You're Hired.

I have a dream that goes something along this line. Maybe you've heard it before:

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

You should be familiar with this quote, as it is part of one of the greatest defining speeches ever delivered in America by one of the greatest visionaries of the 20th century, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The last line is the most significant because, interpreted properly, it means that we should treat all people the same, regardless of skin color.

So how is that then, that we in the editorial cartoon field, are to treat Barack Obama differently than other Presidents? Is that not also a form of racism, because are we somehow supposed to be constantly be reminded that he's an African American and he needs special dispensation?

Huh? You mean that we should add to the words of Dr. King's vision to read something like:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character, that is, of course, unless they are to appear in an editorial cartoon. In that case, they need to be treated differently. You know... special.

There is no doubt that there have been real historic abuses when it comes to depicting African Americans and these are highly regrettable. Most editorial cartoonists will have a good idea of the history and will probably do all they can to avoid needlessly offending anyone, so certain references should remain taboo. I'm all for that and will be the first to criticize the first offender. There should be no room anywhere in any publication for these kind of references and images.

But there is a segment of society who look for racists under every rock, as in the recent case of the New York Post, where a cartoonist drew an image of two cops shooting a chimp and saying they'll need to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.

As someone who has been a fan of editorial cartoons for thirty years, who reads them daily and understands them at a level most people probably don't, I have no doubt the cartoonist meant no reference to President Obama. If he did, you can be assured that the editors at the Post would have canned that cartoon and questioned the very credentials of a person who who draw something that vile. The reference to the chimp was an unfortunate one and the cartoonist probably regrets it in hindsight, but the silliness has reached pathetic proportions that would make the Islamic extremists involved in the Danish cartoon fiasco blush.

And, of course, to save face, the people behind the bizarre charges have only one direction and that is to continue the madness. I say, end it. It was, at best, a poor cartoon that didn't communicate what the cartoonist was intending to really say.

I know this. How do I know this? Because I've done it too. Well, not specifically that, but other boneheaded cartoons that I've been fortunately protected from publishing because I have a great team of editors that have always been there for me. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in an idea that we fail to see all the ramifications, or possible interpretations.

That's what a good editor is for. In this case, the Post editors failed, but they should not be completely blamed. When you have the 21st century equivalent of witch hunters in the form of those who call others racists, misogynists and homophobic, then you have little grace to work with.

Next, we'll be throwing people in the water to see if they float. Laughing? You shouldn't be.

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