An editorial cartoon that ran in The Georgetown Voice — since redacted — led to a large protest and calls for “discussion” around the Washington, DC school’s campus.
The cartoon, seen below
… depicts then-GUSA executive candidates Chris Wadibia and Meredith Cheney in a horse costume, beaten by now-GUSA president- and vice president-elect Joe Luther and Connor Rohan wielding two bats that read “Satire” and “Heckler.” Two bystanders at the bottom of the cartoon discuss the scene, with one saying, “Should we make them a grave?”
As might be expected of a university-related publication, the powers-that-be at the The G.V. are buckling under the (P.C.) pressure.
[Voice Editor-in-Chief Dayana] Morales Gomez said the cartoon was redacted and removed from the Voice’s website immediately after the newsmagazine heard of the criticism.
“We don’t have a huge staff in the office every week, and most articles and drawings are coming in on production night, so mistakes slip through the cracks,” she wrote in an email. “Sometimes we forget an Oxford comma; sometimes we misattribute a quote. This week we neglected to consider all implications of Page 13’s drawing. The intent of the drawing was to criticize the Heckler, so we were not expecting a response like this. That being said, we have been receptive to the response and have since redacted the drawing. We are working to make sure a drawing like this one never again makes it to print.”
The Voice also issued a formal apology for the cartoon on its website Friday night, and Morales Gomez said that they are in the process of developing guidelines for their cartoon page.
Morales Gomez groveled further, adding the paper “can’t take back the hurt,” and that they’re “working to do better.”
Furthermore, the “current climate” of police brutality made the cartoon even more inappropriate.
Kimberly Blair, organizer of the demonstration, said “[I dislike] the fact that someone with the political climate, with the political climate in this country right now, with police brutality against people of color, can’t see the problem with posting this not just in general, because this is violence, but also with what’s happening in our world right now.”
Chris Wadibia, one of those depicted in the image, said he hopes the cartoon and subsequent reaction “can encourage [a] campus-wide discussion about racism.” But, of course!
Voice cartoonist Dylan Cutler endured his struggle session as could be expected: He “encourage[d] the community to help educate him about his actions and about racism.”
“I stand with you, I ask to be your ally,” Cutler said. “I don’t want to contribute to racism and I don’t want to make anyone feel afraid. It is not my intention to spread a message of hate. I want to help silence the message of hate and it is apparent that I still have a lot to learn in order to do so. So I invite you, please come up, introduce yourself to me and I invite you to teach me. I promise, I’m really not as bad as that cartoon may have led you to believe.”
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IMAGES: YouTube; The Georgetown Voice/Imgur
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