Political Poop '08

On the cover of The New Yorker, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are depicted as terrorists in a satirical cartoon. The New Yorker had this to say about the cartoon: The New Yorker says about its cover:
“On the cover of the July 21, 2008, issue of the The New Yorker, in ‘The Politics of Fear,’ artist Barry Blitt satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama’s campaign.”
And the rep from Obama’s campaign says:
“The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama’s right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree.”
And what the cartoonist himself has to say:
I think the idea that the Obamas are branded as unpatriotic [let alone as terrorists] in certain sectors is preposterous. It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is. Source
Ok, I’ll sip on the Kool-Aid for a sec in the name of playing the Devil’s advocate. Before we pick it apart let’s first understand the definition of satire. Satire is ‘the use of wit, especially irony, sarcasm, and ridicule, to criticize faults’. The artist’s intent, he says, is to create a satirical piece that would portray a caricature of what Obama critics think of him. Ergo, one would be led to believe that he is criticizing Obama opponents and, by default, supporting Obama in some way. Si?
But, (excuse me whilst I set down my glass of Kool-Aid) his intent IS NOT clear. If he were really trying to drive home a point he did a piss poor job of it. The problem with satire is that people often either don’t get the ‘joke’ or jus don’t see it as funny. I think both things are occurring here.
Personally, I’m not particularly angry or offended by the picture. That’s mostly because I dictate who and what I allow to affect me. But I also realize that before this is all said and done there are going to be a plethora of disturbing offenses tossed at the Obamas, Barack’s supporters, and the black community at large. As a people we need to grow a thick skin for the turbulent times that are no doubt ahead of us.

(Thanks for the info Griz!)

In Other Poop...

Kanye West, N.E.R.D., and Wyclef Jean will be performing at this year’s Democratic National Convention in Denver. Also in attendance for the August 25th convention are Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Ed Norton, Cheryl Hines, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, Maggie Gyllenhall ad Forrest Whitaker. Source
Shoot, where’s my ticket?