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Friday, February 20, 2009 | 7:56am
John Legend Writes Open Letter To New York Post Over Racist Obama Cartoon
The singer looks for an apology and encourages advertisers to stop doing business with the paper.
We read about the controversial cartoon that appeared in the New York Post that many people feel is a racist comparison between President Obama and a crazed chimp. People were outraged but the editor didn’t budge and defended the cartoon. Seemed like that was the end of it. However, some aren’t done checking the New York based paper just yet. Check out the open letter singer John Legend wrote to the New York Post. In it he says he will never do an interview with the paper again and is pushing all his fellow entertainers to follow suite. He also asks advertisers to reconsider being associated with what can be seen as a racist plublication.
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
So could that work? Could an entertainer boycott be the modern day sit-in?
Its an interesting tactic. Its basically the same thing that’s been done to ARTISTS especially hip hop artist in recent years. I don’t believe the Post specifically Page 6 relies heavily on “interviews.” They do more the gossip, sightings kind of thing so they likely could still survive.
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I’m intrigued by it. I think he’ll get some to follow his lead.
Good for him! I’m going to do what I can to get the boycott trend moving among the readership!
The post is a paper that I’ve openly spoken out against numerous times on this blog. I feel their “news” is always designed to entertain or insight anger rather than inform. My boycott started long before this cartoon.
BRAVO JOHN, BRAVO!!! If I wasn’t in a public place right now I would stand on top of this table and applaud this man. That’s what I call using your voice with class and grace. He is a well known entity in the music community and beyond and he has taken a stand. Whether they do interviews or not, this letter evokes a message to everyone that there are people out there rich and poor that ain’t havin’ it and neither should you. Artists/Celebrities rarely stand on soap boxes to state their discontent with anything so this makes me very proud of him.
Great point. I didn’t see it that way. The message speaks loud and clear.
I don’t recall the last time I picked up a NY Post to know what entertainment and interview they may cover. But if they are anything like the NY Daily News then he can truly make an impact. He rolls with some heavy hitters, so why not?
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As for advertisers, money talks. You know you get the right group of people together and advertisers will run from the Post like Wrigley’s losing the flavor for Chris Brown.
That’s wassup! I commend John Legend for stepping up on this matter, I feel something more should be done.
The effectiveness of an entertainer boycotting the Post goes beyond merely him not doing any interviews with them. He is shining a bright light onto the nefarious actions of the Post. His letter is poignant, and anyone who reads it can clearly understand the real issue of this controversy.
His quick response is crucial as well, and if more people can be persuaded to join this boycott it would be an effective way demonstrate the resolve of Americans to heal the wounds of racism. Perhaps something truly good can come from something evil.
What if the same cartoon had been published while Bush was still in office?
Why can’t it be published now?
It’s not the cartoonist’s fault that racists have historically compared blacks to monkeys. I don’t believe free speech should suffer for the past mistakes made by the willfully or accidentally ignorant. And I don’t believe we’ll ever get past any lingering “black person = monkey” stereotypes if we can never allow a cartoon of a monkey to be printed with so much as a tangential reference to a black person.
goo shit johhny
Like John Legend stated “free speech comes with consequences. Example the Bill Oreilly/Luda incident. Ludacris a rapper, whose albums adhere to the federal warnings indicating explicit content was attacked for the lyrics in the midst of a multi million dollar pepsi sponsorship. No different however people don’t expect to see blatantly rasict columns from a syndicated publication such as this. But keep in mind this paper New York Post under parent co News Corp owned or chaired by billionaire Rupert Murdoch of Fox News also. Lets speculate on employment policies or practices; you have the cartoonist you have oreily and a whole host of other affiliates who propogate racism and controversial issues pertaining to race. They all knew what they were doing and the impact that it would have, which is why even after the rhetorical questions were asked John Legend says “Im boycotting an encourage other entertainers to do so as well” as going after sponsors and advertisers. Obama wasnt only voted into office by blacks so this cartoon, the cartoonist, the editors, content filterers, defenders/supporters of the cartoon/newpaper itself, as well as all responsible management, whether chairman, ceo, or president of the publication/parent company and profiting affiliates should all receive that stain of being openly racist proponents engaged in old psychological warfare tactics, which in this new era border “terrorism”. The apoligy was not the end. The apoligy was the admission of wronging the sensibilities of most reasonable americans. But we as black Americans, who have lost enough, whether financially or mentally, especially being in many helpless positions, where this type of graphic has gone openly unchecked, need to check these this right now. John Legend is a start and built a framework. Nothing matters more to any company than profits; a national organized boycott of the publication it’s advertisers and sponsors. John Legend was one of the younger generation to take a real stand, I agree with him and the content of the letter he wrote. I personally encourage all readers of this post to do the same, not just with Rupert Murdoch, News Corp (NWS), NY Post, Fox News and their affiliates but also any bigotry or rascist content openly or covertly/on the sly. But to make our voices and dissent be heard and recognized through declining profits, loss contracts, sponsorships, in a country everyone of us has sacriiced much for not to be attacked with loss of jobs, bad schools, and racist content from news or information resources.
I’m not sure if you had a chance to see Rupert Murdoch’s “apology.” It was somewhat comical and very late. I agree with what you’re saying but I think we need to keep our eye on the prize. My man JaySmooth from illDoctrine summed it up best.
good issh
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