'Doonesbury' cartoonist apologizes over strip

[Dover]

May 24, 2004, 7:25AM

'Doonesbury' cartoonist apologizes over strip

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Cartoonist Garry Trudeau apologized and several newspapers cautioned readers or refused to run today's "Doonesbury" strip, which showed a man's head on a platter, two weeks after an American was beheaded in Iraq.

Although today's strip was unrelated to the war and was drawn weeks before Nicholas Berg was beheaded, Trudeau said the strip was "unfortunately overtaken by events."

"To 'hand someone his head' is a common expression, not normally associated with actual violence," Trudeau said in a statement on his Web site. "I regret the poor timing, and apologize to anyone who was offended by an image that is now clearly inappropriate."

In the strip, the character Joanie, angry about a friend being fired from a university coaching job, begins daydreaming. In the last frame, she's pictured carrying a platter with the head of the university president on it. He says, "What's this?" She responds, "A good start."....cont'd >

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2587984

[Frodo]

1. I don't see the big deal?

[LiberalFighter]

25. I don't either!!

I saw it this morning and didn't even think of the Nick beheading. It wasn't connected to that incident.

[supernova]

2. He's right; it IS unfortunate timing

but it is funny! :D

Besides, it's clearly not in a war situation.

edit: I guess being so au courrant as Doonsbury can be is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you can dovetail RL events so closely it becomes spooky. OTOH, you can add unintended meanings to the most inocuous stuff.

[Ironpost]

3. A Republican probably would see it as a big deal

Even though I doubt that it really is. Just my thoughts. I've love Doonesbury from day one, especially since Michael is from Tulsa, Ok...YES I pretty much got the typing down its the spelling that gives me the shiiits. Guess what the Tulsa World didn't run it either. Thank for DU

[jdj]

20. But they aren't upset about the child that was decapitated

when the Iraqi wedding party was attacked. And that was just days ago.

So neo-cons can decapitate innocent children and that's no big deal but if a liberal draws a fictional characterization of a fictional decapitation, then, well, off with his head!

[mike1963]

22. The World was a fairly decent paper 40 years ago but not now.

I was good friends with the publisher's daughter in high school (and 3 doors down neighbor)...

[Art_from_Ark]

26. Maybe so, but

when I started reading it 35 years ago, it was already pretty much a RW publication from "the Oil Capital of the World".

[bobbieinok]

27. 1 of my brothers says the World is too liberal, so he reads Daily

Oklahoman - and so do his friends!!!

Must be a lot in Tulsa who do the same, they have a lot of boxes around.

[Dogmudgeon]

4. Overreaction

The origin of the phrase is Biblical -- the evil queen wanted John the Baptist's head on a platter, and she got it.

I think the concern with the Doonesbury strip is a whole lot of nothin', but if GBT wants to smooth over some of his readers' ruffled feathers, fine.

--bkl

[bemildred]

5. My, we are touchy these days.

I saw the strip, and I didn't think of Berg until I read this.

[ze_dscherman]

7. Will TV channels stop showing war flicks?

And what about wedding parties?

On edit: Spelling, again.

[bemildred]

8. I think they just wanted to bash Doonesbury.

He's been very unkind about the war lately.

[nolabels]

13. Who was that fool that said "Bring em on" anyway?

Just wondering :crazy:

[Pachamama]

17. Same...no association for me.. n/t

[BiggJawn]

6. Lafayette "Journal-Courrier" didn't run it either....

Damn, why run ANY strips? Don't most these cartoon chgaracters have HEADS? How insensitive to the Berg family! Depicting people with their HEADS still attached!

Anything to censor Trudeau. They were really reaching on this one, IMO....

[cmd]

19. Our local paper didn't run it

I checked on line when I saw a repeat and figured that they pulled it because of the Berg incident.

[Lakerstan]

9. Some people apologize for their mistakes...

...others don't.

[kysrsoze]

10. It wasn't even a mistake - unintentional coincidence....

but he had the class to apologize anyway. Now, contrast that with our neo-Nazi friends.....

[Insider]

11. read it, and did not even make that connection

wow. i guess it's neither good nor bad, i just didn't think of that at all.

[Maeve]

15. Neither did I or my hubby

It had nothing to do with Berg--more John the Baptist. :shrug:

[Alpharetta]

12. Let me know how long the moratorium lasts..

on the phrase "I'll have his head on a platter"

[stevedeshazer]

14. Jeez, what's next ? Itchy and Scratchy?

[0007]

16. No apology is necessary

[jdj]

18. Good move on Trudeau's part.

He one-upped the political opportunists before the shit-storm got rolling.

[indigobusiness]

21. What a stand-up guy

to deal with it the way he did.

KUDOS, Garry!

[Gothmog]

23. This is not related to Berg at all

I did not think of Berg at all when I first read the strip. I was not offended by the strip and think that the Houston paper was wrong to pull the strip.

[Braden]

24. I read it, got it and thought nothing of it.

perhaps I am now outraged at the outrage. (tm)

[UCLA02]

28. My podunk local paper apoligized on Sunday

Said they couldn't pull it without pulling the entire comics insert. As spineless and insulting as Trudeau's apology.

http://www.ridgecrestca.com/articles/2004/05/22/news/local/news01.txt

Will anybody help me by dropping them 10-20 words calling them cowards?

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