The New York Post Jumps the Shark

The New York Post today ran a cartoon that splashed classic dog-whistle racism (in black and white no less) depicting two cops, one with a drawn firearm, and a dead chimp. The kicker: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

Whose stimulus package is it? Come now. There's no room for the innocent shrug. Over at Air America, we have a special dog-whistle racism decoder: Racists have a long history of referring to African Americans as monkeys. This cartoon panders to that notion. Once upon a time, the New York Post editors called me (and to be fair Time Magazine) moral cretins for a book project I was working on. It wasn't true. Today I'm calling the Post a bunch of moral cretins, and it is true.

Payback's a ten-year affair in this instance, but oh so sweet.

In a different cultural setting this cartoon would have brought death threats already. Remember the Danish paper's depiction of verboten Muslim folk? Is it more acceptable in this instance? Not at all. We live in a tolerant society. That does not mean you have to buy the New York Post. Don't go to the site. Send people to good sites to see the bad journalism. It's that simple. Don't reward bad media with what they need--your eyes and ears.

You can act in the even older (than American racism) tradition of wu-wei--the spiritual boycott. Do nothing. At least when it comes to reading this rag and for that matter any Rupert-owned lie-machine. Spread the word about this American media atrocity. Mete out the penalty with loyalty to sites like Huffington Post, Air America and other progressive voices of truth and justice.

Have a nice day.

Comments

[Reena Walker]

While we agree wholeheartedly with the stances against the NY Post the objective here is not an apology. We as black people, who are under constant attack by the police department and are victims of discrimination, partially due to the dehumanization of blacks through imagery, want all venues for these portrayals to be shut down.

Therefore, an apology from the NY Post will not do. We are boycotting and removing our dollars from the NY Post and it's advertisers so that this rag goes out of business. We are sick of the disparaging remarks, racism, sensationalism and the outright lies against black people constantly put forth in this rag. This stance is being taken by all black people who have been victimized and goes beyond any particular group, organizer or leader. This affront to all black people will not be tolerated and all people who are concerned about the well-being of black people in this society are taking a stance against this paper. This is a position that is held firm by people who have been painfully victimized by the negative press consistently perpetuated by The NY Post.

[NABNYC]

It obscures the true effect and intent to call this a cartoon. It is a racist communication, hate-speech. It intends to and does communicate the idea that Obama is a danger and should be killed. Our freedom of speech does not include the right to advocate violence or murder against others. The Muslim drawings that drew such a furor in recent years simply ridiculed the religion, but did not advocate murder. Given the history of violence against blacks in this country, and given the clear message communicated by the Post in this hate-speech, it appears a criminal investigation is in order. Will anybody stand up to Rupert Murdoch?

[wanttruth]

The cartoon was disgusting! I'm glad the New York Post is getting heat for it. If this cartoon is a part of a pattern, then, someone needs to clear house.

[kevinp2]

For eight years, liberals compared former President George W. Bush to a chimp. Here is just a small sample:

New Scientific Study Reveals Bush is a Chimp
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-slater/new-scientific-study-reve_b_63515.html

Bush or Chimp?
http://www.bushorchimp.com

Bush Chimp
http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/Bush%20Chimp_33184

Eagles singer gets away with calling Bush chimp
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/eagles-singer-gets-away-with-calling-bush-chimp_10046731.html

Here's a hint for Obama supporters: President Barack Obama is entitled to the same respect that you displayed for President Bush for 8 years. No more and no less. And you can't complain about it.

[STParker]

I tend to think that the chimp was not meant to be representative of Obama, but if I thought it had been I would be outraged.

Like it or not, there is a different standard for comparing white and black people to apes - and I think that is perfectly fair. You don't compare black people to apes and monkeys, because it evokes the history of whites treating blacks like animals. White people don't have that same racial baggage, but it is still insulting to compare anyone to an ape. That of course is why Bush has been called an ape so many times, not only does he display the behaviors of a lower primate, but he also deserves the insult.

Finally respect is earned, it is not an entitlement. Obama is respectable and therefore deserves respect, Bush is not, and doesn't.

[neoprimordial]

Sir, thank you. We may not be able to prosecute them for it, but we can minimize their benefitting from it.

[hapaglloyd]

The New York Post is a bag of dog excrement. Email them now,call them up,let your voices be heard. They are a bunch of creeps.

[ElBruce]

I'm still not seeing it in this case. There was actually a crazed chimp in the news. The cartoonist wanted to criticize the stimulus bill. So the cartoonist postulated that the stimulus bill was written by the crazed chimp (that was in the news). If it hadn't been an obvious example of connecting two topical news items, then it would be extremely racist.

But to claim that this usage is racist would be equivalent to saying that any time there is an actual chimpanzee in the news, that story must be avoided by cartoonists, much less everybody else. Ditto other things that are sometimes used as racist caricatures: if they are part of a newsworthy event, we must avert our eyes and avoid mentioning them.

[Casey Gane-McCalla - Huffpost Blogger]

This guy has been getting away with blatant racism for years. I believe he is also distributed by Cagle.com which is owned by msnbc.

Here's his most offensive work

Top 10 Offensive New York Post Cartoons
http://newsone.blackplanet.com/nation/top-10-most-offensive-new-york-post-cartoons/

[helpontheway]

wow, thanks for the link--more people should know about this

[grailknight]

The New York post has been a disgrace ever since they published John Lennon's bier.

[canfemlib]

If the whole idea of an entire newspaper thinking that this "satire" is acceptable, show that you think it isn't. Boycott the movies theaters, there are 20th Century Fox movies, quit watching the entire Fox channel, and just like the right wing christians, track down the companies that advertise on Fox and tell them you're not going to buy their products if they keep advertising on Fox. Perhaps a bite in the butt from a boycott will prompt an apology.

[ohioan73]

I wouldn't be surprised if the desperate freaks at the NY Post wasn't trying to stir up some controversy to sell some of their pathetic rags. They could easily brush this off as a dig at Congress and not at Obama but they haven't been successful at doing that.

It actually took a few seconds for the monkey reference to sink in. We don't think of ourselves as monkeys. Other people make that association. When other people react faster to it than me, I wonder why they picked up the insult so fast when it took me a moment to wrap my mind around it and realize they were making a comparison to the potus. I naively thought for two seconds they might have been referring to Congress but not now.

[ohioan73]

We would like to forget how much cotton was picked by our ancestors but sadly, there will always be bigots around to stir up 300 years worth of old playground taunts. What a bunch of freaks!

Keep it up, bigots. Every time you say the "n" word or call a black person a monkey, an angel doesn't get his wings, a black child is inspired. That black child is operating under the "work twice as hard and get half as far" Black Tax rule and its damn hard to beat that kid. Not only does he win, but there is much fanfare surrounding his victory. Thanks bigots! You make black pioneering so glorious. You make it fabulous to be black. Being black just wouldn't be the same without you.

[FLMom99]

The New York Post owes President Obama an apology
http://www.floodthelines.com/nypchimpcartoon/
Our President is No Chimp!

[schicklett3]

Its a lot more than jumping the shark, it's downright dangerous.

[JimBozo]

The Post has sucked for decades. I suppose this "editorial cartoon" probably sucks more than Delonas' usual dreck, but not by much. The paper's nothing but propaganda wrapped in stupid entertainment. I can't boycott it, unfortunately, as I've never bought a copy of it in the thirty years I've been a New Yorker. Sure, I may look through one if I'm in a boring situation, and one's laying around in the waiting room. But my reaction's always "This rag is for morons". The letters to the editor are really disgusting, as they're invariably from ditto-head idiots agreeing with yesterday's right-wing talking points.