Funny Bones

I found a great piece in Time Magazine about the Obama-New Yorker controversy. The NY cartoon satirizes dumb people who think Obama is a Muslim terrorist. The irony in all this is that the people complaining about the cartoon seem to be as dumb, if not dumber, than the people the cartoon satirizes.

However, I wonder if these people who are complaining are making a big stink for other reasons. What if they actually understand that it is satire but think that the rest of us are all too dumb to get it and will then vote McCain? From reading the comments that are posted on the columns about this issue, it seems like that is the underlying reason.

"Don't reference the other side's attacks or even think about making fun of the candidate. Your joke could make us lose the election and this election is important. If you say or do anything that hurts our chances of winning we will condemn you and maybe even boycott your business. Winning is more important than your freedom of speech. Don't worry, though, you can have it back when this is all over. This is just temporary. I promise."

I didn't like it when the right used this logic a few years ago and I don't like it when the left uses it for its own purposes now.

Still, I will vote for Obama. I think the country needs to fix its image on the world stage and I do get the sense that Obama can do this better than McCain. However, the childishness and hypersensitivity displayed over this issue doesn't exactly make me want to cheer, "Go Dems!"