07/22/08 Political Satire

The July 21st cover of the New Yorker depicting Obama and his wife as flag burning terrorists in the Oval Office set off a heated debate around the nation; from living rooms and coffee shops to boardrooms and newsrooms, proving that sarcasm is very difficult to convey to the masses via print or audio. Especially if they don't want to get the joke. I found this out the hard way several months back with my comment on Al Gore in a Food Forethought. What I had meant as completely tongue in cheek was taken as gospel. I have since learned my lesson, no more satire. Was the cover art of the New Yorker in poor taste and lacking in good judgment? In any other moment in time it would probably been looked at for what it was, a caricature poking fun at all the wildly imaginative and fact less rumors surrounding one of the presidential candidates. But in an election year which has had the nation's voters facing highly sensitive issues surrounding the candidates from the beginning; race, gender, age and experience it was probably not the best choice in cover material.