Cartoons And Controversy

February 23, 2009
Saint Paul, Minnesota (RFN)
by Marty Owings

Here we go again. Wasn't long ago that a certain Danish cartoonist was hiding from the outraged Muslim world for depicting Muhammad wearing a bomb shaped turban.

If my recollection serves me right, there was widespread support for the cartoonist. Many Americans spoke out in defense of this type of political satire, calling it a "protected" form of freedom of expression. While there are some significant differences here, the principle is the same.

The cartoon pictured above was created by Sean Delonas and published by the New York Post (used here under "fair use" as explained in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law). It has drawn outrage directed at its racial overtones and Al Sharpton has called for a boycott of the New York Post. The NAACP and others are demanding that Sean Delonas be fired and that the NY Post offer an apology for the cartoon.

The cartoon itself is vile, degrading and demeaning on a multitude of levels. If it was Sean Delonas' aim to anger the most possible people with this image, I think he has succeeded. He's managed to anger the African American community, animal rights groups, Democrats, Independents, Republicans, Anti-police brutality advocates and probably the President of the United States, just to name a few.

I count myself among those that find the cartoon offensive. However, and this is a big however, I don't think Sean Delonas should be fired. I don't think he should suffer any retaliation for creating the cartoon other than the realization that what he did was ignorant and stupid. Just like I didn't think Imus should have been fired. It's not that I don't think they're actions are ignorant and offensive, I just think they have the right to express themselves, just as you and I have a right to be outraged.

Sean Delonas and any other cartoonist, artist, musician or citizen is entitled to protection under the First Amendment for this exact situation. And this case is a perfect example of why its so important. Even hate speech is protected under our Constitution because you can't simply start deciding what Free Speech is OK and what isn't. Standards of Freedom of Speech and to a greater extent Freedom of Expression have long been upheld by American courts. The courts have always understood the implications of curtailing free speech, no matter how offensive it might seem to you and I.

Furthermore, political free speech even if its seen as bigoted, offensive or just plain crap is often considered even more sacred. After all it was early American cartoonist and satirists that offended the King of England during the Revolution. Perhaps more importantly there is the simple fact that whether we find a cartoon inflammatory, racist or just plain ignorant does not mean it should be censored. If you punish Mr. Delonas its sends a chilling message that rules about what is and isn't offensive could become a moving target, such as insulting the President or members of Congress or even the local Police Chief.

Let the Delonas' and Imus' and Jimmy the Greek's of the world say whatever the hell they want, its a free country which means you and I don't have to listen. We need to protect Freedom of Expression, not just for the likes of Sean Delonas, but because the next Thomas Paine or Rev. Martin Luther King deserves as much. If you want to do something about this, don't buy the New York Post, don't surf their site and find out what other companies are controlled by News Corp. and avoid them to if you like, but let's not start talking about censorship and curtailing our freedoms. We may not like it, but our freedoms even extend to stupid cartoonists.