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Wednesday, June 3, 2009

More Sotomayor racism--this time in cartoon form!

Since this has got to stop (and since so much awareness and anger was--rightly--raised over this cartoon) I'm going to do what several have already done and post this with a "why this is acceptable" rant.

Jessika over at Middle Raged Punk has posted the offending cartoon, pointing out the obvious racism, but the sexism as well:

So the image of Obama asking “Now, who wants to be first?” to a group of men holding sticks, waiting to beat up a smiling Sotomayor who is strung up on a rope sends a strong message to any woman or girl who has opinions or wants to achieve in a male dominated field.
This has to fucking stop. Is a successful woman so threatening that people must resort to racism and sexism in an attempt to silence her? Advocating the violence against a woman (in a painfully obvious racist manner) is unacceptable. What's worse is that Sotomayor is clearly a qualified and intelligent woman, and this cartoon and commentary like it reduce her to a racist stereotype that says violence against strong women is acceptable since she is overreaching her social place. Fucking. Bull. Shit.

Send in your complaints to the newspaper (follow the link to Jessika's page for full submission guildelines--must be under 250 words). Let them know that this is unacceptable.

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Update: I sent an email to the general link (Yourviews@oklahoman.com) and one to the editor (ekelley@oklahoman.com). Here is a copy of the email I sent:

Dear Editor:

In case you are somehow unaware of the offensive cartoon depicting Sonia Sotomayor strung up like a pinata, I would like to point out exactly why it is offensive. 1. Having a Latina woman hung up as a pinata is ignorant and racist, calling on stereotypical imagery of Hispanic culture. 2. Obama wearing a sombrero is similarly offensive. 3. That the cartoon-version of Obama asks "Who wants to be first" while Republicans are ready with sticks implies a perceived justifiable violence against women. This violence speaks volumes, as a warning to any woman who dares be successful, who dares be intelligent and whose body exists as a challenge to racist white men. This cartoon is racist and sexist commentary that dehumanizes Sotomayor, and others like her. It is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable. I demand that your paper and the artist issue an apology for this ignorant hatred immediately.

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