Monkey Murder (Racist or Not)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 10:57AM 
This political cartoon by Delonas ran in the New York Post Wednesday drawn by a guy who apparently didn't get the memo that any doodle of a great age, chimpanzee, gorilla or monkey within 100 yards of Barack Obama is bound to raise some serious eyebrows.
Need we remind you of Annie Leibovitz infamous LeBron James/Gisele Bundcheon, "Is it silly? Is it King Fucking Kong" cover?
Now, I can see how perhaps Delonas is trying to say the bill was writing by a bunch of dimwitted monkeys, but, seriously, why is the monkey shot? And why is it not funny (the greater sin)? And is it racist?
The Good Rev. Al Sharpton has already unleashed his mouth of fury on the doodle. There's no gray area for Big Perm.
The Rev. Al Sharpton appears to be a bit puzzled as well. “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 whether the Post cartoonist was inferring that a monkey wrote it?”
The Rev. Al Sharpton is demanding that The New York Post, which has come under fire in the past for racially tinged cartoons, explain what it meant in its latest controversial offering.
“On its face, it appears that the Post is not only calling Obama an ape, but a dead ape. “The cartoon in today’s New York Post is troubling at best, given the racist attacks throughout history that have made African-Americans synonymous with monkeys,” Sharpton writes on his National Action Network Web site. “One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual inference to this form of racism when, in the cartoon, the police say after shooting a chimpanzee, ‘now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill, Sharpton writes.
(Source: BET)
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Reader Comments (47)
Racist and foolish. The New York Post will do anything to sell papers.
I thought Congress wrote the spending bill not Obama? The monkey is shot b/c the cartoonist is making a play on the story of the chimp that attacked the woman and was shot by the cops.
it wasn't funny, it didn't make much sense, and yeah it's beyond stupid to use the imagery of an ape in anything that could even be remotely connected to president obama. imagery of things getting shot, that can be remotely connected to president obama, isn't cool either. the fact that the post is part of rupert's fact-free conservative media universe, is again not helpful. there's a whole bunch of stupid whirling around the whole thing.
@ Sierra and Scott
I just thought the whole thing was a massive fail because it wasn't funny. I didn't initially get it when I first saw it (or its point). But now that you mention the chimp the cops recently had to shot that puts it in some more perspective but still doesn't save it from the sin of "unfunniness" and being nonsensical.
As a black American (I have neither an afro nor could I even name a street in African) who often writes jokes on a public forum over at my blog that often times are very off color I see the humor in this picture because I understand the layers beyond the obvious. It's a quality I think that is necessary to having an evolved sense of humor. For those who are unaware yesterday a pet Chimp named Travis attacked it's owner stole her car keys and tried to escape in a Cop car, this is absolutely true. The Cops had to shoot the monkey! We have a black President everybody that does not take monkey jokes off the table, especially when monkeys are stealing cars. I repeat we have a Black President and the majority of this country voted him in and think he's doing an excellent job. Lets stay focused, do you realize how many news papers flat out said a monkey was running the White House during the last administration!?! How many of us endorse the worst rap known to man, rap that flat out pushes the worst, most violent, degenerate ideals possible! It's called the 1st Amendment y'all it works for everybody. For realz, somebody should feel bad for Travis!
@scott: yes congress did technically write the bill but it's obama's first major legislative victory, and as far as public perception is concerned, ownership of the stimulus rests firmly with him.
(throwing a rotten tomato) Boooooo!!!
I see an unfortunate and unfunny reference to the chimp that was just shot for attacking its owner and an attempt to get a free pass for referencing an old familiar racial slur.
So if it's a picture- not a statement -is it still considered a double entendre or is it just an insinuation?
@Nikia Henderson: i'm sorry, but i do in fact think monkey jokes ought to go into a box under the bed as far as president obama is concerned; i can't imagine a circumstance under which it would be okay to make a monkey joke about him, and no it will never be the same as making a monkey joke about bush. humor is great, but it's not a shield to be wielded in every circumstance; there are and ought to be limits to everything in life. the first amendment protects your right to say pretty much whatever you want, but it also protects other people's right to be offended by it and call you out on it; having a right to express something is not a right to immunity from criticism for doing so, and that goes for both rap lyrics and cartoons.
Snob:
I agree that that the cartoon is not funny but I don't think it is racist.
@moja31: Do you think this even registered on the radar for President Obama or the crowds surrounding him right now cheering for him like a rock star! If extremely indirect racially charged monkey jokes can throw our focus off track then God help us! WE ARE NOT JEWS! We are Black Americans, we have held our chins high and stuck our chests out in the face of far greater injustices than an extremely veiled monkey joke. I make the very inflammatory statement that we are not jews because they seem to corner the market on whining and complaining about people not liking them. They throw around words like antisemitism at every and any disparaging word that is a satire about them and theirs. Everyone is not gonna like us can't let that be a speed bump that we actually waist the time to drop sound bites on news shows about (talkin to you Al Sharpton) Lets take a note out of Mr. Obama's playbook, during his run for the White House if had stopped to address every stupid thing said about him, things that were very direct in their intent he never would have made it to the White House. Obama will one day have to sit across the table and match wits with the likes of Vladimir Putin, if monkey jokes have to be shelved for his sake then God help us!. Whereas you are correct people have a right to be offended at anything they please, I would suggest saving ones righteous indignation for truly relevant issue of note, things that can actually effect the black community...real issue like why is the very white Republican party trying to hamstring President Obama's efforts to put more money back in your pockets! Monkeys named Travis and jokes thereof only mean as much as you allow them to and you're giving it steroids right about now.
Okay, we need to chill out on the the "racist" charge sometimes. Was the post stupid? YES. Was the post totally NOT funny? YES, but I don't think it was racist. Some people might not have been aware, but a chimp was shot yesterday by police after getting out of his cage, and I think that it was it was referencing. But I agree in that someone REALLY should have thought this one out before printing, since Black people were referred to as apes long ago.
However, I have my issues with the post for other reasons, it was just totally stupid, and the point they were trying to make was SO UN FOUNDED!! Sometimes I wonder what idiots are running that paper?!?!
anyways, i don't think it was racist, but definitely STUPID!!
Nikia, there are definitely more important things to be offended about but if one chooses to be offended by an unnecessary ape/president killer cops "satire", then so be it. I doubt there will be protests and I don't see Obama calling it out, but that doesn't mean anyone else can't. It just didn't register as even remotely amusing to me and it was clearly meant to generate publicity, not laughs.
"As a black American (I have neither an afro nor could I even name a street in African) who often writes jokes on a public forum over at my blog that often times are very off color I see the humor in this picture because I understand the layers beyond the obvious. It's a quality I think that is necessary to having an evolved sense of humor."
Erm......OK....
@Nikia Henderson: so one can only criticize or talk about things that make it onto the president's radar. thanks for the memo, as to when i can and can't exercise my freedom of speech; i'll be sure to ignore all blog posts about things that aren't serious. yes president obama was elected by a large margin, and he's plenty popular right now, but that doesn't mean that there aren't all kinds of people doing and saying stupid things, and it doesn't mean people can't comment on them. so yeah like i said previously the cartoon isn't racist, mostly just unfunny; and no the president's popularity doesn't mean that everything is always just in good fun nor does it mean that monkey jokes cease to be stupid . not everything is worth calling up sharpton for a quote ( the people that call him do it b/c they know he never turns down a chance to be quoted), but it doesn't mean it can't be commented on either.
undermining president obama doesn't start nor does it end with congressional republicans, there are plenty of folks who are trying to undermine him and his legislative agenda for a whole host of reasons; and they are doing it in ways small and large. engaging in a conversation on blog thread doesn't mean you aren't aware of these very real issues nor does it mean that you aren't doing other things to work for the political agenda you'd like to see realized.
It was the first thing I read this morning and I immediately sent a complaining email to the editor. Bigots can be found anywhere, In NYC or Birmingham.
Ok, Nikia
your rant is angry, offensive, and inappropriate. Be civil.
We (as a peoplz) don't need to tear down any other group in order to make a point. It's not whining and complaining, it's called self-respect. Furthermore, we should never, never, never apologize for speaking out against racially charged monkey jokes whether extremely direct (tshirts in ATL) or indirect (cartoon).
I'm not calling for President Obama to lose focus or address this, yet I think it is in our best interests -meaning all Americans- to speak out and condemn racism AND stupidity whenever and whereever it occurs.
We would not NEED to hold our chins high and stick our chests out to face great injustices if we did not tolerate the smaller more ambiguous injustices.
Apparently this cartoonist has a little bit of a rep for dancing on the lines of bigotry and inappropriateness. I think this was his "clever" attempt to push that line and wait for the reaction. He intentions are very clear and his ability to dodge the "racial" bullet on this one rests in the argument of ambiguity and hair splitting analysis of the cartoon. The stimulus bill is definitely Obama's on one hand, on the other hand he technically didn't write it as Danielle said.
I think it's wack, unfunny, and juvenile. It is of course the NY Post, but still.....where were the editors on this one? Maybe that's a naive question. I put the publisher's email and the managing editor's email on my blog (passingplecker.blogspot.com) if anyone feels moved to let their feelings be known.
racist and unfunny
If that's the best they ('da Post-LOL!!!) can come up with to "offend" me, they'd better start handing out pink slips!
*shakes head and sighs*
Monkeys stealing cars and political cartoonist with little tact and bad humor. Oh whatta world!
@ Nikia, I actually agree with your underlying point, but you lost me with some of the things you said. I agree with you so much in saying that we have bigger fish to fry. Its easy to decry monkeys in cartoons (and it was a stupid cartoon, Im not taking that away at all), but instead, why not throw our energy at helping the kids in urban areas make it to college, or helping to clean up the our neihborhoos, things that can ACTUALLY uplift black people (and im sure many of you do, and if you do, then disregard this), but the point is many of the people that are first to complain find it easy to do that, but won't give up their time to actually help people in the neighborhood.
Again, the cartoon was stupid, but instead of jumping all over Nikia (who's point I admit was made not in the greatest of way....what's with the Jew comment?), we should really focus our fights on the things that can actually make a difference. The more attention we give the idiots that made the cartoon, the bigger incentive he has to make it again!
Chimpanzees ARE NOT monkeys. (Hey, someone had to get offended on behalf of the apes.) Monkeys have tails, chimpanzees do not.
@ Roslyn
But my alliteration! I couldn't think of something clever to go with "chimp" involving cop killing.
Nobody in their right mind thinks Mr. Obama “wrote” the stimulus bill. I question whether or not he even read it!
If anyone one person write it, then it would be Nancy Pelosi.
So maybe the cartoon is referring to her.
I think Sharpton is out for publicity again....
So what exactly is the link between the crazy monkey story and the passing/writing of the stimulus bill? What exactly is the correlation between the 2 stories? How does one relate to the other? If the defenders of this cartoon could suggest some plausible, non-racial alternative linkage, I would love to hear it.
I just don't see the correlation between the chimp and the bill. If it were a mouse the cops were shooting then I'd get it. Because the Crazy Right's talking point during this whole bill was the non-existent $30 million that was going to a mouse in San Francisco (Pelosis district). The NYP (being a right-leaning paper) would make fun of something like that. And in that case it would be funny.