NY Post Cartoon Raises Some Eyebrows

2 years ago

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I'll have to admit, when I first saw this Sean Delonas cartoon featured in today's NY Post on MSNBC this morning, my first reaction was, "Yeah, a chimpanzee could have written a better stimulus bill." However, I also could quickly see where many others might see it a different way.

As he seems to live in every cable news green room, and hovers his mouse over the send button in his email client, NY's Reverend Al Sharpton was quick to react:

The cartoon in today's New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee that "Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill."

Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?

The Post was just as quick to respond, releasing this from editor-in-chief Col Allan:

The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.

Is Sharpton right?
Yes, this cartoonist is characterizing Obama as a chimp	395 (33.1%)
No, it means we have a bunch of chimps in congress, black or otherwise	762 (63.8%)
I'm too old for cartoons	37 (3.1%)

Filed Under: Featured Stories, Media, Race Issues

Tagged: al sharpton, AlSharpton

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