When the ‘New Yorker‘ magazine carried a disparaging cartoon of Presidential candidate Barack Obama, it certainly did not make many people smile, especially his campaign team. The cartoon which depicts Obama and his wife with a sinister fist bump, and in the backdrop Osama’s portrait and an American flag burning, was found to be tasteless to say the least by most people, even by the McCain’s camp. Though Obama refrained from commenting, it is all too clear that the cartoon was not well appreciated by many, for it did not carry a punchline to suggest it was merely meant to be a joke. Insiders fear the cartoon could do damage to his image and affect Obama’s campaign. The New Yorker however begged to differ and insisted it was a satirical lampoon but had stayed well within limits.
If the cartoon carried a text suggesting it was actually a political satire, it might not have angered many people and might not have given wrong impressions. Times’ writer Andrew Malcolm fears that a cartoon without a text carrying the hidden satirical message might spread on the net and could prove to be disastrous. This gets one thinking if a cartoonist can really exercise his freedom of expression especially when the intended message can be distorted. The solution could be simple, attaching a text, which restricts the reader in forming biased opinions.
Via: News
