Jon Stewart Slams the Media for Perpetuating Outrageous Obama Smears
"The Daily Show" was in top form last night as they called out every single cable news network for helping spread the myriad scurrilous and unfounded rumors about Senator Obama.
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t to the wonderful Heather)
Obama's camp initially agreed that the cartoon was "tasteless and offensive". Really? You know what your response should have been...let me put this statement out for you. Barack Obama is in no way upset about the cartoon that depicts him as a Muslim extremist because you know who gets upset about cartoons? Muslim extremists, of which Barack Obama is not. It's just a f%#!-ing cartoon! But as always, no where was the anger at the media hotter, than in the media.
Even though these coordinated lies about Barack Obama are shameful and disturbing, the fact remains that this presents a real problem for his campaign. According to a recent Newsweek poll, a whopping 29% of respondents said they believe Obama was raised a Muslim, while a significant 12% said Obama was sworn in on the Qur'an. Indeed, most of the reservations I hear from close friends about thier reluctance to vote for Obama revolve around their doubts about his "character," most of which are exacerbated by these deliberate and coordinated distortions.
This is where the whole New Yorker cartoon comes into play. Although many have argued that the whole controversy is a net gain for Obama -- because it vividly illustrated the absurdity of the lies, therefore debunking it on a wider scale than otherwise possible -- I tend to agree with those who think it's harmful to the cause of setting the record straight. Regardless of whether or not you found the satirical cover funny and clever, I fear it may have just reinforced the false impressions people may (or may not) have had.
In the end, though, it's almost kind of humorous. After the whole Jeremiah Wright saga, you would think everyone would recognize that Obama is, in fact, a Christian. I think Kos said it best when he wrote this:
[The Wright scandal] really puts Obama's smear merchants in a bind -- do they push false rumors that he's a secret Muslim bent on delivering America to Al Qaida, or is he a member of an intolerant and radical black Christian church?
While I know the crazies on the Right have a remarkable power to ignore the laws of reality, science, and logic in pursuit of their wrongheaded ideology, trying to float both these theories at once might be a stretch, even for them.
Unfortunately I think Markos may have misunderestimated the power of the right wing smear machine and its ability to convince more than a handful of people that both lies are simultaneously true.
They've pretty much trained the populace to react like a pavlovian dog to this stuff. Why is anyone surprised that all it takes is a rumor and the populace will vote against their own best interests every time.
You forget, of course, that Wright is a secret Muslim and TUCC is in league with the Muslim extremists.
It's too bad we have to care about what ignorant people think. They should be required to pass logic or honesty test before they're allowed to vote.
i feel like i have entered a funhouse/house of mirrors and i can't get out...
this whole 'controversy' exposes the ridiculousness of the media, the campaigns and the sad state of american involvement in politics.
when an offensive (to some. satirical to others) cover becomes the big news story, when discussions about fist jabs/flag pins/etc become front page material you can just feel the visigoths at the border.
i feel like the candidates are running for president of the condo association, not president of the united states
Good on him/ this a.m. on CSpan the hostess even told a caller who claimed Obama is a muslim that he was wrong, Obama is not.
The Daily Show stopped being funny a long time ago. Jon Stewart isn't funny and he doesn't ask tough questions of conservatives. He likes to be cute and toss softballs.
Shame on you Jon Stewart.
And of course those who harbor concerns about Obama's character are those who still support the coke-snortin, alcoholic, business failure rich kid who is the current Simperor in Chief.
I think a lot of people 'believe' all this crap just so they don't have to admit to themselves and others they are really racist. They don't have to say 'I won't vote for Obama because he is Black.' They can just 'believe' he's a Muslim...not realizing that is just another form of bigotry.
I received an email claiming Obama said he wouldn't stand during the National Anthem because it was a song based on war. It went on to say he'd rather our national song be more like the Coke song "I want to buy the World a Coke'. I did a little looking around and found some Arizona right winger (supposedly in jest) wrote that as satire. I'm sure he NEVER realized someone with half an education and a need to believe crap like that would take it as true.
I'm offended by Jon making fun of people who should be offended by their colleagues' behavior but are, instead, offended by something that is offensive in its non-offensiveness.
And now I'm offended by your reaction to the sentence above.
Oh ... and now you are really p*ssing me off.
A simple test of the New Yorker magazine would be to ask them to do a similar magazine cover for Senator McCain (the difference would unavoidably be that it's true for Senator McCain) and see what the reaction is.
Go on. I dare them.
Nada @ 1:
Sadly true.
When polls show that U.S. voters actually have changed from a majority supporting protecting ANWR to a slight majority favoring drilling there, when no gain will be realized from it for at least ten years, if then, sometimes I wonder if we're ready for self-government.
From the C&L post on Katrina oil spills being whisked away by GoP lies, http://cabdrollery.blogspot.com/2008/07/when-to-use-magic-wands.html
Samson- @ 4:
Puhleeze, George Bush couldn't run my condo association. It takes gumption he doesn't have.
George: "Despite all the negativity and whining, your shower stall is not leaking into the downstairs tenants' bathroom. Trust me on this. Things are getting better. We must stay the course."
So what if he were a Muslim? What would be wrong with that? Would someone PLEASE explian that! Thanks.
Yeah, but it's just "parody", especially when the reich-wing goes out of their way to convince the populous that it's true and a large segment of the population still believes these lies....but, it's just a "parody" of which really isn't that funny....but, remember, it's just a "parody".
I've been writing about this here and here. You write above:
Irony and outright mockery are our best weapon against the smears, and that's what this cover is, despite the earnest efforts of the talking heads not to get the joke. People looking at this cover are going to get it, by and large -- it's not reinforcement because it's impossible for anyone but the most transcendentally unsavvy observer to take seriously.
Irony is a very powerful weapon -- that's why Ingsoc tries to eliminate it in 1984.
WakeUpAmerica! @ 13:
Nothing wrong with it, but it's not true.
this will trickle down to simpletons.......there are people
out their that want to believe this caricature.......
bobbie @ 8:
You bring up a very good point. Claiming that Obama is a Muslim is just another way for some people to get around the unpopular racial slurs. Especially since degrading Muslim people is so in vogue today just like degrading Jews was during the reign of Nazi Germany.
"This is where the whole New Yorker cartoon comes into play. Although many have argued that the whole controversy is a net gain for Obama — because it vividly illustrated the absurdity of the lies, therefore debunking it on a wider scale than otherwise possible — I tend to agree with those who think it’s harmful to the cause of setting the record straight. Regardless of whether or not you found the satirical cover funny and clever, I fear it may have just reinforced the false impressions people may (or may not) have had."
I slightly agree, but I also think Obama had the opportunity to turn this into a plus if he did the same thing he did with "Clark-gate:: i.e. state that "I don't think this is the sort of thing that causes (Americans) to lose sleep at night".
This is just another distraction.
Re: Steve-O
As much as I wish Jon Stewart would get tougher with his guests at times, you have to realize that's not his job and he knows it. He hosts a comedy news program on a comedy channel. The fact that he points out truth and hypocrisy at times is laudable, but really sad because he shouldn't have to. And the fact he makes it all funny is icing on the cake. Don't criticize Stewart for doing his job, hosting a "fake news show". Applaud him for doing what he's doing and has been doing so well for so long.
Have a good day.
John Cage
WakeUpAmerica! @ 13:
There is nothing wrong with it at all. I attend classes and talk with Muslim folks all the time at my college. They are some of the best people I know.
Kos was wrong again! These scumbags have constantly floated conflicting lies. they found out long ago that Joe and Betty Sixpack don't read much, watch the same channels as their friends ALL the time, and don't associate outside their small close circle.
Hell, you see that here on this site!
The people who don't get the joke would never have voted for Obama anyway.
Any group that can convince themselves that the Theory of Evolution is wrong based on what they read in the Bible, and also believe that despite binging omitted from the Bible, man once lived in harmony with herbivorous dinosaurs with carnivore teeth, no doubt believing that Barack Obama is simultaneously a racist Christian and and a fanatical Islamic should be child's play.
Well someone has to I guess. Obama defenders are hard to come by these days.
When you look at the Electorate, you gotta think, who in the hell would want to represent all these crazy bastards. Any public discourse on the candidates gotten to the point of just being ridiculous and so dumbed down that it just reeks of the hopelessness this country is facing.
Um Steve-o can you say "fake news" perhaps you haven't noticed but it's a comedy show unlike the news shows which are just farces.
I firmly believe that a majority of people who say "I won't vote for Obama because he is a muslim" really mean "I won't vote for Obama because he is a black man." Wouldn't want to sound racist ya know. And I know some repugs that think all muslims should be dead muslims. But of course they love Bush too. The stupidity of the American people continues to amaze me.
It's the same all over. The right wing of Al Qaeda smears its left of being secretly Zionist or crypto-Christian. Anybody in disfavor in the mid-east gets accused of spying of Israel as a matter of course, as an opening gambit till the powers that be can find something to make more plausible charges possible (or just disappear the person if they cannot be bothered).
After all, the Rev. Wright had positive words for Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam. That makes Wright a secret Muslim, hence no stretch to have Obama simultaneously Christian and Muslim, and the very most evil strain of both naturally.
a couple months ago there was a post on this site about "things that McCain is older than". I lolled because it was hilarious. it was as comical as Chuck Norris jokes but awesomer because, well, it was true.
McCain is older than Superman. McCain is older than the ball point pen. McCain is older than anti-marijuana laws. McCain is older than freeways. McCain is older than the recipe for chocolate chip cookies. McCain is older than shopping carts. etc..
there were some hand-wringers who said "oh hey, we need to take the high road, lets not be age-ist."
I disagree. I think if McCain's supporters in mainstream media are going to push racist and classist memes, then those of us in the viral/grassroots/blogger communities should have no qualms pushing ageist memes.
hell... at least our rude jokes are factually accurate. Obama was never sworn in on a Koran. McCain, however, was born before the discovery of plutonium.
Net Gain for Obama for people that inform or educate themselves
Problem is Obama has these voters
Obama needs the low information voters which believe the smears and Media propaganda
The low information voters will take The New Yorker as representation of the Obama's not as satire
Oh,..ha ha,.. that's OK, I'm sure all the Mike Meehans of the world will all know the New Yorker cover was all in good fun right?
Boy I'm sure glad we're all intelligent and good natured enough to get a laugh from this.
john j @ 31:
No wonder the government isn't worried about better education. They want to keep Americans dumb enough to vote for them.
It's manufactured controversy and C&R is eating it up. This is the second entry on this non-issue at crooks and liars.
Let me break it down, the cartoon shows:
Obama dressed in Muslim garb giving his wife a "terrorist fist jab".
Michelle Obama with a militant black panther afro toting an AK-47.
A picture of Osama Bin Laden over a fireplace in which an American flag is burning.
In my book that's funny. It's most certainly satirical if not down-right hilarious. It's a razor blade cutting through the mainstream media's retarded obsession with internet rumors started by fundamentalist whack-jobs and drooling hillbillies.
It's a response to every asshat who thinks "Hussein" is a suspicious middle name. It's a response to the ludicrous suggestion that a fist-bump is somehow a "terrorist fist jab" or that wearing a god-damned flag lapel pin is somehow an issue in today's fucked up world. I personally don't give two craps if Obama was sworn-in on a copy of the Devil's Dictionary, as long as he can tackle real issues that affect me and my family.
The daily show has a segment called, "Baracknaphobia" where they do the same thing. Last week they showed an obviously photo-shopped picture of Obama wearing a "road flair vest". It looked like a suicide bomb, and it too was hilarious.
I'm going out and getting a subscription to the New Yorker before my head explodes.
Humor is the last refuge of the enlightened. We left-wingers are funny. There's no doubt about it. Have you ever been entertained by a truly funny conservative? Answer: no.
The cover only acknowledged the false claims about Obama, it didn't debunk them. Why didn't the New Yorker parody the source of these myths, such as Fox News and Limbaugh?
The reality that this cartoon has created such an uproar is proof in itself that at first glance it is offensive, tasteless and highly suggestive. If the "joke" has to be pointed out at all, it really isn't a joke at all. I am not an idiot or a red-necked anything and I did not "get it" when I saw it. Instead, I felt an initial rage against the New Yorker and the artist for toying with people's ability to "get it."
BTW, I forgot to add that I myself found the New Yorker cover offensive, as the satire was entirely too subtle. If they had only enclosed the cover in a cartoon speech or thought balloon and had a little wingnut at his keyboard in the left bottom corner (so it wouldn't be covered by the mailing label) it would IMHO have been pretty much acceptable. How in hell can you distinguish identical messages from left and right, and claim the message from the left is satire or irony, and that from the right slander? I am waiting for Red State or World Nut Daily to trot that cover out as evidence that EVERYBODY agrees that BHO is a secret Muslim. You know it will happen.
Rationality doesn't necessarily sweep away rationality--in fact, rarely. People can hold mutually incompatible ideas at the same time. It's called cognitive dissonance. An in any case, regarding Obama, it's fear of a black planet, to crib Public Enemy. So sure, it's a radical black church or secret Muslims.
Character is code, otherwise it's hard to see how McCain has a reputation for "character" for anything other than his stay in the Hanoi Hilton.
Boy, wasn't that the greatest career opportunity he ever had. Yup, I just said that.
A good percentage of the population could probably be convinced by Fox that the New Yorker cover is actually a family photograph ...
all the careless listener hears is "... Barack Obama ... Muslim ..."
They don't have to convince anyone of _both_ lies.
They just convinced *some* of one, and *some* of the other; and this works even BETTER, because as soon as you convince your conservative friend that Obama _isn't_ a Muslim, then he hear's that Obama is a member of a RADICAL RACIST church; which MUST be true since you, his liberal friend, had just told him "no, no, he's TOTALLY Christian;" clearly you only gave him half the story, you dirty liberal! And now he can go on, confident in the correctness of his distrust of Obama.
29% believe he was raised a Muslim and 28% believe Bush is doing a good job and Iraq is hunky dorry...A moron is a moron
well....I thought it was funny....it wraps all the urban legends up in one cartoon.
so that makes 3 of us here in West Virginia who actually "got it".
Now I'm waiting for The New Yorker to do a "Manchurian Candidate" cartoon on McCain......oh wait, that tale may be TRUE!
The conflict was resolved by the woman who, when asked how Obama could be Muslim AND radical Christian, dropped her voice and murmered: "He's a SPY!"
I think the video was on the Daily Show.
Steve-O @ 6:
Dude, it's a comedy show, not a news program. Get a life and get in touch with reality. Asking the "tough questions" isn't his job.
ricchase @ 37:
You didn't get it? I hate to be rude, but what's not to get?
You can argue as to whether or not it's funny, but to say that somebody... anybody... with a fully functioning brain could see this as anything other than satire is beyond belief. Yeah, sure there's going to be some toothless nitwit in rural Georgia who thinks that dang cartoon is HI-larious, but he's probably a lost cause anyway; and he's probably so dumb he won't be able to find the voting booth come November. And since when has any of these types ever subscribed to or even heard of The New Yorker?
Really?? Admittedly, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I saw this for what it was immediately– satire and irony. Funny? To me, yes. But that's the only debate that can go on with this.
Sorry if I sound rude, but I just can't help myself.
Steve-O @ 6:
Yes, that's the trouble with COMEDY f***ing SHOWS! They don't ask the tough questions. Neither does SPACE GHOST.
bajaboy @ 46:
Whether or not it is a comedy show, it does participate in discourse as a news source, and discusses serious topics. The way I see it, however you feel about the New Yorker cartoon, so should you feel about The Daily/Report.
Any cartoonist should use this idea - A bunch people driving by a HUGE BILLBOARD showing Obama as the New yorker cover , in a turban w/ ; militant wife ; burning flag ; bin laden pic and the so called article debunking the issue he is a muslim & the rest , as a tiny magazine laying in front of the billboard .
Unfortunately if you believe the new yorker , MOST people will probably never read the article and ONLY see the picture , secondly it obviously failed since the picture is way over shadowing their alleged intent .
The artist went out of the way to bring up every baseless accusation and THEN some to indirectly prove a point , so what about McCain in Vietnamese Military Uniform and accusation of him collaborating with the enemy . What about the accusation of Bush being Hitler and taking away our rights , put him in a NAZI uniform ..NO some images are acceptable for ridicule and some are verboten . Kind of like it's ok to make racist jokes about ARABS in the main stream media , but anything about jews is off base and quickly denounced .
Regurgitating baseless and vile accusations by FAUX NEWS and their trolls seems to be the MO of even the main stream media , especially cable . I got problems with Obama , but that has to do with leaving troops in IRAQ to " protect out interests " , not silly diversionary attempts to smear him with idiotic stuff like him not being Christian or not wearing a FLAGGGGG PIN or being unpatriotic .
burnt @ 30:
And the flip side of this is the fact that the young voters that Obama is bringing into the fold have never known a world in which:
there were no cellphones
there was no e-mail
there was no MTV
Gasoline had lead in it
The lsit goes on and on, but you get the point, I'm sure
Joe Scarborough: Jon Stewart and The Daily Show are "Hacks for the Democratic Party"
Joe Scarborough: I don't want to hear anybody from The Daily Show or any of these other shows ever saying again, "We speak truth to power." Because you know what they do? They speak truth to Republicans. Republicans are funny. they've been idiots and jackasses over the past seven years. But, please, don't be subversive, because you're not. Because you're a hack. A hack for the Democratic Party, and you only tell jokes about one side.
Mika Brzezinski: No, this is not about being in the tank.
John Harwood: I don't think they're hacks for the Democratic Party.
Joe Scarborough: They're hacks.
Mika Brzezinski: You are unbelievable.
What I'm now asking myself is how did the New Yorker manage to survive for over 75 years in a country that must be one of the dumbest on the face of the earth?
Satirists Riot Over The New Yorker Obama Cartoon
Billy Shears @ 52:
True that, my brother. Best thing I've read all day.
johnnypunchclock @ 47:
There's also going to be people in California, people with a full set of teeth and no southern accent whatsoever, who believe the cover represents the truth. Believe me, I'm a native Californian, and Georgia (or the south in general) have no monopoly on idiots and racists.
I personally found the cartoon just not funny at all, if anything the lameness of it is what I find offensive.
Anyhow, they are in their right to publish it. That is the beauty of the 1st amendment, and I have the right to not give two shits about that publication.
This is a faux outrage if you ask me. There are far more important issues at hand, and that is what pisses me off about the MSM; they move from prefab story to prefab story, while completely ignoring reality and those stories that deserve true attention. But reality tends to cast the current powers that be a very bad light... so they make shit up like this diversionary crap.
I must say, that if anything is a bit of an upgrade from the constant Britney Spears/Paris Hilton crap, at least the diversionary story is somewhat indirectly related to something of interest (the election).
Oh, and one last comment. I really think the New Yorker is full of crap, why? I am not expecting them to do a similar cover about the McCains or Whitey anytime soon if ever. So yeah... sure, just having some good old time fun.
jafari @ 49:
Apples and oranges dude...
john j @ 51:
Joe must be fumming that a comedy crew of hacks gets to have ratings orders of magnitude larger than his shitty show.
Talk about not being able to hack it...
The cartoon is a BRILLIANT piece of satire.
Proof? EVERYBODY'S GETTING THEIR KNICKERS IN A KNOT ABOUT IT, ESPECIALLY THE HYPOCRITES IN THE MEDIA WHO ENGAGE IN THE SAME VILE STEREOTYPING THE CARTOONIST IS LAMPOONING. THEY'RE TOO F*CKING DUMB TO REALIZE THEY ARE THE REAL TARGETS OF THE CARTOON.
Stewart is right on the money.
Obama should have laughed the whole thing off. That would have been the smartest, classiest response.
Please go to the following AOL poll site and vote:
http://www.aol.com/
Right now, it shows McCain beating Obama 69% to 31%. Of course, 77% of the respondents are white and there's no shortage of bigots on AOL as we all know! Thanks...
The cartoon lacked a proper frame of reference.
It would be equally at home on the cover of either the National Review or the New Yorker.
For this reason I believe it was unsuccessful.
bajaboy @ 55:
You're right. Absolutely right. I can see it clearly now. In my mind, I can see the people you're describing. There's so many of them! From every area of the country! All drooling! And, what's that?! They're all carrying something in their hands! Oh, my God! They are all carrying copies of.... the NEW YORKER!!!!!!!!!!!! Jesus, Sweet Baby Jesus HELP US, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pinkobait @ 61:
Since when does a cartoon require a 'frame of reference'?
That's like demanding that comedians explain their jokes. Dumb.
Hilarious.
The band Rush will be on Colbert Report tonite.
Colbert was the master of satire when he invited a leading Buddhist to discuss Obama's Church Search. Now that's how you do it, New Yorker.
The New Yorker cover failed because it attempted to reveal a truth about falsehoods. Too ambitious and ended up reinforcing the lies. Am I all in a twist about it? No. But I am pretty tired of the sixth grade level smears that tend to be so effective in our society.
Grow up America! Or we'll get another Bush.
Steve-O @ 6:
Yeah, he's treating the damn thing like some kinda comedy show.
Dr. Hussein Matt @ 14:
I demand you change your handle, then. It's offensive, making light of a misconception regarding Barack Obama's name being the last name of a former Middle Eastern dictator.
People need to get a grip. I don't care if you didn't get a chuckle out of it and no one else does either. I found it funny, so did zillions of others who also form their own opinions and don't need "Dr. Hussein Matt" to spoonfeed it to them.
And here we have Crooks and Liars, applauding Jon Stewart even though he's mocking people who are taking the cover thing too seriously - a group that includes Crooks and Liars.
dosido @ 66:
I don't see it that way at all. The New Yorker was ruthlessly pointing out just how racist and ignorant the United States has been as of late, culminating with their hideous treatment of Barack and Michelle Obama. One thing that's easy to forget is that you can take any joke, or piece of text, or video clip, and examine it ad nauseam until it's completely removed from context as well as perspective. In short, people are thinking about all of this too damn hard.
what a field day for the creeps. even arianna's blubbering rage, surrounded with the stench of hypocrisy, gave me a chuckle. does obama need a pillow?
"In the end, though, it’s almost kind of humorous."
Yeah, almost. Until they start handing out muslim headwear out at the republican convention and McCain is our next president because the people in the 'real' world don't get bare satire. Effective satire involves context and subtext. Blitt and the NYer are counting on the public to carry these into the joke. They shouldn't.
This whole thing reminds me of the Dukakis in the tank photo. We thought it was real funny, everybody else thought something different. Until we learn that images matter we will continue to lose the propaganda wars and subsequentially the country.
Comedy/satire is like art. Some of it you like, some of it you don't. Stewart (and his staff) rarely fail to make me laugh. My in-laws? Not so much...
dosido @ 66:
Good luck with that.
moniker @ 36:
Inside the New Yorker the title of the cartoon is listed as "The Politics of Fear". Now does it make sense? This magazine is elitist and assumes that the reader is sophisticated - their jokes need some 'splainin.
The party invented double-think, remember?
As a centrist, I find the reaction to this cartoon well, weird. Up until now I had only taken conservatives to be satire-impaired (see FOX's failed Daily Show rip-off as reference) but apparently there are those on the left side of the spectrum whose knickers get knotted just as easily for apparently similar reasons.
Let me spell this out blatantly. Satire is the humour of intelligence. If you "don't get it" it's not because it's not funny, it's because YOU don't get it and the Daily Show segments about the cartoon illustrated that brilliantly. To appreciate it you must not only be smart but informed. If you're not one of those things, it may lose you. If you're neither of those things, then you probably voted for Bush... Snobbery? Elitism? Maybe. But maybe those are the words you use when you want to villify someone else rather than admit your own shortcomings.
Never before in history has mainstream media worked so hard to see that 100% of the American people understand the literal truth about ANYTHING as they have to make sure not one person in the country thinks Barack Obama is a Muslim.
Meanwhile, if Hillary Clinton went on later to become the most successful two-term president of all time her obituary in every newspaper and on every television news show in the land will remind us, "She said she dodged bullets, ducked and ran for cover from sniper fire", something she has never said in word or print. Ever.
Funny how that works, isn't it?
"[The Wright scandal] really puts Obama’s smear merchants in a bind — do they push false rumors that he’s a secret Muslim bent on delivering America to Al Qaida, or is he a member of an intolerant and radical black Christian church?"
Grewgills @ 2:
Beat me to it.
The wingers will simply state the Wright and Obama are in league with Farakkhan.
johnnypunchclock @ 35:
moniker @ 36:
Like this:
Barbara in BC @ 74:
How pathetic that this cartoon should require any explanation.
Here's an article with images of three other New Yorker covers by Barry Blitt:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/13/barry-blitt-addresses-his_n_112...
Note the two that refer to the Bush Administration - one 'Odd Couple' spoof, with Bush as dweeby Felix to Cheney's oafish, dominant Oscar, and one, post-Katrina, with the clueless Bush cabinet in the Oval Office, chest-deep in flood water.
Do either of these images require explanations? Is anyone that dumb? Does the cartoonist have some obligation to conservatives to mitigate the possible offense to a sitting president with some statement of 'context'? Is it somehow offensive to the people who lost their homes (and lives) in New Orleans to use an image of floodwater to make a political point?
Of course not, to all the above questions.
Meat @ 69:
I'm with Meat... and the New Yorker.
I say we bring these racists and bigots out into the light of day, and point our fingers at them and laugh in the face of their hateful foolishness. Election year, or not -- there's never a good reason to be trying to appease or appeal to anything a racist or bigot might "expect" out of us. I don't know about you, but I'm not in the market for living down to a bigot's expectations, or intelligence level. I don't need to give a damn about convincing these people, because I have no intention of tolerating them. And I don't want them voting for my candidate. Their racism and bigotry is their problem, and I'm not going to cater to them by demeaning the intelligence level of my own sense of humor.
I suggest that some of our fellow "Democrats," "progressives," and "liberals" start being proud and confident of what you are and where you stand -- and while you're working on that, you might also want to work on growing a pair, because it's a hell of a lot tougher fighting for the rights of others than it is to fight to fill up your own portfolio.
Those who came before you -- and called themselves Democrats, progressives, and liberals -- spent their time on child labor laws, women's sufferage, the New Deal, Medicare, Social Security, the Marshall Plan, the GI Education Bill, unions, minimum wage, civil rights, the war on poverty... and a whole bunch of those people got their heads bashed in during that pursuit -- yet we apparently have the time to piss and moan about a goddamned cartoon.
Bless Jon Stewart! I have been so demoralized by all the yapping of PC ninnies over this, and he cheered me up.
It's a great cartoon. It might have even made some of the nuts out there realize what jackasses they're being about Obama. Not, of course, now that everyone's made such a hairy deal out of it.
ricchase @ 37:
I agree. Remember Dave Chappelle, who gave up a hit comedy show because he found people were laughing at his racial based humor for the wrong reasons? Bet that's happening here, too.
I do appreciate Mr. Stewart's piece about the whole thing. Maybe I was wrong to cancel my subscription. Maybe not.
Could you imagine the hullabaloo that would arise if Sen. Obama was an atheist? They'd call him a flip-flopper cuz' he was in a madrassa and then joined a Christian church cuz' he wanted to subvert it. I can make this stuff up all day long; the only difference, I know its not true! There are way too many folks out there that just don't have a clue nor do they want to get one. How many of the clueless don't vote? There's an argument. Reporter on the street asks Mr. Joe Publix how he feels about politico X and Joe Publix should have to show a voter registration card or something before the answer is aired/published/etc.
Dammit, now the MSM is "profiling". Will it never end?
bajaboy @ 46:
first off, if you read my quote, it says "the Daily Show stopped being FUNNY..." (funny=comedy), so back off.
secondly, Stewart is in the enviable position to claim "comedy/fake news", when people criticize him, but he undoubtedly has had an enormous impact on the way Americans get their news (particularly young Americans). Jon Stewart is extremely intelligent and does his research, so yes, I think he needs to be a little more "hard hitting" when conducting these interviews. Asking tough questions is ALWAYS the media's job, so stop making excuses for him.
Wee Mousie @ 24:
Aw, give 'em credit: Maybe they just take GB Shaw's "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" to heart... [insert extra-sarcastic eyeroll]
Steve-O @ 85:
Firstly, I've watched every single episode of the show going back a few years, and the same goes for The Colbert Report. I don't think they've slipped in quality at all. Jon Stewart isn't a man who will put on airs - that is to say, he won't pretend to be outraged if he isn't. Furthermore, he is a lot more sly than that. Both him and Colbert manage to make the usual troupe of idiots look like fools without having to slam their fists against their respective desks.
This has to be a classic! Thanks to C&L for sharing.
Billy Shears @ 81:
That's also a good point: the Democratic Party has been the party of progressive movements for a very long time, a rich tradition of fighting for civil rights - yes, even when those ideas were unpopular enough that anyone championing them would be mocked, derided, and even assaulted or killed. Nowadays we have a Democratic Party that spends more time apologizing and worrying about image than it does fighting with heads held high. The Republican Party is a party of bullies, and the Democratic Party is a party of people who act like victims of bullies.
Annoyed Canuck @ 79:
It's funny to see how many liberals will defend Barack Obama when he's dubbed 'an elitist,' but many of them are just as anti-intellectual as many members of the Republican Party.
This story just gave the msm something to fill up another 24 hours with. If Obama or anyone in his camp had a sense of humor they would have laughed their asses off at this cover and complimented in on all the tv shows and it would have been over.
moniker @ 36:
Did you read the article, or were you too busy judging a book by its cover?
krome @ 71:
Wait.
You argue that 'good satire' (because you're the arbiter of such things) requires subtext.
The entire cover of "The New Yorker" is overflowing with subtext.
If you are mad that there isn't enough 'context,' then you are mad at mutually exclusive ideas: one is that good satire requires subtext and subtlety, and the other is that good satire requires thorough explanation so that even the most basic of people will get it and not react like a petulant child.
If you still need context, consider this: the context is that you are a citizen of the United States and you haven't been living under a rock. Thus, you are familiar with the topic of conversation.
Oops! Complimented "it" (the cover). It was a brilliant piece of satire and should have been seen that way to all but the most stupid people. Obama could have used this to show a sense of humor and made himself look more human to all of us who did get it instead of treating it as a serious slam against himself and his wife.
I read and enjoy the New Yorker even though I am a Red Sox fan.
Next time one of these, "They've given Barack Obama a pass in the media (while attacking Hillary or McCranky)" folks drops into C&L, refer them to this clip.
Meat @ 93:
The problem is MOST Americans will NOT read the article. Have you looked around your country lately. Where the fuck do you live? They still believe he's a muslim, schooled in terrorism at a madrassa. Wake up.
those who "get it" vs. those who don't.
we're so smart and enlightened vs. "middle America rednecks"
don't you see this is exactly why the Democratic Party are a bunch of LOSERS??? no one can agree on anything, everyone is trying to out-do one another with how "intellectually superior" they are. And the Repukes laugh all the way to success in November, every single time.
This is all so ridiculous.
jafari @ 49:
Wrong, and just plain silly. I enjoy Jon Stewart and dislike the New Yorker cover. Imagine.
Shfennie @ 99:
OK, I get it, I GET it. I still think it was in very poor taste. In a nation of imbeciles and distracted "thinkers", this fuels the hatred. Even bu$h says he thinks with his gut: he ain't readin' nothin'.
I guess you're one of those people Jon referred to as getting their news from The Daily Show.
Steve-O @ 6:
Shfennie @ 99:
I for one felt this joke was so pure, SO obvious, that even the dumbest rednecks would get it and laugh at themselves... learn through humor.
After the brouhaha made over it by Democrats, not so much.
Tells me the one side isn't ultimately smarter than the other.
I still think Obama has a very strong case for slander and defamation. Not because the possibility of being a Muslim is in any way dishonorable or depraved, but because the accusation is designed to defame and slander his character in the minds of bigots and mouth breathers. Malice of intent can be demonstrated, because these attackes are clearly top-down orchestrated events that are easily conceived and executed because there are only 5 executives involved, 6 if you count NPR.
I'm not going to vote for Obama, given his abysmal performance as regards defending the Constitution, but I do think he ought investigate legal remedies available to him.
Due to widespread national ignorance i will no longer be stating personal opinions for fear someone will misunderstand me.
I am certain someone will misinterperet that.
Paul @ 104:
HA!!
Funniest comment on this thread.
LOL.
Unless you are serious.
If so, this is the stupidest comment on this thread, bar none, and you ought to investigate legal remedies available to you against whatever it was that made you so dumb.
jafari @ 96:
See, right there you have it. The New Yorker is clearly capable of pulling off miracles.
99 @ 103:
The same rednecks that believe Obama is a Muslim based upon Fox New propaganda and lies?
The same rednecks who barely read books or magazines, except for ones that are tabloids or have centerfolds?
The same rednecks who barely need an excuse to hate their fellow man?
Hmmm.
Somehow, I don't think you know what you're talking about.
I hope this will get to Jon Stewart. Syndicate your show and Stephen Corbert to go worldwide. If these two shows are not the true voice of sound reasoning I don't know what is. The late George Carland has given Stephen his endorsement enough said.
George Carlin, my bad.
why I think it is an offensive cartoon:
The primary motifs used in this art piece refer to Islam (wardrobe, portrait). This is crossed with militantism and radicalism, through the Kalashnikov, the afro, and the burning flag. While the aim of the message is to convey falsehoods surrounding Obama, it links the things together in a neatly packaged set of referents, signs and symbols that point to one another to gather their meaning. This is where this artwork is offensive. But in no way is it more offensive than the media that it is aimed at critiquing.
Some faulty reasoning at work. Just because 89% of the population believes the world is flat does mean it is flat. Just because 1% believe Obama is the tooth fairy, that does not mean he is or isn't the tooth fairy. Belief has nothing to do with facts. Citing polls on factual matters, while perhaps good for the Kool-Aid diet, doesn't mean you are feeding your head.
jafari @ 110:
But the New Yorker didn't make these motifs up. The motifs are based on the factual record of the various attacks and lies told about the Obama's by the right.
For the love of sweet christ IT'S JUST A CARTOON. Look, the truth is that Obama has had to overcome stereotypes and mischaracterizations. But it's gotten to the point where people seem to actually cling on to anything that might be misinterpreted or misread just to show 'how much' Obama has had to go through. Now, instead of actually reporting important election information, we once again focus on a cartoon, like we focused on the man's minister and his name and his racial heritage etc etc etc.
Quit pumping up this meaningless bullshit and focus on the candidate himself, his policies and strengths and weaknesses.
And yes, I thought the cover was hilarious.
Billy Shears @ 113:
You are correct, but the New Yorker bound them together, and while not purposefully, the cover linked "bad" things to one another, implying that his religion is as "bad" as his patriotism. The artist chose not to include the "snobbery" or "elite" or other memes in his work, just the ones viewed as threats. And Islam is not a threat.
Mickxotic @ 48:
lol
Billy Shears @ 113:
There is absolutely no need to inject facts into this argument. The people who are on the left who are furious about this cartoon (and UNrightfully so) will not listen. Censorship is not entirely owned by the right much to my dismay.
Obama would have been better off by just laughing it off. Its satire for crying out loud. There is nothing so serious about a cartoon that warrants him to react so seriously.
His negative reaction to a clearly non-serious joke just gave evident that his ego and is far more important than many more important issues that we face as a nation today.
Sure granted that he is running for President of United State his reaction just reinforces his defensive reaction to preserve some image he want to portray himself to be publicly and anyone that he perceived has harmied that image is opined as offensive and unfortunate. This is a weakness that he can be so easily offended...by a satire for crying out loud. He should have just laughed it out and laugh along. Because what should matter to him is that HE knows that the satire is just a portrayal of some rediculous rumors that is going around. Most people know that. And if he is so sure of himself, he shouldn't react to it. He had put power to the Satire where otherwise IT could have benefit him by showing that HE has more power that the satire by laughing it out...publicly. He made himself appear weak and he gave some of us the impression that he was so OVER protective of his ambition to become the President that THAT is the only thing that is most important to him....putting everythings else secondary.
If I were Obama, I would have responded publicly when asked about it and say:
Well in this SAD time in our History, I can appreciate that we can still have the time to find HUMOR. And there is nothing more healing than a GOOD laugh. After what we have gone through in this past seven years and what we will face in the future...A good Laugh is in ORDER. I am not offended at ALL.....this is Freedom of the Press....And in this Free Nation, We are FREE to be humorous even when it is done in poor taste. Thank you for asking but I have more pressing and important mission to accomplish, like restoring the rule of Laws; Designing a plan to End the Occupation in IRAQ; To make sure that we have a plan for a Universal Healthcare; and to make sure that I call Michele and let her know that I will be working late tonight and not to wait for me for dinner.....So that she won't shoot me with her machine gun. HA...HA...HA....
That would have been my respond if I was OBAMA.....
He needs to loosen-up and show a sense of humor.
He must not lost sight that he is being judge by his actions and how he handles situations even when he thinks it is tasteless......
THERE ARE 300 million people in AMERICA and they all have different personality. He must rise above all adversities. He must show that NO one can catch him off-guard by any off-the-wall comments; jokes or opinions. He must show that he is dicipline in his conviction; focus on his mission but yet be able to laugh with the people even if the joke is on him. That shows STRENGTH. He must show the people and himself that NO ONE can HURT him. Not even the most powerful magazine of media is INSIGNIFICANT to him. That that he is implying that New Yorker Magazine is insignificant in their own right as an organisation but rather insignificant in power over him.
xoites defends Constitution @ 105:
For what it's worth, xoites, I'm on your side.
That's an Afro?
I thought Michelle was wearing a Russian hat.
Rusty Shackleford @ 119:
Here in Dallas a local politician was complaining about one city government department where forms, memos and messages routinely get lost and referred to it as a black hole.
Some local black politicians insisted he apologize for the rascist comment.
Now this...this is an afro:
http://static.flickr.com/77/185554733_72e5beeebe_o.jpg
Maybe Michelle can end the whole debate by adopting this look:
http://www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/03/tyra-bald.jpg
Steve-O @ 6:
Keep in mind it isn't a hard news show. Sadly I get a better look at the issues on a comedy network than I can from a news organization.
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