Cancellation of cartoonists – OpEd – Eurasia Review

On January 7, 2015, the staff of the French satirical magazine Charlie hebdo found themselves facing a form of cancellation culture before it became all the rage in the Twaddle sphere. It was of the most serious and deadly kind. Twelve people were massacred and the fanatic’s creed asserted. The attackers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi were offended by the magazine’s comments cartoon representations of the Prophet Muhammad. To add insult to injury, personalities of various shades of political color not exactly willing to speak freely suddenly asserted that they stood alongside those killed, declaring their solidarity with being “I am Charlie”.

Despite the support, the usual cast of apologists made an appearance, citing issues of violated cultural and religious sensitivity. They did the same when it came to justifying Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini’s calls to assassinate Salman Rushdie for having Satanic verses. Behind many excuses for such censorship cases, there is a moron who burns, stones and amputates a salivating witch with pleasure.

In recent times, cancellation culture commissioners have also switched to cartoons and animation, although the reasoning has varied. The story of the designer is filled with grotesque caricature: the blackface Bugs Bunny from 1953 posing as a slave; the same character who finds himself, in 1944, on an island in the Pacific filled with Japanese characters represented without sympathy. (That’s war propaganda for you.) In 1968, the studio shot a Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series in what has come to be known as “Censored Eleven” for offensive purposes.

In recent times, the frightening skunk Pepé Le Pew, accused of allegedly contributing to the “rape culture”, has undergone excision treatment. Dr Suess, the pen name of Theodor Geisel, received his share of retrospective punishment, with the foundation bearing his name withdrawing six books. To call, suggest Philip Nel of Kansas State University, a “product recall”. “They are not prohibited. They are not canceled. It’s just a decision not to sell them anymore.

The reasons for generously applying an eraser to political cartoon satire move things into more treacherous ground. The satirist is used to make fun of the staid, the orthodox, the petty. The intention of such work confronts the peddled narrative rather than walking with it.

This month Australia has made its modest contribution to the culture of cartoon cancellation by targeting (word is appropriate) one of its favorite scribble threads. Michael Leunig, declared “national treasure”, was kindly disappointed by the editor-in-chief of Age after having sketched a cartoon seen a little on the nose of the vaccination policy, especially in Victoria. The newspaper chose not to publish the work, featuring a tank fitted with a needle as a gun barrel pointing at the equivalent of the “Tank Man” figure made famous during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. As things unfolded, this turned out to be a cartoon too.

Was Leunig’s effort a bit strong? Was it in accordance with Charlie head description of himself like the irresponsible newspaper (irresponsible newspaper) offering sometimes silly and mean humor (stupid and mean)? This was certainly the case for the newspaper’s editor, Gay Alcorn, who told Leunig that his thinking was not “in line with public sentiment,” which is always a worrying justification to cite in any satire background. “I drew several of Leunig’s drawings, almost entirely on the grounds that they expressed anti-vaccination sentiment.” She insisted that cartoonists could challenge readers “but I had a concern with cartoons perceived to be anti-vaccination.”

Leunig I thought it was a bit rich, an example of “awakening and lack of humor” is unleashed. “The image of Tiananmen Square is often used in cartoons around the world as a Charlie Chaplin-style metaphor for an overwhelming force meeting the innocent and helpless individual. In my opinion, this is a fair enough question to be raised in the most locked-down city in the world ”.

His cartoons on the subject of compulsory vaccination have already annoyed the public. When the Victorian government introduced a policy of not allowing unvaccinated children to go to daycare or kindergarten, Leunig took up his pen. At the time, his efforts worried Jo Alabaster, a communicator and science advocate. who claimed he sent “a message of fear and mistrust to the community, based on ideas that are just not true. Science gives us the knowledge that vaccines are the safest and most effective way to protect our children from vaccine-preventable diseases. “

Leunig’s ax reaction was not lacking in fundamentalist rapture from those who feel that certain things are out of debate. Then there was his age, gender, skin color and, the appeal of those who had no arguments, a perceived lack of talent. “76-year-old white cartoonist fired after being pissed off at his job for the past 20 years,” a social media vulture said tweeted with joy, demonstrating a deep understanding of the issues. The less mature point of sale Junke suggested that Leunig should have just stuck with drawing ducks.

All this had the effect of not engaging the assertions posed by vaccination policies. There will be those who cannot take them for genuine medical reasons. There will be those who are excluded from the digital divide given the mandatory use of vaccination passports for travel and for admission to workplaces or places. Protests number in the thousands against vaccine warrants and health passports took place in Italy, France and Greece. A good number of these protesters can hardly be dismissed as inhabitants of the insane and conspiratorial fringe.

The unvaccinated have become the boys and girls who easily flog public health policy, just as those who marched against lockdown rules have been seen as irresponsible “covidots” with nothing particularly valuable to say. Such dilemmas are those which deserve a satirical description.

In 2013, in response to another burst of rage, Leunig regrets that, “Joking is the most false and stupid thing a baffled middle-aged Australian Celtic Australian can do these days.” Humor, he suggested, had to be taken off the menu. Age went even further by removing it completely from its editorial page. At least they didn’t shoot him.