"It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill," The New York Post wrote about its controversial Feb. 18 cartoon referencing a chimpanzee in Connecticut that was shot and killed. "Period."
Regardless of the political message behind this cartoon, it is common knowledge that likening African Americans with monkeys and apes is racist. Period.
The cartoon's relevance and reference to two highly publicized current events is common practice for political cartoons. But the use of an ape in a cartoon that clearly -- or at least, incidentally -- references President Obama, is just asking for trouble, no doubt about it. And a lot of people feel the same way: John Legend, who has called for a boycott of The Post, the ladies of The View, and Al Sharpton for starters.
They're outraged, as they should be.
No matter what The Post declares is the intentional meaning behind this cartoon, the perceived meaning that Obama is an 'ape' -- which the cartoonist and editors should have suspected -- goes too far.
"Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon -- even as the opportunists seek to make it something else," The Post wrote.
What could that "something else" be? Pure racism? Free publicity? Whatever it is, I really have no doubt that this cartoon was released with ulterior motives, and I really have no doubt that a cartoon is not always just a cartoon.
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