Comments on: A fist bump for The New Yorker

By: The Obama humor deficit « John McQuaid

The Obama humor deficit « John McQuaid — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:09:52 +0000

[...] over. They’re unwilling to laugh until it’s safe to laugh. (After all, they won’t even laugh at mockery of false rumors about Obama.) It’s something of an irony that George W. Bush has [...]

By: Meg B.

Meg B. — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:12:49 +0000

Everyone’s worried about how the Regular Joes, the Moronic Masses and the Illiterati-at-Large will misinterpret an elite magazine cover. It seems that the people who “don’t get it” are part of an allegedly more intelligent demographic.

By: John

John — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:32:53 +0000

You are the first journalist to capture the heart of this non-issue. The cover was clever and poignant and shouldn’t have to be explained and apologized for to the lowest common denominator. If liberals don’t quit cannibalizing their own they are going to blow this election like they did the past two.

Thanks for saying what shouldn’t have to be said.

-John

By: Susan Worrell

Susan Worrell — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:07:31 +0000

I’ve been a New Yorker subscriber for about fifteen years, and I’m shocked at this cover choice. Everything about it feeds into the “the low road” version of anti-Obama rhetoric. Others may call it political satire; I call it aiding and abetting the enemy. How many times will it be reproduced and pinned in discrete corners of the workplace for the prejudiced to see and carry in their hearts. Decade after decade, more of them appear(and those who profit by them)than there are of us who attempt to figure out what is going on in the world and how we can be useful to society at large. I don’t know yet whether I can forgive and forget this. If it had been a satirical magazine, I would have only thought it was disgustingly bad taste.

By: Literate Person

Literate Person — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:48:56 +0000

The editor needs to fully explore the definition of “satire” before define is Obama cover as one.

The dictionary define it as such:

sat�ire �� (str) KEY �

NOUN:

1) A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.

2) The branch of literature constituting such works. See Synonyms at caricature.

3)Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.

My objection: “human vice” implies that these characteristics are true of the Obamas. Such is NOT the case. They have followed the path to the American dream and now an attempt is being made to change the rules.

By: Marcia Sacharny

Marcia Sacharny — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:54:12 +0000

Oh come on… Don’t claim “freedom of expression” now! We can as well express our reaction to bad taste!

You cite Fox, and how they can say whatever they want. Well, with intelligence comes responsibility. I don’t expect much from Fox. But The New Yorker! Is that the best they could come up with?! Give me a break.

Bad taste is bad taste. And that’s it!

By: gordon a. cronin

gordon a. cronin — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:29:10 +0000

i do not think that any of the above and the New Yorker fully realize how very ignorant even the average voter really is. there are millions of very low-information voters who now have a visual image of what many think Obama is (i.e., a Muslim terrorist) do not rationalize it away. it was a well-intentioned mistake, and its toxicity will linger. there are those who will clamp onto the literalness of the New Yorker cover and hold it as revealed truth.

By: toucans

toucans — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:24:45 +0000

Excellent perspective. I’ve been exposed repeatedly over many years to the British and Canadian versions of political satire – which are light-years beyond anything one sees in SNL and other domestic sources. The most important thing, to me, is that a black candidate has been the subject of the mild satire that Americans seem to tolerate (well, most of the time). I think it is marvelous that the New Yorker felt comfortable giving him the sort of treatment it has meted out to so many mainstream public figures. Now, we need to see if he has a sense of humor.

By: tim russo

tim russo — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:41:01 +0000

Nice post. Been thinking along these same lines, you may find this interesting, especially the part where we use the cover to make a complete fool of a wingnut blogger in Ohio.

http://bloggerinterrupted.com/2008/07/guess-well-be-talking-about-racism-now

and the making a fool of part……

http://bloggerinterrupted.com/2008/07/matt-hurley-do-you-believe-the-substance-of-the-new-yorker-cover-yes-or-no-please

and before you ask, yes, all ohio republican bloggers look like jabba the hut

By: here here

here here — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:05:51 +0000

thank you for this blog post.

This type of thinking, combined with this initiative that the New Yorker has kicked started, will serve Obama and help him debunk the nonsense. Provided he keeps his bearings and appeals to the greater common sense.