Sigh. This editorial cartoon by Pat Oliphant (9/8/04) just ran in the New York Times and the Washington Post, among other papers. Using an emaciated, half-naked beggar sitting next to a cow to represent Indian high tech: it’s Temple of Doom all over again (thanks, S.K.).
Let Universal Press Syndicate know how you feel: content@uclick.com. Takes only 30 seconds. I just wrote in.
For a funny, thinly-disguised take on outsourcing, check out ‘Dilbert’ on the fictional country of Elbonia.
Racist but quite humorous,
No point in disabusing the silly cartoonist of his hard-wired stereotypes. That giant sucking sound will do the talking, and people like Oliphant will wonder what it was that hit him.
Its only a matter of time before editorial cartoons too begin to be outsourced to India 🙂
T: No, it’s not humorous at all. That’s not what Indians look like.
I wrote my note of outrage.
It hurts real bad to see such cartoons trying to be humorous at the cost of India/Indian sentiments and is disgusting to use it for hitting on outsourcing.. but I have to agree with the depiction of india in this cartoon.. If u pass through villages of india like mine in india, u will see cows and emaciated cowherd old villagers sitting under trees or on streets like this one except that they donot have a laptop/cellphone.
Typically all political cartoons are caricature’s of their subjects. How many Bubba cartoons were around during the Clinton presidency?
Little Black Sambo was a caricature too.
If this was created by an Indian and published in an Indian newspaper, we would all have agreed that it is clever and funny. But since it’s not, there is the tendency to be outraged.
However, we do have to understand that the fear of job loss and outsourcing is very much an issue in this country. So I see this cartoon as more of a social commentary than a racist expression. It didn’t bother me much.
And like Prakruti, I too have seen scenes like this in India — maybe not so emaciated, but hyperbole is not the exclusive realm of just wordsmiths.
Little black sambo was a caricature too.
Manish, I think that you are comparing apples to oranges. But I wanted to find out more about Pat Oliphant, which to me at least shows that he’s been around for a long time and at least knows what he’s doing. But I think with any political cartooning, here in the US or many other countries, it’s a hit or miss. Is this current one valid? I think so to a certain degree…travelling about 7 years(I know lots of things of have changed now) in the south of India, going through small town through small town, every single one was plastered with sign about learning either Oracle or MS. Because of people like Sam Pitroda the extent of telephony reached everywhere, even to people who don’t have much more than shanties to live in; I think of this as more of the strength to the human capital and entrepernurial (sp?) spirit that exists in India. Of course, conversely it has often led to massive corruption too. What I really don’t understand is why right wingers get their panties in a knot about the countries that are being outsourced to, but not at the companies themselves..
I’m actually a big fan of Oliphant who like the late Herblock has the most acerbic type of humor. Was I offended by this one? No.
There’s never any doubt what Pat Oliphant’s depicting and what his meaning is. He’s head and shouldrs above the pack with the exception perhaps of Stahler who’s a gentler soul.
Pat draws with a ascerbic pen but he’s notin the same catagory as Doonesbury and Herb Block, who are and was vicious and not that humerous.
acerbic wit deserves the right of passage. the outrage comes from a faint feeling of reality in your gut. kinda like a diet coke after 2 steaks.