Rodewalt cartoon humor or racist?

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A March 15 three-panel cartoon by Calgary Herald newspaper cartoonist Vance Rodewalt has been the brunt of much criticim of late.

The first panel shows a group of Lubicon Lake Indians in traditional dress standing behind a barricade intended to blockade an Olympian torch relay runner. In the second panel, the runner has the torch lowered as he charges toward the barrier.

The third panel shows the runner past the barrier as he leaves, in his wake, four burnt and charred Indians. Writers who say they find the cartoon offensive have labelled it as racist, stereotypical, advocating violence against Indians, tacky and irresponsible, disgusting and of wagon-burner mentality.

The Herald Ombudsman, Jim Stott, defends the cartoon and says it has no "racist content" yet he admits to it being "tacky and insensitive" in its visual portrayal.

Which is it? Is the cartoon racist and does it invite violence? Or, does it simply illustrate artistic humor?

Whichever way one might interpret it it is subject to one's mind-set. Certainly, the cartoon does not exude good taste and I tend to agree, as one writer put it, that "scorching protestors with the Olympic torch, a sign of peace and friendship, is disgusting."

A number of Natives I have shown the cartoon to have smiled and, yes, even laughed what they consider humorous. Others have not. To each his own.

Definitely the cartoon pokes fund at the Lubicons but that does not mean it is "intended" racism. Should one dig deeper, they would find that the cartoon is a political statement which demonstrates the futile and powerless position of Indians.

The Lubicon Indian land issue is a very real and deadly serious issue. That cannot be denied.

And, while I am in total sympathy with and supportive of the Lubicon claim, I cannot honestly censor the cartoon as racism unless (and that is the key word here ? "unless") the pun is intended to foster racism.

To view the cartoon objectively, it appears to offer what it was designed to portray ? humor. AT the other extreme, it is easy to interpret it as being tacky and offensive.

There is an old saying that, "if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?"

It seems to me that a number of Natives do have the ability to laugh at themselves. Others do not.