Legal Commentary

Satire?

By Big Tent Democrat

The latest New Yorker cover has sparked a lot of justifiable outrage. Obama spokesman Bill Burton said:

“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."

The cover artist Bill Blitt responds:

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.

My view is that as satire it utterly fails. Satire of issues like this almost always do. Satire involving racist, sexist and religious stereotypes just do not work and I wonder when folks might wake up to that fact. Or will they continue to yell "PC!"

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 13, 2008 (boomark / email).