I was shocked and angered upon seeing the cartoon of Yasser Arafat on the opinion page in the April 17 issue of The Daily Tar Heel. Depicted as snarly toothed with exaggerated features and carrying a stick of dynamite in his left hand, this cartoon was at best a poorly conceived caricature and at worst racist propaganda. What cruel irony that the cartoon sat above an editorial entitled "Defying Stereotypes." Accompanying this cartoon was a small box suggesting that the stick of dynamite was Arafat's idea of an "olive branch."
Should 40-plus years of political suffering by the Palestinian people be reduced to such oversimplified racial stereotyping? I don't think so. While I believe in artists' rights to express themselves and to use visual depictions as a means of engaging in political debate, I also believe that with such rights come responsibilities, especially when human life is at issue.
The fact that the artist did not include his or her name is probably the best evidence that they themselves knew this cartoon was reckless and irresponsible. I believe that by publishing a cartoon without listing an artist, the DTH implicitly assumes the cartoon's position as its own. Shame on the DTH editorial staff for turning what is at times a respectable paper into a soapbox for hate.
Stephen Burzio
UNC School of Law
Editor's Note
Because of a production error, David Watson's name was removed from Wednesday's cartoon.
