Monday, February 25, 2008

Its just a cartoon

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Straight up racist those suckas were simple and plain ......
Fight the Power - Public Enemy

The above cartoon was in the Globe & Mail newspaper here last Monday.

Now you all know from some of my previous posts I'm not a big fan of the whole Afrocentric School thing being pushed here in Toronto but I found this cartoon tacky, classless and racist.

I mean I know the Toronto Star wouldn't have done something like that. The Sun well maybe back in the day cause they used to be kind of suspect with their commentary on black issues but the Globe & Mail ? Man I expect more from these guys. I mean they are supposed to be a National paper. A highbrow sheet favored by commuters on the, more luxurious than TTC, GO-Trains coming in from the burbs to work on Bay street. The go to paper for business news and all that supposed intellectual stuff that the white collar workers are checking for. I really wouldn't expect this from them.

Did they go out and hire the dude who came up with the noose cover for Golfweek?

Then I was reading a post over at Black Woman & Child blog with the response from the newspaper to readers who complained about the cartoon. It was one of the lamest excuses for an explanation I've seen in a long time talking about the intention of the cartoon was not to be racist and it was just being critical of the proposal for black focused schools.

Way to be critical! Man I don't even get that from the cartoon. Come on maybe y'all didn't think it was racist from where you sat but it is. I had to pause when I first saw this like man I cant believe a newspaper would print this drivel. Its racist, insulting and disrespectful. (Mind you its not as racist as the Barrie Police office's afrocentric math email but its still racist.)

And this is black history month too isn't it? Shame on you Globe & Mail but thanks for letting us see where you stand. Oh and don't you love how "it wasn't meant to be racist" or "there was no racial intent" seems to be our best catch phrases these days up in Canada?

p.s: Man they really swept this one under the rug though. If it wasn't for an email from Urbansista I wouldn't have even heard of this crap.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm speechless. This is their idea of "afrocentric algebra?" It isn't funny. This is what they figure Africentric schooling is about? I've got to write up that response I promised you.

Anonymous said...

Sorry I din know that you didn't get dis one but I was suh busy last week or you done know we woulda had a whole long discussion. But just like Charles, dis just left me widout speech. As one friend ask me, "how exactly did this one get past the editor?" My question was, "who is the editor that give this a passing grade?"

Crankyputz said...

sigh

princessdominique said...

I wanted to stop through and show some love. Trying to finish up the book and get back into the swing of blogging...

Anonymous said...

I'm not as strongly offended as you, but I'm still pissed. Do these people live in the 1930s or something? Do they know a black man is running for president in the States...and winning?

Lola Gets said...

Hm, ok, I dont think I have time to check out the other links about this story, but I will defenitely come back.

I might not live in Canada (eh?), but I dont like that Afrocentric school idea either. And I dont know anything about that newspaper at all. HOWever...I feel a wee bit differently than you about this cartoon. Dont get me wrong, I can see why so many folks hate it, but I see it differently.

On the board youve got algebraic equations on the board, they look the same as theyd look on any blackboard anywhere, but then youve got a Black man speaking in slang. That cartoon says to me, the teachers can speak any way they like, the math isnt going to change, the knowledge gleaned from the lesson is still the same.

Those are just my thoughts on the matter. Either way, its a contentious subject.

L

Anonymous said...

It's still open season on black people, you know. And, as far as I know, there's no "last day" for white people to say and do stupid shit like this. We should laugh though, and tell the Globe/Mail that we found their attempt to get us to read their newspaper funny and pathetic. They also lack imagination on how to caricature black people. But that's because they remain stuck in the 1930s era of blackface and minstrelry. If white people got out of that decade, they wouldn't know what to do with themselves, so you have to see wid dem.