Monday, July 14, 2008

A LETTER TO THE NEW YORKER .....

*Crossposted at SIRENS CHRONICLES*

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(Out of respect for the Obamas I am not posting The Offending Cover)
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A LETTER TO THE NEW YORKER:
As a longtime reader of your magazine I am more than disgusted with the Obama cover that you have chosen. In this Historic Time in our Nation's History instead of Honoring this time and this Person you chose to Honor the Ignorant Buffoons that slur him daily and with your Own Cover , you gave them more Grist for the Racial Mill that runs amuck daily. Please read the Definition below, and it clearly shows that you are Lampooning Senator Obama and his Wife. You have no right and are perpetuating Ignorance and Hate. Have you ever Lampooned Another Leading Presidential Candidate and his wife on your cover 160 days before such a Critical Groundbreaking Election ? The answer is NO.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SATIRE OF POLITICAL TIMES VERSUS LAMPOONING A POLITICAL FIGURE AND LEADER?
The Answer is YES, read Below...( Definition from Dictionary.com)
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Definition of Satire
1. the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.
3. a literary genre comprising such compositions.
[Origin: 1500–10; < L satira, var. of satura medley, perh. fem. deriv. of satur sated (see saturate)]

—Synonyms 1. See irony1. 2, 3. burlesque, caricature, parody, travesty. Satire, lampoon refer to literary forms in which vices or follies are ridiculed. Satire, the general term, often emphasizes the weakness more than the weak person, and usually implies moral judgment and corrective purpose: Swift's satire of human pettiness and bestiality. Lampoon refers to a form of satire, often political or personal, characterized by the malice or virulence of its attack: lampoons of the leading political figures.
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In 1930's Germany People that were considered to be out of the favor with the NAZI Regime were regularly lampooned in the press with similiar Cartoons, it was considered "Humor" and "Satire". It had dangerous consequences and fed a mindset of Hate and Ignorance.It contributed to a Climate of Hate, it legitimized Fears and Descrimination by minimalizing and damaging people with Journalistic Approval, and yes, it was a part of the Propaganda that people were fed daily for years.And The People and even the Journalists became immune and passive to the damage they were rendering.

In Light of Our Own History as a Country this is an Issue that must be treated with Great Insight and Sensitivity , as well as Intellect. There is NO Satire in Racism or painting a Presidential Candidate as a terrorist. You did not satircially show the Level of ignorance in this Country, you Lampooned THE Person with False Representation. There is no humor in that.My teenage son even asked if you had a MAD Magazine Lampoon Artist render your "art" for the Cover. It is a good Question ? Did you seek out a Lampoon Artist ? If so, that would show the Intent of "Satire" was not humor, but damage.

A year ago when Don Imus uttered his racist ignorant remarks about young black college women, we heard the "HUMOR" defense claim shuttled by the MSM , softpeddling the damage and the blame. You have now joined that reprehensible journalistic cadre. The MSM this time will try to spin this as "Normal Political Games". Our Own History has shown that Hate in this country should never be mollycoddled, it leads to the Death or Harm of Political Figures. In Such Precarious Political Times maybe you should adopt a "Do No Harm" mission.

As an Obama Supporter I have spent monthes educating people by phone calls and door to door campaigning, the Issues on your cover are real, and problematic, but not Humorous.There is actually nothing funny or humorous that our Country has been Dumbed Down by the MSM.

I will be encouraging friends and family to not buy this issue and to cancel their Subscriptions. You Crossed A Dangerous Line and harmed the image of Good Man with your arrogance. I would like to know was there any Voice of Reason and Judgement present at those Editorial Meetings about This Cover ? If you have ANY journalistic integrity you will print a Retraction or Correction and atleast an APOLOGY to Senator Obama and his wife.Shame on You.

Sincerely Disgusted,
Pissed Off In Ohio...

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TO BLOG READERS.....
I will be adding Addresses to this post or in the Comments so people can know where to Write and Call.....

[[[[ I also will be going to the local bookstores etc and placing this Edition where it belongs, behind the KNITTING magazines- so that it gets as little visibility as possible. I don't believe it is beneficial to feed an Climate of Stupidity and Hate....( I usually hide the GUN magazines behind the knitting mags, but apparently now another magazine has earned that honor, and yes, I don't think GUN mags should be next to the NICKOLODEON and Kid mags...sorry, it is a mom thing....]]]
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I need to thank Polshifter at Pissed On Politics , he blogged on it earlier today, I was still speechless until I went to his blog and realized that this needs action. Click the Title , Peter Gabriel " Games Without Frontiers".......

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was appalled when I saw this last night. The more time passes, the angrier I get. I'm fortunate that I cancelled my subscription to The New Yorker months ago because I read magazines to be entertained and not to be talked down to.

I encourage others to do the same as well.

enigma4ever said...

RJ::
thanks....I saw this afternoon....I am nauseaus even looking at it..I even hate to post it...I am furious....they are known for their Political Cartoons and Satire....there is no excuse for this...NONE.....

I only buy the editions that have Seymour Hearsh articles....

NOW I will not buy at all...

there is NO way that they didn't think hard enough??? or think it through- they seem shocked that the cover upset people....are they living in a Bubble ?

there is nothing "funny" campaigning for Obama aand standing in subzero weather at a door and explaining to Joe Q Public that Obama is NOT a Muslim...

And that they portrayed Michelle in such a way- is outrageous....

enigma4ever said...

So I am watching Rachel talk with Jonathon Alter and they are saying how "American Politics is always ugly , it is always full of SUCH GAMES..." ...

but see it is not a game...ever...

and feeding a climate of Hate leads to more hate....and sometimes even Dead Politcal Leaders...

How short are people's memories....???

enigma4ever said...

another point made by teenage son 6-6:::

" we buy mags to LEARN MORE AND BE EDUCATED... I would never buy the New Yorker for a laugh.....geez...
if I want disturbing cartoons like that I read MAD MAGAZINE....HEY who is the artist- was is a MAD artist ?

wow...that is a really good question....

Fran said...

File that baby in the trash where it belongs....

apologies to the flies & vermon.

DivaJood said...

I was actually surprised by Rachel Maddow and Jonathan Alter tonight - they seemed to think this cover was okay. It is not okay. Far from it. It was not funny, it was not intelligent, it was not sophisticated.

If, on the one hand, it actually was supposed to be a comment on the extremism of people's fears, then it failed miserably. I looked at the cover, "got" the intent, and found it highly inflammatory and evil.

D.K. Raed said...

Great letter to The New Yorker!

The thing that upset me the most about this "cartoon" is the low level it connects on. No words, just images that go directly into the non-thinking part of the brain ... the part that connects like sticky glue when voting time comes around. The New Yorker can apologize or retract (I'm not holding my breath), but the damage has already taken hold inside people's brains.

In one respect, The New Yorker is correct that THEIR readers might've seen a ridiculous humorous aspect to it. But the mag is sitting out there for sale everywhere (good for you, E, hiding it behind Martha Stewart -- if I see it anywhere, I'll stow it behind the National Enquirer), highly visible. And of course, the image is online and all over TV. You know it is connecting with a certain demographic.

In an effort to purge it, and to make myself feel better, I posted an Obama Biography that was on TV last year. I think it's about time an updated better bio gets some national airtime. I'm talking about a full hour or two, like the McCain bio that keeps getting airtime.

enigma4ever said...

DK:::
You are right about the BIOs....
You know CNN and MSNBC both have BIO's and they have not been airing them...last weekend, CNN aired a special on the Clintons ( and how they will make a Comeback...it was beyond nauseating). and you are right about the subliminal messege part....It is why Coke is sold in a Red Can...

Diva:::
ahhhh,imflammatory and evil...that says it all...yes, Rachel and John really pissed me off on Countdown....and WHY is it Fair to go after MRS Obama like this- seriously....she is a lawyer and a wonderful mom....( and McCain with all his gaffes and her 5750,000 in ONE month credit card....there is material there)....but the main thing....it was in NO way Humorous....only a racist would think that kind of "art" is "funny:".....

enigma4ever said...

oooops Fran..
I forgot to say- exactly....

Mark Prime (tpm/Confession Zero) said...

Coming soon to a news rack near you

The summer collection ASSAILABLE NOW!
Fist-jabbing, kufi-wearing, gun-toting, afro-centric attire.
Terror never had it this god-awful good when deemed satire.

enigma4ever said...

PM:::
pretty bad...and we still have monthes to go of this fearmongering hatemongering in god-awful amounts....

Unknown said...

One thing..they don't have the right? Au contraire Mon Ami they surely do..its freedom of speech and specifically freedom of the press. Our First Amendment guarantees them this right Enigma.

I do think it would of been better to use the graphic as part of an article about the idiots that believe all the tripe about Obama..but alas, it was put on the cover in order to do what The New Yorker does..sell magazines.

enigma4ever said...

Ahh Dusty- I never said they don't have the right, not at all..

What I said was that I was asking them to atleast apologize and to be show some journalistic intergrity...Making a "joke" out of lies only helps perpetuate the lies....

That is all I said...

I would never ever tell anyone to take away someone's freedom of speech....that is something I hold dear...

BUT....

8 years we have seen what happens when any part of the MSM Lies and Contorts Events or Facts....whether it is a part of Propaganda or just poor judgement....it damages us as a people, a Country....and it is worth pointing out to them their responsibility as a Reputable Journal....if they were National Enquirer I would have nothing to say about it....

Blueberry said...

If they had put the cartoon inside the magazine (maybe like Dusty suggested, as part of an article), then it would have been more acceptable to me. I mean, I "get it"... as satire... and I understand that their readers may "get it"... but the point is that most people who see the mag sitting there will NOT get it. Most people are not regular readers of theirs. This is what shoves it into the realm of offensive. It will have the opposite of their desired effect in 99% of the cases (or even more in this case, since the cover image has been so widely spread - more people are seeing it than would normally).

enigma4ever said...

Blueberry:::
Exactly....it is more about it sitting on the Newstand.....and it's impact...not who buys or read their mag...and like Dusty said- if they put it with the article- that would be even more in context...sigh...but what is done is done...

enigma4ever said...

oh I did send my letter..
I got an "out of office reply"
Kind of chicken to do the Cover and then go hide ?

jus sayin'

Ingrid said...

I got one of those automated replies that included no apology but one of those, 'if you're writing because of our cover' blabla it's satire and read the article inside etc etc etc..
they got their attention worth though didn't they??

Ingrid