seagullsong:baruchobramowitz:This image, drawn by Burkhard Mohr, appeared in the German newspaper Sü
seagullsong:baruchobramowitz:This image, drawn by Burkhard Mohr, appeared in the German newspaper Süddeutschen Zeitung on Friday. It is supposed to represent Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, as an octopus gobbling up all of the various forms of social media communications. Mohr was prompted to draw this after the announcement that Facebook had purchased WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stocks.There was an uproar about this cartoon because of its similarities to antisemitic cartoons depicting Jews as octopi using their tentacles to exert control over the economy and politics.In an article published today in Die Welt, Alan Posener writes, “Now, the ‘Octopus-Hysteria’ of the ‘Süddeutschen’ would not have deserved commentary if Mohr hadn’t given the beast a face. It has a prominent hooked nose, a fleshy moist lower lip, and beady eyes; and it looks like the tentacles develop out of sidelocks… it does not look like Jewish-born and stalwart atheist Mark Zuckerberg, but very much like the Jew itself.”Mohr, in his written apology also published today, said that he intended to compare Mark Zuckerberg to Davy Jones of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, not an International Jew stereotype, and that he did not notice the similarities between his drawing and the blatantly antisemitic cartoons. He says, “Antisemitismus und Rassismus sind Ideologien, die mir völlig fremd sind.” Antisemitism and racism are ideologies that are totally foreign to him.Posener responds rather succinctly: “Das passiert ganz ohne Absicht, das macht’s nicht besser.” Just because Mohr did not realize he was playing into antisemitic stereotypes does not erase his mistake. If anything, it makes this a more serious situation because no one in the editorial department of Süddeutschen Zeitung saw anything wrong with putting the Jewish founder of Facebook’s face on an octopus’ body.I feel like there should be a class called “The History of Racist Cartoons And How Not To Do That Again” that all editorial cartoonists should be required to take.and while we’re dreaming big I would also like editorial cartoons that don’t suck#another point: davy jones basically doesn’t even have a nose -- source link
#antisemitism