In the wake of Thursday’s cartoon, concern from students, alumni and faculty about The Daily Tar Heel’s motives and mission is at an all-time high. We will not make assumptions about the editors’ intentions, but we would like to address the reaction the cartoon caused.
We stress to the DTH that there is power in the words and pictures that they choose to publish. This power has the ability to inspire as well as damage the thoughts of its readers.
This particular editorial cartoon did not inspire, nor did it make us laugh. It hurt a number of people, and we are not convinced that the DTH recognizes this fact.
When we and others (regardless of their race) looked at the back page of this newspaper yesterday, the first thing we saw was a young man’s body lying dead. There was nothing funny about it.
The DTH must accept ownership for its content. If an apology is in order — which it is in this case — the most important thing is to make it clear that those responsible are truly sorry, not to justify the actions for which they claim to be sorry.
This piece did not provoke our intellectual minds, but it damaged our feelings and brought out a level of discomfort and even hatred from some people.
An issue like this demonstrates the need for more diversity of thought among the writers and editors on the DTH’s staff. Their continual insensitivity to the racial and cultural implications of their work is very problematic.
The DTH’s purpose is to be the voice of the University, not to polarize the student body. For this reason, members of the University community are now mobilizing to ensure that the DTH never forgets its purpose — and makes systemic changes to better execute this purpose.
This is not an issue solely based on race. The depiction of Trayvon Martin’s body was highly insensitive and morally questionable. Satire may have been the intention, but the cartoon missed the mark.
