Cartoon from here.
I find the constant accusations of racism from certain folks so tiresome I tend to ignore them. We learn and relearn to tolerate each other each generation. Humans will fight over any difference we can find amongst ourselves. That includes differences over religion, politics, financial status, race, clothing choices, hair length, sexual practices, sports teams, and so forth. There will always be busybodies who insist everyone else must conform to their wishes and preferences. Undoubtedly, if it were actually possible, some idiots would insist that we all adopt the same race and sex. Unless we all look and think exactly alike, some fools will never be happy.
Anyway, I enjoy reading Two Conservatives. So when Charles did a post (here) on the New York Post‘s Stimulus Chimp cartoon, I decided to see what the fuss was about. (Note that Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement that we are a “nation of cowards” when it comes to race precipitated Charle’s post.).
I found this AP video.
Of course the AP video does not bother to explain what recent news events inspire the cartoon. So what news event did inspire the cartoon? I had to find out about that in another story (see here). An adult chimpanzee nearly killed some poor lady. As adults, chimpanzees are big and strong. They are not sufficiently docile to make good pets, but some people cannot get it through their heads that animals are animals.
Since the New York Post‘s cartoon does not even caricature President Barack Obama, the reaction of the critics was absurd. Why did the New York Post bother to apologize? Well, the New York Post‘s apology was not much of an apology (see here). Nonetheless, the paper sort of apologized, and some news outlets portrayed their partial apology as a partial admission of guilt. Given the opportunity, too many in the Democratic Party and too many in the news media use the charge of racism to intimidate their opposition. For a clear example, see this New York Times piece here.
The technique is the Big Lie. Repeat a lie over and over again, and some people will believe it. Some people accept as conventional wisdom whatever “Truth” is repeated the most over and over again. Some people are just too lazy to think for themselves.
Frankly these constant cries of racism are nothing but an expression of the highest form of stupidity. Parrotism. Yes, the dreaded Parrotism.
For one, it’s the chimps that should be really upset here. They all know that any average intelligence chimp could have written a better stimulus package. At the very least the average chimp could see why this one won’t work and will only serve to further backrupt the middle class.
The Bankers are looting everything. The price for this one is going to be steep. Instead of worry about that, the insanely idiotic public sits around and cries racism over a cartoon.
i have a post on my blog that discusses this issue. check it out:
http://ricoexplainsitall.squarespace.com/politcs-economy/2009/2/22/sometimes-a-cartoon-is-more-than-a-cartoon.html
Ricardo – I went to your webpage. Could you just explain the following lines?
What links?
Nobody thinks Obama wrote the stimulus bill all by himself. The chimp in the cartoon does not look suggestive of Obama. It looks like a chimp. Assassination? By a police officer?
To get their point across, cartoonists make politicians look like whatever they want. No president has been immune.
In this case, Obama is not even caricatured in the cartoon. Still we the cry of racism. Where is the racism? Is it in the cartoon or in a deliberate and calculated decision to take offense to take offense where none was intended?
Barack Obama => black guy => dead monkey => racism + assassination. It makes perfect sense if you don’t have even a high school understanding of how our government works…
Ineely — You are working too hard. The dead chimp recalls a woman nearly killed by a chimp and compares the brutalization of this woman with that insane piece of legislation we call the stimulus bill. The police officers represent a restoration of sanity, not an assassination.
When cartoonists want to portray someone as an ape, they get right to the point. There is little or no ambiguity. I suggest you google “bush chimp” cartoon.
Perhaps you misread what I was saying, or didn’t read the whole thing.
I know what the cartoon was supposed to be illustrating. My point was illustrating the apparent line of thinking shown by people who were making the accusations of racism, then saying, “How ignorant of them!”
Sorry. Your sarcasm went over my head.