OlderJohn Legend’s Open Letter To NY Post
The New York Post has apologized for a Sean Delonas cartoon that supposedly compared President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee.
The drawing showed two policemen over the body of a chimpanzee they’ve just shot as one officer says, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”
Neo-soul John Legend had written an open letter to the NY Post about it:
Dear Editor: I’m trying to understand what possible motivation you may have had for publishing that vile cartoon depicting the shooting of the chimpanzee that went crazy. I guess you thought it would be funny to suggest that whomever was responsible for writing the Economic Recovery legislation must have the intelligence and judgment of a deranged, violent chimpanzee, and should be shot to protect the larger community. Really? Did it occur to you that this suggestion would imply a connection between President Barack Obama and the deranged chimpanzee? Did it occur to you that our President has been receiving death threats since early in his candidacy? Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery? Did you intend to invoke these painful themes when you printed the cartoon?
(Click inside to continue reading John Legend’s letter…)
If that’s not what you intended, then it was stupid and willfully ignorant of you not to connect these easily connectable dots. If it is what you intended, then you obviously wanted to be grossly provocative, racist and offensive to the sensibilities of most reasonable Americans. Either way, you should not have printed this cartoon, and the fact that you did is truly reprehensible. I can’t imagine what possible justification you have for this. I’ve read your lame statement in response to the outrage you provoked. Shame on you for dodging the real issue and then using the letter as an opportunity to attack Rev. Sharpton. This is not about Rev. Sharpton. It’s about the cartoon being blatantly racist and offensive.
I believe in freedom of speech, and you have every right to print what you want. But freedom of speech still comes with responsibilities and consequences. You are responsible for printing this cartoon, and I hope you experience some real consequences for it. I’m personally boycotting your paper and won’t do any interviews with any of your reporters, and I encourage all of my colleagues in the entertainment business to do so as well. I implore your advertisers to seriously reconsider their business relationships with you as well.
You should print an apology in your paper acknowledging that this cartoon was ignorant, offensive and racist and should not have been printed.
I’m well aware of our country’s history of racism and violence, but I truly believe we are better than this filth. As we attempt to rise above our difficult past and look toward a better future, we don’t need the New York Post to resurrect the images of Jim Crow to deride the new administration and put black folks in our place. Please feel free to criticize and honestly evaluate our new President, but do so without the incendiary images and rhetoric.
Sincerely,
John Legend
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153 Comments
Learn your history!! WHOLE REASON FOR SLAVERY WAS THE FACT THAT WHITES SAW BLACKS AS SUB-HUMAN PRIMATES—-MONKEYS—who were put on this earth like beasts to serve them.
They new exactly what they were doing.
Excellent letter John Legend.
I agree that the racial undertones of this cartoon are truly offensive. However, it’s a little crazy how willing people are to call Bush a monkey and suggest he should go to hell (#11) versus a CARTOON that maybe has a connection to Obama. I’m looking forward to the day when the media’s love affair with Obama and hate for Bush no longer affect everyone’s emotions. Maybe one day we’ll all be able to formulate our own thoughts and feelings about politics, rather than be told what to think by the media. A president is a president, no matter what his race or skin color, and should be respected because of the fact that he is president.
John is always so intelligent. I agree 100 percent with him!
Please… has anyone ever heard the saying, it’s so easy a monkey could do it? I think that is the theme of the cartoon. I am so sick of people playing the race card, it wasn’t intended to be racist & I don’t think the NYP should have apologized.
lopz723
Nobody have to “play” any race card if people weren’t so ignorant and racist
Well Said, bravo to Mr. Legend.
John Legend is a genius! He obviously isn’t racist because he’s black too?
#27
I never thought of it that way, I guess it would be like calling a man a **** and then calling a woman a ****. Only one person would be truly offended
Love the man even more now!
Did it occur to you that blacks have historically been compared to various apes as a way of racist insult and mockery?
Well said JL
Well said. I agree with it all
lol
u no the times did that on purpose so they can get attention
honestly i think most of the media does that so they can sell
ex. obama as a terrorist on some magazine
i found it pretty funny tbh, i always laugh at jokes =]
as a hispanic, i find hispanic jokes funny as well
ppl need 2 laugh sometimes
but i do agree there r some jokes that really push it, doesnt wasnt 1 imo
thats why i love the lakers, i love LA, tons of hispanics “i can relate to” there =]
this is an offensive cartoon, so why does this site feel the need to display the offensive cartoon? why do other papers and no doubt the tv stations have to show something so offensive in the name of reporting a story. It’s offensive. full stop
That was brilliant. I wish the editor of the NY Post had such obvious intelligence.
Thank you John Legend. I am appalled and sickened by that disturbing cartoon, the NY Post put up.
We American citizens should not tolerate it, and we should let the newspapers, and rags know that we will not tolerate it.
We back our new president 100%. We have his back, and will not tolerate any threats/subtle threats to him.
President Obama is trying to help us out of a mess he inherited from the Bush Adm.
Jared, please do your research. If you read the paper or were up on current events, you would know that the writer of the stimulus bill was Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, not Barack Obama. This cartoon was not about Obama. I guess you, like most other liberals, are always willing to see race in everything. I’m black and even I didn’t think this was about Barack Obama.
But, I knew this kind of stuff was going to happen once Barack got elected. People, get used to every little thing being about race.
Blacks have been compared to monkeys since slavery! Of course it’s racist! And Bush?! Give me a break. Go out and call a white perosn a monkey then go call a black person a monkey and guess who’s going to get more offended.
Well said JL.
blacks are so frickin sensitive, every day you hear about someone whining about what some white person say or does, but its okay for a brotha to say something because hes a brotha.. please
Wow NY post should seriously be ashamed. John legend is such a stand up guy and is competly correct in what he said and I think we should all boycott the New York Post. It won’t be hard for me since I don’t read it anyways.
But woow JOHN LEGEND IS AMAZING AND SO GREAT FOR SPEAKING UP!
President Obama doesn’t write legislation. Congress writes legislation. The monkey is not supposed to be the President. The monkey is congress. Maybe Pelosi or maybe Reid. Someone the artist obviously thought was deranged.
It was an obvious source for a joke since the shooting of a deranged monkey wrecking havoc was so prominently in the news.
I’m probably more sensitive than most about such things and I never for a second thought that was supposed to be the President. Perhaps I just understand legislation better. It does, however, bear a striking resemblance to the too-tightly pulled face of Congresswoman Pelosi.
I’m sorry that some peope have misinterpreted this to the point of taking offense but this really was a non-story hijacked by publicity seekers.
sillyme
Yea Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid wrote the bill…but there is only ONE dead monkey NOT TWO OR 100. Because if this bill doesn’t work…Obama may not have physically written… the bill but it’s OBAMA’S bill
Which means one dead ****** oh sorry monkey
#27 heck - i hate to tell you this but black people sold blacks into slavery. blacks were not the only people to be enslaved but they are the only ones who cant get over it.
Great letter.
quit thinking everything about a monkey is black related..what are you paranoid?
John legend , stick to music..
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