Politically Correct Cartoons

     I have particularly enjoyed watching the media trying to justify their obvious double standard in the current to do over Danish cartoons. Most in the American press have either refused to publish them altogether, or have dubbed out the images of Muhammad in deference to Muslim sensibilities. The same outlets showed no such reluctance to reprint a Washington Post cartoon ridiculing an American Army amputee. Some pundits have accused editors of being intimidated by the threat of Muslim violence but I don’t think it’s that at all. It’s just that there is an unspoken list of subjects and groups for whom any sort of lampooning is strictly off limits. In fact the list has grown until about the only people who are truly fair game are Christians and white males, especially fundamentalist Christians and conservative white males. If we ever developed sensitive feelings I suppose the cartoonists would be out of work altogether.
     You can bet that the Washington Post wouldn’t be caught dead making fun of a black amputee or of a female soldier unless of course she were an embarrassment to George Bush. Any caricature of American Indians is over the top, same with gays, Jews, and now Muslims. I’m not sure about Shamanism or Animism. They might be ok, depending on what racial stereotype is used. It’s probably not an issue. Not too many people remember what a Shamanist is.
     I’m not really upset by any of this, though I did fire off a letter to the editor about it. Most of us learned to accept being the only safe target a long time ago. I just think it’s funny. These people don’t even recognize their own bigotry. It’s a bit of a shame too. Political cartoons have their place and every now and then the cleverest among them can capture in a drawing what no amount of prose could ever get right. We lose something when we get so insecure about who we are we can’t take a little good natured teasing, though I am quick to admit these things can and often do go well beyond the bounds of good nature. Cartoons drawn with a sharp pen can be vicious. I may keep my cool over Doonesbury and I still read it but I don’t think it’s funny.
     It used to be that newspapers openly represented a particular political point of view. The small town I grew up in had two weekly papers, one Republican and one Democratic. Nowadays they maintain a pretense of balance. It would be better if they didn’t. It costs them their edge and they are less interesting for it. I’m not sure if that is a cause or symptom of the general decline in the medium. I’m sad to say that of my five grown children only one subscribes to a daily newspaper. Another gets one on Sundays. Not to worry though, they get most of their news from the internet and for anyone who wants a different view clearly expressed it is certainly there. Google on the Danish cartoons if you have any doubts.
     While I’m back on the Danish cartoons, it strikes me that most American Muslims must be livid. Since 911 they have been working hard to polish a badly tarnished image. Now this comes along and we are back to square one with Muslim crowds around the world calling for blood. It’s hard to see how anyone could say with a strait face they are a tiny minority. The cartoons have made their political point. That’s what political cartoons are supposed to do.