The latest offering from The New Yorker has the world abuzz. I’d love to hear your thoughts. I think those of you that know me can guess where I stand on this type of “art”:
I had respect for The New Yorker but is this their jumping off point for intelligent discourse about this election?
Does it help Obama to see front and center what some in this country might be thinking about him? I don’t know.
Here’s a thought to at least get a laugh out of this, comment below on how you would picture a similar cover if the McCains were featured. The one that makes me laugh the hardest might just win a prize!
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July 14, 2008 at 10:16 am
AMomTwoBoys
Gah. It’s WAY too early in the morning to wrap my head around this without throwing something and yelling obscenities.
So, for now I’m going to just shake my head, drink my coffee, and continue to think about it until I can come up with a rational thought. Which might not be ever, because OMG, what the f*ck is wrong with The New Yorker & their Editors? Seriously.
Oops. There was an obscenity.
July 14, 2008 at 10:28 am
Marinka
I guess my take on this is different. I read the New Yorker and I tend to doubt (but I’m biased!) that any of their readers would vote for McCain. I have spoken to several people who suspect Obama of being a Muslim and his wife of being “uppity”, and I think this cover satirizes those people. I see this as no different than Jon Stewart’s skits about Obamaphobia.
July 14, 2008 at 10:34 am
AmyInOhio
You make a good point Marinka. I would have been more comfortable with the notion of satire if the cover read “The Politics of Fear”. Without the tagline, it seems tasteless to me.
I agree the mag isn’t McCain’s audience for sure! I just wonder if that image needs to be placed in anyone’s head.
July 14, 2008 at 10:55 am
Marinka
See, I think that the image is so over the top that it’s satirical. I mean, the American flag in the fireplace? The portrait of Bin Laden in the Oval Office?
July 14, 2008 at 11:19 am
Quart
I have to admit that when I saw this in the Washington Post this morning I chuckled at the image of Michelle with the gun doing the terrorist fist bump. I suppose it runs the risk of reinforcing the “Obama is closet terrorist” notion for those who already believe it, but those people are too stupid to change their minds, and they certainly don’t read the New Yorker. So, what Marinka said.
I picture Cindy bathing in Cristal and John calling her nasty things while not filing his taxes.
July 14, 2008 at 11:27 am
AmyInOhio
Quart & Marinka – Thanks for chiming in – it’s always good to hear stable, alternate views to something. I used to only listen to those who agreed with me, but now with years and wisdom, I enjoy hearing all sides. I guess it is the silver lining to the grey hair. Am I the only person in America that spells grey with an “e”?
Quart – where is your blog?
July 14, 2008 at 11:36 am
Maria
Agree whole-heartedly with your comments on LoveBabz’s post on BlogHer. Just a simple tagline, or maybe a crazy little cartoon speech bubble could have made all the difference for me.
It just wasn’t presented correctly without it. I’m guessing that because the publication is very well known to be liberal they thought they’d be able to get away with this. Who knows?
July 14, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Quart
I live vicariously through my sister “AMomTwoBoys.” She taught me that I was a terrible person for reading blogs and not commenting, so here I am!
(p.s. Have fun with Meg this weekend. She’s fun!)
July 14, 2008 at 12:52 pm
anymommy
Inflammatory for sure, as I’m sure the New Yorker meant it to be. It certainly hits the issue right between the eyes. Great comments. I can see both points – that the satire is in how over the top the cartoon is, but also that perpetuating the stereotypes in such a respected forum might be a bad choice. How’s that for wishy washy? I’m going to follow your links and see if someone can’t make up my mind for me.
July 14, 2008 at 12:52 pm
amomtwoboys
Quart’s right…I am fun. And, Amy, I’m CONSTANTLY trying to get her to start her own blog…join me in the pressuring, won’t you?
I see Quart & Marinka’s point, but I agree completeley that without a tagline, it’s somehow just…blah.
I’d LOVE to see the Fox News take on it…but I can’t force myself to turn on that channel…
July 14, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Maura
I keep going back and forth on this. I agree that something like the tagline you suggested would have helped, but it just seems so needlessly inflammatory no matter what it might have said.
As for a McCain cover, I’d have Johnny in a wheelchair hooked up to IVs and a nurse at his side, with Cindy being fitted for a designer gown while getting a botox injection by a doctor wearing a Rolex.
July 14, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Amanda
Okay, I may not be popular here, but I tend to agree more with the Republican side of the house and I do fine the satire here a little over the top. But really, how is this different from every other President the media makes fun of? I don’t think we really take these things that seriously when we see them. We know that they are a satire. Will it hurt his campaign or help him see what America views him as and help him fight that image. I don’t know.
July 14, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Tela WMAG
I usually don’t jump into political discourse, because I don’t feel well-versed enough to do it.
Here’s the thing. This is going to get HUGE press–no matter what. And those people that think this is a just satirical portrayal? The ones that are too stupid to read The New Yorker? Well, they are going to see the cover on Fox News or wherever and be all “I KNEW IT!” and keep on keepin on’ with their misinformed, racist viewpoints.
And those other stupid people? The ones who might be really, REALLY dumb, but undecided, and have a vote come November? They are going to be freaked out by what they see.
Not sure what good could come out of something like this, frankly. I’m all for free press, but in this case, they shoud’ve had the Obama’s on one cover (front or back), and some weird shot of the McCains on the other (front or back). (Their picture could be John-boy calling his wife a c*** while she searches on her computer for recipes to steal at Rachel Ray’s website, which includes pictures of Rachel wearing her terrorist scarf, natch.)
July 16, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Insta-Mom
I actually spell grey with an “e,” too. It just looks wrong to me with an “a.”
When I first saw this I did the foot stamping and swearing and outrage. But the more I stand back and look at it, the more calculated it seems.
No editor for a publication as large and reputable as the New Yorker could possibly have such a severe lapse in judgment as to think that this would cause a stir. A big stir. So why do it? Is readership down? Are they trying to bring some kind of attention to the Obama campaign (for what reason, I don’t know)? It just strikes me that this was very purposeful. They had to know what they were doing. So why did they do it? That’s my big question in all of this.
I want to be witty enough to come up with a good McCain cover, but it’s been a long week already.
July 18, 2008 at 10:34 am
Stella Blue
On NPR this morning, a commentator mentioned that if you have to spend a week explaining a joke, it wasn’t a very funny joke to begin with. I “get” what the mag was trying to do, but I’m afraid that the very people they were trying to poke fun of might not get the joke. Of course, the people who think the Obamas are closet Muslim terrorists aren’t reading the New Yorker, so there you go.
I would parody “the Honeymooners” with McCain playing Jackie Gleason’s role and driving the “Straight Talk Express” campaign bus. Cindy would be cooking (From RR’s cookbook, natch)
hope you’re having fun at Blogher, you lucky girl
July 19, 2008 at 12:20 am
Cocktails from BlogHer08 | Kitchen Gadget Girl
[...] from Working Moms Against Guilt prefers a nice Cabernet, while Amy in Ohio would love a Maker’s and Ginger Ale. When I saw her, she was drinking a Cosmopoliton, but I [...]
July 20, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Quart
I don’t need to chime in again, but I will because you probably weren’t watching The Daily Show from BlogHer. John Stewart’s take cracked me up (big surprise). I’m paraphrasing, but he basically said that Obama overreacted and should have said that “I am not the least bit upset about the cartoon because you know who gets upset about cartoons? Muslim extremists. And I am NOT a muslim extremist.” Kinda makes sense!
July 27, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Pamela White
The New Yorker has always been into inovative ways to see the elephant in the room that people try to ignore. Obama’s life and history are on display because he is running for the highest office in this country. The cover illustration made people finally discuss and research Obama to see for themselves what is the truth and what is propaganda. It has gotten people to talk and not relying on the mass media to spoon feed them the platitudes Obama wants them to hear.