Monday, July 14, 2008

Obama spoof needed words to make it clear

Is this image patently ridiculous or is it patently offensive?

The New Yorker says it's satire, a suitable lampoon of the fear-mongering that has haunted Barack Obama in his presidential campaign.It used “The Politics of Fear,” drawn by Barry Blitt, on its July 14th cover.

Obama’s campaign thinks it’s offensive.
Daily Views thinks it’s a splendidly-drawn spoof of the outrageous rumors Obama's critics (and crazies) have manufactured, but needed words to make its intent clear. Simply printing the title, "The Politics of Fear” on the cover with the image would have done it.

Here’s what others are saying.
Click here to read the take of African-American online columnist Richard Prince of the Maynard Institute.
Click here to see what politico.com says, and here to read the liberal Huffington Post’s reaction.
Vote in an MSNBC poll and click here to see how opinion is running.

What do you see when you look at a presidential candidate drawn dressed as a Muslim and his wife drawn as a terrorist? An obvious satire or a tasteless image?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The people who don't get the satire are people too stupid to read the New Yorker anyway. This includes the ones who believe every bit of the cartoon, from Obama in Muslim garb to the flag burning in the fireplace; and also the ones who will scream that this is "offensive" and "racist". It's politics, people! There have been much uglier swipes taken at the current president.

Tom said...

The title of the piece is "The Politics of Fear". I thought the message was pretty clear.