I reported last week of a University of Virginia student who had two highly controversial cartoons published in the student paper – the Cavalier Daily. The cartoonist has issued an apology and has asked that the cartoons be removed from the paper’s web site.
The apology:
“The sole intent of my comic strip is to present situations that provoke thought and amusement,” cartoonist Grant Woolard wrote in a statement. “As this comic did not achieve that goal, I have requested that it be taken down from the Cavalier Daily Web site.
“I apologize for the offense that this comic has produced.”
The newspaper and university received over 2000 complaints from across the nation and was the topic of discussion on Bill O’Reilly’s Fox TV show where he urged alumni to withhold donations until an apology is issued.
Religion and cartoons have been a touchy subject this year. When it comes to matters like this, I can’t help but remember an old say, “just because you have the right to do something, doesn’t make it the right thing to do.”
Hmmm. I checked out the cartoons, and I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ve certainly seen far worse. It’s too bad the cartoonist blinked. The worst thing to do in a situation like this is blink, especially when the cartoonist already knew what his intent was or was not. Now he’s saying he’s wrong, after already saying he only wanted to provoke thought/comment, not to bash any one or any religion in particular. I think blinking here is a wee bit unprofessional, even for a college paper cartoonist. After all, if you’re going to satirize a religious or other, similarly sensitive topic, you have to be prepared to take some heat. This seems like a classic case of “if you can’t take the heat, stay outta the kitchen.”
Hmmm. I checked out the cartoons, and I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ve certainly seen far worse. It’s too bad the cartoonist blinked. The worst thing to do in a situation like this is blink, especially when the cartoonist already knew what his intent was or was not. Now he’s saying he’s wrong, after already saying he only wanted to provoke thought/comment, not to bash any one or any religion in particular. I think blinking here is a wee bit unprofessional, even for a college paper cartoonist. After all, if you’re going to satirize a religious or other, similarly sensitive topic, you have to be prepared to take some heat. This seems like a classic case of “if you can’t take the heat, stay outta the kitchen.”