Elizabeth A. Leib

by Elizabeth A. Leib

My first response on hearing the reports of the New Yorker cover was, hmmm, interesting satire and pretty close to the absurd internet whispers that have arrived in my inbox about the Obamas. The late night comedians respond to the controversial cover in this New York Times article.

added Sunday, June 20: So, ok, for satire to work, we all have to be in on the joke. Lee Siegel in his column today puts a fine point on the issue, “We’re Not Laughing at You, Or With You.” New Yorker editors are blissfully unaware of what its like outside of their world….where many of us live and work alongside those who actually believe Obama is a Muslim terrorist.

My sister, a graduate student at NYU and someone who has pretty sophisticated tastes objected to the cover, saying she thought that it would be hurtful to someone like Obama who is so earnest and sincere about his presidential bid. Living in New York among a very educated peer group, she was unaware of the internet whispers the cover is aiming to debunk. I see her point. Aside from all the intellectural deconstructions of the image, there are real humans at the heart of the satirical cover.

I like Maureen Dowd’s take and she reinforces my sister’s view of the super self-serious Obama in today’s article, “May We Mock, Barack“.

As tasteless as the cover may be, in the dog-days of summer, the depressing mortgage crisis and boring presidential campaigns the cover certainly gives us something else to talk about. Probably we do need to spend more time discussing the fear many have about a candidate so new to the national stage.

Here’s a few interesting videos, one from the Arabic network Al Jezeera and New Yorker editors David Remnick and Hertzburg explaining/justifying the cover.