I’ve had a brainsick hebdomad since I drew a sketch of the Mexican flag [ see above ] . with the bird of Jove shooting dead by a watercourse of machine gun slugs. The sketch illustrates the awful force in Mexico. Since President Felipe Calderon announced his war on the drug trusts. over 28. 000 people have been killed in a civil war that shows no mark of easing. I got a spirited. angry reaction on my web log and in electronic mails from Mexican readers who objected to my “desecration of the sacred Mexican flag. ”
My sketch appeared at the same clip as Calderon‘s province of the brotherhood reference to Mexico’s Congress in which Calderon claimed to be doing advancement in the worsening drug war. Mexico’s conservative. national newspaper Reforma. and other documents in their concatenation. published my sketch at the top of their front pages. The convenient timing of my sketch “scandal” was an chance for Reforma to do an effectual forepart page excavation at Calderon. and shortly the sketch was picked up by about all of the other Mexican newspapers. The Mexican Embassy in Washington responded to the sketch with a missive to my place publication. msnbc. com. stoking the sketch contention even more.
Many outraged Mexican readers pointed out that it is against the jurisprudence in Mexico to change the image of the flag – a jurisprudence that didn’t deter Mexican newspapers from publishing the sketch.
There are natural nervousnesss all about. I’m still being deluged with on-line remarks and electronic mails. half from angry Mexicans who think the image of their flag must ne’er be tampered with. The Mexican mail is laced with colourful profanity. about how America is the cause of all of Mexico’s jobs. with our demand for drugs and our guns fueling the force.
The remainder of the responses are supportive of my sketch. some from Mexicans who say my sketch describes how they feel. others from angry Americans who see any unfavorable judgment of Mexico as supportive of their anti-immigrant ardor. Conservative readers seem to take hilarity in directing me tonss of exposures of Mexicans disrespecting American flags in every conceivable manner. The Mexican readers write that the American flag is “not the same” and “you Americans respect nil – you wear your flag in your underwear! ” ( The flag-underwear mention is a popular one. ) I besides hear a batch about how “you Americans use your ‘freedom of speech’ to stool on everyone else! ”
Another popular statement is that the “sacred” Mexican flag is merely like the Prophet Muhammad. and no cartoonist should make bold to pull the Mexican flag merely as they wouldn’t daring to pull Muhammad. I by and large respect spiritual beliefs and I shy off from faith bashing in my sketchs. but I don’t allow the same regard to authoritiess. It is the function of editorial cartoonists to knock authoritiess and states. and to utilize the symbols of states in our sketchs. Cartoonists all around the universe usage flags in their sketchs and no state can choose out of unfavorable judgment because they view their ain flag as “sacred” . This attitude outrages my Mexican critics. particularly since it comes from an ugly. foreign. American cartoonist.
Ever since the Danish Muhammad sketch crisis I get mail on assorted subjects. from readers who want piquing sketchs removed. demanding apologies– “just like with the Danish Muhammad sketchs. “ In the old yearss readers would compose thoughtful letters to the editor of their newspaper ; now readers expect to interact in existent clip with the cartoonist ; they want to strike back and acquire requital for the sensed discourtesy. A few hot-button subjects ever get the responses: Mexico/immigration. the Confederate conflict flag. abortion. gun control. Israel vs. the Palestinians and Islam. The electronic mails are ever the same: punish. fire or educate the ignorant. racist cartoonist ; ban the subject in sketchs ; apologise.
Part of the clash comes from a basic misinterpretation of what an column sketch is – some people think editorial sketchs are supposed to be amusing gags. A good column sketch might be amusing. it might do readers shout. or believe – and sometimes a sketch that makes readers angry is the most effectual sketch of all.
Read more at hypertext transfer protocol: //themoderatevoice. com/85153/my-mexican-flag-cartoon-and-angry-readers-guest-voice/ # SzQIDtHoKgae2Ylp. 99
