NY Post Cartoon

I am not sure how far away from NYC this has radiated, but there are currently protests going on against (and outside of) the NY Post. The reason being is seen here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218/ap_en_ot/ny_post_cartoon. It has two cops, one shooting a chimpanzee dead and the other saying "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill." It was printed on Wednesday (2/18/09) and came a day after (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/17/travis-the-chimp-shot-dea_n_167527.html) a famous chimpanzee was shot and killed in Stamford, CT (40 miles or so from NYC) and was big news the day before. If its on my elevator news up date at work, then everyone knows about it.

The first thing that came to my mind was that they were using a current hot story (the chimp being shot), they showed their displeasure with the current government plan for the economy. But instead, a couple of bell ringers and hell raisers, like the Reverend Al Sharpton got on the case and call for the cartoonist and the editor on a pitchfork. Their argument breaks down to the cartoon harped on old racist depictions of African Americans (in this case, Barack Obama) being shot for the stimulus package. Problem is, when I think of the stimulus package, I think of failure in house, senate and the executive branch, not the failings of one man.

I find a few things wrong with this. First and foremost, the chimpanzee in no way resembles Obama or any other homosapien since at the very earliest, Neanderthals. Second, given the timing of the cartoon (the day after the local story of a chimpanzee being shot dead after going on a rampage attacking a person broke), mt mind isn't even tempted to leave that story and think something terrible.

Additionally, and admittedly this reason may vary from person to person, I think that chimpanzees wrote the "stimulus" (even Mr Obama seems to be starting to get away from calling it this) based on its complete disagreed for the past, present and future, although that is a whole other blog post. The plan the government has in place right now was not the failings of one man, but lots of politicians and lobbyists. Given, it is most associated with the most visible and most supportive backer of it. As a more light hearted honorable mention, I could go into the difference between apes and monkeys, the latter of which was often used to depict African Americans through and even beyond the 1960's and the former of which being the family the chimp belongs in. Calling for the firing of two men because of this is simply ludicrous.