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En estos dias estuve visitando la biblioteca de mi vecindario. Encontre un libro titulado "Historia del Humor Grafico en Puerto Rico escrito por Arturo Yepez. El libro es una recopilacion de satira politica a traves de la historia en Puerto Rico.
Hay personas que piensan que la satira politica es subversiva. Al principio del siglo 18 tambien se alegaba que una mayoria de los ciudadanos era analfabeta y que a la prensa en vez de escribir le era mas facil usar caricaturas y dibujos para presentar un mensaje.
Este dibujo que inclui es una caricatura del presidente Barrack Obama y su esposa que la revista The New Yorker habia publicado en su portada. Los presenta con vestimenta de Muslims, la bandera Americana siendo quemada y un retrato de Osama bin laden en la pared. A el editor de la revista lo criticaron mucho por publicar el dibujo.
Hace dos años, el New York Post publico una caricatura de dos policias parados frente al cuerpo de un chimpanzee que ellos balacearon. Ocurrio mas o menos al mismo tiempo que un chimpanze en Conecticut ataco una mujer y le desfiguro la cara. En la caricatura uno de los policias le dice al otro, "ahora tienen que que encontrar otra persona que escriba el stimulus bill". A pesar de la critica que ha surgido por el dibujo, el editor de el periodico defendio la decision de publicarlo cuando dijo, "la caricatura es una parodia de noticias de la actualidad, la muerte de un violento chimpanzee y a la vez estamos burlandonos de la decision de Washington de estimular la economia."
En la politica en Estados Unidos, algunas personas criticaron el dibujo como racista e insensitivo. Alegaron que el dibujo caracterizaba a el presidente como un chimpanzee salvaje. Otros alegaron que el stimulus bill estaba tan mal preparado que hasta un chimpanzee lo pudo haber escrito.
Me imagino han visto la pelicula El Planeta de los Simios del año 2001, protagonizada por Mark Walberg. Al final de la pelicula cuando el regreso a el planeta tierra despues de viajar a traves del tiempo, aterriza en las escaleras del monumento de Lincoln en Washington DC. Cual es su sorpresa cuando al llegar el se encuentra rodeado de chimpanzees.
Quizas es cierto que chimpanzees son los que aprobaron el stimulus bill en Washington DC dandole gratuitamente a los multimillonarios el dinero sacado de el bolsillo de nosotros los pobres.
Este articulo fue originalmente escrito en marzo del 2010, hoy salio una noticia en el periodico Primera Hora en Puerto Rico que habla del mismo tema, Repudian Censura de Caricaturas en Puerto Rico.
English version:
I was at the library the other day and found a book titled “Historia del Humor Grafico en Puerto Rico” written by Arturo Yepez. The book is a compilation of political satire thru out history in Puerto Rico. It basically covers over a hundred years of Puerto Rico’s history using satire and the influence of caricature in politics. If you have spent time in Puerto Rico you are probably aware that, “la política es el deporte nacional de nosotros los puertorriqueños”.
We know that political satire using caricatures is regarded by some people as dangerous. In the 1800’s there was a belief in some circles that large part of the citizens were illiterate and that it was easier to use caricatures or drawings to deliver the message instead of words.
In some countries the government have tried to ban or censor caricatures, it is perceived as subversive and as a threat to government stability. And other nations have forbidden the publication of caricature drawings as to not offend their allies or their relationships with other governments. And we all know the worldwide uproar riots that ensued concerning the caricature of Islam prophet Muhammad that was published in Sweden in 2007. In fact, a group of people, including American women, were recently arrested and has been charged with providing material support for terrorists in connection with a plot to kill Swedish artist Lars Vilk, Muhammad’s cartoonist.
I am sure you remember the satire caricature (included at the top of this post) The New Yorker used in their magazine cover summer 2008 depicting Barrack Obama and his wife wearing Muslim traditional attire. The caricature included a burning American flag in the fireplace and a picture of bin Laden on the Oval Office wall. The New Yorker editor took a lot of heat for their decision to post the drawing but they did it anyway, and sold tons of copies of it. Clearly controversy sells.
Two years ago, I remember a caricature on the The New York Post of two police officers standing over the body of a bullet riddled chimpanzee. On the caricature one of the officers says to the other, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill." Post Editor in Chief Col Allan defended posting the cartoon and said, "The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut and it broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy.”
So as expected, depending on what side of the political fence you are in, some people called the NY Post cartoon racist and insensitive. Some said it compared the president to a rabid chimp, others claimed the stimulus bill was so bad, monkeys may as well have written it.
If you've watched the 2001 movie version of Planet of the Apes starring Mark Walberg, at the conclusion of the movie upon his return to earth, he lands at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. He is shocked to find himself surrounded by apes. So who knows, maybe monkees were the ones who passed the stimulus bills in Washington DC, basically giving away our hard earned money to all those multibillionaire corporations.
Rumor has it, that these are the same monkees who visited Puerto Rico earlier this year disguised as a White House Task Force holding “listening hearings” about Puerto Rico’s status.
This post was originally written March 2010, it has been revisited thanks to todays Puerto Rico's Primera Hora newspaper report, Repudian Censura de Caricaturas en Puerto Rico.
jaja super comico el dibujo. cual es el miedo a los dibujos? de verdad que no entiendo...
Publicado por: Darko | 09/15/2010 en 01:28 p.m.
Well, I love cartoons, caricatures and all the political satire expressed through them.As Mike Judge said:"It seems like there's a lot of people who just do not understand satire. They think it's weird. There's people who just don't understand you portray something or just explore a character, it means you're condoning it, saying this is the way to live." I personally find political satire very entertaining.
Publicado por: Anastasia | 09/15/2010 en 04:36 p.m.
Darko, el miedo a los dibujos usualmente es porque la caricatura es una critica al gobierno en el poder.
Anastacia, me too, to me political satire is an expression of free speech.
Publicado por: Kofla Olivieri | 09/15/2010 en 08:14 p.m.
That's right,Kofla, in so far as it's inoffensive.
Publicado por: Anastasia | 09/19/2010 en 05:10 a.m.
Very true Anastacia.
Publicado por: Kofla Olivieri | 09/20/2010 en 07:29 a.m.