As I read through the threads of opinion I am overall very pleased to know that ignorance regarding the issue of race is no longer being dismissed by the MAJORITY as, "a harmless joke". This cartoon was not published in the your local "Guide Gazette" (no longer in circulation but used to be the "only news read by those living in Hendricks County-indiana-those that lived there and could read that is!)- This cartoon was approved to be printed in The New York Post! My issue is not with the author/artist, humor, or whether or not I think it should be or should not be featured - My issue is with those who view it and than are ignorant enough or racist enough to argue that anything to do with racism, black vs White, or Obama is completely unintended! Remember bretheren, For the latter to be true - we ALL must also subscribe to the same logic in assesing the artist rendering of the other 2 characters-and I hope even the most "in-bred Jed" or ignorant person reading this would not have the ability to overlook how much time and effort was given to depict both WHITE, fat ass, dumbass, 1/2 retarded cops exactly as they should be depicted!! (sorry....I couldn't stay serious to end---but you get my point!)

There is a long history of African-Americans being compared to apes and monkeys. An African-American is President. Yes, I think it smacks of being racially offensive. Did the cartoonist intend something racist? Probably not. But it's certainly not a stretch to take it that way. The cartoonist used poor judgment. He owes an apology. He should make it and people should move on. People make mistakes. It's a fact of life.

Yeah, let's sit around and discuss stupid news-cycle stories like this while our representatives usurp more of our civil liberties, devalue our money/savings and ensure a future of increasing taxation. Obsession with racial group identity is inherently racist...."diversity" perpetuates racism - let's start thinking in terms of individual liberty and how that liberty is being squashed by the gang of thieves in Washington (both dems and repubs).

I don't find this cartoon offensive at all. Many people (monkeys) are responsible for writing the stimulus package. I think he was grouping them all into the murdered monkey. People need to relax anyway.

If only those same people had the same outrage over the stimulus bill.

Taffy is 100% on this issue, although I can't think of any animal that would be funnier than a monkey, though. Maybe they should have called the so-called stimulus bill for what it was and drew in a retarded kid instead.

my problem is with this cartoon is that there is no sidewalk, the monkey doesnt have a penis, and the cop making the comment seems more freaked out than the one holding the gun.

Ah, when I think about all the cartoons that showed GW with distinctly apeish features... Personally offensive is fine and dandy, racially offensive is a crime. Makes me wonder who's really the 'more evolved' specie.

How did this get twisted into police treatment of African-Americans? This chimp was treated like any escaped tiger or bear from the zoo. Using your reasoning Aaron, it's a f-ing monkey, it's not designed to understand the English language. I presume an English speaking human would have understood attempts by the police to get it to stop.

I saw an interview with the owner this morning and she is a piece of work. The monkey has taken a car for a drive on more than one occasion and caused a ruckus before.

And why wasn't a taser used? What's Chimpanzee for "don't taze me bro!"

And might I also add -- FUCK THE POLICE!

I'm going to have to agree with Taffy on this one. The long history of white's comparing blacks to apes is something most of us understand, and should be ashamed of, not something we think is hilarious. Further more, can we please stop saying the monkey went "crazy"? It's a fucking monkey, not an actor. It's designed to flip-out when threatened or scared. Lesson: Don't raise monkeys!

Also, how many times have we seen cops shoot and kill a black man during a crime? In the same situation would they have been so quick to fire if the suspect was white? I don't think so. Having dealt with police far too often in my life, I can honestly say the cops I've met are far more racist than the general public.

I'm not saying the cartoonist had all of this in mind when creating the pile of shit we now see, but he sure as hell should have given it more thought.

Political cartoons are supposed to reflect issues of the day and I appreciate how the cartoon takes to unrelated big news item and fuses them the point h's trying to make is both the Old Navy Monkey and the Stimulus Bill have LACK OF OVERSIGHT. That is the humor, it's not knee-slapping, hilarious but witty and clever.

We are supposed to be beyond knee-jerk racism red flags. The people who cry foul miss the entire point. Just like they did with the militant knuckle-bump cartoon of Mr. and Mrs. Obama. People who are upset by this are actually the ones who still uphold the racist stereotypes.

Don't know if it's racist. But I'm offended by the lack of humor... :D

Yeah, I'd tend to agree with everything you said. I do think the cartoonist is sitting in his editor's office baffled by the uproar though.

What is obvious about the image, Chris, is in the eye of the beholder. That's the problem with images, they say 1000 things when maybe you only wanted to say one.

You could look at that and think, "the cartoonist thinks a chimp wrote the stimulus bill." You could then make the leap that since our current President, the champion of the stimulus package, is of African descent, and since white racists have long compared people of African descent to primates, that the cartoon at the very least is treading on thin ice.

More than anything I think it's bad, lazy humor. A chimp went crazy, hurt someone and was killed. The cartoonist doesn't like the stimulus package. So...the chimp wrote the stim package? I don't see the connection and it's not funny to me.