Listen Live
Listen Live Graphics (Indy)

Varvel's Questionable Immigration Cartoon Nov2014

 

 

 

 

 

The editorial cartoonist for The Indianapolis Star newspaper has managed to raise an eyebrow or a few with what is being called a rather racist (at worst) or stereotype-slinging (at best) Thanksgiving-themed cartoon. On Friday, Gary Varvel drew and the paper posted a cartoon on its web that depicted a white family at the Thanksgiving dinner table preparing to serve the feast with the man of the house making the comment…

QUOTE:

                         Thanks to the president’s immigration order,

                  we’ll be having extra guests this Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, coming through the window into the house is a man, wearing a red cap and a thick and bushy mustache, who clearly has more melanin in his skin than the folks sitting around the table, followed by two other darker-skinned people. (By the way, melanin is the pigment in skin that gives it color. Dark-skinned people have more of it.)

This cartoon makes some readers beg the question, what is the generally conservative local cartoonist attempting to say?

Whatever he originally meant, the newspaper attempted to correct. Sort of. They pulled down the original and replaced it with what was supposed to be a less offensive version ditching the bushy, ethnic “looking” mustache.  That was the first corrective measure. Since then, the paper has pulled down the cartoon and apologized.

QUOTE:

                                 We erred in publishing it.

See the paper’s full apology from executive editor, Jeff Taylor,  HERE.

Varvel’s ethno-cartoonery incident that is supposed to spur dialogue about the immigration debate and President Obama’s executive order plan is moving across social media and is being talked about on the streets. Gossip website Gawker.com is now covering Varvel’s cartoon and the Star’s handling of it. To see their coverage, click HERE .

Our sister stations’ Amos Brown, host of Afternoons With Amos on AM-1310 The Light, is keeping an eye on this as well. To see his commentary, click HERE.

What are your thoughts ? Let your voice be heard.

###

kimwellsmedia 112214