(Via Lenin’s Tomb & Crooks & Liars)
Nazi-style cartoon depicting Iranians as roaches fleeing a sewer, write your complaint to: gsheller@dispatch.com, michael.ramirez@investors.com
So another prong of the campaign to normalise an Iran Attack, base ignorant racism depicting human beings as verminous insects to make it easier for people to assent to murdering them, it is as C&L say a Nazi-style propaganda image. Write to the above addresses, we must give the war machine no quarter- no lie, no attempt to ‘other’ their target should be allowed to pass. Take a few minutes, calm down then write expressing your disgust and demanding a full retraction and apology.
7 September, 2007 at 4:05 am
My letter-
Dear Sir/Madam
I felt compelled to write to complain about a cartoon recently published in your paper, it depicted Iran as a drain with cockroaches surrounding it. At this time of increased tension in the region such depictions are irresponsible and can only inflame a situation that could lead to the loss of many lives.
More disturbingly the image is reminiscent of propaganda used historically to incite the persecution of the Jewish people. More recently by the Hutu militias in Rwanda before the genocide of one million Tutsi citizens. Surely you do not want this kind of base demagoguery and racism to represent the standards of your publication? Would it be acceptable to represent Israel as a sewer drain crawling with cockroaches? No it would not, it is unacceptable to represent any group in such a way in the context of a news publication. I would suggest a retraction and apology is made before the low standards of this cartoon become associated with your whole publication and do damage upon its reputation.
Yours Faithfully
7 September, 2007 at 11:57 am
Have you seen the same newspaper’s article about “Cartoon Lunacy” published today (7 September)?
It makes for interesting reading when compared with this cartoon.
7 September, 2007 at 6:08 pm
It does, this cartoon is just unfunny racism to pimp a war, it doesn’t cut it as anything but a bigots snide attempt to dehumanise potential military targets, and they know it. So it isn’t so much free speech etc, it’s what a shitty low standard to associate yourself with. And yes it is very very similar to Nazi & Hutu propaganda in advance of genocides, which in the context of an American newspaper (and not say a cultural publication where it is discussed) at this time can only be about inciting hatred for an avowed enemy of the Bush regime. It’s just arrogant, low-brow, ignorant shit stirring from an empire that has already exterminated 1 million in Iraq. The ‘artist’ is either very stupid or a fascist, either way his work is shit. I’m not particularly happy complaining about any ‘artwork’ but the context of this makes it important to confront the intentions behind it and the tabloid level of using it in a newspaper which some people use to form their world view, as such a newspaper has a duty not to trade in this low rent nonsense.
7 September, 2007 at 6:58 pm
So disgusting, specially fro someone like me that loathes roaches. Of course the real sewer grate is in Penn. Ave.
7 September, 2007 at 9:14 pm
“for”
7 September, 2007 at 9:23 pm
with lobbyists, pols, hacks & pundits circling the shitty drain.
7 September, 2007 at 10:04 pm
I clipped your article but chose not to put it up on my website. I don’t think I can keep spreading such malicious images, especially for free.
7 September, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Ok, cool.
8 September, 2007 at 2:23 am
But thank you for bringing it up Rick.
8 September, 2007 at 3:05 am
Thanks for putting it on clipmarks (which I must figure out and use).
8 September, 2007 at 5:11 am
Its a Firefox extension, pretty easy to use.