Hello Visitor Register Sign-In
 
 
 
 
 
BLOWBACK

Is America ready for Obama?

Maybe not, if the recent New Yorker cover is any indication.
By Blair Hamilton Taylor
July 17, 2008
» Discuss Article    (252 Comments)

The cover of the New Yorker magazine this week drove home a stark reality that both columnist Tim Rutten and The Times editorial board missed: Although many Americans appear to be ready for an African American president, the question remains as to whether America itself is ready. The recent cover is the latest example of the willingness of the American media and thought leaders to openly demean African American leaders and play into the worst fears of some American people.

Now, before I am labeled "thin-skinned," let me make some acknowledgments upfront. Yes, I know that the New Yorker is a purportedly "liberal" magazine with a history of satirical illustrations. And yes, I am aware that it has a constitutional right to publish a provocative cover image. But it also has an obligation to be wary of the line between provocative and scandalous. So, regardless of the magazine's political tilt or its intentions with respect to this or any other cover, in the end, the magazine and its staff must be held fully responsible for such reckless decisions.

 
    If the New Yorker ever published a "satirical" cover photo of a leading German American candidate in front of a Nazi gas chamber with a swastika in the background, the editor responsible would be gone tomorrow, and rightly so. Yet somehow, when the most powerful African American leader in the land -- and his wife, no less -- are portrayed as flag-burning terrorists by this publication, we are all supposed to not be offended, to get over it and to see the satirical humor in it all, when for many, it is no less offensive.

    With respect to my fellow African Americans, this season is no time for silence. No minority group can maintain any identity or dignity if they willingly forgo opportunities to vigorously defend themselves when mischaracterized and blatantly maligned.

    With respect to Americans of every possible hue, this type of demagoguery should be repudiated by any and all who seek and aspire to a 21st century vision of America -- one that is, at long last, not afraid of itself.

    And finally, to the staff of the New Yorker, who knew precisely what they were doing and signaling here, it's past time that you more carefully reflect on that which you advance under the banner of satire. This divisive attempt at satire is not clear, not funny and not acceptable.

    Blair Hamilton Taylor is the president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Urban League.

    Blowback is an online forum for full-length responses to our articles, editorials and Op-Eds. Click here to read more about Blowback, or submit your own by e-mailing us at opinionla@latimes.com.




    Post Comment

    Name
    Enter your comments and post to forum
    By participating you agree to our Terms of Service and represent that you are not under the age of 13.
    		  
    Discussion


    Discuss today's Blowback.

    Comments will close after two days.
     
    1. You are thin-skinned. No one would ever do a satire on Nazism because no candidate is going to wear a Swastika or suggest ambivalence over the Holocaust. Barack Obama did wear an outfit like the one in the picture, Michelle Obama did say things that offend people like she's never been proud of America before. If Barack Obama is so great for black people then why are the people in his Senate district so poor? Why is the publicly-subsidized, privately owned, housing managed by his campaign contributors so substandard.
    Submitted by: Steve
    7:17 PM PDT, Jul 18, 2008
     
    2. What is even more absurd than the cartoon itself is the fact that these fallacies about Senator Obama exist in the first place. Instead of criticizing the New Yorker for something they didn't intend, and that most people obviously didn't get in the first place, Mr. Taylor, who sounds educated, could have targeted the ignorant Americans who are perpetuating the derailment of Obama's campaign. The cartoon was absolutely blown out of proportion and didn't deserve the thrashing it received. Refer to this link to clear things up: http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2008/07/16/1/a-conversation-with-david-remnick-editor-in-chief-new-yorker
    Submitted by: Brian
    3:59 PM PDT, Jul 18, 2008
     
    3. Gale Slemp, you're very gullible. If Obama had said that he would side with Islam in a conflict with America, the mainstream media would have been all over it. That is as idiotic as believing that Obama was a Muslim for 31 years, something else the mainstream media would have been all over if it was true. Obama did say that if there was another terrorist attack in America and innocent Muslims were being persecuted that he would stand with them. This is no different than President Bush's position after 9/11. Get your facts straight.
    Submitted by: JA
    2:19 PM PDT, Jul 18, 2008
     
    Read all 252 comments



    OPINION »
    The dreaded 'D' word
    By Steve Fraser
    Those who brought you the Great Depression and our own current emergency are still running the show.

    Editorial: Obama's Ayers connection

    EDITORIALS|OP-ED|LETTERS
    		    
    FROM THE BLOGS
    Opinion L.A.
    Opinion L.A.
    The best in Southern California opinion journalism
    Seeing Red (Mass)
    Tue, October 7, 2008 | 11:12:00 AM PDT
    AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation” between...
    more
    Bit Player
    By Jon Healey
    Technology
    The business and culture of our digital lives, from the L.A. Times
    Time Warner Cable shows customers how to get TV for free
    Mon, October 6, 2008 | 4:50:15 PM PDT
    Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt has been an outspoken critic of the networks'...
    more
     

    ADVERTISEMENT



    National Headlines
    Goldman Sachs' survival in Wall Street jungle
    The corporate philosophy has enabled the financial giant to weather turbulence.