NY Post Racist Chimp Comic Strip Targeted Obama, Sharpton Says
Rev. Al Sharpton and members of his National Action Network will picket in front of The New York Post headquarters (1211 6th Ave between 47th and 48th Sts.) at noon on Thursday in protest of a cartoon in Wednesday’s edition that allegedly links President Barack Obama to the 200-pound chimp that was killed for attacking its owner’s friend this week.
The cartoon refers to Travis The Chimp, who was shot to death by Stamford, Conn. Police on Monday after it mauled a friend of its owner. The cartoon, created by Sean Delonas, depicts a dead chimp and two police officers, one with a smoking gun.
“They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”
On Wednesday, Rev. Sharpton released a statement calling the cartoon offensive and divisive. It reads:
“The cartoon in today’s New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee….”
Sharpton said:
“Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?”
The cartoonist called the controversy “absolutely friggin’ ridiculous” in a statement to CNN late Wednesday:
“Do you really think I’m saying Obama should be shot? I didn’t see that in the cartoon. It’s about the economic stimulus bill. If you’re going to make that about anybody, it would be [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, which it’s not.”
NY Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan also stood behind the cartoon:
“The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”
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On February 19th 2009, sue wrote:
no matter what, Al Sharpton will forever keep racism alive. Personally, I feel its racist that there’s even an NAACP, Miss Black America, BET, etc. I wonder what Al Sharpton would say if someone started a Miss White America or White Entertainment Channel. But if someone were to tell it like it is in this country, they’d be termed “racist” so no one speaks up anymore. This cartoon could’ve been about any President in office or person, regardless of the color of their skin. You can’t automatically shout racism every chance you get and its incredible that there are people who jump on the bandwagon and support this man each and every time.
On February 19th 2009, Rev. David Hancock wrote:
I think we can all agree that Rev. Sharpton likes attention, but it is painfully obvious that this cartoon contains a clearly racist thread, intentional or not. Saying that there is a need to find someone new to write a stimulus bill after shooting one ape implies that only one person wrote the bill in the first place. The only person who might be considered solely responsible for that piece of legislation is President Barrack Obama, who we all know is African American, ergo the chimp in the comic stands for Obama whether the artist intended it or not. Here, Rev. Sharpton has a valid point, because white racists frequently refer to darker skinned people as
monkeys, apes, or some vulgar variation, and specifically call black people chimps. Many racists are currently looking at this cartoon in
exactly the way about which Rev. Sharpton was concerned. Sean Delonas is guilty here, of not being funny, and of not thinking this cartoon through. The NY Post is guilty of blind insensitivity.
On February 19th 2009, The Big B wrote:
If you were to just read the txt on this comment you would think ” hey President Obama signed that stimulus plan. then you would see the picture…… Holy crap people are YOU SERIOUS. I am only 19 yrs old and i would know with out Sharptons comments that this is clearly a racist statement. As stated darker skinned people have been compared to monkeys… dont know why were all humans who are related to primates one way or another but come on …. Black president, monkey being shot and then a reference to the stimulus plan that was signed by our President i believe earlier this week! America what the hell is wrong with you . this is the 21st century That whole racist thing should be done with evolve out from under your pathetic ROCKS!!!
On February 19th 2009, Lady wrote:
I’m on the fence with this one. On some levels, I can see how this can be interpreted as racist because of the chimp/monkey and derogatory connection that term has with African Americans and the way it’s being displayed in the picture. If they’re making a reference to the chimp that was shot because it was attacking someone or whatever the case, then having two cops shooting it is kind of stretching it isn’t it?
But anyway, on the other hand. Al Sharpton makes my blood boil and my skin crawl 98% of the time, so when this is the first thing that comes out of his mouth, I usually ignore it. Racist wasn’t the first thing I thought of when I saw this clip. First, I thought of the old saying, “the zoo being ran by the chimps or the asylum ran by the inmates” as if the writer is saying the stimulus bill was a product of incompetence. Second, I thought of the incident with the enraged chimp attacking someone. Then maybe third or even fourth I realized the possible racist undertones that could be derived from the image.
But really, Al Sharpton can pull the race card in just about any situation and in his eyes it works. To Sue, and this is in no way a negative or personal attack. Your statement is interesting. You ask why he doesn’t think BET or the Miss Black America are considered racist establishments, I believe the answer is almost simple.
These were put into place for the simple fact that certain minority groups are just that, the minority. BET showcases a majority of African American talent because of its lack of display in mainstream media. Why? Well that can be for several reasons, but the main being that the majority groups are going to be the most widely televised correct?
So in order to try and correct this, these establishments were put into place. The NAACP was established to help minority groups being discriminated against in order to better themselves and their ways of life. In its beginning, yes, it’s safe to say it was more focused on African Americans for obvious reasons, however, the focus of the NAACP has grown and changed as time has.
It is for the protection of all people against discrimination. The name remains the same traditionally, though it could change and become something like NAAEP (national associaton for the advancement of every people) or something like that lol you get what I mean. Anyway, I understand where you’re coming from though, but really it all comes down to us.
We can’t let people like Sharpton or anyone else determine how we should view things. “Race” is a social construct because the last time I checked we all belonged to ONE race. We’re just a variety of that one race. To disregard one another and to hate based on skin color and heritage is absurd and one day, I hope that’s realized on every side of the argument.
If the writer intended on racist undertones with this, it’s terribly sad because like other posters have stated, this is a new century, a new year. We are so over this whole racism bs and it’s about time we acted like it.
On February 20th 2009, Dr Dave wrote:
Regarding Mr Sharpton’s comments: A chimpanzee is an ape, not a monkey.
On February 20th 2009, Dadragon wrote:
Why do we need a white entertainment channel? I can watch abc, nbc and cbs for hours and not see a single person of color. But BET, a single channel of color and you want to get upset? Next!
(added by Mobile using Mippin)
On February 20th 2009, Mia wrote:
To the writer who claims that all things Black are racist: newsflash–BET, Miss Black America, etc. were created because black people were excluded from participating in these institutions within the larger American culture. The term racism refers to one’s ability to deny rights or privileges based upon race, and is tied to POWER. Please stop confusing the filling of cultural voids with racism–it ’s incorrect to do so. The chimp reference in the Post cartoon is bigotry–plain and simple. This isn’t the first racially insensitive thing the Post has printed and I doubt it will be the last.
On February 20th 2009, American wrote:
First off freedom of speech means anyone can say anything, racist or not. I don’t believe it was the intention of the cartoonist to make a racist cartoon.
Just like the ink blot test, people see what they want to see. Rev. Sharp along with millons of others who have nothing better to do than complain will have a field day on this cartoon because instead of seeing the political metamessage, they will analyze this and disect it until it becomes racist.
Instead of looking for something new to complain about, why don’t we all laught it off as a CARTOON and move on with our already stressful lifes.
On February 20th 2009, sue wrote:
to the writer who thinks my statement meant that “all things black were racist” that is NOT what I said but you proved my point that just the mere MENTION of something “all black” is automatically seen as a racist comment. I am not in the least bit racist but I do feel that as long as people continue to have things “all black”, all white, all Indian, all etc., we are continuing the racism of the PAST.
It seems that people who are SO CONCERNED with racism are the ones who segregate themselves the most, are the biggest hypocrits, and have the most double standards. Get over it, it was in the past, most people do not treat anyone differently anymore for that reason SOLELY unless they are ignorant themselves so move on. Our President is half black, and thousands of people I know are half something and I don’t care – I just know they’re all the same as me – and that’s human.
And I feel there is an abundance of black famous people on EVERY channel of TV and every radio station for that matter.
And, like I said before, a channel named “white entertainment channel” would NEVER be allowed on TV because it would be considered “racist”. But allowing a channel to be named BET is not considered racist? NEXT….
On February 21st 2009, Chivalry wrote:
Okay, i’m not American, I’m British and as such I believe i can provide an objective approach to this debate.
Firstly, the cartoon’s alleged racist undertones (or overtones in the opinion of Sharpton) did not actually occur to me until I saw the complaint of the NAACP. I went through several other news references such as the chimp shooting and the planned stimulus bill. I’m personally of the opinion that Sharpton is using this as publicity and if anything he’s not advancing the rights of the people he represents by appearing a petty ambulance chaser (lawyer joke but i hope you’ll forgive me that) just jumping at anything.
The entire thing is blown out of proportion. I don’t think that with all the importance on being “politically correct” nowadays that an editor would allow it to go to print if it did contain racist material and it certainly isn’t the case here. Perfectly normal cartoon referencing two earlier news events and its a ape not a monkey for the record as someone pointed out.
On February 22nd 2009, Mia wrote:
Sue–my , you sound angry–even in writing. Obviously you didn’t read my last response carefully or you wouldn’t have responded the way that you did. I’m glad that you feel that people of color are adequately represented on every channel and every radio station, but yours isn’t the only opinion that matters. Having people of color as friends doesn’t make you an authority on how everyone feels. Obama is half-white and he has addressed the fact that racism still exists. He didn’t allow it to stop him, but he didn’t deny its existence.
Unless you have experienced the daily indignities that come along with being non-white in America, you really cannot speak from an informed position on the topic. So racism doesn’t exist anymore, because you say it doesn’t? I wish that were the case, but sadly, it isn’t.
In fact , yours is the type of attitude that discourages reasonable /productive discussions on race and class, because you are obviously very defensive. Nobody’s blaming you for anything personally, so why don’t you get over that? You sound like the addict who hasn’t admitted his/her addiction and therefore cannot move toward healing. Stop it. Racism is REAL.
Ignoring offensive media won’t help us become “colorblind” as a society. Whether it makes you uncomfortable or not, people are going to object to racially offensive material. And that’s as it should be.
P.S. All of the predominantly white media outlets don’t need to call themselves WHITE–everyone already knows that’s what they are–wake up please. Racism is about POWER. BET is not excluding white people or denying them rights or privileges. That’s the difference.
On February 23rd 2009, Jato Diop wrote:
I tried to ignore this because I’m not surprised
that this gross disrespect is being blown off by the press and the arrogant racist portion of the White population.
First, freedom of speech dose not protect “harmful” acts of expression- this would include racist remarks.
Second, it is a historical fact that White cultures would parallel Africans to apes. Rather it was the Belgiums, Confederate news post or a black and white flick from the forties, when making jest against Africans the ape (or monkey mocking) was the favorite image used by White.
Third, during Lincoln’s term he was mocked as an ape because he became a proponent of freeing the slaves. He was drawn as an ape because Whites in the South (and North) revered African Americans as apes and monkeys.
Even if we remove all past evidence of African ape parallels, anyone reading the comic would attribute the chimp to the person most related to the stimulus bill- the president. Ms. Pelosi is only known by political buffs and isn’t the sole author of the bill anyhow. But, the average citizen (and the cartoonist) thinks of Barack Obama when they see this filth.
On February 23rd 2009, desi wrote:
I think that Al Sharpton is a publicity whore and puts the racist card on everything he sees. Sooo annoying. I really do think that he’s letting MLK down. I don’t think that MLK would have wanted this; he wanted equality among all humans, regardless of race, not retribution. To this day, we shouldn’t be thinking about race, we should be thinking of humanity in general, how to unite and create a peaceful world. Sharpton is just digging the racism hole even deeper. I’m a minority and I don’t believe that this was racist. If one thinks with a mindset of choosing to believe that it’s racist given historical contexts, then I think that he/she is not looking into the future and only in the past.
On February 23rd 2009, desi wrote:
I do understand that most people would see it like this. And for that reason I think it was wrong for the company to publish this. There are several opinions to this cartoon. Even if I think that the cartoonist did not have bad intentions, most of America still attributes everything to race. I believe that the cartoon should have been less vague to satisfy people who didn’t know about the chimp occurrence in Connecticut. But my stance on Al Sharpton still stands.
On March 8th 2009, Cyn wrote:
I know it is a little late to comment on this but I’m going to anyway.
This comic was about “STUPIDITY”! That is all it is about! Not race. Even my African American boyfriend thought this comic was funny and he has enough intelligence to know it was about “STUPIDITY”. He doesn’t think of himself or other African Americans as chimps so he would never think of think as racist. If it was a tiger that was shot this comic would not even be an issue. But I guess some African Americans see themselves as chimps so they threw the race card out there. That is sad…
It is stupid to write a stimulus bill that WILL NOT bring change.
And it is very stupid to own an old 200 pound male chimpanzee that is stronger than the average man and has anger issues.
STUPIDITY!
On March 15th 2009, SJC wrote:
SImply stated, it’s the history behind the imagery that sparked the controversy. For those not yet born, there was an organized, systemic champaign in this country, which was put in place to demean and denigrate people of African Ancestry. “Jim Crow” depicted Blacks as monkeys, apes, gorillas, etc., Their objective was to destroy the soul, and spirit of a group of people so severely that they (Blacks) would struggle thorugh generations with their own identity as human beings. The objective was to always remind Black people in this country that they were not equal to the White people. Please remember Rev Sharpton’s age, he’s speaking from a time when that was the norm, and believe it or not – that attitude is still alive and living across this great land. I don’t agree with everything that Rev Sharpton says, but he also has the same right to freedom of expression, and freedom of speech as does the Post cartoonist. If we are going to truly be one human race of people – then surely we owe it to ourselves to see all sides of the story. Even rumors have some truth to them, or there would be no reason to articulate what one has seen, perceived, thought they heard, witnessed, or thought may have occurred. We are talking about a comic strip visible for all the world to view. And I”m not buying that the cartoonist did not understand the racism implications. We all just celebrated the very first African American man being elected to the White House. RACE was on everyone’s mind. America’s shame will always be tied to slavery and racism, and to just say the scares have all healed and gone away is not facing the truth , but living in denial. Folks go to prisons and jails everyday in this country either with, or without a reasonable doubt being presented, so to say Rev Al had no reason for protesting is without merit. It’s just like any other form of discrimination – if the individual feels they have been mistreated – then to that individual – they have been mistreated. It will always be difficult for whites to understand the sting of racism – it will always be difficult to understand any form of mistreatment until you walk in another person’s shoes. If we are to truly move beyond the issue of race – let’s at least be honest enough to have a real conversation with truth.
PEACE and always keep an open mind.