Is this cartoon anti-Semitic?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

In an interview with The Badger Herald, Horowitz said the depiction of him with a hooked nose by the Muslim Student Association in Milwaukee was inappropriate for a campus organization to circulate, but it was still protected under the First Amendment.

...

UW-Madison political science professor Kenneth Mayer compared the situation to The Badger Herald reprinting a controversial Danish cartoon offensive to some Muslims in February 2006.

"This is exactly like the Danish cartoons. Horowitz sees them as different, but that’s just his interpretation," Mayer said in an e-mail. "Muslim students saw those cartoons as hateful religious bigotry and wanted the Herald punished. But free speech rights do not depend on how a viewer or listener interprets the speech or message."

http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/05/06/ca...ttacks_davi.php

[mawilson 2,133]

You know what our resident Arabs are going to say.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

What do you say?

[mawilson 2,133]

I say #### them.

[SaadBell 0]

Looks like it is anti-semitic to me

[Amby 490]

it's not

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I say #### them.

Who?

[SaadBell 0]

Remeber the old Nazi propaganda cartoons

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Ganja,

So the hook nose is what's anti-Semitic?

What if the subject (David H.) really has a nose like that?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Do we have a profile of Horowitz to compare the cartoon to?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Not exactly a profile

[~krakatoa~ 27]

In that case, it is not anti-semitic, for obvious reasons.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Not exactly a profile

I'd say that cartoonist is pretty darn good. I don't think the nose was exaggerated beyond typical caricatures.

[DeadPoolX 9]

It's a difficult situation, really.

In many ways, I agree with Horowitz in that the cartoon could definitely be viewed as anti-Semitic (it's not flattering, at least) and it's probably not the "best" thing to have making the rounds on a college campus. There are bound to be many Jewish students there too, so this could affect them in some way.

The major difference between showing a cartoon like this in a college paper and an official politically-related organization is that the former is based in a "place of higher learning." The campus organization and paper is subject to all rules and regulations put down by the college, while "freedom of speech" is a nice soundbyte, it's not really true in this case. You have the freedom to say what you want, so long as it falls within the confines of what the college allows. If anyone finds that oppressive or unfair, they are free to leave at any time, since no one is forcing any student or faculty member to remain against his or her will.

I know some people will say that this cartoon is still protected under the First Amendment, and technically speaking, it is. The creators could try to get it published in a magazine or newspaper (unrelated to the college), or perhaps set it up on their own personal website or blog. While it may be "protected," that still doesn't preclude it from whatever rules the college enforces. Once again, people are free to come and go as they please and I highly doubt the college paper is the only place there in which a cartoon could be viewed.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

That's a tough call. The image certainly bears a resemblance, by design I suspect, to the Jewish caricature cartoons that have circulated in Europe since at least the 1880s, and with great frequency in Germany in the 1930s. But on the other hand, David Horowitz does kinda look like the cartoon.

It's tricky.