The recent uproar over the Dave Granlund cartoon and the paper’s decision to run it reminds me of the old Saturday Night Live skit featuring Miss Emily Litella (played by Gilda Radner) as a commentator on TV news. She rants on: “What is all this fuss I hear about the Supreme Court decision on a “deaf” penalty? It’s terrible! Deaf people have enough problems as it is!” etc. until the news anchor, often Chevy Chase, would put her straight about her mistake “It’s death, not deaf, Miss Litella, death penalty…” Chagrined, she would turn to the camera: “Never Mind.”
“How dare they run this anti-police cartoon, why it’s an outrage; the cartoonist and the paper should be ashamed of themselves, cancel my subscription, Etc.” Someone should be pointing out to the outraged letter writers that the cartoon is not itself anti-police, not about what the police are or how they should be seen, but how they are in fact seen by a lot of blacks (as opposed by white, middle class readers who were, I assume, most of those complaining).
Perhaps a spokesperson for the outraged could issue an appropriate “Oh. Never mind” and get off Granlund’s and the paper’s case.
No Comments