Race and Political Cartoons Joanna Esker and Kelsey Roth

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1863

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1924

1957

Current Political Cartoons Racial stereotypes are not as extreme and heavily caricaturized Stereotypes have shifted minorities not drawn to resemble animals (as much) reflect current stereotypes Still predominantly Black Reflect current stereotypes  still resemble somewhat the typical stereotypes (Sambo, Coon, etc.), just different interpretations/representations Muslim follows up

2012 Artist: Mike Lester Race and gender intertwined Caused uproar over the characterization of Obama as a pimp -Obama portrayed as a pimp -Sandra Fluke-Rush Limbaugh scandal testified on Congress about employers making contraception available in their health insurance plans Sandra called a slut by Rush http://www.examiner.com/article/funny-racist-cartoon-shows-sandra-fluke-as-whore-barack-obama-as-her-pimp

2008 Artist: Chip Bok Sonia Sotomayor portrayed as a pinata because she is Puerto Rican Discriminatory towards women: “Back off. Know your place. Or we’ll take a stick to you and teach you a lesson.” Artist was quoted as saying that she played up and emphasized her Latina-ness and says that it was all a joke. Make it a Mexican fiesta with a sombero and pinata http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2009/6/5/sotomayor_cartoon_puts_daily_oklahoman_in.htm She’s Puerto Rican, not Mexican Comment grouped together the two cultures  not recognizing that they are two different cultures

2008 Jerry Breen In memoir Dreams from My Father, Obama describes using one of the “tricks” he’d learned for dealing with white people on his mother Many on the right pointed to this as evidence of his own racism towards whtie people Frequently portrayed as being prejudiced against white people or being aligned with someone else who is described this way-Zurbriggen and Sherman (2010)

2008 Artist: Jack Higgins Portrays Islam as a religion based on violence and it’s faithful as mindless reactionaries

2012 Double standard in the West Showing that it’s ok to poke fun at one ethnic group but not the other  Muslims “current enemy”

Ted Rall http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v46ECbbz9Ug Came under fire for racist depiction of President Obama “ape-like” Obama Claims it’s a “slam” against Obama for not pulling the troops out like he said he would Political cartoonists more likely to come under fire for racial insensitivity Worried about future careers feel pressured about racism

Discussion question Do you think it’s possible to separate race from political cartoons? Would they still convey the same message?

sources "The Atlantic." The Atlantic. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. <http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/12/racism-and- comics-good-intentions-arent-enough/281966/>. "The Poor Barbarians Can't Understand." Complex.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. Zurbriggen, E.L. & Sherman, A.M. (2010). Race and gender in the 2008 U.S. presidential election: A content analysis of editorial cartoons. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, Vol.10, No.1, p223-247 http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2009/6/5/sotomayor_cartoon_puts_daily_oklaho man_in.htm http://www.examiner.com/article/funny-racist-cartoon-shows-sandra-fluke-as-whore- barack-obama-as-her-pimp