A quick glance at Wednesday's edition of The New York Post revealed that racism remains alive and strong in America.
On Page 12 of a paper known for publishing little more than tabloid fodder, cartoonist Sean Delonas depicted President Barack Obama as a monkey getting shot to death by two white police officers. In the cartoon, the speech bubble reads, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."
Excuse us? You've got to be kidding.
According to an article in The New York Times, Col Allan, editor-in-chief of The New York Post, attempted to deflect negative attention surrounding the drawing by contending the cartoon was nothing more than a satire of an incident in Connecticut in which a crazed monkey was shot to death.
OK, sure - the Editorial Board buys that, but why the hell did it have to include anything about the stimulus. Please, sir, do tell us how the cartoonist could rationalize tying the death of a monkey to the passage of a bill meant to fix the economy - without exuding blatant racist overtones.
Instead of taking the opportunity to concede the utterly distasteful nature of the cartoon, Allan proceeded to call out the Rev. Al Sharpton for publicly criticizing the cartoon as an act of shameless self-promotion. We think it is downright disgusting that Allan had the gall to berate Sharpton when in reality it was his publication and employee who were in need of a serious gut check. Sure Sharpton may be guilty of loving himself a bit too much, but who can blame him for calling attention to a gross miscalculation on the part of The New York Post?
There is no fine line that Delonas attempted to walk by depicting President Barack Obama as a monkey in his cartoon. Simply put, you just don't do that. In a time in which the country can put aside its checkered past to elect a black man to the highest office in the land, why can't a run-of-the-mill cartoonist refrain from equivocating a budding American icon to a chimpanzee?
What makes the situation even more disturbing is Delonas' track record for drawing cartoons that lack any semblance of sensitivity and foresight. From mocking same-sex marriages to featuring a politician kissing Sharpton's butt, Delonas' past behavior has teetered on the unacceptable. Clearly, Delonas cannot try and hide behind the guise that he only meant to illicit laughter and amusement when his portfolio is shrouded with controversy.
It doesn't matter if you're an ardent Obama supporter or if you voted for the other guy; a society that deems a cartoon featuring a symbolically racist image OK clearly needs a history lesson. Sure former President George W. Bush was often depicted on editorial pages as a monkey, but among the many differences between him and Obama is the fact that his skin is white. Drawing a black man as a chimp or gorilla must never be confused with a comedic device - rather, it is nothing more than a hateful jab at an entire group of people.
Delonas' actions cannot simply be swept under the rug with hopes that he can go back to drawing cartoons without facing repercussions. Blatent acts of racism such as this cause division and uproar that is completely inexcusable. The black community has fought too hard for their equality, and Delonas must be held accountable for his truly unsavory trangression.
While The New York Post is hardly the second coming of The New York Times, we sincerely hope Col Allan can find it within himself to own up to the shortcomings of his cartoonist with a hint of class, rather than dismissing this inexcusable act.
Tolerance for such archaic ideology conjures imagery of our country's racist past that no longer has a place in America.
