The New York Post has apologized for the Obama chimp cartoon it published on Wednesday. The cartoon by Sean Delonas depicts a chimpanzee, apparently signifying all the writers of the stimulus bill, being shot down by the police. However, many including New York State Senator Eric Adams and activist Rev. Al Sharpton see the cartoon as a thinly disguised comparison of “black” Obama with an ape.
Regarding this issue Attorney General Eric Holder has called America “A nation of cowards” when it came to facing race issues. Some protesters say that the cartoon not only reinforces a stereotypical imagery of blacks as monkeys but also suggests that Obama should be shot. And it looks like they are in no mood to relent. The apology by the Murdoch-owned paper does appear conditional stating that the furor was orchestrated by those who are against the newspaper and have used this event “as an opportunity for payback.”
If the cartoonist’s intent was to take a dig at all those “monkeying” with the stimulus bill, he could have added a few orangutans and gorillas to the picture and escaped accusation for singling out Obama.
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