The (sort of) Newly Permissible Racist Cartooning

In general, (overtly) racist cartoon caricatures of most ethnic groups have become passe. (With the glaring exception of caricatures of Native Americans, which still appear everywhere from malt liquor bottles and sports team logos to "funny" gag cartoons like this one or this one). But, in general, it is no longer considered cool to draw blacks as Aunt Jemima/Sambo or Asians as the Yellow Peril (though this rule was heavily relaxed during the Wen Ho Lee mess a few years back, when it became OK to draw Chinese men with giant buck teeth and glasses).

But especially since September 11th, it seems that cartoonists have been given unlimited license to make Arab noses as long and hooked as they like. Nothing is out of bounds in demonizing "the enemy." For example, cartoonist Daryl Cagle (host of the immensely useful Cagle Cartooning Index) has depicted Islamic militants as half-monkeys who aren't as highly evolved as Americans. And in this cartoon, he basically states that all men in Afghanistan look just like Osama Bin Laden.

Wait! It gets worse. Check out this popular new animated political cartoon from Don Asmussen called the Al Qaeda Training Handbook... if you can stomach it. You can also see comments about the piece and add your own. My comment: "Since when are racist imitation Arab accents, mocking Islam, and showing dark-skinned people blown to bits funny? Oh yeah, since September 11th. Lucky for racists who miss the days of Aunt Jemima and Charlie Chan, we now have unlimited license to mock Middle Eastern and/or Arab people. This is more like the Ignorant American Racist Training Handbook."