Wow, oldlegodad calling out racism! Talk about the kettle…
But he may have a point.
I discovered that some Europeans, Eastern & Northern usually, can be a little insensitive to some racial issues such as oldlegodad seems to be finding in this cartoon. They’re simply not accustomed to blacks in their midst. In Austria I raised reservations about the customary blackening of little children’s faces during Christmas festivities to represent one of the 3 mages, usually Melchior, as black. I was met with blank looks. There wasn’t any malice but I could not make myself understood that this could be seen as condescending.
A black British workmate of mine went to Austria on a skiing trip and came back amused by the reception he received on some of the slopes (all positive even though he was in Carinthia!). He said little children would come to his family’s table in the hotel restaurant and openly gape.
Edit NB: The above comes with a warning that generalisations were used and is anecdotal.
When I was in the Army I was sent TDY to Russia many times. One of my team mates was a black Sergeant First Class that I had known for years. Wherever we went in Russia people would want to have their picture taken with him, because he was the first black man they had ever seen. And an American, to boot! He was long used to it. They would often point and call him Michael Jordan or Michael Jackson. The oddest was when they called him Uncle Ben (from the rice box). None of it was rascist, or even close to conescending. They were merely curious about someone different from themselves. He always took it good naturedly.
Watching how the white Russians treated him always made me realize how much more I had in common with a black American than I ever would have with a white Russian. Being with a fellow American, and soldier, was a closer bond than mere race would ever be.
Lalas, Verdens Gang, for which Hagen does his political cartoons, is a Norwegian tabloid of distinct right-wing tendencies. Source criticism and petty matters like getting names right is hardly their förté. There are, as a matter of fact, newspapers of much higher quality in Norway….
Henri – the point is that in languages of that region the W = V in English and V = W in English. So for THEM it IS spelled correctly. Rekam, in his Amero-centric view, was telling them they spelled it wrong. And for that he/she was wrong.
Because I also have South African nationality and still have a faint accent, some people will let slip their prejudiced view as I’m often assumed to have the old apartheid mentality. This is why I’m wary about many people who seemingly are nice ol’ fellas but privately spout racist nonsense. They give passive racism an innocent façade which I find quite dangerous. The term raghead is extremely offensive, even to my British born British-Iraqi co-worker (just asked him).
The attempt at dehumanising the “enemy” dehumanises everyone.
I’ll admit I’m more sensitive because of own background.
I’ll bear it in mind.
I accept fennec’s defence that you’re not simpleminded, perhaps there’s method in your casual racism and I know you like yanking folks’ chains.
But casual racism is insidious and your comments, especially your last one, show you remain a prejudiced fool despite your reverend reference to MLK.
I will continue challenging your type of racism because if it isn’t, it is the same as condoning it.
Thanks, lalas, for your kind instruction in the finer points of Norwegian orthography - the next time I have to correspond with Skatteetaten concerning my taxes, I’ll be certain to request your help ! While it is indeed the case that the letter «W» is not employed much in Scandinavian languages - prior to the release of the very latest version of the Swedish Academy’s dictionary, for example, entries for words beginning with «W» were listed together with those beginning with «V», as the former was considered a typographical variant of the latter - from what I’ve seen of Norwegian reporting on Mr Kennedy’s death, most chose to spell his given name with a «w». In any event, I stand by my previous characterisation of Verdens Gang - «[s]ource criticism and petty matters like getting names right is hardly their förté»….
rekam Premium Member over 14 years ago
Good, just think Hagen should have checked that we spell the first name as Edward. Looks like he wasn’t sure just what year to put as the birth year.
OmqR-IV.0 over 14 years ago
Wow, oldlegodad calling out racism! Talk about the kettle…
But he may have a point. I discovered that some Europeans, Eastern & Northern usually, can be a little insensitive to some racial issues such as oldlegodad seems to be finding in this cartoon. They’re simply not accustomed to blacks in their midst. In Austria I raised reservations about the customary blackening of little children’s faces during Christmas festivities to represent one of the 3 mages, usually Melchior, as black. I was met with blank looks. There wasn’t any malice but I could not make myself understood that this could be seen as condescending. A black British workmate of mine went to Austria on a skiing trip and came back amused by the reception he received on some of the slopes (all positive even though he was in Carinthia!). He said little children would come to his family’s table in the hotel restaurant and openly gape.
Edit NB: The above comes with a warning that generalisations were used and is anecdotal.
Wildcard24365 over 14 years ago
Skol.
lalas over 14 years ago
Yeah Rekam… it’s all about us.
He’s a Norwegian cartoonist, and I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it was for a Norwegian paper, not just for GoComics.
Durak Premium Member over 14 years ago
When I was in the Army I was sent TDY to Russia many times. One of my team mates was a black Sergeant First Class that I had known for years. Wherever we went in Russia people would want to have their picture taken with him, because he was the first black man they had ever seen. And an American, to boot! He was long used to it. They would often point and call him Michael Jordan or Michael Jackson. The oddest was when they called him Uncle Ben (from the rice box). None of it was rascist, or even close to conescending. They were merely curious about someone different from themselves. He always took it good naturedly.
Watching how the white Russians treated him always made me realize how much more I had in common with a black American than I ever would have with a white Russian. Being with a fellow American, and soldier, was a closer bond than mere race would ever be.
mhenriday over 14 years ago
Lalas, Verdens Gang, for which Hagen does his political cartoons, is a Norwegian tabloid of distinct right-wing tendencies. Source criticism and petty matters like getting names right is hardly their förté. There are, as a matter of fact, newspapers of much higher quality in Norway….
Henri
OmqR-IV.0 over 14 years ago
^ which may lead credence to Oldlego’s charge…
believecommonsense over 14 years ago
dypak, how right you are
lalas over 14 years ago
Henri – the point is that in languages of that region the W = V in English and V = W in English. So for THEM it IS spelled correctly. Rekam, in his Amero-centric view, was telling them they spelled it wrong. And for that he/she was wrong.
OmqR-IV.0 over 14 years ago
If that’s your true sentiment, Oldlegodad, then I cannot understand your usage of “raghead”.
OmqR-IV.0 over 14 years ago
Because I also have South African nationality and still have a faint accent, some people will let slip their prejudiced view as I’m often assumed to have the old apartheid mentality. This is why I’m wary about many people who seemingly are nice ol’ fellas but privately spout racist nonsense. They give passive racism an innocent façade which I find quite dangerous. The term raghead is extremely offensive, even to my British born British-Iraqi co-worker (just asked him). The attempt at dehumanising the “enemy” dehumanises everyone. I’ll admit I’m more sensitive because of own background. I’ll bear it in mind.
OmqR-IV.0 over 14 years ago
I accept fennec’s defence that you’re not simpleminded, perhaps there’s method in your casual racism and I know you like yanking folks’ chains. But casual racism is insidious and your comments, especially your last one, show you remain a prejudiced fool despite your reverend reference to MLK. I will continue challenging your type of racism because if it isn’t, it is the same as condoning it.
mhenriday over 14 years ago
Thanks, lalas, for your kind instruction in the finer points of Norwegian orthography - the next time I have to correspond with Skatteetaten concerning my taxes, I’ll be certain to request your help ! While it is indeed the case that the letter «W» is not employed much in Scandinavian languages - prior to the release of the very latest version of the Swedish Academy’s dictionary, for example, entries for words beginning with «W» were listed together with those beginning with «V», as the former was considered a typographical variant of the latter - from what I’ve seen of Norwegian reporting on Mr Kennedy’s death, most chose to spell his given name with a «w». In any event, I stand by my previous characterisation of Verdens Gang - «[s]ource criticism and petty matters like getting names right is hardly their förté»….
Henri