The Oklahoman’s racist and sexist political cartoon
Via Oklahoma Women’s Network Blog, I see that The Oklahoman chose to run a sexist and racist political cartoon. Take a look:
In case you can’t read the caption it says “Fiesta time at the confirmation hearing”. And yes, President Obama is wearing a sombrero while offering up Sotomayor as a pinata for a group of Republicans who each have a stick.
The racism is obvious, but the sexism seems to have escaped the people at The Oklahoman. Violence has very commonly been used to silence women and “keep them in their place”, and Oklahoma is one of the worst in the nation when it comes to violence against women:
Oklahoma ranks as the 3rd worst state in the nation for women. Much of what holds Oklahoma women and girls back is linked to our state’s culture of violence and disresepct for women. Oklahoma ranks #4 in women murdered by men, #1 in child abuse and our domestic violence shelters are full of women escaping violence.
So the image of Obama asking “Now, who wants to be first?” to a group of men holding sticks, waiting to beat up a smiling Sotomayor who is strung up on a rope sends a strong message to any woman or girl who has opinions or wants to achieve in a male dominated field.
Just take a look at the sexist attacks on Secretary Clinton and Gov Palin during the presidential race. Very often they involved threatened violence against them. It was wrong then, and this political cartoon is wrong now. Violence against women will always be wrong.
Way to stay classy, Oklahoman.
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Technorati tags: the oklahoman, sexism, racism, political cartoon, sotomayor
Posted in Political Rants, Main Punk Blog, Feminism |
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Ugh, what a great cartoon. *eyeroll*
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:24 am
wow. who the hell thought that would be okay to publish????
June 4th, 2009 at 9:01 am
[…] Via Shakesville (comments), came across this image on Middle Raged Punk: […]
June 4th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Why, the Oklahoman, of course! When have they ever been known for their sensitivity?
June 4th, 2009 at 10:38 am
I saw this morning that we now have national attention on HuffPo. Why does Oklahoma have to be one of the most politically backwards places to live?
June 4th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
This just goes to show, why I left the state of closed minds. Once again, the Oklahoman has shown that they do not know what progress means.
Forget that we live in a country of diversity, they can’t even be politically or racially correct.
June 7th, 2009 at 11:49 am
HISPANIC GOP LEADER CONDEMNS RACIST SOTOMAYOR CARTOON
Leading GOP Activist Who Helped Secure Sotomayor Nomination to District Court
Demands Apologies from Creators’ Syndicate and Oklahoman;
“A depth of ignorance and insensitivity … that is truly appalling,” says Niño
WASHINGTON (June 6) – A prominent Hispanic Republican activist and fundraiser has demanded a formal apology from Creators’ Syndicate and The Oklahoman newspaper in Oklahoma City, OK, for an editorial cartoon circulated by Creators’ Syndicate that appeared in The Oklahoman’s Tuesday editions. The cartoon depicted Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as a human piñata and President Obama wearing a sombrero with a caption that read, “Fiesta time at the confirmation hearing.”
“This grotesque insult requires a formal editorial apology from both Creators’ Syndicate and The Oklahoman,” said Jose Niño, a former President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce who, besides co-Chairing the conservative Hispanic Alliance for Prosperity Institute, has been a major fundraiser for the campaigns of President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain and other Republican candidates and conservative causes.
Niño, who heads an international business development and financial services company, is a board member of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and previously served on the Small Business Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago.
In 1992, he was tapped by then-President George H.W. Bush to secure Congressional support for the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. “In each of my meetings with her, in 1992 and ever since, I have consistently found her to be intelligent, focused and persuasive,” Niño wrote in a letter to Creators’ Syndicate President Richard S. Newcombe and Oklahoman publisher David Thompson. “She and President Obama do not deserve to be portrayed in such an offensive way – nobody does.”
“Having grown up, as I did, in the 1950s and ‘60s, Judge Sotomayor is no stranger to the sting of ethnic and racial hostility. From her earliest days in elementary school, she and millions of other Hispanic Americans faced challenges that, even now, all persons of color must overcome. As a woman she also faced sexism, but as a Latina, she confronted a particularly virulent strain known as machismo. That she nevertheless persevered to be nominated to ever-more influential positions on the federal bench by three different Presidents of both political Parties is an inspiring example to all Americans, and a credit to her courage and determination. Your Syndicate and newspaper should be ashamed for playing to these awful stereotypes in your portrayal of this highly capable woman.”
Noting that Judge Sotomayor is Puerto Rican, not Mexican, Niño wrote that “your depiction of the stereotypical Mexican piñata and sombrero, and your use of the phrase ‘fiesta time’ clearly show a depth of ignorance and insensitivity on your part that is truly appalling.”
The full text of Mr. Nino’s letter to Creators’ Syndicate President Richard S. Newcombe and The Oklahoman’s publisher, David Thompson, follows:
“Dear Mr. Newcombe and Mr. Thompson:
“As a proud Hispanic American of Mexican descent and a lifelong Republican, I am deeply offended by the insulting cartoon that was circulated by Creators’ Syndicate and reprinted by The Oklahoman on Tuesday depicting Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as a human piñata, President Obama wearing a Mexican sombrero and the caption, ‘Fiesta Time at the Confirmation Hearing.’
“Since Judge Sotomayor is Puerto Rican, not Mexican, your depiction of the stereotypical Mexican piñata, sombrero and use of the phrase ‘fiesta time’ clearly show a depth of ignorance and insensitivity on your part that is truly appalling. Judge Sotomayor and President Obama do not deserve to be portrayed in such an offensive way – nobody does.
“I have been privileged to know Judge Sotomayor since 1992, when I was asked by President George H.W. Bush to urge my friends in Congress to support her confirmation as U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. In each of my meetings with her, in 1992 and ever since, I have consistently found her to be intelligent, focused and persuasive.
“Having grown up, as I did, in the 1950s and ‘60s, Judge Sotomayor is no stranger to the sting of ethnic and racial hostility. From her earliest days in elementary school, she and millions of other Hispanic Americans faced challenges that, even now, all persons of color must overcome. As a woman she also faced sexism, but as a Latina, she confronted a particularly virulent strain known as machismo. That she nevertheless persevered to be nominated to ever-more influential positions on the federal bench by three different Presidents of both political Parties is an inspiring example to all Americans, and a credit to her courage and determination. Your Syndicate and newspaper should be ashamed for playing to these awful stereotypes in your portrayal of this highly capable woman.
“This grotesque insult requires a formal editorial apology from both Creators’ Syndicate and The Oklahoman, at once. I await your reply.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2009-
June 10th, 2009 at 8:26 am
[…] are so many things I want to blog about. Like the death of Dr. Tiller, and the cartoon in the Oklahoman, and a rant I’ve built up on PETA. But only being able to get online late at night cramps my […]