‘Politically incorrect’ cartoonist delights audience
■ John Callahan puts his
outrageous sense of humor
on display in the EMU
ballroom Tuesday
By Emily Gust
Oregon Daily Emerald
When John Callahan, who is
quadriplegic, arrived in Eugene
for his Tuesday speech at the Uni
versity, the cartoonist was sur
prised that everything was so
wheelchair accessible.
“I saw a hooker downtown, and
she had a handicapped access
sign,” Callahan said.
Pausing, he looked into the
crowd of about 300 students and
community members gathered in
the EMU Ballroom, and then said,
“No, I’m not that kind of boy.”
Callahan is a widely-published
cartoonist and author with a repu
tation for being politically incor
rect, and he came to campus as
part of a Disability Awareness
Event that was sponsored by the
University’s Disability Project
Committee. Callahan’s visit was
meant to raise awareness about
people with disabilities and the
experiences they live through
each day.
“People in wheelchairs are just
really invisible on this campus
and in the community at large,”
said Nilda Brooklyn, a sophomore
women’s studies and art major
who helped coordinate Callahan’s
visit.
A cartoonist from a young age,
Callahan has been in a wheelchair
since he was involved in a car ac
cident when he was 21 years old.
His work has been published in
over 75 magazines and newspa
pers across the country.
In addition, his recent biogra
phy, “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get
Far on Foot,” was on the New
York Times Bestseller List and is
in the process of being made into
a movie starring Robin Williams.
During his time on-stage, Calla
han recounted amusing, anec
dotes, presented a slide show that
included his work as well as let
ters from grateful fans and angry
opponents. He also responded to
questions from the audience.
“He discusses a wide variety of
topics that we thought were really
important to discuss through hu
mor,” ASUO Multicultural Asso
ciate Katie Howard said. “He has a
way of reaching people through
humor and making it funny as
well as thought-provoking.”
Callahan’s cartoons range from
political to religious commentary,
not to mention his own personal
observations, and they poke fun at
anything from Viagra to Sally
Struthers. At least one audience
member in a wheelchair — several
such attendees were in the crowd
— found humor in Callahan’s ob
servations on life.
“It takes a lot more courage to
speak the truth than to be politi
cally correct,” local resident
Michael Ellis said.
Courage is something that Calla
han evidently has. His cartoons
take leaps that sometimes end in
Callahan’s strip being removed
from a publication.
Most recently a strip in the Mi
ami Herald got him “kicked right
out of town,” Callahan said. He
contends the cartoon was a re
spectful ratfier than inflammatory
gesture toward the late Martin
Luther King, Jr. and didn’t agree
with the offense many were tak
ing.
“You take your chances, I
guess,” he said. “I don’t apologize
for that.”
Callahan credits his sense of hu
mor to genetics rather than to a
sudden revelation during the acci
dent that paralyzed him. He said
that it was his mother who was re
ally funny.
“It’s not like you roll out of a car
or something and say ‘God damn,
I’d better get a sense of humor
quick!’,” he said.
Aside from explaining his hu
mor and showcasing his cartoons,
Callahan was also able to shed
some light on what it is like to be
handicapped.
He claimed that people have be
come used to people in wheel
chairs and handicapped people.
Waiting in a movie line, kids
sometimes lean up against him
and even siton his lap.
He also discussed his run for
state representative in Portland
four years ago. Callahan, in anoth
er example of poking fun at him
self as well as others, said many
people were behind him, includ
ing a large portion of the homosex
ual community.
“I think the gays called them
selves the Fruits for a Vegetable,”
he said.
Callahan employed that type of
humor throughout his presenta
tion and said he continues to use
it in his cartoons.
“John Callahan doesn’t just
grab your attention,” said Molly
Sirios, an assistant counselor with
Disability Services. “He holds it
hostage.”
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