No More Monkey Business

When I first saw the now famed money cartoon on the news I could not believe my eyes. My jaw quite literally dropped. It wasn't until later that I tried (unsuccessfully) to put it into the context of the recent chimpanzee attack in Connecticut.

This cartoon is so openly racist it is hard to understand how the editors at the New York Post failed to notice its blatant meaning. I know this tabloid isn't exactly the bed of journalistic integrity, but there must be at least some shred of journalistic judgment in that newsroom, right? It is comparing the first African-American President of the United States to a chimp! How can the racial meaning not come through almost immediately?!

The Post has since apologized for publishing the offensive piece. But in an editorial in the "newspaper" actually lashes out at media critics it says saw the cartoon as "an opportunity for payback." It goes on to refer to them as "opportunists" and flatly states that those people are due no apology.

It is sad to see that in a country that has broken down one of the largest racial barriers in its history with the election of President Obama can be reduced to such petty, childish, offensive, and disgustingly low levels.