Letter to New York Post from the Board of Church and Society

March 4, 2009

Mr. Col Allan, Editor-In-Chief
Mr. Paul V. Carlucci, Publisher
New York Post
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036-8790

Dear Sirs,

I write on behalf of the Board of Church and Society of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.  The recent publication of the political cartoon in the New York Post showing the shooting of a monkey by two Anglo police officers, with the caption, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next Stimulus Bill", has created such a furor that we question what seems to be your willful resistance to clarify its meaning.

While recognizing that political cartooning has a long history in American politics that has often led to misunderstandings, we feel obliged to point out that where there is smoke there is fire.  You cannot deny that a significant portion of our country feels that this cartoon insensitively drew a comparison between President Obama and a monkey.  We are burdened by a long history during which racist cartoonists often portrayed African Americans as monkeys and apes; this cannot be changed and so it falls upon you to address any hint on why your paper endorses such evil.  Your attempts to invoke the historic lack of clarity in political cartoons rings quite hollow when the images have such a heinous history.  Quite the contrary, you have a responsibility to state firmly that there was no intention to draw the comparison; this is heightened when one recognizes that to extend the racist reading of this image.  Two Anglo police officers are seen as supporting the assassination of our sitting president.  The cartoon is insulting to all the fine men and women that serve in our police forces.  If your cartoonist meant only to use two stories that were in the press to draw some comparison between them, at the very least you should recognize that he failed to convey this and that at the worst he has given the impression that your paper condones comparing a group of Americans to apes and images of the assassination of our president.

This does not encourage mutual respect in the media toward all people, regardless of ethnicity, race, or gender.  As people of God, we call for non-discrimination and sensitivity from all levels of publications.  The cartoon displayed more than insensitivity to the rights and dignity of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities (Social Creed of the United Methodist Church).

We, as United Methodists, believe that the gospel shows us that all persons are important -we have been "created by god and loved through and by Jesus Christ and not because we have merited significance" (Social Principles, UMC).  I ask that the Post give a formal apology to your readers and to your community and that your editorial staff engage in some form of sensitivity training to understand the difference between a comment and a derogatory statement.

We all live in this community together.  Let us not continue to put division between us because of insensitivity and misunderstanding.

Sincerely,
 
Ms. Cynthia Ann Kent, Chair
Board of Church and Society
Greater New Jersey Annual Conference

cc:    Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar