UI Columnist: Cartoon Not Racist

The NAACP claimed the chimpanzee was President Barack Obama, and the cartoon referred to the history of black people being compared to primates. Not only that, but the paper apparently called for the assassination of the president. Let’s think about this for a second. Obama did not write the stimulus bill — a congressional committee did. The chimpanzee was chosen only because of the story in Connecticut. According to the artist himself, if the chimp was meant to personify anyone, it was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Even if it was supposed to be Obama, it is only fair considering the existence of bushorchimp.com. A serious problem is growing in the ongoing race debate. This cartoon had nothing to do with a single minority, and yet it has started a witch-hunt for the cartoonist and his boss, Rupert Murdoch. Is this what the next four years have in store? If an attack on a congressional bill is immediately interpreted as a racist attack on the president, then the voices of the opposition have successfully been silenced/Jeffrey Reznicek, UI Argonaut. More here.

Question: Do you think the controversial New York Post cartoon was a racist attack on President Barack Obama?