The Guardian has apologised after a cartoon depicting BBC chairman Richard Sharp was criticised as antisemitic.

Callistemon21

growstuff

The more I read about the whole loan affair, the more dodgy it seems. There's a lot more to come out - if it ever does. What on earth has happened to the money? Sharp should never have been appointed at the BBC. The role of Sam Blyth and Simon Case needs investigating. And what about Johnson himself?

I hope this cartoon doesn't distract from the serious issues.

It has, though, hasn't it.

As I noted earlier, Sharp is now a sympathetic figure.

I think that's very concerning. Disregarding the cartoon for a moment, it appears Sharp wasn't transparent when he was appointed. Quite honestly, the affair wreaks of cronyism of the worst sort. I think it's endemic and needs to be investigated.

The idea of having a political appointment (maybe in return for cash and favours) at the top of the national broadcaster is worrying (to say the least).

volver3

The "hand clasping".

I better go and do something else...

Good idea as all that digging must be tiring.Seems that the only thing that puts you out is any mention that Scotttish politics isn’t perfect, or of NS or the ferries.
Fortunately most people do find anti-Semitism alarming, and this cartoon was all that in plain sight.The cartoonist went to school with Sharp and admits he knew he was Jewish.
Nuff said.

GrannyGravy13

Exceptionalism ?

If this was a person of colour it would be racism.

If this was a cartoon depicting a Muslim there would be a fatwa issued.

Can you not see that this is antisemitism normalised?

If this was a cartoon depicting a Muslim there would be a fatwa issued.

So....

if a cartoonist published a cartoon which brought a fatwa on his head, he's at fault and he should be sacked for it?

I do not believe it is antisemitism normalised.

We will have to agree to disagree.

Shanie2

tickingbird

volver3

Yes, yes it has.

So we can never post a picture of an octopus again in a cartoon? Seriously?

Oh for crying out loud come off it!! Nobody’s complaining about an Octopus/Squid per se. An Octopus in a box with its tentacles grasping gold coins, carried by an obviously Jewish man.

Stop with these pathetic attempts to trivialise this. The levels of anti Jewish attacks in this country are alarming. It might be a bit of a laugh for the likes of you but this is how things began in 1930’s Germany. It’s insidious and it needs to be called out by all fair minded, decent people.

I agree with you too.
There is some serious mocking and making light of things going on here. Pretending to be clever methinks?

No, not pretending to be clever. I haven't made light of anything and you need a reality check if you think I have.

Trying to get across the belief that not everything with a "clasping hand" is mocking the Jews.

Sorry above post was to Volvet3

Exceptionalism ?

If this was a person of colour it would be racism.

If this was a cartoon depicting a Muslim there would be a fatwa issued.

Can you not see that this is antisemitism normalised?

tickingbird

volver3

Yes, yes it has.

So we can never post a picture of an octopus again in a cartoon? Seriously?

Oh for crying out loud come off it!! Nobody’s complaining about an Octopus/Squid per se. An Octopus in a box with its tentacles grasping gold coins, carried by an obviously Jewish man.

Stop with these pathetic attempts to trivialise this. The levels of anti Jewish attacks in this country are alarming. It might be a bit of a laugh for the likes of you but this is how things began in 1930’s Germany. It’s insidious and it needs to be called out by all fair minded, decent people.

I agree with you too.
There is some serious mocking and making light of things going on here. Pretending to be clever methinks?

The "hand clasping".

I better go and do something else...

GrannyGravy13

volver3

Well there you go.

You might offend me unintentionally and think there is nothing to worry about and that I'm just being silly.

(Not that I care much about images of sheep, but I'm sure you get my meaning.)

I do get your meaning Volver3 , but I hope you get mine and the other posters on here meaning when they say that they are uncomfortable with this cartoon.

Yes I do GG13

But I'm pretty fed up of the exceptionalism, as I mentioned above.

tickingbird

volver3

Yes, yes it has.

So we can never post a picture of an octopus again in a cartoon? Seriously?

Oh for crying out loud come off it!! Nobody’s complaining about an Octopus/Squid per se. An Octopus in a box with its tentacles grasping gold coins, carried by an obviously Jewish man.

Stop with these pathetic attempts to trivialise this. The levels of anti Jewish attacks in this country are alarming. It might be a bit of a laugh for the likes of you but this is how things began in 1930’s Germany. It’s insidious and it needs to be called out by all fair minded, decent people.

I object very strongly to this post tickingbird.

You think he's an obviously Jewish man, I think they are exaggerations of his actual features. The same way Boris's features are exaggerated.

Please don't call me pathetic just because I have a different opinion to yours. Don't suggest I am not fair minded and decent. I'm not laughing at any of this. I'm not laughing at the exceptionalism expected here, not at all.

Thank you growstuff good post 22.30. Sorry, I logged out and couldn't get back in until now. [Not properly used to this site.]
The squid/octopus discussion got out of hand I will admit although it has often been used as an anti semitic symbol.. But for me the cartoon is still anti semetic because of the way the man's heavy features are grotesquely exaggerated and the hand clasping. As a Jew if your nose had been accentuated in a drawing, and your lips made to look rubbery, you might understand.
I attach one image of which type there are 100s to be found.

It was disgraceful

volver3

Well there you go.

You might offend me unintentionally and think there is nothing to worry about and that I'm just being silly.

(Not that I care much about images of sheep, but I'm sure you get my meaning.)

I do get your meaning Volver3 , but I hope you get mine and the other posters on here meaning when they say that they are uncomfortable with this cartoon.

volver3

Yes, yes it has.

So we can never post a picture of an octopus again in a cartoon? Seriously?

Oh for crying out loud come off it!! Nobody’s complaining about an Octopus/Squid per se. An Octopus in a box with its tentacles grasping gold coins, carried by an obviously Jewish man.

Stop with these pathetic attempts to trivialise this. The levels of anti Jewish attacks in this country are alarming. It might be a bit of a laugh for the likes of you but this is how things began in 1930’s Germany. It’s insidious and it needs to be called out by all fair minded, decent people.

Well there you go.

You might offend me unintentionally and think there is nothing to worry about and that I'm just being silly.

(Not that I care much about images of sheep, but I'm sure you get my meaning.)

Yes Casdon I know you did.

I am just extremely uncomfortable with this cartoon.

volver3

I will be watching out for pictures of sheep in cartoons so that I can complain loudly about anti-Scottish sentiment.

I have always associated sheep with Wales 🐑

There is a lot of posts on GN regarding wokeness perhaps we need some woke cartoonists.

I will be watching out for pictures of sheep in cartoons so that I can complain loudly about anti-Scottish sentiment.

GrannyGravy13

The octopus has been used by antisemitic cartoonists.

GrannyGravy13 I posted a potted history of the use of octopi to portray greed in political cartoons yesterday on this thread. It’s worth reading it, because it’s a universally used symbol - not that it isn’t used by antisemitic cartoonists, but that it is used by political cartoonists from all political persuasions.

volver3

Yes, yes it has.

So we can never post a picture of an octopus again in a cartoon? Seriously?

Of course not, but maybe cartoonist’s need to think twice and then again before using them alongside someone with distorted Jewish features.

It’s not rocket science not to cause harm and upset to an entire race/religious group.

growstuff

The more I read about the whole loan affair, the more dodgy it seems. There's a lot more to come out - if it ever does. What on earth has happened to the money? Sharp should never have been appointed at the BBC. The role of Sam Blyth and Simon Case needs investigating. And what about Johnson himself?

I hope this cartoon doesn't distract from the serious issues.

It has, though, hasn't it.

As I noted earlier, Sharp is now a sympathetic figure.

Yes, yes it has.

So we can never post a picture of an octopus again in a cartoon? Seriously?

The octopus has been used by antisemitic cartoonists.

Iam64

He wasn’t wrong in the intended message about Johnson/Tory sleaze.
He was absolutely wrong not to realise -if we accept that ridiculous excuse - that it was also anti semitic

Whether it was consciously anti-semitic or not, the fact remains that it was and I'm surprised that no-one on the editorial team at The Guardian realised that and then published it.