A Story That May Knock Todd Goldman Out Of the Headlines For Awhile

Thu, 04/26/2007 - 21:47 — xerexes

Chris Muir is the creator of the webcomic Day By Day, which I think has been described as a "conservative Doonesbury".

His most recent comic puts Hillary Clinton in blackface.

I don't think I can add anything to this take from the blog Pandagon: "Um... really?" Well, except, this cartoon is ridiculously tasteless and I can't see how it's not racist. I wonder how Muir's three newspaper clients (Hemingford Ledger, Knoxville News-Sentinel, North County Times) will react to this?

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Comments

Fri, 04/27/2007 - 00:40 — CameronCN

I think you're overreacting.

I think you're overreacting. He's obviously using this exaggeration of Hillary's image-smithing to make fun of what politicians will do to make people like them. If anyone should be offended, it's the black people at Hillary for thinking that that would somehow make her 'one of them.' (If she is doing that, which I wouldn't know. Besides, this is webcomics. We tolerate all kinds of radical and even offensive things in the pursuit of humor.

Fri, 04/27/2007 - 06:32 — TCampbell

I have to agree with

I have to agree with Cameron.

Fri, 04/27/2007 - 06:53 — Coffman

I'm probably the most

I'm probably the most tasteless guy around, but there are certain lines I just find myself not crossing in commentary type cartoons. You have to be SMARTER than that if you're trying to get that message across.

I just believe this guy is a poor overall cartoonist. Cartoonist meaning, he's writing and drawing to convey ideas. His idea was "Hillary sure is trying to sound southern and relate to black culture"

There were a thousand ways to touch on that, but this guy chose BlackFace. So, instead of making a point about Hillary, he made a pretty stereotypical, racist type imagery. Bad cartoonist.

Dumb fucking move.

All that said, I'm not offended by it, and I think people who are upset over a dumb cartoon, should get lives.

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DJ Coffman- cartoonist

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Fri, 04/27/2007 - 07:56 — GiantPanda

Jounalista has a roundup of

Jounalista has a roundup of blog comment on it in the digital comic section here (scroll down quite a bit)

Vir Bonus

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Vir Bonus

Fri, 04/27/2007 - 08:27 — moovok

Crossing THAT Line

There was an image, ages ago now, which sent the Muslim community into a frenzy. I look on life as how we all try to stay very PC (Politically Correct) and sure there are lines that are crossed that shouldn't be crossed, but there's also lines that webcomics cross because they don't have an editor, and because of that webcomics are mostly free to do what they will, which is often a nice chance, a nice chance to get a joke across without having an editor protecting his ass from being sued from this religious group or this social community.

Some people will say racism, others will say he's using it to convey a point. I hate being PC most of the time. It's not being racist to black people, in my eyes, unless black people don't want Hiliary Clinton to be "part of their culture" :) But... is webcomics now having to become PC, make sure they cross their t's and dot their i's. I honestly hope not...

Fri, 04/27/2007 - 08:36 — Sean C

Imus Point This Out...

(Sorry for that god-awful pun.) If the papers get enough complaints, they'll drop his strip. People could threaten boycotts, advertisers pull out, blah, blah...It comes down to the image of the paper and money. He's in the business sector when he's in print, so it's not like artistic choice has any meaning in this situation.

Not that great a comic overall, though. It's just not that funny, which makes it perfect for the newspapers.

Don't hesitate to procrastinate.

My brand new comic: http://cain.bombsheltercomics.com

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Don't hesitate to procrastinate. My brand new comic: http://cain.bombsheltercomics.com

Fri, 04/27/2007 - 11:00 — anthroporail

I could have worked

I understand the point of the comic, but it would have worked just fine had he used an image of blacks from this century. Now all the attention is shifted away from the gag and onto a borderline non-sequitor.

I believe in toning down the PC to below a level of jackbooted thought control, but this is just an example of bad choices. How could anyone look at that comic and not misinterpret the meaning even if it wasn't intended?

Cartoonists, write your gags then consider your choices.

Fri, 04/27/2007 - 11:09 — Erg

I don't think he went far enough....

I like Day by Day alright, most of the time. Like alot of conservative cartoonist he is a bit more didactic than I'd like sometimes, but he's funny and the art isn't horrible. I don't think there isn't a funny Hillary doing blackface comic out there. I can think of several ways to make it funny of the top of my head. The trouble is made the joke about a black guy complaining about Hillary's targeting interest groups like races, and chucking in the black face in the end, making the blackness the center of the gag. It looks kinda racist, and isn't funny. If he had framed the comic in a way that made the focus Hillary's over emphasis on image control (though really isn't this Edwards problem more than Hillary's anyway?) and the trouble it can get a politician in you, amking the black face jsut the embarassing thing she was doing now, it might have been better. Funnier at least. In any event I hope they don't dump Day by Day, and I hope it stays on the interwebs.

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