Posted on 08/05/2003 8:04:32 AM PDT by NativeNewYorker
I wrote: “Cartoons like this, not seen in the West since the bad old days of Julius Streicher and Der Stuermer, are getting more and more common. ”
When I wrote that, I was simply repelled by what seemed to me to be obvious, gut-churning antisemitism.
Auth/Phil Inq.
vs.
From Hitler-era Germany.
Tony Auth, born in Akron, Ohio, and raised in Southern California, has been drawing since the age of five.
He graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1965 and worked for six years as chief medical illustrator at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, a large teaching hospital affiliated with the medical school of The University of Southern California.
In 1967, while still working as a medical illustrator, Auth began doing political cartoons. He first drew a single cartoon each week for Open City, a Los Angeles weekly. After a year, he began creating three drawings weekly for the UCLA Daily Bruin. Those cartoons were used widely in other college newspapers. In 1971, The Philadelphia Inquirer hired him as staff editorial cartoonist, and he is currently a member of its editorial board.
Auth has won several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning and the Sigma Delta Chi Award for distinguished service in journalism.
Auth's work appears five times a week in The Philadelphia Inquirer. He and his wife, Eliza, have two children.
Well, it underscores our responsibility.
If a newspaper publishes anti-Jewish garbage we should complain.
If a friend, neighbor or co-worker makes an anti-Jewish comment we should correct them and point out that what they're doing is wrong.
If a politician advocates the "Palestinian cause" or even more sinister things, we should bring it to people's attention and work to defeat them.
If we see any Jew being harassed or bothered by others we should defend them vigorously - physically if we have to.
Dude. Both portray Judaism as a physically devisive force.
Career cartoonists like Auth know the history of their trade. T'ain't no freepin' coincidence.
Arab anti-Semitic cartoons
(from Qatar, "moderate" Arab "ally"--oh yeah, the Qatari (our "moderate allies") cartoons are also ferociously anti-American)
The Inqi has (had?) a large Jewish audience.
I've seen Auth's material for years, but I had no idea he harbored these views, won a Pulitzer, and sat on the Inqui's editorial board.
I suspect we'll see a pattern similar to that after the Chicago editorial cartoon smear -- feigned ignorance of the meaning and history of the image, crocodile tears for getting free PR, chest-thumping about the first amendment, whining about over-sensitive Jews, and in the end, nothing.
Unfortunately I agree. He might say he was using the emblem of the state of Israel, not the symbol of Judaism. His meaning is all too clear, though. Either he is anti-semite, or he is deep in the grips of that attitude and not smart enough to notice.
Aren't they?
Now why would anyone use the Star of David as a symbol of Israel? Could it be because it's on their flag? And why would he draw it as a fence? Could it be because the Israelis are building a fence? And why are their people whose movement is restricted by the fence? Where did he ever get such hateful notions? Anti semite! Nazi!
Maybe because the people on the other side want to bomb the Sh*t out of them?
I'd build a fence too; On the western side of the Jordan River....
After a few people called U-haul...
In your opinion then, none of these cartoons are anti-Semitic. Oh yeah, and since "Uncle Sam" is a symbol of the United States, these cartoons can't possibly be anti-American either.
Al-Watan, June 11, 2003 (Qatar)
The big word with the Star of David: "Terror;" below, on the hand: "The assassination policy."
Al-Watan, May 13, 2003 (Qatar)
In the middle: "the Arab states".
Al-Watan, May 8, 2003 (Qatar)
The Jew is pointing at "Syria".
Al-Watan, May 6, 2003 (Qatar)
Al-Watan, April 19, 2003 (Qatar)
In Arabic, on the Jew: "Weapons of mass destruction". In Arabic, on the left: "Syria".
Al-Watan, April 17, 2003 (Qatar)
The Jew is representing "the big Israel", which pushes the US towards "Syria".
Al-Watan, April 16, 2003 (Qatar)
The Jew is writing "the sanctions on Syria".
Al-Watan, April 6, 2003 (Qatar)
Powell is pointing at "Syria" and "Iran".
Al-Watan, March 6, 2003
Yeah, the Israelis sure do have most of the land, don't they?
To some posters on these threads it does. I agree we should be able to distinguish between things. But then you don't allow any choice but your own. It's the cartoonist's fault, you say, for not being clearer to you about what the picture means. Yet, I had a differnt take on it. To you, my take is invalid. Only your view is correct.
I wasn't referring to the whole middle east. I was referring to the state of Israel and the "disputed" territories.
It would seem you are going to great effort to avoid that little stumbling-block that we call "context."
Ah. Dropping the mask a little, huh?
Poor Huck. The cartoon is too difficult for him.
But.. wait a minute. See Huck's profession:
My line of work:
E-learning. I am an instructional designer/multimedia designer/project manager.
I wonder who would hire an e-learning expert of such an awesome caliber that he doesn't "get" a nazi cartoon. Stormfront? Hamas elementary school? Some madrassa on the Pak/Afghan border?
That is what is referred to as a 'distinction without difference'. You may be willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the 'cartoonist', but I believe he knows exactly what he is doing, and is probably aware of the earlier Nazi version of what he did.
Not gall huck, my point of view.
Anyone reading this can review your posts on this thread and on Nazi Imagery Goes Mainstream and make their own decision.
You haven't stated a coherent opinion. You're chumming (Jew-Baiting if it makes you feel better).
Or if you prefer, I'll secone rmlew's opinion, it's more pc,
You are either massively ignorant or disingenuous.
Note the United Press Syndicate’s explanation on this thread. Nazi Imagery Goes Mainstream
Lee Salem, editor of the United Press Syndicate distributing the cartoon brushed off concerns about the cartoon. He responded that it is UPS’s job “to distribute editorial columns and cartoons across a broad spectrum of opinion, some of which are sure to antagonize some readers, somewhere.” Referring to Auth as an “opinionist,” he defended the decision by pointing to the “various occasions” on which UPS was “labeled anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, and a whole lot of other anti's.”
There’s no reason to think the cartoonist would employ subterfuge in explaining his cartoon. As you note, he knows what he's drawing.
This guy has been keeping tabs on Knight-Ridder, NPR and Tony Auth for quite a while.
Thanks, interesting link. I'm posting his comments here, for those who just can't figure it out.
DOUBLE STANDARD. The cartoon is the classic use of one standard for Israel and another standard for all other nations. Every nation is assumed to have the right of self-defense. But the classic tool of anti-Semitism, the double standard, denies Israel the right of self-defense. This cartoon turns a legitimate attempt to keep terrorists out by building a protective fence into an attempt to imprison Palestinians in a concentration-camp like Star of David. Auth and the Inquirer, in their usual style, ignore the hundreds of Israelis who have died at the hands of homicide bombers, and see the Palestinians only as victims, not those who have rejected peace and have resorted to the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians. Auth ignores the fact that it is Palestinian terrorism that has required the fence, and if anyone is to blame for its existence it is the Palestinians and their failure to stop terrorists, dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, and end the media’s and educational system’s incitement to violence against Israel and Palestinian teaching of anti-Israel, anti-Semitic propaganda.
MORAL EQUIVALENCE. The cartoon has an underlying theme -- the anti-Semitic technique of moral equivalence. Auth condemns Israel for legitimate self-defense, even if it is directed a preventing homicide bombers, mass murder, and genocidal intentions. This makes legitimate self-defense morally equivalent to the murder and terror tactics of the Palestinians. This technique demonizes and delegitimizes the most innocent of Israeli acts, and establishes moral equivalence between self-defense on Israel’s part, and unspeakable evil such as mass murder and homicide bombings.
HATE SYMBOLS. Auth transforms the Star of David, an icon of Jews everywhere, into a concentration-camp style design, a prison-like instrument to confine and ghettoize the Palestinians. Hence his imagery condemns Israelis and all Jews everywhere.
OUTRIGHT LIES. Auth’s cartoons also freely makes use of outright lies, and the other tools of the Inquirer’s dishonest and fraudulent journalism. As a matter of fact, the fence being constructed by the Israelis does not and is not intended to imprison or confine the Palestinians. It merely prevents terrorists and others from coming into Israel through an open and unguarded border. It does not prevent them from moving around outside of the borders of Israel itself. In fact, they can even move into Israel itself, but must now use official gates. And in any event, it certainly doesn’t confine them in any way, shape or form resembling the cartoon’s imagery.
We all recognize that the cartoon is not a literal statement and can be subjected to varied interpretations. But the intent of the cartoon is clear, in view of Auth’s long history of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic bias, and the environment in which he labors – The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Knight-Ridder organization. In my view the intent of the cartoon is clear, and that intent is even more blatant and obvious viewed in its total context. The anti-Israel, anti-Semitic bias of the Inquirer has been documented for decades by groups in Philadelphia. In fact, for total historical perspective, it should be noted that the three Ridder brothers (founders of the Ridder newspaper chain which was later merged into the organization that became Knight-Ridder) were America’s leading Nazi supporters during the 1930s and 1940s. The Ridder-Nazi connection is documented in Louis Nizer’s book, (Chapter 4). A summary of Nizer’s chapter on the Ridder brothers can be found on my Web site: denenbergsdump.org. More on media bias can be found on my other Web site: thedenenbergreport.org.
Herb Denenberg is a former Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner, professor at the Wharton School, and Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissioner. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and is a board member of the Center for Safe Medication Use. He is an adjunct professor of insurance and information science and technology at Cabrini College. You can write Herb at POB 7301,St. Davids, PA e-mail him at hdenenberg@aol.com or reach him at his two Web sites: thedenenbergreport.org or denenbergsdump.org
I completely agree.
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