"South Park" is a really funny show. Partly because of the bad animation, and partly because of Cartman's voice, but mostly because it pokes fun at every possible facet of human life.
While we all make fun of one thing or another, hopefully most of us are guilty only of good-natured ribbing rather than making mean-spirited remarks. There has recently been a bit of controversy with some of the cartoons and articles appearing in this newspaper. A few have been truly offensive, but most have been simply in jest. Students need to learn to differentiate between the two, and frankly, lighten up a little.
Most of us either remember or have heard about the editorial cartoon that appeared on March 26. One side of the cartoon showed a woman and her child cowering as bombs exploded in the background, presumably a reference to the war in Iraq. The other side depicted the first plane about to hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. Between the two pictures was an equals sign and a question mark, looking something like =? The cartoon implied that our current actions in Iraq are equivalent to the actions of the terrorists on Sept. 11.
Political cartoons are, by definition, political. They are not intended to be humorous so much as they are intended to convey a message. "Edtoons," like editorials, are meant to pose questions, provoke thought, and sway the opinions of others. It is only natural that some students, especially those who lost friends or family on Sept. 11, or those who have friends or family overseas in the armed forces, would take offense at such a comparison. The intent of the artist, like an opinion columnist, is to provoke such a reaction in order to get people thinking about the subject at hand.
However, the cartoons that appear in the Comics section of The Cavalier Daily have a different intent than those that appear in the Opinion section as political cartoons. The comics are, for the most part, intended for entertainment only, not as vehicles for deeper political messages. One such example of this is the cartoon that appeared on March 28 entitled "Secret Asian Man."
The cartoon consists of an Asian man trying to keep his Asian identity a secret, but then saying things like "heh-roh" instead of "hello." The comic evokes a stereotypical "Asian accent."
I'm Irish. We get made fun of all the time, mostly with jokes involving Guinness or potatoes. And I think it's hysterical. I do not take offense at these exaggerated generalizations of Irish people. They do not refer to or target me specifically, nor are they meant to be taken as a serious indication of how the rest of the world views the Irish.
Likewise, the author of the comic strip didn't mean to imply anything derogatory about Asians. He simply capitalized on a common misconception which everyone knows is so ridiculous, it's comical. Anyone who's seen "Revenge of the Nerds" or "A Christmas Story" knows that this "Asian accent" has been a part of mainstream media for years, and is in no way meant to be taken as an accurate representation of Asian culture. I hardly think that anyone who laughed at the Chinese restaurant scene in "A Christmas Story" came away thinking anything insulting about Chinese people. It's just a joke. Nothing more.
Half of the Comics page contains material which could be interpreted as offensive, yet I assume that the artists do not intend their cartoons to be taken literally. It is not my place to say what does and does not offend others, but more often than not, it is simply a waste of energy to take offense at a cartoon that meant none.
Similarly, there has been a small stirring over an article that appeared in the April Fool's edition of The Cavalier Daily entitled "Whiteface party sparks controversy." The article described students showing up at a party in "whiteface" and dressed as the Olsen twins, among others. The piece was a reference to last year's incidents where white students came to a party in blackface.
It was, in my opinion, a pretty funny article. In reading it, it was clear that it was not intended to demean last year's events or to insult anyone affected by the incident. The whole point of the April Fool's edition is to be lighthearted, funny, and mostly importantly, not serious. That's why it's called April Fool's Day. While the events that happened last year are nothing to laugh about, frat boys dressing up as Mary-Kate Olsen is. The intent of the article was simply to make people laugh, and they will, if they just lighten up a little.
Some jokes are truly offensive, and sometimes The Cavalier Daily prints articles or cartoons with which students are rightly upset. But for the most part, everyone just needs to relax, and differentiate between what is truly offensive and what is a simple joke. While it is obviously not right to cruelly mock people or events, we shouldn't get so upset over a little good-natured teasing that was never meant to insult anyone. In the words of the great philosopher Jack Handey, "come on, life is funny."
(Kristin Brown's column normally appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at kbrown@cavalierdaily.com.)
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