John Legend - Letter To The New York Post

Open Letter to the New York Post
Dear Editor:

I'm trying to understand what possible motivation you may have had for publishing that vile cartoon depicting the shooting of the chimpanzee that went crazy. I guess you thought it would be funny to suggest that whomever was responsible for writing the Economic Recovery legislation must have the intelligence and judgment of a deranged, violent chimpanzee, and should be shot to protect the larger community. Really? Did it occur to you that this suggestion would imply a connection between President Barack Obama and the deranged chimpanzee? Did it occur to you that our President has been receiving death threats since early in his candidacy? Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery? Did you intend to invoke these painful themes when you printed the cartoon?

If that's not what you intended, then it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots. If it is what you intended, then you obviously wanted to be grossly provocative, racist and offensive to the sensibilities of most reasonable Americans. Either way, you should not have printed this cartoon, and the fact that you did is truly reprehensible. I can't imagine what possible justification you have for this. I've read your lame statement in response to the outrage you provoked. Shame on you for dodging the real issue and then using the letter as an opportunity to attack Rev. Sharpton. This is not about Rev. Sharpton. It's about the cartoon being blatantly racist and offensive.

I believe in freedom of speech, and you have every right to print what you want. But freedom of speech still comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are responsible for printing this cartoon, and I hope you experience some real consequences for it. I'm personally boycotting your paper and won't do any interviews with any of your reporters, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the entertainment business to do so as well. I implore your advertisers to seriously reconsider their business relationships with you as well.

You should print an apology in your paper acknowledging that this cartoon was ignorant, offensive and racist and should not have been printed.

I'm well aware of our country's history of racism and violence, but I truly believe we are better than this filth. As we attempt to rise above our difficult past and look toward a better future, we don't need the New York Post to resurrect the images of Jim Crow to deride the new administration and put black folks in our place. Please feel free to criticize and honestly evaluate our new President, but do so without the incendiary images and rhetoric.

Sincerely,
John Legend

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Comment by metacurious on February 28, 2009 at 8:30am: http://metacurious.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/i-am-not-longer-afraid-to-tell-the-truth/
This is my long commentary on this very post. Enjoy my views and opinions.

Comment by Larie on February 25, 2009 at 6:29am: To ameriki13,

I am just going to say this, nobody is playing the race card, and furthermore I am so sick and tired of people
feeling that racial imagery does not exist. It is still hear and you and I damn well know that the ape was Obama. Please do not be condescending(as some right-wing whites, I do not know your race) to the fact that congress was not being depicted as the ape it was obama, I guess Rodney King deserved to get the crap beat out of him and the nypd had a right to shoot an African immigrant 41 times. Since we finally have a Black president, we are gonna play it safe and say no that all the caucasion population is happy(lol) hardy har har har.

Comment by Denise Bethune on February 21, 2009 at 8:43pm: ameriki13 as far as I am concerned it doesn't matter whom it was or was not geared towards...violence is violence..and this cartoon displayed just that...violence...

Comment by ameriki1 on February 21, 2009 at 8:35pm: This cartoon refered to Congress and not to President Obama. The President did not draft this piece of legislation. It was drafted by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. If you read the Constitution you will see that Congress draws up bills not the executive branch. George Bush was drawn as a monkey in many political cartoons, was that racist? Also there have been many threats to kill him from the far left. This cartoon refered to the inept performance of Congress in responce to the current economic disaster. If you are looking for a racist you should look into the mirror. President Obama is fair game for criticism as was President Bush. Stop playing the race card, it is over now there is an American president who is Black. Time to grow up and take criticsm like whites do. If we were such a racist country President Obama would not have won by a landslide as most of this countries registered voters are white. Time to play by the same rules as whites and take the same criticisms without trying to unfairly silence all of the critics of the Democratic party as racists.

Comment by Denise Bethune on February 21, 2009 at 11:25am: Rooney cartoon or not..we live in a violent society as it is...a society that takes acts of violence as a way in which to sell or bring attention to themselves is babylon.. ..and if you have such a great education why us so much profanity..?

Comment by Linda Shields on February 21, 2009 at 11:10am: I'm so happy to see this post.

It was shocking and most displeasurable to have been exposed to that "horrid thing" re: ape.

I couldn't imagine the thoughtlessness and carelessness of the mindset behind it.

Thanks so much for your words. You speak my heart!