Was this cartoon racist against Rep Elect KY Governor?

[zenkai]

Source

LOUISVILLE, (WDRB) -- Kentucky Governor-elect Matt Bevin is firing back at a political cartoon he calls overt racism.

The cartoon -- published by the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper -- shows Bevin crouched under a desk, as an assistant tells him, "Sir, they're not terrorists... they're your own adopted kids."

The cartoon, by Joel Pett, is in response to Bevin this week saying Kentucky shouldn't allow any Syrian refugees to live here.

Bevin, who has four adopted children from Ethiopia, says "Shame on Mr. Pett for his deplorable attack on my children and shame on the editorial controls that approved this overt racism."

Pett, a Pulitzer-prize winning cartoonist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post, spoke with WDRB by phone Thursday evening. He didn't offer an apology, but an explanation.

"I was trying to say that for politicians like Matt Bevin and others, in this case specifically him, who are demagoguing this thing that happened in Paris to crack down on Syrian refugees is basically despicable," Pett said.

Pett says management hasn't asked him to apologize for the cartoon, but says he will write an article explaining his view point.

I'm from KY but I didn't vote for the guy, when I first saw the cartoon I didn't think anything racist of it, I was in fact confused then I read later his children are adopted from Ethiopia.

I find it racist and tasteless myself, people's children should never be used for political purposes.

[Forgettable]

I didn't get it originally... It might have helped if the kids in the pictures were actually black.

[Sir Andy]

Nope, but you can beat your ass that if the governor-elect was a Democrat, this cartoonist would be out of a job.

[Gheld]

I didn't get it originally... It might have helped if the kids in the pictures were actually black.

Yeah... And even if they were properly black... I fail to see how it would be racist.

Black people are black. No amount of political correctness can change that.

It's obviously trying to point out the irony of his xenophobic fearmongering.

[Calzaeth]

Je suis Lexington Herald-Leader, anyone? :P

Honestly, this is EXACTLY the thing political cartoonists should be doing. Bevin has, as the article noted, used the Paris attacks to score cheap political points by talking about refusing refugees from a war-torn area. Despite having adopted children from another war-torn area. Heck, Ethiopia is ALSO in a mess because of militant religious sects!

Dat irony.

[Jingoism]

Anything Anti-White is alright, just ask any self loathing leftist.

[Largehorn]

Stuff

I'm from KY as well and I am with you on voting for him (not really sure how anyone could but enough people did :S) but that being said his first actions as our governor were 'paranoid' enough to me that one look was all it took. That political cartoon is one of the funniest ones I have seen in a long time. I didn't even know his kids were adopted from out of country...

It's still hilarious.

To each their own, I guess.

I don't think that the cartoon is "using" his children for political purposes either. This is all about a commentary on Bevin, race plays no part in it.

[AeneasBK]

Maybe the governor elect doesn't know much about Ethiopia?

[Lefeng]

Bevin needs to grow thicker skin if he plans on doing anything worthwhile in Frankfort. He won the election without majority support (his opponent was heavily favored to win, but 28% voter turnout turned the tide) so this is just the tip of the iceberg.

[Independent voter]

I didn't get it originally... It might have helped if the kids in the pictures were actually black.

It's hard to draw black people as cartoons, I've tried. Black lines don't show up on black.

[zenkai]

Je suis Lexington Herald-Leader, anyone? :P

Honestly, this is EXACTLY the thing political cartoonists should be doing. Bevin has, as the article noted, used the Paris attacks to score cheap political points by talking about refusing refugees from a war-torn area. Despite having adopted children from another war-torn area. Heck, Ethiopia is ALSO in a mess because of militant religious sects!

Dat irony.

The republican argument is they don't want refugees because they fear there will be ISIS members hiding among them, a Trojan horse if you will, not because they distrust someone based on their color.

You can disagree with the why, but you should at least to able to under stand the why instead of making shit up

[derpkitteh]

if he was one of the governors against the refugees, and his kids happen to be syrian, it's a fair attack imo.

and not racist at all.

[Deleted]

I fail to see how pointing out the irony of his views is racist. It's not like the cartoonist implied his children are lesser for being Ethiopian.

Also, cartoonists annoy me. Because their drawings are usually terrible.

[Tyrianth]

Tasteless maybe (though I don't think so), but I don't see how it's racist... in the slightest.

[Sliske]

No, its not fucking racist. And even if it was, who cares? Is racism not allowed in the 1st world? Sure, dont have leaders being racist. But we need to dicuss a racist cartoon? I thought the 1st world was about freedom?

I'll never understand how people can openly take cartoonists and comedians more seriously than Politicians. This is a cartoon, guys. When its a political cartoon, its suppose to be provocative. But this cartoonist is not a politician, which means you don't have to take him seriously. Yet I see so many people acting like these cartoonists and comedians are the pinnacle of political thinking and rational, and acting like their own politicians - that they elected, are akin to human trash.

If you stopped going mental every time Charlie Hebdo put out a cartoon you didn't like, or Jon Stewart said something you didn't like, and instead used that energy to sway your politicians, maybe you'd actually get what you want, done. But no, America seems to take people like George Carlin and put them on the same level of political experience, awareness and knowledge as US presidents.

It reminds me of a joke half way through a Frankie Boyle show. People are starting to gasp a bit in the audience and he takes it as an oppurtunity to talk about a guy he ran into, who asked him "but you're joking about all that racist stuff, right?" and his response was: "what me? joking? joking live here at a comedy club on stage? me? the comedian? telling a joke on a comedy DVD? Nooooooo"

This is how silly you look replacing politicians in your head with comedians and cartoonists.

[zenkai]

if he was one of the governors against the refugees, and his kids happen to be syrian, it's a fair attack imo.

and not racist at all.

He isn't against the refugees because of race, thus the implication he is racist in turn makes it racist

[fleurnoire]

No. Simply pointing out someone's race, or discussing race does not automatically make it racist.

noun
1.
a person who believes in racism, the doctrine that one's own racial group is superior or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others.
adjective
2.
of or like racists or racism:
racist policies; racist attitudes.

[Deleted]

He isn't against the refugees because of race, thus the implication he is racist in turn makes it racist

If he did not suggest that osmething is inherently biological wrong with them it is indeed racist.

[derpkitteh]

He isn't against the refugees because of race, thus the implication he is racist in turn makes it racist

it's not racist to me, just pointing out the irony.

but whatever, everything is racism i guess.

[vindicatorx]

Political satire showing how he is being hypocritical in saying we shouldn't allow Syrian Refugees into the country when he himself has adopted kids from Ethiopia.