Editorial: Offensive cartoon, important point

But it risks advancing the very "politics of fear" it decries.

Last update: July 14, 2008 - 10:53 PM

Print this story

Follow Opinion Exchange on Twitter

The cover cartoon on this week's New Yorker magazine is jarring, even by the standards of these culturally coarse times: Sen. Barack Obama, dressed in what most associate as Islamic garb, fist-bumping his wife Michelle, depicted as Black Panther-type militant, sporting a gun, an ammunition clip and a 1970s-style afro. Over the senator's shoulder hangs a picture of Osama bin Laden, and roasting in the fire aren't chestnuts, but an American flag (to see the cartoon, go to www.startribune.com/a4556.

The scene? The Oval Office.

"Tasteless and offensive," said the Obama campaign.

"We completely agree with the Obama campaign, it's tasteless and offensive," said a spokesman for Sen. John McCain's campaign.

We agree, too.

But we also agree that despite the discomfort the image invokes, the even more uncomfortable fact is that millions are running on rumors this campaign season. This was the target of the cartoonist, Barry Blitt, who entitled his cartoon "The Politics of Fear."

Blitt has a point. Cowards with keyboards have advanced relentless, scurrilous Internet allegations that have dogged and distorted not only the Obama campaign but the backgrounds and intentions of Sens. John McCain, Hillary Clinton and others. But the allegations against the Obamas -- that he is really Muslim instead of Christian, has associated with radicals and that he and his wife are unpatriotic -- have been especially virulent, often reflecting racism and anti-Islamic bias.

Regular readers of the New Yorker are used to controversial covers and sophisticated analysis in sharp counterpoint to today's sound-bitten, short-attention-span media. Most will recognize the satire as it is intended, which is to point out the absurdity of the web whispers in particular and today's political culture in general.

But most people don't read the New Yorker. And most who see the image may just be passing by a newsstand or sorting through their e-mail.

A more prudent approach would have been to incorporate the title, "The Politics of Fear," into the image itself, lest glancers think it is lampooning the Obamas and not the social environment and political culture in which they must operate.

Indeed, for such a sophisticated magazine, it was an unsophisticated omission. So not only did the New Yorker miss an opportunity to advance its argument, it may even have exacerbated the very politics of fear it decries.

Recent Editorials stories

Editorial: Make the right choice for St. Paul - July 14, 2008

Editorial: Make the right choice for St. Paul - Capital city schools need a leader who will get the job done. More

Comment on this story | Read all 2 comments | Hide reader comments

About Opinion Exchange

Opinion Exchange is produced by the Editorial Department, which is dedicated to hosting the discussion on a range of issues of interest to Star Tribune readers online and in print. In its new format, it's our hope that Opinion Exhange will create a more dynamic dialogue between Star Tribune readers and the Editorial Board. Many individual posts will be written and signed by members of the Editorial Board and will reflect their own opinions. Daily editorials will continue to represent the institutional voice of the newspaper and be researched and written by the Editorial Department, which is independent of the newsroom.

Subscribe to RSS|Learn more about RSS