Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Huh, this whole situation just reminded me of an Erich Kästner novel I read as a child ("Pünktchen und Anton"). It had interludes between some of the chapters that were written in cursive font, where the author summarizes what just happened and discusses the characters motives, the implications of their actions and sometimes alludes to personal anecdotes.

In the prologue of the book he wrote that the story is about serious topics he would like to get children to think about, and decided to add the notes for some children who aren't exactly great at that thinking part. In hindsight phrased rather directly and condescendingly (I just looked it up to double check), but I think quite fitting to the situation here, seeing the cartoon first and then reading the clarification.

It's IMO very sad if a cartoonist has to explain the rather thin symbolism because enough people "don't get it" and go directly to pointing and screaming "racist bigots".




I read the cartoon and even read the clarification:

“Since behaviors are the result of choice, I would assert that the woman’s objection to sea lions — which, if the metaphor is understood, is read as actually an objection to human beings who exhibit certain behaviors — is not analogous to a prejudice based on race, species, or other immutable characteristics.”

Sounds exactly like the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from somebody who really wanted to show me some FBI crime statistics :p


I wonder if there is a corollary to the "If everyone you meet is an asshole" maxim when it comes to injected political opinions.


The thing is that we're at a point where I can't tell if you're talking about someone who is always complaining about being accused of being racist, or the people who are always complaining about everything being racist.


"I don't think you've properly thought this through." LMAO




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: