In defense of The New Yorker

The New Yorker cover

OK, I’ll admit I’m probably one of the only people you’ll hear defend The New Yorker on this, but I’ll only do it tacitly. Its clear the magazine had little intention of actually insinuating that the above cartoon actually represents the Obamas. It is obviously satire. Or is it? The magazine has been a staple of the Northeastern liberal elite crowd for a long time, publishing rather solid journalism with a big focus on the arts. But it has always had the reputation of a magazine that always thought a little too highly of itself. No one ever questioned whether or not they were right or clever, they were just a little to much of a smart ass for everyone else. (Kind of reminds me of someone else I know…)

Of course the cartoon is satire. Of course they knew it would offend, even confuse people. They know Bobby Joe Redneck has never heard of The New Yorker and will see the cartoon and have their prejudices reaffirmed. And they are just fine with that.

You probably don’t remember, but the philosophical sage otherwise known as Seinfeld already commented on The New Yorker years ago in the episode The Cartoon. In the episode, Elaine sees a cartoon from the magazine and can’t figure out the punchline. Thinking her intelligence and “cultured” sense of humor are on the line, she obsesses over it.

(sorry, no video…)

Elaine: You know, maybe Kramer is right, some people should just give up. I have.

Jerry: What did you wanna be?

Elaine: I don’t remember, but it certainly wasn’t this. Look at this cartoon in the New Yorker, I don’t get this.

Jerry: I don’t either.

Elaine: And you’re on the fringe of the humor business.

(George comes in)

George: Hey!

Elaine: Hey! George look at this.

George: That’s cute.

Elaine: You got it?

George: No, never mind.

Elaine: Come on, we’re two intelligent people here. We can figure this out. Now we got a dog and a cat in an office.

Jerry: It looks like my accountant’s office but there’s no pets working there.

Elaine: The cat is saying “I’ve enjoyed reading your e-mail.”

George: Maybe it’s got something to do with that 42 in the corner.

Elaine: It’s a page number.

George: Well, I can’t crack this one.

Elaine: Aahh! This has got to be a mistake.

George: try shaking it…

(Next day at the New Yorker)

Mr. Elinoff: So, J. Peterman wants to hire some of our cartoonists to illustrate your catalog?

Elaine: Well we’re hoping that if perhaps that the catalog is a little funnier, people won’t be so quick to return the clothes ha ha….For example…I…I really do…Well I love this one.

(Elaine shows him the cartoon)

Mr. Elinoff: Oh! Yeah … That’s a rather clever jab at inter office politics don’t you think?

Elaine…Yeah…uh but, Why is it that the, that the animals enjoy reading the email?

Mr. Elinoff: Well Miss Benes, cartoons are like gossamer and one doesn’t dissect gossamer. heh..hemm…

Elaine: Well you don’t have to dissect if you can just tell me. Why this is suppose to be funny?

Mr. Elinoff: Ha! It’s merely a commentary on contemporary mores. (Slides the magazine to her)

Elaine: But, what is the comment? (She slides the magazine back to him)

Mr. Elinoff: It’s a slice of life.

Elaine: No it isn’t.

Mr. Elinoff: Pun?

Elaine: I don’t think so.

Mr. Elinoff: Vorshtein?

Elaine: That’s not a word…..You have no idea what this means do you?

Mr. Elinoff: No.

Elaine: Then why did you print it?

Mr. Elinoff: I liked the kitty.

Elaine: (gets up) You know what? You people should be ashamed of yourself; you know ya doodle a couple of bears at a cocktail party talking about the stock market. You think you’re doing comedy.

Mr. Elinoff: Actually that’s not bad…

I like to do hood rat things…

You may have seen or heard about this video before. I don’t know what is more disturbing, this kid or how hilarious I think this is. I want to take this kid downtown on the weekend and just sit back and see what he does. I’m torn between thinking about the larger implications of what this video says about our society and just laughing in amazement and wanting to watch it over and over and over again.

And part II

“I hope y’all be in prayer.” Seriously…

Dr Phil vs Dr No

OK, so here it goes with the first post… It seems John McCain is hellbent on going tit for tat with the Obama campaign on blunders. “You let a lobbyist into your campaign?” “I’ll staff my entire campaign with lobbyists.” “You see me a Jeremiah Wright?” “I’ll raise you a John Hagee!” And I’m sure you remember when Obama used an unfortunate choice of words to say that people in the Midwest are frustrated by their economic situation. Well, John McCain’s chief economic adviser, former Texas Senator-now-lobbyist-for-UBS Phil Gramm topped that insult.

From the Washington Times:

“You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession,” he said, noting that growth has held up at about 1 percent despite all the publicity over losing jobs to India, China, illegal immigration, housing and credit problems and record oil prices. “We may have a recession; we haven’t had one yet.”

“We have sort of become a nation of whiners,” he said. “You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline” despite a major export boom that is the primary reason that growth continues in the economy, he said.

So, if we are to get this straight, we have nothing to worry about, right? That’s comforting news coming from the guy who was being paid to lobby Congress on behalf of the big mortgage lenders. After all, he was one of the geniuses that helped create the foreclosure crisis. And while it is true that exports are up, is has a lot to do with the dollar being in the crapper, making it cheaper for foreign countries to import our goods, but more expensive for us to do the same.

U.S. Dollar to Euro Exchange Rate

…Yeah, I’m sure folks in places like Cleveland and Pittsburgh took that one real well Senator Sellout.

Of course John McCain responded with his trademark wit, saying that Gramm would be in line for the ambassadorship to Belarus after comments like that. And while I assume that’s all well and good, if McCain says he’s not an economic expert, then touts the advisers he surrounds himself with, then distances himself from them, what are we to believe?