The New Yorker

Have you seen the cover of the New Yorker for next week? If you haven't, it is shown below. The New Yorker is a relatively liberal publication that prides itself on the depth, subtlety and intelligence of their writing, their cartoons and their satire. Next week's cover shows a turban-wearing Barack Obama standing alongside Afro-sporting, machine-gun toting Michelle Obama in the Oval Office. Burning in the hearth is an American flag, and above it, a picture of Osama bin Laden. In a statement from the New Yorker regarding the cover, they say that, "Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover." 

What do we call satire when it misses the mark to such a degree? When it simply reinforces ignorant, misinformed and hateful lies? I'm not absolutely certain, but in this case, I think we're going to have to go with racism. The editors at the New Yorker may think that they are being clever and painting an absurd picture of the Obamas to highlight how foolish such stereotypes are, but in this instance, their subtlety has escaped everyone, including themselves, and they have strayed from social critique into just plain bad judgement and foolishness. 

I have to wonder, wasn't there anybody in the room who questioned the emperor's new clothes? Or was everybody so in love with their own cleverness and cutting edge political satire that they didn't realize the cover is just plain stupid?

And for those out there who cry "free speech," and there are many already doing that, this isn't about free speech. I'm not suggesting that the New Yorker doesn't have the right to publish this image, or that they don't have the right to think that they are being all cool and progressive and insightful by doing so. I'm just saying they're wrong. They are free to keep publishing images like this. The only repercussions will be that some people will cancel their subscriptions and other people will start new ones. And then, bit by bit, they'll have to stop pretending that the images are being perceived by their readers as satire and accept that they are pandering to hate mongers. Go get 'em.