EDITORIAL
Outcry worse than
offensive cartoon
On Jan. 15, the United States launched Operation
Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf region. In Bend, resi
dents wanted to lynch the editorial cartoonist of Cen
tral Oregon Community College’s student newspaper,
the Broadside.
Jim Winkle published a cartoon fn the paper that
was a take-off on the Dewar Scotch "profile" ads. The
text from that cartoon is printed below.
The cartoon, considered grossly offensive by a
large number of Bend residents, caused a furor in the
community. The editor of the paper and the cartoonist
each received death threats and the school was bom
barded with phone calls and letters voicing com
plaints. Letters to the editor in the Bend Bulletin the
week following the cartoon were extremely critical of
Winkle, Todd Pittman, the Broadside editor, its adviser
and the college itself.
Threats that citizens “will remember this when it
comes time to vote on anything involving the college”
have been made, along with a boycott of the paper’s
advertisers.
However, like most student newspapers, the edito
rial control is not in the hands of college administra
tors. It is correctly left to the Judgment of students. De
nying funding for the college is misplaced vengeance.
Do Bend residents really want to punish every student
in the school because of decisions made by one or two
people?
Many of the offended have said the cartoon was
immature and ill thought. But punishing the entire
school is also immature and not well thought out. As is
usually the case with an angry mob mentality, logical
thought has been thrown out the window.
Obviously, people have the right to be offended by
the cartoon. But they should take enough time off from
their efforts at tarring and feathering Pittman and
Winkler to read the Bill of Rights. The Broadside had
as much right to run the cartoon as others have to com
pluin about it. Freedom, the word most associated with
justification for the war, means tolerance. That means
having to hear or read things you may not agree with or
that offend you. Without tolerance, freedom means
nothing.
Winkle says he was only trying to bring out the ug
liness of stereotyping. The cartoon failed to do so and
simply offended people. Letters to the editors of the
community and college papers may be deserved, but
that is as far as the controversy should go. All of the
other threats that have been made are slaps in the face
of the Constitution of this country.
Finally, couldn’t all of the energy that has boen
wasted persecuting these two college students be better
spent discussing the war and educating people about
the history and politics that started it in the first place?
Free speech or insult?
Editor's note: The text from the controversial car
toon and an explanation by the cartoonist arc printed
below.
HOME: The Great Satan
AGE: Young enough to be scared by the responsibilities
of college.
PROFESSION: Contributor to Northrop and McDonnel
Douglas Corporations .
LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Sent to the Middle East
to remind the Arab world why they hate Americans.
LAST BOOK READ: High school history book.
HOBBY: Telling jokes about Muslims.
PROFILE: Admires authority, xenophobic, alcoholic,
repressed homosexual.
QUOTE: ‘‘Gee, those Iraqi missiles look familiar."
WHY I DO WHAT I DO: "I'm ready to go to war against
Iraq because Jesus is on our side."
The cartoon was in direct response to anti
Arab/Muslim sentiments expressed in the media.
Arabs have been depicted as insane war mongers.
This was offensive to me. 1 thought one way to
make a point was to use the cheapest stereotypes of the
U.S. soldier to make it clear how cruel racism and prej
udice is. The cartoon was strictly a comment on the
American media, not American soldiers. — Jim Winkle
FARMER’S PROFILE
A. Spruce Feller
HOME: Bend, Orygun.
AGE: Old enough to be (lightened by car
toons.
PROFESSION: Bill of Rights expert and ad
vocate.
LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Exercis
ing my right to free speech by writing an im
passioned letter to the editor of Bead Bulletin.
LAST BOOK READ: SgL Rock Liberates
France.
QUOTE: "That damn Piuman is a commie
pinko."
HOBBY: Telling editors what 1 think is right
and wrong based on my extensive world view.
PROFILE: Anal retentive, lacks sense of hu
mor. enjoys Bob Hope, too much spare time.
WHY I DO WHAT I DO: To support my
brother Billybob who is fighting for freedom
in the Middle East.
l^<)|
Opt Peb. "
LETTERS
What a country
In response! to Garth Fernan
dez's letter (ODE, Fob. 1):
Uast term, every time I
walked by the offlco door to the
College Republicans, 1 saw
muny different signs urging
pussersby to vote yes on Ballot
Measures 8 und 10. If your or
ganization was impartial, why
were these signs allowed to re
main?
Also, every mnmbor of the
College Republicans that 1
talked to said that they were in
support of Measures 8 and 10.
With those truths aside, I will
turn to the issuo of human
rights.
Saddam Hussein is definitely
an abuser of human rights.
However, who are we to be
talking of defending human
rights?
What country continued to
use slavery woll into the lftth
century? What country interred
thousands of Japanoso-Amerl
cans civilians camps during
World War II with no regard for
their lives? Which vice-presi
dential candidate, in 11180 ad
vocated koeping tho hostages in
Iran until Carter was out of of
fice in order to make his incom
ing administration take office
amid a rise of popularity?
What country, under George
Bush, supports a political party
(the I’R! in Mexico) that "won”
its last election through fraud,
and the murder and Intimida
tion of its political opponents?
What president recently reject
ed a civil rights bill, along with
('ongress?
What president, on or around
Aug. 2. said that no U.S. troops
would bo sent to the Middle
Fast? What country has sup
ported Hussein during the
l'WOs?
Until this country obtuins an
exemplary record concerning
human rights and social wel
fare, we should not be out fight
ing for “freedom."
Matt Entrich
Eugene
Strip less
“Not Hudson Van C'urren" is
exactly why Adrian Wallace
will never be a cartoonist.
Making it in an art-related
business, be; it acting, music or
cartooning, takes skill, talent
and patience. The only things
apparent in "Not Hudson Van
Curran" wore skill and bitter
ness.
The mock strip wasn't even
clever, a main component of
most successful strips, and
something found on a regular
basis in tho real Hudson Van
Curron.
All strips havo thoro less fun
ny days, and Hudson Van Cur
ren is no exception to be sure.
What struggling artists like
Adrian Wallace should realize
is that a comic strip need not be
hilarious or of portrait quality
to bo interesting.
Hudson Van Curren took
some time but it has gainod
some popularity on campus
among those who recognize
that it isn't always funny, but
almost always has a message
and is sometimes quite politi
cally biting.
Wallace, loam to appreciate
art you havon't produced for
what it Is instead of jealously
comparing it to what you foel
you can do. Otherwise, you're
destined to bo a bitter artist do
ing portraits in the mall.
Joshua Cox
Music
Stop ranting
Meredith Kaplan betruys her
own ignorance about tho Mid
dle bust in a recent lotter [ODti.
Feb. 4) assailing Profossor Ron
Wixman’s expertise on the area.
I lived in tho Middle bast for
nearly a decade and romombor
wull when the Soviet Union ex
erted a greater presence in
many countries thore than the
United States. The Soviet expe
rience in Afghanistan, and its
on and off arming of Iraq, Syria,
Libya, bgypt and Yemen over
tho past 30 years sufficiently
qualify a Soviot oxpert's in
sights on the area.
Wo should also remomber
that 50 million Soviot citizens
have close cultural ties to Tur
key, Iran, and Afghanistan, and
that 500,000 Soviet Jews are
now on their way to Israel to
Join thousands who arc already
there..
We nood more, not fewer So
viet experts commenting on the
Middle bast... and if they know
a fow Baltic folk dances and
have soft bellies ... so what?
I recently hoard Wixman lec
ture on tho Middle east before a
group with extensive experi
ence in tho area. I found his
comments and insights accu
rate and to the point. Tho gen
eral consensus of tho group was
that it was one of tho bost lec
tures on the subject most had
hoard.
Kaplan should stop ranting
about false oxports and shoddy
scholarship on tho campus and
attond a fow more of Wixman's
lectures so she won’t appear so
foolish next timo.
Gary Burlingame
BS 1969
MA 1974