When is a chimp not a chimp?

The flap over the Feb. 18 New York Post political cartoon by Sean Delonas is a strong argument for critical thought and pre-publication editorial review of images and implications of their associated meanings, both current and historical.

I can understand the Post's editor's insistence that the drawing was not meant to be racist and was intended to be commentary on two hot news issues. What I do not understand is how THAT particular illustration made it past the editors and copy editors in the first place given the manner in which the issues were juxtaposed.

History professor Jelani Cobb at Spelman College commented in a CNN.com article:

" 'When I looked at it, there was no getting around the implications of it," Cobb said. "Clearly anyone with an iota of sense knows the close association of black people and the primate imagery.' "


It may not have been intended to be racist, but it seems to demonstrate at least blatant ignorance.

In the same article:

"Cartoonist John Auchter of the Grand Rapids Business Journal in Michigan said Delonas had to expect people to be offended.

'The racial connotation of what he drew, it's really silly that either he or his editors couldn't anticipate that [reaction],' Auchter said. 'When I think about all the things that are thrown around here with the accusations of being racist ... that is one of the things as a cartoonist you have to be aware of -- what you're doing and that you know things are going to be taken that way. You are the first-line editor.' "

Both the chimpanzee attack story and criticism of the stimulus are newsworthy and are justifiable subjects for political cartoonists, but should have been (in my opinion) handled in separate frames.

It is said (I paraphrase), those who are ignorant of the mistakes of the past are bound to repeat them. Let us grant that the cartoonist and none of the editors were somehow blind to ramifications of the associations and parallels drawn (no pun intended) in the picture. Still, the ensuing uproar resulting from its publication, definitely highlights the need for diversity in the newsroom, not merely in terms of the actual race or ethnicity of the personnel, but also in their cultural fluency.

As a copyeditor, I believe it is my duty to the reader to make sure that words or images do not convey inaccurate or unintended meanings, so I keep aware of the current and historical uses of terms, phrases and images, both in the U.S. and internationally, as well as their etymology and origins. I know I can't know everything, but I try. Fortunately for me, it's a pleasant task, since I'm all sorts of curious about other cultures, languages and idiomatic communications other than my own.

See also: Bob Steele's article and Keith Woods' article at the Poynter Institute's website

Waiting for good dough

On Monday, I had an interview for a contract position as a technical writer for a government agency in DC. The appointment was with the project manager, who is actually an employee of a consulting agency. She seemed pretty impressed with my sparkling personality, intelligent questions and obvious enthusiasm.

So my recruiter says. He thinks I have a good shot at receiving an offer. But then, he may be a teeny bit biased in my favor because he has a soft spot for my alma mater. I'm just hoping my somewhat flawed results of the Word proficiency test (formatting a sample government doc) won't count too badly against me. I'm just a little rusty, not improficient. (Yes, it is too a word! I know, because I just made it up.)

If I am hired, I actually will be working for the consulting agency rather than a government employee, which is kind of disappointing in that I will have none of those lovely perks, but I'm hoping that perhaps there will be more flexibility in the private firm. Taking this job also means a long commute, which makes for an even longer day. But since I'll be on the train, I'll have time to read, nap or work on other writing projects.

The fact that it's a long-term contract position means that it isn't a career-track job; however, this will give me the chance to try out a different type of writing and editing on a larger scale than to what I've been accustomed to see if I like it better than journalism. Plus, the proposed salary range starts higher than the upper limit of the range I had been asking for in other applications for employment.

And that in itself, my friends, is a strong reason to accept the job offer.

Why I'm not moving

With my recent and ongoing unemployment woes, many of my friends and family asked me, "Why don't you go to where the jobs are?" -- 'where the jobs are' meaning New York City to them. I seriously had considering relocating, despite the city's reputation for high expenses, at least until my savings dwindled to the point of barely making my rent beyond any hope of moving. But my hesitation to plunk myself down in Gotham to look for work without actually already having some kind of income has been completely justified.

An article posted on the New York Daily News Web site this afternoon reports that to be considered a member of the financial middle-class, one has to make a six-figure salary. The writer cites evidence from a report* by the Center for an Urban Future that the high cost of living is the reason. It turns out that the money I have been living on for the last six months would have held out for only six weeks in the Big Apple.

I think I'll stay put a little longer, especially since I'm scheduled for my first interview since November.


* This links to a PDF of the report findings.

This is why "new media" rocks

On my daily perusal of the headlines, I came across a link to this on the NYT website. It's a panoramic picture of President Obama's inauguration made up of thousands of individual shots. I zoomed in in various spots and could actually see members of the crowd in detail.

When I checked out the former First Lady up in the podium seats, I nearly choked thinking that she had the nerve to be wearing a sweatshirt to the event. (I know it was wicked cold, but that's what wool coats are for.) But I zoomed in some more and relaxed when I realized it was a nice, collarless coat. I think.

But coming back to the overall picture (pun intended), this could be an excellent time-waster or a way to prove that you (or friends) were there.

On the other hand, it's a little bit unsettling, in a "they're watching you" kind of way.

Still, technology like this is a fascinating news-telling tool, allowing us to see both the scope and the details of a scene. Imagine the impact of and reaction to pictures of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, London, Berlin or anyplace else during the Second World War, of the Million Man March, of scenes in Iraq or Afghanistan, of the Grand Canyon, or the submerged Titanic.

How many words would such a picture be worth?

Wow.