Wow, THIS is a cartoon you wouldn’t see printed nowadays.
Even though I know this is an oldie, I’m still kind of offended by the way Fisher drew the black man in the center of that gallery. Coal-black face, big, red lips, that’s pure minstrel show stuff.
And the sad fact is, there’re people around who’d still think that deptction is funny.
Or, more likely, that anyone who’s bothered by a drawing like that, ‘has a PC problem’ and needs to ‘chill out’.
A couple of points. It is far more likely that what you see is a white man in blackface rather than a black man. And if the P C police censored this how would anyone know about history. But the real thing is in what way are race relations are better in Africa? There are few democracies and great violence across the continent. Is the fact that blacks are in charge equate with good race realtions. If so that is a strange equation. And in Zimbabwe black racism against whites is the rule, and a small concern for other countries who consider it bad form to criticize a fellow black ruler no matter how evil or corrupt. And while there is an international warrant for the arrest of the leader of the Sudan, he was recently visited two other African nations who despite being signatories to the international court’s jurisdiction refuse to arrest him on charges of genocide. These of course are the same nations that proclaim that the world is unconcerned about Africa.
History remains history. That’s the way it was in the 30’s or 40’s when this was drawn. How can you make things better in the future if you don’t know about the past? I took the drawing for what it was…way back then. Drawn that way today would be another story.
I am a Civil War reenactor and I am active in many other historical activities, especially dealing with Indian life and treatment of the Indians, and it is amazing how many people want to re-write history and even deny things that happened in our history. Many schools are doing away with much of our history and some school history books give the Civil War a page or two and even completely leave out the War with Mexico which was just an invasion to gain land for the U.S. We were not and are not saints. But if we forget our history–good or bad, we will repeat it and we will never correct the present. Many books available to us gives the author’s view. These books should be avoided. Old news paper accounts, journals and diaries are the best sourse for history and were written by people who were there and lets you know what those people thought. These sourses are available if you look for them.
Simon_Jester over 14 years ago
Wow, THIS is a cartoon you wouldn’t see printed nowadays.
Even though I know this is an oldie, I’m still kind of offended by the way Fisher drew the black man in the center of that gallery. Coal-black face, big, red lips, that’s pure minstrel show stuff.
And the sad fact is, there’re people around who’d still think that deptction is funny.
Or, more likely, that anyone who’s bothered by a drawing like that, ‘has a PC problem’ and needs to ‘chill out’.
RonBerg13 Premium Member over 14 years ago
Me too, Simon_Jester… How did this get by the PC police?
Still, look around you and see the tremendous progress we’ve made in this country on race relations.
Yes, still a long way to go, but, except for Africa, I think we are miles ahead of any other country.
arctanx over 14 years ago
I don’t get it, they’re supposed to nail the black dude in the face with the ball?
fastvega over 14 years ago
Get over it already. Bud Fisher is dead. Do you want to bury everything that happened in the past? More history re-writers here, I guess.
brklnbern over 14 years ago
A couple of points. It is far more likely that what you see is a white man in blackface rather than a black man. And if the P C police censored this how would anyone know about history. But the real thing is in what way are race relations are better in Africa? There are few democracies and great violence across the continent. Is the fact that blacks are in charge equate with good race realtions. If so that is a strange equation. And in Zimbabwe black racism against whites is the rule, and a small concern for other countries who consider it bad form to criticize a fellow black ruler no matter how evil or corrupt. And while there is an international warrant for the arrest of the leader of the Sudan, he was recently visited two other African nations who despite being signatories to the international court’s jurisdiction refuse to arrest him on charges of genocide. These of course are the same nations that proclaim that the world is unconcerned about Africa.
jppjr over 14 years ago
History remains history. That’s the way it was in the 30’s or 40’s when this was drawn. How can you make things better in the future if you don’t know about the past? I took the drawing for what it was…way back then. Drawn that way today would be another story.
Tsali-Queyi over 14 years ago
I am a Civil War reenactor and I am active in many other historical activities, especially dealing with Indian life and treatment of the Indians, and it is amazing how many people want to re-write history and even deny things that happened in our history. Many schools are doing away with much of our history and some school history books give the Civil War a page or two and even completely leave out the War with Mexico which was just an invasion to gain land for the U.S. We were not and are not saints. But if we forget our history–good or bad, we will repeat it and we will never correct the present. Many books available to us gives the author’s view. These books should be avoided. Old news paper accounts, journals and diaries are the best sourse for history and were written by people who were there and lets you know what those people thought. These sourses are available if you look for them.
Sherlock Watson over 14 years ago
And now for a change of pace: How does Mutt wear his suspenders under his shirt and still manage to tuck his shirt in?