http://ecolocalizer.com/2011/07/23/cartoonist-keith-knight-too-funny-to-miss/keithknight/
Samuel Lloyd:
As I look at this picture, I find that it exemplifies pretty much society as a
whole and how it treats different races as a whole. One thing I noticed about
the picture though was that he made it kind of obvious that the three men
weren't that different. They were all the same age, all were at the same place,
and weren't wearing too different of clothing. I found that interesting because
in spite of the fact that all of these men were "the same" in many aspects, two
of them still had fear just based on where they or their ancestors came from.
Timothy Noe:
I think the most interesting aspect of this cartoon is the responses that each
person in the cartoon makes. They are all watching the news and the two
minority groups are hoping that the gunman is not of their race. I find this
interesting because whenever something bad happens to someone of a certain race
their entire race gets looked down on for their action. After 9/11 everyone
began to stereotype people who looked to be of middle eastern descent as
terrorists. In our society if the group of terrorists were white males no one
would stereotype all white males as being terrorists. Whites have privilege in
the United States simply because they are the majority group and that is not
fair. Only individuals should be held responsible for their actions, not entire
groups or races.
Sijia Song:
This picture portrays a scene in which
three people of different races are watching the TV news about a race unknown
criminal. I think this picture is interesting because though the three people
in the picture are watching the same news, they have different reactions. The black
man and the Middle Eastern man are worried and they hope the
criminal does not belong to their races. However, the white man does not worry at
all and says “Ha! They’ll never catch me!! ”. They react differently because of
their different races and how the public see their races. Since white is
regarded as “norm”, white people seem impossible to be criminals and do such horrible
thing. But colored people “deviate” from “norm” and are treated not the same. They
are judged from their race, more or less, but not from whom they really are. Sometimes
color people are regard as bad guys just because their color. Although the black
man and the Middle Eastern man in the picture may do not have any relationship
(without race) with the criminal, they might be critiqued by others because
they might be in the same race with the criminal. This picture shows the white
privilege and racism.
Kyle Sherman:
This cartoon is a perfect example of how white privilege works. Three people of different races are watching a new story about a gunman in their town. The African-American does not want the gunman to be a black guy because people may then judge the African-American race as whole, even though he had nothing to do with the shooting. Likewise, the Middle-Eastern man hopes that the gunman is not of his race, because people will may then look negatively upon all people of Middle-Eastern descent, although he also had nothing to do with the crime. On the other hand, the white man has nothing to worry about. His race is the dominant race in America, and even if the gunman is white, it will not cause people to judge the Caucasian race as a whole. The cartoon simplifies white privilege, and exemplifies the advantages that white people have only because of their race. An ethnicity should never be judged based on one person of that race’s actions, and it is immoral that non-white people in America must fear that the actions of others will cause them to be stereotyped.
I think this comic definitely over-exaggerates the extent to which white people think they are privileged. Just because someone is a white person does not mean that they dont have to follow the law or that they arent going to get caught for a crime they committed. also, i dont think the whole black or middle eastern race feels ashamed when someone of the same race commits a crime. i do agree, however, with the fact that we profile criminals based on races. a black person in a department store is going to be watched more closely than a white person, and i dont think thats right. I just dont think there is much we can do about it at this point. people are always going to profile others based on race, religion, age, sexual orientation, and other factors. its something we will just have to live with.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you on some of the claims you make. for instance about the black and middle eastern ethnicities do not feel ashamed when a person of the same ethnicity committes a crime, because they do feel ashamed. And also that with every crime that is committed in the US that is displayed on the news, a 95 percent of the time it is a black person. But i also agree with you when you say that, people are still going to profile others based on the color of their skin and its something that we connat stop.
DeleteThis comic makes light of the white privileges Caucasian people have, while over exaggerating it. It makes it clear that the white guy feels he will never get caught because of his race, and that the minority raced men feel if the suspect is of their race, they will be suspects. I feel most people of a race that is usually seen as committing crimes don't feel that they will be suspects just because someone of their race has committed a crime. Also, although minority races are profiled against more often in society, white people don't just get off the hook for committing crimes. If there is evidence, whoever committed the crime will be caught, although some profiling may occur in the process. The white privilege is seen in society in many different aspects, although in law enforcement it is especially wrong to give races privileges or take away privileges from minorities, as breaking the law has big punishments and should be handled as humane and constitutional as possible.
ReplyDeleteI think the comic addressed the social issue of white privilege in an obvious and exaggerated way, but the subtle details in the actual image express much more. The name above the caption Th(ink) already informs the viewer this is more than a cartoon that is meant to invoke a chuckle or two, but an actual conflict being presented that exists in todays society. The biggest detail that stood out to me was that the comic was in black and white. The black man is shaded in and the white man is left completely white portraying a very distinct contrast between races, but the man who is supposed to be Middle Eastern just seems to have wavier and longer hair. The fact that the man in the middle isn't in contrast as much as the White male and the Black male tells us about the authors personal values. The attention to detail between the two end male cartoons suggests the illustrator could be African American and feel strongly disadvantage in society today, or Caucasian male who is trying get other White Americans to realize the privilege they are immediately given when they are born with white skin. So through this over exaggeration an obvious message is being sent out, but the intricate details of how the illustrator drew the characters can tell a lot about their personal opinions.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first looked at the comic it was obvious who the illustrator was trying to other, but I did not think about how he drew the characters with little contrast between the two on the right. You made a good point that I couldn't tell right away. The difference between the black male and the white male is greatly different, but there is only a slight change between the white male and the middle eastern male. This comic brings attention to society's views that middle eastern and black males are othered just by the words of those characters in the drawing. But, more discretely, the illustrator makes a point that black males are othered at a greater level above anyone else, making that character in the comic much different than the other two.
DeleteI think this cartoon sends the message that it is okay for a white person to commit a crime because it will be taken less seriously than it would be if the crime was committed by a person of color. However, I think the picture is also saying that people most expect a person of color to commit a crime rather than a white person. I do not agree with the first statement, but I do agree with the second. If a white person commits a horrible crime, the person still gets the same treatment that anyone else would get. For example, Casey Anthony is a white woman who is now hated by the majority of the country because of the belief that she murdered her daughter. Whether Casey Anthony is white or black is completely irrelevant. Everyone who watched the trial still hates her regardless. The fact that she is white does not give her any more of a privilege in the matter. On the other hand, I think it is more likely for a person of color to be expected to commit a crime than a white person. Although there are an infinite amount of white criminals out there, I still think that people generally see black people as the kind of people to steal things, hurt others, etc. Again, this is another white privilege that doesn't quite make sense because people of all races commit crimes. If a white man and a black man are caught at a crime scene, the black man will most likely be seen as more suspicious just because of his skin color, even if he is the nicest man on the planet. This is completely unfair and is just another example of the racism that still exists in this country. No one can choose what skin color they have, therefore white privilege is just something that white people are born with. Until all races are treated equally as they should be, it's just a way of life that everyone has to deal with.
ReplyDeleteThis is supposed to go in the original post...
ReplyDeleteI think the most interesting aspect of this cartoon is the responses that each person in the cartoon makes. They are all watching the news and the two minority groups are hoping that the gunman is not of their race. I find this interesting because whenever something bad happens to someone of a certain race their entire race gets looked down on for their action. After 9/11 everyone began to stereotype people who looked to be of middle eastern descent as terrorists. In our society if the group of terrorists were white males no one would stereotype all white males as being terrorists. Whites have privilege in the United States simply because they are the majority group and that is not fair. Only individuals should be held responsible for their actions, not entire groups or races.
I believe this cartoon over exaggerates white privilege in order to make a point. Although a person is very unlikely to get away with a crime simply because of their race in our culture today, a Middle Eastern man or an African American man would be much more of a suspect than a Caucasian man. Although white privilege happens every day, this does not make it acceptable. In our modern day and age, we experience diversity much more than generations before us and should be less biased against racial groups. In order for this to happen, people must be more accepting of other racial groups and not clump everyone from a certain race together.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the idea of how white privilege works is a bit exaggerated in this cartoon. However, the sad truth is that even still today if a white male and a minority male are both suspects in the crime then the minority male will most likely be accused/questioned first. There is no way that should still be a problem today in our society. Like you said we experience so much more diversity today so it boggles my mind that there is still as much bias as there is against racial groups.
DeleteReading this comic really reminds me of the crimes that were reported earlier in the school year. There were multiple email reports of students being held at gunpoint, having their wallets and cell phones stolen from them. Every time I received one of those emails, as I was reading it I would just hope that it wasn't another 6 foot tall black male being described in the report. But each time it was and each time I was just more disappointed and embarrassed of my kind. I'm sure that many other blacks felt the same. And if the criminal being described was middle eastern, then I'm sure other middle easterners would feel the same sense of disappointment as well. Whites are the social norm and when one of their kind is called out it doesn't necessarily reflect their entire race. It's quite the opposite for minorities. When a minority is called out, he/she is reflective of all of his/her kind because in general there are far less of them. Under white privilege, whites don't always have to worry about how society see's them in comparison to specific individuals that are called out for negative reasons. The irony in the comic is that the black and middle eastern guys are worrying that the criminal is of their race, when in reality the criminal is the white guy behind them. It's a surprise and a twist on what is "expected". I think it's a funny comic that really hits the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteThe middle-east guy and the black guy are hoping that the gunman is not of their races. Because they are the minority in the society, but the white guy believes that he is safe. lThough this cartoon over exaggerates the white privilege, I think it just wants to make people more aware of this issue. We cannot judge a person only because someone of his race is terrorist or because he is the minority in the society. We need to be more rational and to think about this kind of issue without their races. Everyone should follow the law and there should not be white privilege in law.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, many people look at other races at fault before they fault white people. In reality, and obviously, nobody is perfect and people shouldn't reward others by the color of their skin. It feels like it's the same topic every week dealing with race. Being from one race doesn't mean that you are the "aggressors" to most violent events. Every race has its bad apple and every race has people that act as role models. Unfortunately, some people get involved with the bad crowd or have difficulties in life that lead up to them being the type of person that they really are. It's not because you are from a certain race. No race is perfect and no race should be given the benefit of the doubt.
ReplyDeleteThe reality of this comic is very true. Being an African American and growing up in a black home, I remember my grandparents watching the news hoping that a black person didn't commit the crime. Most people don't understand that the stereotypes that come along with the different races determine peoples reaction to any type of news. For instance, when people here a building was blown up they automatically think it was a middle eastern person or when a shooting happens in the ghetto of a city he instantly think black people done it. There is definitely white privilege still occurring today and it probably won't change because of the mindset that people have when it comes to judging a different races. It's unfair that white people have this special privilege but I wont let it affect me because I believe were equal until proven otherwise. People should stop stereotyping others and come together to make our world united.
ReplyDeleteThis comic brings to life the fact that white privilege is very evident in this society. Even thought the comic is over exaggereated, it shows how different races think. It does a very good representation on how races other than white hope that the person doing the crime wasnt apart of their race. This is because other races are tied to certai crimes just due to profiling, so if that race is "associated" with that crime then that just makes this association even more evident. These socioeconomical norms of this country help to privilege the white person and suppress the other races. These sterotypes were clear in this comic and it did an extremely good job at making the white privilege evident. No race is better or deserves more privileges than the other, we are equal.
ReplyDeleteThis comic brings to the forefront that racism is still very evident in America. Although the comic over exaggerates the white privlage, it still proves the point that still an issue we as humans face every day. The black and Middle-Eastern people hope it is not their race that committed the crime so their race doesnt have a bad name. Although this comic seems over the top with the example they use, it captures the very evident fact that white privlage is still around. We as humans need to realize that race should not matter and we are all equal.
ReplyDeleteThis comic is very interesting and is a great example of white privelege. The white man is not worried about gettong caught b/c he knows the initial suspects will more than likely be of some minority. Its ashame this sort of racism exists today still. Although there is some exaggeration, it still gets the point across.
ReplyDeleteReading and looking at this comic makes me upset, but I laugh because that is how a lot of people think about when a crime is committed. For example, back in the 1900s, white people could just about do anything to a black person and not get any charge. This also shows that Americans still are racist or have stereotypes about other races. I know that in the movie "The Dictator" a white female stands up for a male from a middle eastern country because he was wrongfully imprisoned beacause he spoke in his native language during a helicopter ride with two white Americans.
ReplyDeleteIts funny because in a situation such as this, that scenario actually happens. On the news the majority of alleged criminals are black males and it hurts me to see this, that our ethnicity is reduce to nothing but a society fearing action. This white privilege does exist example, at the chit fest on Saturday a large group of African Americans congregated on the side walk talking like everybody else was doing. But they so have happened to get mayst by the cops, everybody was had a open container but the ones the cops targeted were black and to me it seems like that is always the case. This comic just shows the mind set of everyone when the new introduces a crime of some sort.
ReplyDeleteThis comic seems to actually happen often while watching TV. When someone commits a crime many people believe it is a Mid eastern guy or a black guy. It is a shame because crimes are committed because of poverty. Poverty affects all races, not only black and mid eastern men. Everyone needs to stop and think that there are many famous, intelligent and wealthy minorities that are in power so assuming that only minorities do the crimes is blasphemous!
ReplyDeleteAs most people said, this comic is kind of exaggerated, but I think the producer just want to tell people that white privileges really happens in this society and want people to be aware of it. A white person can use his or her credit cards without suspicion. They can go to a public meeting and will not feel uncomfortable. They will not worry about their kids being isolated or rejected because of the skin color. White people do have privileges and some of them do not even realize that. Also, crimes are always related to race. The African American and Asian are worried about themselves, however, the American guy does not seem to care about it because he is white and he will not be suspected compared to others. This is because police tend to suspect that non-white people are more likely to do something bad. If the authority can treat everyone equally, racism might be reduced.
ReplyDeleteI think the most interesting aspect of this cartoon is the responses that each person in the cartoon makes. They are all watching the news and the two minority groups are hoping that the gunman is not of their race.
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