Editorial cartoonist Sandy Huffaker published this toon today:
Sure, maybe it’s a stereotype, but 9/11 changed everything. We really need to sock it to the bastards.
Well, we’ll do it sensitively. We’ve learned from our excesses.
“If I see someone (who) comes in that’s got a diaper on his head and a fan belt wrapped around the diaper on his head, that guy needs to be pulled over,” [Louisiana Congressman] Cooksey said. [Link]
C’mon, what’s the big deal about toilet paper? It’s just a throwaway joke. Nobody in America wears a turban. Seriously, you guys are way too sensitive.
Jerry: Kramer, he’s just a dentist.
Kramer: Yeah, and you’re an anti-dentite.
Jerry: I am not an anti-dentite!
Kramer: You’re a rabid anti-dentite! Oh, it starts with a few jokes and some slurs. “Hey, denty!” Next thing you know you’re saying they should have their own schools…Jerry: That’s a good one. Dentists.
Beth: Yeah, who needs ’em? [Pause] Not to mention the blacks and the Jews… [Link]
Geez, can you say ‘overreacting’?
… Frank Roque, 42, of Mesa, began spouting racist remarks to a bartender and co-workers, including that he was going to “kill some towelheads” and that all Arabs and their children should be rounded up and murdered… Roque drove a black Chevy S-10 pickup to a Chevron gas station and opened fire, killing [gas station owner] Balbir Singh Sodhi… [Link]
“I’m an American,” the suspect… said. “Arrest me and let those terrorists run wild.” [Link]
Why do you feel the need to ‘sack Rome’? Why not just live in peace with everyone?
Bad analogy: Was trying to tie back to the previous visigoth comment. Could just as easily said, “Decline of Rome”. I’m not much into violent solutions either.
the letters begging them to treat us fairly, etc. etc.
Hari Chandra,
That is a slanted and uncharitable way of reading a letter expressing a feeling of offense.
You start by telling someone they’ve said something wrong. (If you don’t tell them, they might not know it.) Then you see what happens. If you get nada, you go for global media domination or whatever.
With earlier outrages like the Power 99 call center flap in Philly or the Hot 97 “Tsunami song” in New York, SMers started out writing lots of letters and making calls to the radio stations and found that nothing happened. But when they went to advertisers and the other MSM started covering it, the stations had to take notice.
In this case, there is just one person responsible for this cartoon, and it’s not likely to reach as many people as, say, a radio station. It’s possible he might be responsive to polite complaints. Again, I insist that this is a reasonable and civilized approach — it is unfair to call it begging.
If you’re really offended, you don’t have to write him at all; you can write people at the newspapers and websites that carry him.
This is infact a pro-liberal Democrat-leaning political cartoon.
The point of the cartoon is not to show Arabs as toilet-roll wearers, the point is to show that GW is not really intersted in pushing Gen. Mushy to drive extremist elements out of Pakistan. And the reason Gen. Mushy does not want to drive extremist elements out of Pakistan is because that would not win him lots of popularity votes.
Manish, since you are opposed to stereotyping in general, I suppose you are equally aggrieved that George Bush — and therefore by implication — all Texans are depicted as rodents.
I happen to be very sensitive to racial profiling but seriously, this is about Osama. It is unclear if the intent of the caricaturist was to insult the turban. It is alarmist to immediately infer a racial slur from this. Although the Seinfeld joke is well chosen.
To sum up quickly then: Vikram and Co, lose debating points for bringing in the ‘two wrongs may make a right’ argument. Aten loses points for making it personal. And more points for failing to realize that the cartoon itself is very liberal. Manish loses points for making the rather tenuous leap from Osama -> all Arabs. Oh, and failing to get the gist of the cartoon.
Hari Chandra, thanks for explaining. I mutter the same to myself, darkly and under my breath whenever Shepard Smith, Roger Ailes, et al bob up like worm-ridden apples to deliver their latest smears, smiling those horri-
uh, sorry..(turning off Air America) ..what was I saying?
Seriously though, I’m all for economic growth, but wanting military might in order pound ‘humility’ into someone else is a terrifying proposition. Also, contradictory. don’t you think?
Amardeep:
You are correct and I apologize. I’m not sure entirely inspired my previous rant.
I disagree with the 2 nd generation part but you definitely have to be liberal and the way these guys define it.
Humor as you and I understand (a slight exaggeration of the behavior,accent or appearance of a certain group of people) is actually lack of pride in oneself or one’s ethnicity.
You should definitely believe I feel, therefore I am.
???
whether the cartoon is “liberal” or “conservative,” “democrat” or “republican,” is beside the point.
the point is that the cartoonist, in depicting osama wearing a toilet roll and paper, played into two linked stereotypes, both false and harmful — indeed, deadly.
one, that turbans are akin to toilet paper,
two, that turbans are a marker of extremism and terrorism.
depicting george bush as a rodent isn’t going to get anyone killed. ridiculing turbans by associating them with defecation (btw, how’s that for a link with the other thread?) and, to add injury to insult, stigmatizing turban wearers as extremists, is ammunition for the idiots who beatdown or kill sikhs and other wearers of similar gear.
peace
AM, I am going by the definition of those born and for most part grew up in ‘Des’ as FOB v/s those born in the US. Its all good.
What exactly does this mean? Since you’re definitely-not-a-bleeding-heart, I don’t quite understand why you’re so touchy….
Ugghhh… Shepard Smith
Cicatrix:
I am no fan of military buildup, but in today’s world, I wouldn’t mind my economic growth protected by a reasonable phalanx of mirage fighers.
To take India as an example, the alternative could be Nepal falling into Maoist hands and a million Chinese troops amassed on our border, depending whatever it was they demanded back in 1962 (god knows what that was, I recall it being Arunachal Pradesh)
second sentence to read, “demanding whatever it was…”
Irrelevant to the point I’m making.
Either unlikely or tin-eared, like calling someone a coon and then protesting you’re referring to their resemblance to wildlife:
Also see the quote from the illustrious Congressman from Louisiana, the movie Towelhead, and the long history of this slur as applied to Middle Easterners, Sikhs and desis in the U.S.
Yes DesiDude, there is an important political message in the cartoon, but it could have been conveyed without drawing a toilet paper turban on Bin Laden. Draw him like a rat if you want, but to draw the turban like Huffaker does is derogatory and insulting to other turban wearers, as Amardeep says in comment #21.
While I disagree with most everything Vikram has to say, I have to agree that the use of “house negro” and the like is distasteful at best. I also don’t think we have any call to be using that particular phrase anyway–it’s a legacy of plantation divide-and-conquer. I’ve heard plenty of black people say they’re wary using it. I dont’ see why we should. The vilest arguments, if made on their face, deserve counter easy counter arguments, not ad hominem attacks.
It actually took me a while to figure out what was the problem until Amardeep posted his letter–I actually didn’t see the toilet paper in the cartoon. It’s not my favorite style of cartoon, I find it visually confusing.
That caricature was insulting to all blacks. Toilet paper on Osama’s head is insulting to him,
I can see where this argument is coming from, which makes it all the more necessary for our counter arguments to be precise and careful. I think Amardeep’s tack is exactly right: in my experience fiery, offended outrage does not make people feel bad and think about changing nearly as much as persistent, careful explaining. And I think this cartoonist is someone who might be able to see our point of view, and change their minds*, so it’s worth a try.
Racists have developed idiosyncratic buckets of tricks and insults, one bucket per perceived group. American racists have their own buckets for their own groups; I’m sure we could find similar buckets in other countries. Now, even when describing someone despicable, using an insult from such a bucket gives that insult credibility and heft, and implies that part of the disgusting thing about the despicable person is their ethnicity/whatever. Therefore it spreads the insult out to all the innocent members of that group, unfairly associating them with the despicable person and also putting more sting in an insult that they are undoubtedly going to face again. Therefore personalized insults are both more effective and risk less collateral damage–they’re less generally offensive, and more specifically and desirably offensive against the true target of insult. And they’re a lot harder to make– a true challenge for the crafty artist.
It’s possible that a some American, say, without too many friends from a given other minority group might not be aware of the contents of the bucket corresponding to that group. I think sometimes many of you are too quick not to give people credit or put yourselves in other people’s shoes. The fact is OBL’s turban is somewhat distinctive,and it’s very white, and it’s clearly made from a softer, fluffier fabric. It lacks that hardcore taut and starched look. It’s possible, that Sandy was thinking that this is more of a personalized insult.
Here’s a question for you: is it okay to insult OBL as a pansy-ass pretty boy coward who uses fabric softener on his turban, or is that too insulting to gentlmanly fops the world over?
But the answer is not trying to get in the good graces of the American elite.
Um, I hate to point out the obvious, but a lot of us are Americans. I’d really prefer we not get sacked any time soon, thank you very much. Luckily most of India is not dumb enough to take that advice and has no interest in stupidly attempting to sack us.
*Whew! What a concept! Try to talk to someone in a way that’s designed to change their mind!
Hari Chandra…I see your point. Mirage fighters would be nice. And having the ability to defend oneself against an aggressor is, naturally, important. I just find that agressors are usually trumped up a bit by hawks in order to justify excessive military buildup.
But I think it is reasonable to expect the media to treat South Asians (well, anyone frankly) with respect. I know that’s not going to happen, but it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t expect it. If we lower our expectations, they won’t fail to take advantage of it, and deliver even less. And I think south asian influence in the world, economically, culturally, (not so much militarily, I think) is quite lage, and growing rapidly…so much so that Americans have noticed (we’re not the only ones making jokes about Indian ingenuity re: outsourcing) and I think growing awareness has brought a certain uneasiness along with reluctant respect.
Saheli:
Admittedly, a sack of the United States would be an exceptional logistical nightmare. The colonization of the United Kingdom, maybe. Perhaps a coup d’etat in Washington – a RAW sponsored reinstatement of Bill Clinton as premier.
I wasn’t being literal then and I’m not being literal now.
Cicatrix:
I see your point about expectations and your point about hawks using imaginary aggressors to unnecessarily justify military buildup (see: George Fernandes). The United States is beginning to notice South Asia in a way that it hasn;t since the gloray days of Nehru. Its good.
Thanks for highlighting the toilet paper. I hadn’t noticed it and thought you guys were referring to it out of the blue !
Glory days of Nehru? Sorry when was this?
For decades the US has hated us for being pally pally with the Soviets. You want them to ‘take notice’ of India like that again? Er…
MD take a look around the site this cartoon is on, it’s on I look at regularly as I’m a big fan – they can be immensely insightful and also very touching (see the Tsunami section). Hell I’ve even had a ham-fisted attempt at drawing Osama myself.
Just goes to show that talentless hacks who can draw a little can pass garbage as “cartoons” and file it under the category of humor. In all due honesty, this cartoon in itself doesn’t phase me. What irks me is the context, quality, and medium it was displayed in. That cartoon really isn’t funny, not because of the TP turban, but in general. Someone with a creative sense of humor could actually present something different, fresh, and funny, even if it is slightly offensive. It’s all about the context of the presentation.
Newspapers, news websites, and professional editorial columns should apply more discretion to what is put out (um, quality?). There is a time and place for humor of this sorts, and the context in which it’s convyed wouldn’t be all that offensive. Stand up comics, writers, and humor websites take liberty in poking fun while getting some laughs.
It’s the type of humor that isn’t necessarily for everyone, but you can access such humor at your own will without having it passed on to you with a saccharine saturated coating, which is what ‘political’ cartoons in the more established media do.
If anyone has seen the movie 25th Hour with Ed Norton Jr., he goes into a rant literally tearing up every minority, majority, rich, poor, powerful, loved ones, etc. The rant, if read by itself or piecemeal is quite offensive. But taken into the context of the movie, it makes sense.
Political cartoonists as a group just aren’t talented enough to expose and utilize more subtle, yet tremendously funny sources of humor. Instead of trying to cater to what the audience really wants, why not do something original and push something new, fresh, and creative? The standard replies are,”But, oh, they [the audience] just won’t get it!”. Well buddy, that simply means you really don’t have much talent to create something; You just regurgitate pre-processed, high sodium, high fat, high calorie, mixed horsemeat crap.
What is really surprising is that this kind of insensitivity is usually prominent among the right/conservative folks(who coined 911 changed everything) – Sandy seems to be from the liberal left who dislikes the Republican/Bush administration. From someone from that category to draw a turban with a toilet paper is rare. If anytthing, they are over-sensitive to terroristy types.
M. Nam
Manish, that line was meant for the guy who brought out the whole liberal vs. conservative circle-jerking tangent to the conversation.
But a toilet roll is not the same as a towel. Plus, there is no precedent of toilet-roll-head used as a derogatory term.
<
blockquote> …like calling someone a coon and then protesting you’re referring to their resemblance to wildlife: <\blockquote> Putting a simple turban on his head would have sufficed. But then again, this is not any Middle-Eastern person shown here. This is not just any old ‘someone’. It very specifically refers to OBL not to an Arab/Asian stereotype. The interpretation of the toilet-roll in this cartoon IMO should be ‘OBL is a toilet-paper-head’, not ‘Middle-Eastern folk’.
I am familiar with the ‘towelie’ slur. I would be very outraged if they showed any unmarked Middle-Eastern/SE Asian person with a toilet-paper in place of the turban.
Yes, as I said in comment #30, it’s an easy, needless, tasteless shortcut.
Cicatrix:
I was trying to give pointers to Vikram on how to be a hit on this blog. I was being sarcastic…
The formatting on the last post was screwed up. Apologies.
// begin Not in blockquote
Putting a simple turban on his head would have sufficed. But then again, this is not any Middle-Eastern person shown here. This is not just any old ‘someone’. It very specifically refers to OBL not to an Arab/Asian stereotype. The interpretation of the toilet-roll in this cartoon IMO should be ‘OBL is a toilet-paper-head’, not ‘Middle-Eastern folk’.
//end not in blockquote
I disagree with the 2 nd generation part but you definitely have to be liberal and the way these guys define it.
I found out about Sepia Mutiny via BlogHer and it was presented as the exact opposite of an echo chamber; I’m inclined to agree. After wading through the site, I do not see a bias towards liberals and as I understand it, the site is BY or FROM 2nd generation Indians FOR everyone (not just dudes). Or so we were told.
Complaining that an opinion held by what you perceive as the minority isn’t welcome is a fine way to distract and avoid the hard work that is crafting a solid argument. I think we all know that it’s easier to whine.
Oh, and the cartoon is problematic, if only because people who wear turbans have to deal with enough ignorance and stupidity, they don’t need more.
Thanks for this site.
DNBH.. ah, I see. That fabled conservative humor. It appears so rarely, I’m sorry to have missed it.
Perhaps we need to have standards for depictions of Osama.
Osama should always be depicted nobly, preferably riding a horse with laughing children trailing him. Or with a sword attacking an Apache helicopter. Osama can also be shown in the laboratory developing new methods for milk production to feed laughing children. Also, please use Mr. bin Laden’s left side as he thinks that is his best side. Do not show his nose hairs either as he is very sensitive about that. Also his eyes are rainforest dew, not brown. Please take my advice. Rainforest dew.
Irene, as someone here said about somebody else, you missed the point by about a hundred miles.
ObL is depicted very well in this picture. The cartoonist was so busy slamming Bushy and Mushy, he didn’t, apparently, give much thought to ObL, and seemed to think that swaddling his head in TP would do the trick…even things out..be fair & balanced.
The point is that this is predicated upon the assumption that the turban can be seen as a symbol for all that is evil about ObL. This, obviously, places every turban-wearing man alive in one hell of a ridiculous spot.
No one is saying that bin Laden deserves a better depiction. Turban-wearers do.
Who removed my post?
And am I not deserving of a reason why?
cicatrix and bong breaker (what is a bong breaker anyway? Does this question mark me out for the prudish ninny I am? Well, good. And cicatrix – I use that word all the time in my pathology reports. As in: Skin, site, procedure: 1. Cicatrix. 2. No residual dysplastic nevus seen (typical pathology report. Don’t know why I felt the need to tell you that)
Ok, you guys know more about this stuff than I do, so I’ll check out the cartooning site on your recommendations. Still, the blank space for your own cartoon is a good idea, innit?
So the derelicts who would hate a man because of his headgear would be less inclined to do so if it was drawn as cloth and not toilet paper.
How about an Osama with no turban at all then?
A criminal could, hypothetically, take advantage of the behavioral changes being made required. Once upon a time, if a plain-clothed man with a gun runs at you, you err on the side of caution and run for cover in case the guy doesn’t have a friendly face, and even if he is friendly, you’ll demand identification and that procedures be followed in detail. Today, we have to err on the side of caution by assuming a security official will inspect us and let us go upon realization we’re a good diaper-wearing individual, and we don’t dream of questioning the motives or asking for their id.
The criminal-minded could take advantage of this and mug every scared sikh down to the last penny as a “security measure”. Let’s just hope the mafia don’t wisen up to this untapped lucrative market of sikh-robbing. By the time a recently mugged and still screaming sikh finds someone blind enough to lend him a cell phone, the thief would be refueling his gas for the fifth time three states away.
MD, Badmash and The Boondocks are two of my favorites, although, strictly speaking they’re more comic strips than political cartoons. Eh, whatever. And yes I chose the name for the many connotations, thanks for noticing.
Irene: I give up. You’re either being deliberately obtuse or dumb as a rock.
No idea what it means love.
the point is that the cartoonist, in depicting
Deadly, Wow ! I have heard hyperventilating before but this takes the cake.
Most people can make a distinction between a cartoon and real life. I think the only thing the cartoonist was trying to do was be funny.
If you stretch this argument a little further alomost all art (Please note that I am not saying this is art) can be deadly. it will invariably offend someone. especially in this age were we are all taught that any hurt feeling is bad, actually deadly.
Also, I would welcome comments from people as to what the cartoonist could have done without the toilet paper or the turban and still be funny.
I am sure any depiction would have offended some other group. Or is it just Desis we are trying to protect ! If so, I withdraw.
DNBH, you conveniently ignored the fact that Siddhartha M also said this:
His argument was a fairly self-contained one, so I think ‘stretching it a little further” is of really no consequence.
By the way, did you really find the toilet-paper-turban funny?
Jennifer, I don’t have a problem with the hard work. Ok I will say it – SM kudos on the hard work.
Now calling me a whiner is an equally easy way to avoid actually refuting the argument. Now please take a few seconds and point out the people who have disagreed with the fact that we need not use words like deadly to describe a cartoon.
OK . take a few days and show me some examples where people have actually sided with the conservative view point.
I feel justified in calling this a liberal hang out.
ABCD bachcha log getting their knickers in a twist over a cartoon. lage raho !
Oh, It is. Implicit in my argument is the fact that we do not stop producing cartoons because of the hadnful of idiots. So do we stop criticizing this administartion because there is a nut case somewhere who would take what we said and try to harm someone in the adminstration. Common, you know better than that !
Whether, I find it funny is beside the point. to be honest, I think it is silly but definitely not deadly as you seem to think.
dnbh,
if you found my argument challenging, I’m sorry. but let me answer your question:
answer: lose the toilet paper.
pet it now?
peace
oops — that should be:
get it now?
peace
do you mean this one? you posted it on the wrong thread.
try as you might, you’re not being persecuted by sepia’s management.
peace
For those of you whose brains are exploding because of thinking too much here at Sepia Mutiny, head over to http://www.dippu.com and look at pictures of my new niece. That should make everybody happy. 🙂
That’s shameless self-publicity there daycruz. But I visited. You know that pic of a bunch of kids a little way down? I can always tell the difference between British Asians and American/Canadian Asians. It’s like some weird fifth sense.
in my opinion this isn’t a debate about the merits of caricatures, or the general level of racism in society. its about, for brown people, maybe shit is about to hit the fan. make all the lame points you want, but tell me you’d have chosen to be japanese in the 40’s. if not, then you might understand, us browns are trying to figure out if we’re about to land in a pretty bad spot. if you’re not down with wondering about that, get out of the way. cos this is know pretty serious business for us.
“Most people aren’t so hypersensitive”
are you serious? we’re not supposed to be acknowledging the fact people are considering some pretty bad ideas about what to do with us brown men? you’re taking de-racination to an all time low here.
have you ever seen a political cartoon from the 30’s? sometimes political cartoons or pictures might be like canaries in a mine shaft, just my opinion
Might I suggest a tinfoil hat or expedia.com?
Expedia.com? Are you suggesting I should leave the country if I feel threatened? Pathetic.