The title of the blog may be misleading but as I looked for articles to write about, I stumbled across a few political cartoons. I scanned over a couple of them and noticed that the features that are exaggerated on Obama seem to make him look and seem more monkey like. This is problematic because blacks/African-Americans have been compared and likened to apes negatively for hundred of years. It leads me to wonder if these type of blatant exaggerations are done purposefully.
This relates loosely to minstrelsy. It may not be black face but it falls between the depiction of the brute and a Sambo. A sambo was always depicted as dumb, subservient, and as having very pronounced features. I know that these political cartoons/propaganda pieces are to serve as humorous takes on certain political issues but I wonder if anyone takes offense to some of the way minority groups are depicted in these drawings.
This is really interesting! Have you thought about doing your paper on one or two of these cartoons? I think it could be a good topic!
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