I Hate This Cartoon....

            Reading this last chapter, I went looking at some of the various cartoons that were lying around the internet. During my surfing I did come across one that offended me. The cartoon I am discussing was illustrated during the Obama-McCain election years. The cartoon on the left side reads “Juan McCain” and on the right reads “Obamanation.” Underneath “Juan McCain” the cartoon says “Captain Amnesty-Jew Puppet,” and under “Obamanation” it states “Mongrel Fool – Jewish Tool.” I am appalled by the statements made here, especially the obvious dislike of the Jews. Now I understand the stereotypes that this cartoon is playing upon, namely the stereotype that Jews are rich and they control politics through wealth, and the economy through the same means. My issue is, this is the same kind of speech that was thrown around during the time of Hitler, where Hitler claimed that the Jewish controlled all of the money to the detriment of the German people. This speech ultimately led to one of the darkest times in human history, the Holocaust.

            The obvious Jew bashing is not where my list of offenses end. On the right side of the cartoon, under Obamanation, there is a man holding a sign that states “You ease my white guilt.” Of the many things that I find in the cartoon that are offensive, this is probably the one that hit’s closest to home. I vote, and I am not afraid to state the I did indeed vote for Obama. I didn’t vote for him because of some insecurity I had, thinking that voting for him would reassure me of my lack of racist beliefs, but I honestly related to him better than his rival McCain. Why is it that during this election, whenever a white individual said he was going to vote for Obama, was he immediately branded with the idea that the only reason he was voting for the black candidate was to give a pity vote? It’s as if all of these people that said this believe that we walk into the polls and go “I really hate Obama, but let’s try to reverse the horrors committed against the African American families in this country over decades by voting for the black president.” I have also heard reporters and even other people state that white people voted for a black president to “Shut the black people up” about racism. I hate the message that was sent and what it means, and I find it appalling that someone would call any vote brainless; I put thought into it and researched my candidates, then sided with who I felt lied closer to my beliefs.

            I know this cartoon is in the past, but I would also assume that the labels under the McCain heading would offend those that voted for McCain. In our society, it is our right to vote. Each citizen has the right to vote for whichever individual they choose. Whether that be one of the main candidates, or a third party candidate, that individual has the right to vote for whomever they choose without being labeled for their choice. I only hope that these statements stay in cartoons, rather then be allowed to work into our daily lives.