of right thinking folks

We even elected Bush to a second term, that is how right thinking we are.

That cover was designed to sell magazines.

I thought the american flag burning in the fireplace was a nice touch.


I think if you could vote Clay you would not find it so humorous.

Not so?

I got to take a shower. I got the U.S. BLues again

U.S. Blues


Red and White, Blue Suede Shoes
I'm Uncle Sam, How do you do?
Give me five, I'm still alive.
Ain't no luck, I've learned to duck.
Check my pulse, it don't change.
Stays 72, come shine or rain.
Wave the flag, pop the bag.
Rock the boat, Skin the goat.

I always loved that Lawrence Welk song.
Would you mind if I started calling you John Wilkes Booth?

[hester_prynne]

Wow. first I've seen of this as I have been WORKING the past three days!!!!
But I am totally with Cec on this one...I see it as a double edged sword, an underhanded divisive mistake. there are many many people that this self centered, juvenile and arrogant satire will injure. I mean, I feel injured by it because to me it promotes and visually confirms every untruth about Obama. It assumes too much of one view, totally forgetting that this will confirm these untruths to many. This hurts Obama! To me it is more of an illustration of how out of touch the press is about the state of the citizens of this country. It's insensitive to the maximum.
Offended by it? No. Disappointed? Way.
More confirmed than ever that this country is divided in more ways than ever. That scares me. The lack of sensitivity, the assumptions "everyone will or should get it". How fucking stupid is that!!!!!!!!!!!
they made a stupid, stupid mistake and I hope they realize it. It reaks of elitism and to tell you the truth, i'd rather inhale a skunk's ass.
H

[stilltrucking]

I could care less about this clay, I saw it and thought about posting it but I decided I did not have the heart for a discussion thread like this one. Like wireman said I suppose we should be grateful for you for keeping us up to date. Like I said I could care less that people who will never read that article, people who will never pick up a copy of that magazine will copy it off the internet and then blast it all over the web. It will be hanging on good old boy barber shops and auto repair shops all over the good old USA. So I guess I owe you a debt of gratitude for starting this discussion.

But what interests me is your defense of it. Did they have a right to publish that picture absolutely. Is it going to hurt Obama, absolutely.

Do you believe what you are saying in defense of it, I think not.



I always liked the New Yorker I still do. Have you ever looked at the ads in it? How many customers for mink coats are there in the country?
Typical New York mind set. People living in a bubble.

What I care about is your defense of it, I think that is so interesting.

When you said right thinking people I am thinking yeah I see what he means right thinking republicans.

so how are things at the Young Republican head quaters

Dam I wish you could vote, I tell u it is hell Clay, I wish I had lost my vote too. When I spent that four years in jail in Atoka (four days actually but for a claustrophobic like me it might as well been four years) I am asking the guys in my cell if this means I won't be able to vote.

I wish the fucking election was tomorrow so I can get used to saying President McCain already. Obama raised 52 million dollars last month compared to McCain's 22 million. I wish the fuck we could put the whole thing on eBay where it belongs.

You know I love u man, I am just trying to see how much I can nooge you till you show your ass. I have seen it so many times but I just can't get enough of it it such an inky dinky little butt.

[Doreen Peri]

lol

[izeveryboyin]

As a part of the Family Guy culture, my immediate response is to find the New Yorker cover completely hilarious. The Shakur fro on Michelle, the full Muslim garb on Barack, two obvious militants giving each other dap... and then the very fact that it was the cover of The New Yorker really sank it home for me. I saw the cover on television and I am not ashamed to say that I burst into a well-deserved fit of laughter. Was if offensive? Of course it was. But sometimes people need a rude awakening to realize how ridiculous they're being. I think it took a lot of balls to run that cover, and whether it was to sell magazines (which, undoubtedly, is the goal of every magazine, no matter how politically correct) or just to be subversive, I appreciate the media storm it's caused, because now people have to really sit back and say "Is there more to this man? Have I been judgmental and stereotypical?" And what most people fail to mention is the article itself, which was actually very well written and delved into a lot of the finer points of Obama's rise to political prowess, and what influenced it. Though I disagreed with some of the angles that seemed to be presented, it was just too comprehensive not to be admired. Journalism is a passion of mine... it is something I hope to do with the rest of my life. Therefore, my first instinct is to always have respect for innovative and expressive work... to applaud the subversive for being just that. And this magazine cover is no different. I think if you approach it openly, take yourself a little less seriously, you can take it at face value... and maybe even have a good laugh.

---k

[mnaz]

Satire, or insult? Well, it has elements of each.

It's satire because it paints a mental caricature held by various reactionary, racist loonies out there, intended to roast and expose said loonies by the none-too-subtle cartoon depiction of their paranoid, extreme views.

It's a pretty heavy-handed effort intended to be a major "finger-on-the-pulse" political satire tackling a sweeping political/cultural rift head-on. But what rift? That a handful of wackos here and there think Obama's wife is an actual terrorist? Caricature or not, the cartoon seems to start from a premise that such levels of public paranoia over Obama are widespread and overt, which I don't think is even close to reality. As such, to me it borders on gratuitous shit slinging-- really not that amusing.

On the other hand, those who dug this cartoon could "turn it around" on those of us who didn't by suggesting that we are "insecure" in our support for Obama if we can let a cartoon get our knickers in such a twist. I don't buy that argument entirely, but I guess there's some truth in it.

Ahh well, freedom of the press is a wonderful thing.... It did take a lot of cajones to run that cover. And poor taste, of course.

[hester_prynne]

I maintain that laughing at oneself is good medicine, but like medicine, too much laughing at oneself is an o d, and very unbecoming, as is this cover. I totally agree with Obama's opinion...it's in really poor taste.
Period.
Oh well!
H

[stilltrucking]

Yeah very good article
like anybody is going to read it.

[hester_prynne]

good question dearest Stilltrucking....
Probably not a New Yorker Mag anywhere near where I am.
H

[Lightning Rod]

I still think that Obama hisownself had the best response

he said, "It's a CARTOON."
and then went on to say that we have a First Amendment for this kind of thing.

plus, it wouldn't be satire if it didn't insult someone

[stilltrucking]

I am not insulted by the cartoon Clay.

Did I say that?

I am just saying that the people who are being mocked in the article will think that it is a very clever cartoon. It will be a reaction like "See even the New Yorker gets it too." I am waiting for it to show up on dick wad right wing Christian websites, and emails. It was not helpful, if that was their intent.

Whatever it is, it is over now. It was done, so what't the point of talking about it?

[mnaz]

...it wouldn't be satire if it didn't insult someone

Then why did you subtitle this thread, "satire or insult?" (?)

Is insult the same as lampoon? I don't know. Maybe it is. This isn't exactly my field of expertise you know...

[stilltrucking]

Intent factors into these matters, of course, but no Upper East Side liberal -- no matter how superior they feel their intellect is -- should assume that just because they're mocking such ridiculousness, the illustration won't feed into the same beast in emails and other media. It's a recruitment poster for the right-wing.

http://www.americablog.com/2008/07/new- ... -with.html

That guy said it well, better than I can.

Does not matter,
just another log on the fire.
Like Clay said right thinking americans who enjoyed the Purple Heart John Kerry Band Aid stickers will see right through this one.

[hester_prynne]

He said it well Still, as do many on that site.....this is not satire, it's elite vanity and nothing else. Well, okay, ignorance too....
H