NEW YORK - Well, at least that's out of the way.
The July 21 New Yorker magazine cover of a turbaned Barack Obama, Angela Davis-Afroed, AK-47 accessorized spouse Michelle, Osama bin Laden portrait on the wall, and American flag burning in the fireplace drew predictable howls of protest from the Obama and opponent McCain presidential camps.
With the "Politics of Fear" satirical take on the Obamas, didn't the magazine publish what many people are thinking, figuratively, or literally?
I'm not satisfied with the complaints that the New Yorker gave comfort to right-wing nuts. It may be better to see this over-the-top image now as independent voters assess the Democratic U.S. Senator from Illinois rather than October when the undecided are about to make up their minds on which candidate they will chose at the polls.
The New Yorker's reason for being is largely satire. The Obamas-as-terrorist occupants of the White House image have the absurd "Springtime for Hitler/winter for Poland and France" mirth.
Readers should make an effort to get to the article on pages 48-65, a thoughtful chronicling of candidate Obama's political development. Image-wise, there is a flattering two-page photo of Obama the Southside Chicago community organizer, working with two elderly constituents.
Unfortunately, satire has been a frequent casualty in a society in which too many people have trouble thinking abstractly, or others want their prejudices reinforced rather than challenged.
For many Obama supporters the New Yorker cartoon is incendiary and dangerous. Another danger is Obama the politician is above humor, good-natured or caustic. The New York Times in reporting on the magazine cover fireworks noted that many white talk show humorists and their overwhelmingly white bank of gag writers could be pulling their punches with the candidate.
Yes, Obama often comes off as very dignified, but there is no way that he is a saint. There has to be comical stuff for satirists to mine, like his exaggerated ears [a favorite of a number of editorial cartoonists] or evidence that the presumptive Democratic nominee is a dud at bowling.
Placing Obama on a pedestal and above ridicule could be more dangerous than this week's absurd magazine cover.
Comments
Knocked Off the Pedestal
Barack has been on a pedestal since he began running for president. If the Rev Wright issue, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, slim resume, and other scandal had come out prior to super Tuesday, Hillary would be the nominee. The media sat on any information that was harmful until he solidified the primaries.
During the primaries, If anyone criticized Barack, his supporters, CNN and MSNBC went crazy. Barack was highly protected by the media, and the demo party i.e., Nancy Polozski (?) Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy,etc.
Now that Barack has sealed the deal as the nominee, and he is no longer running against Hillary, Teflon Barack has gotten knocked off his pedestal a tad because now he is running against a white man as oppose to a white woman.
No longer is Barack on the pedestal, instead, he is being scrutinized to the nth degree. How the table has changed.