Tasteless, Racist Cartoon: Fight Back!!!

Dear Friend,
Yesterday, the day after President Obama signed his stimulus bill into law, the
NY Post ran a cartoon depicting the bill's "author" as a dead monkey, covered in
blood after being shot by police. You can see the image by clicking on the link below.

In the face of intense criticism, the Post's editor is standing by the cartoon,
claiming that it's not about Obama, has no racial undertones, and that it was
simply referencing a recent incident when police shot a pet chimpanzee. But it's
impossible to believe that any newspaper editor could be ignorant enough to not
understand how this cartoon evokes a history of racist symbolism, or how
frightening this image feels at a time when death threats against President
Obama have been on the rise.

Please join me and other ColorOfChange.org members in demanding that the Post
apologize publicly and fire the editor who allowed this cartoon to go to print:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1699-158105

The Post would have us believe that the cartoon is not about Obama. But on the
page just before the cartoon appears, there's a big picture of Obama signing the
stimulus bill. A reader paging through the Post would see Obama putting pen to
paper, then turn the page to see this violent cartoon. The imagery is chilling.
There is a clear history in our country of racist symbolism that depicts Black
people as apes or monkeys, and it came up multiple times during the presidential
campaign.

We're also in a time of increased race-based violence. In the months following
President Obama's election there has been a nationwide surge in hate crimes
ranging from vandalism to assaults to arson on Black churches. There has been an
unprecedented number of threats against President Obama since he was elected,
with hate-based groups fantasizing about the killing of the president. Just a
week ago, a man drove from Louisiana to the Capitol with a rifle, telling the
police who stopped him that he had a "delivery" for the president.

There is no excuse for the Post to have allowed this cartoon to be printed, and
even less for Editor Col Allan's outright dismissal of legitimate concerns.
But let's be clear who's behind the Post: Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch, the Post's
owner, is the man behind FOX News Channel. FOX has continually attacked and
denigrated Black people, politicians, institutions at every opportunity, and
ColorOfChange has run several campaigns to make clear how FOX poisons public
debate.

I don't expect much from Murdoch. However, with enough public pressure, we can
set the stage for advertisers and subscribers to think long and hard before
patronizing outlets like the Post that refuse to be held accountable.

You can help, by making clear that the Post's behavior is unacceptable, and by
asking your friends and family to do the same. Please join me:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1699-158105

Thanks.