Happened to be petsitting last night at a house whose owner still takes the Roundup. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the editorial cartoon in Friday’s edition.
My friends, if you ever doubted the Roundup’s elitist bias, just take a look for yourself. Better yet, don’t bother. I’ll tell you what you’re missing.
The cartoon featured two panels. In the left was a caricature of Time magazine’s recent 2011 Person of the Year cover – the Protester, for Occupy Wall Street and all the other protests over the past 12 months that brought about the possibility of democracy and humanitarian change to the Arab world and elsewhere.
In the right panel, headlined “WHO IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN” was an illustration of an American soldier labeled “ALL-TIME PROTECTOR.” The absolute outrage came in the cutline below – “FOR THE FREEDOMS ENJOYED BY THE IDIOTS OF OCCUPY WALL STREET.”
And there you have it. If that cartoon alone doesn’t cause you to pick up the phone and cancel your subscription, you need to take a good, hard look inside your heart and your soul. Because the elitist values expressed therein are diametrically opposed to the Christian values so many of you profess, not to mention the principles upon which our great nation was founded.
The Roundup’s cartoon was provided by King Features Syndicate, a supplier that offers a variety of cartoons from all shades of the political spectrum. The Roundup could easily have chosen another. But that wouldn’t be in keeping with its obvious and longstanding elitist bias in favor of the one percent (to go with its pro-growth and its anti-Democrat biases).
You know me. I could go on. But instead, please allow me to wish you a Happy New Year filled with equal opportunities for all citizens to enjoy, once again, the American Dream. Here's to a healthy, prosperous, and constitutional 2012.
Jim Keyworth
Editor
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10 comments:
I think the idiots are those who would call the participants in this movement "idiots." They are not showing idiocy by what they are doing, they are showing courage, the kind of courage it took for our founding fathers to stand up against British rule over 200 years ago.
The rallying cry then was "no taxation without representation." With the influence of corporate America on our RICH career lawmakers in Washington . . . there is a huge percentage (maybe 99?) of this country who is being DENIED the representation we have paid for with OUR taxes.
All men are created equal and one person, one vote are supposed to mean that a poor and disadvantaged or even AVERAGE citizen of this country is supposed to have EQUAL say and EQUAL influence over the laws of this country as the rich and powerful, but that has been so completely proven to be untrue it's almost laughable.
This country's corporations have done a lot of good things; I have no wish to see them fail. But they are not people, and should not be allowed to "vote" disproportionately with their dollars and buy the legislation they want at the expense of the other 99% of us.
Occupy Wall Street may be struggling to get its point across ... but its point needs to be listened to and addressed.
Obviously that will never happen in the pages of the Roundup.
Many of your articles and opinions are diametrically opposed to my values and principles. However, I still read your paper.
Are you saying that because they publish views that are different than yours, no one should read them?
"equal opportunities for all citizens to enjoy, once again, the American Dream." Apparently only if YOU agree with them.
And you accuse conservatives of being closed minded.
I certainly have no problem with people who disagree with the Occupy movement. The problem I have is with a newspaper calling people "idiots" who are only exercising a fundamental Constitutional right. The Roundup does not criticize the Tea Party when it pickets at the county complex on the Beeline, but it calls people who do the same on Wall Street "idiots." When that happens, I think the only response they will understand is to stop feeding them the money they need to continue.
Gazette Editor
Most publications, sooner or later, reveal their true bias. It comes out in subtle and not so subtle ways: editorials, what they cover - how it is reported - what letters to editor are admitted, etc. Cartoons are an age old window to the personality of an editor, a publisher or the entire organization.
There is, at present, a dedicated movement to demonize the Occupy movement with a broad smear. This phenomenon has aroused dark fears within the ranks of mostly right wing organizations who see themselves as the great washed clean.
To only focus on the minority of "hangers on" who would foul any gathering and to ignore the far greater demeanor and ideals of the greater majority is akin to bigotry. This movement is flawed from a lack of organization and direction, but it's meaning is quite clear. A group perhaps larger than the tea party is
outraged at present societal conditions, mostly caused by a league of greedy, callous Philistines both in congress and on Wall St. That they seem impervious to justice is gasoline on the fires of this disenfranchised outrage.
To have a town's only newsprint support the negative attacks on the Occupy view rather than attempt to explore the underlying reality behind it, is an outrage within itself.
There is a large effort abroad to demonize the Occupy movement. Apparently these spontaneous groups arouse a dark fear of uncontrollable rebellion among rigid self-righteous types - those who are making a strong attempt to impose THEIR views on the country.
To only focus on the minority of offensive incidents and ignore the far greater message of understandable outrage at
activities which have destroyed a once revered way of life in the U.S. is, itself, outrageous.
A modern league of callous, greedy Philistines has run rampant over the American economy, pillaging all the way.
Worse, they appear impervious to the remedy of justice. If this isn't worth protesting, what could be?
The only newspaper we have in this small town is at least consistent in its overt support for privilege and disdain for open exploration of ideals.
Once again, we have an instance of the pot calling the kettle black. It seems as though strong views and positions are okay, just as long as you agree with me.
And your comment is another instance of a missed point. Please reread my comment above. It isn't that the Roundup doesn't like the Occupy movement, it's that it calls them idiots when they exercise a constitutional right, but apparently finds it OK for the local Tea Party to do the same thing. This is about fairness in the media. I can call you an idiot (off the Blog). You can call me an idiot. But the media, blogs included, has a moral and ethical responsibility to rise above crude name calling. Sorry, but if I had a subscription to cancel, I would do it.
Editor
"Strong views and positions"
That's an interesting spin on defamation. Strong views and positions come out and say what is intended. They don't hide behind snickering cartoons, and they certainly don't stoop to name calling, nor do they feel it necessary.
The "Idiot" thing originated, I believe, with Eric Kantor, a Republican House member.
Noble
Perhaps you don't understand the purpose of editorial cartoons.
Christoper Sterling in his Encyclopedia of Journalism defines them as an illustration that combines "artistic skill, hyperbole and biting humour." The cartoon in question fits this definition well.
Using the word "defamation" for a political cartoon is like calling fiction "historically inaccurate."
Nobody is saying it does not qualify as a political cartoon. That's not the point (even though I don't consider crude and tasteless namecalling as "artistic skill"). The point is that the Roundup has chosen to take a position that its readers should seriously consider, one that is sure to alienate 40 percent of the Rim Country. But then, it doesn't have a heck of a lot of credibility amongst those of us who can think critically anyway. It's no wonder its readership continues to decline - except for those who buy it for the court and police reports.
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