Obama and wife’s picture on cover of ‘The New Yorker’ magazine
by David Barkdull
Bangkok, Thailand
The New Yorker magazine has received some backlash for this week’s cover, showing Barack Obama dressed as a Muslim in the presidential Oval Office. In the cartoon Obama is fist-bumping his Afro-wearing wife Michelle, who is outfitted with camouflage and an AK-47 slung over her back. The controversial cover, obviously meant to satirize false stereotypes of the presidential hopeful, has been accused of being too over-the-top.
A picture is worth more than a thousand words in this case. The New Yorker, a well respected weekly, famous for satire and cartoons many of us cannot figure out, certainly has got my attention this week. A burning American flag in the fireplace from what appears to be the oval office. A framed picture of the super terrorist, Osama bin Laden, above the fireplace while the loving couple, Michelle, looking very much like the 1960’s terrorist Angela Davis is standing on the Eagle of the Great Seal of the United States.
Many opinions surfaced from around the world, some defending it as a clever piece of satire. Others called the cover racist and feared Americans would misinterpret the joke as being a legitimate representation of the senator. I personally think it vilifies the couple although I am one of the many Americans that just don’t get some of the cartoons that has helped make The New Yorker famous for decades. In Thailand and some other less sophisticated countries it would mean jail time for someone. Personally, I chuckle out of respect for the cartoonist and editors obvious possession of giant testicles required to publish something like this. However, now that the less sophisticated American voter will draw the wrong conclusion from the satirical message and Osama Obama I mean Barack Obama will lose votes in the undecided vote camp for the wrong reasons.
Obama and wife’s picture on cover of ‘The New Yorker’ magazine
David Barkdull reporting from Bangkok, Thailand
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