Another day, another political cartoon controversy! This time the center of attention is Pat Oliphant, the world's most widely syndicated political cartoonist, and his recent cartoon depicting a goose-stepping soldier pushing a giant Star of David shark into a defenseless woman and child. In case anyone misses the subtle message here, the woman is labeled "Gaza," and the illustration is tagged "jackboot justice" on the United Press Syndicate site.
The cartoon has already appeared on many of newspaper websites, including the New York Times, and last night reporters from CBS 2 fanned out around town to get reactions. Janis Rodin of Kips Bay opines, "It's against Israelis and it says they are attacking Gaza, but there is nothing coming from the other side." But Mohamad Abdoul of Bay Ridge thinks the cartoon accurately conveys "the reality" of the lop-sided war between Israelis and Palestinians: "When I see this Israel, too, power is over power and Gaza does not have the same power." Meanwhile, Sammy Hassan wonders why the cartoon was inked now, months into a fragile cease-fire: "We got enough bad feelings for what happened in Gaza. What are you going to add to this, more hate?"
One thing is certain: with over 8 million opinionated New Yorkers, and almost as many media pundits eager to pile on any easily-digested controversy, this one's sure to keep everyone busy well into next week. Will Oliphant apologize? Where's Al Sharpton? And why isn't the baby in the cartoon lobbing a missile? Naturally, Abraham Foxman from the Anti-Defamation League is readily available for television interviews, Op-Ed commissions, county fair appearances, etc. He tells CBS 2, "It is hideous. It is anti-Semitic. It employs Nazi imagery by portraying Israel as a jack-booted, goose-stepping headless apparition. The implication is of an Israeli policy without a head or a heart."
