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NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
Tue Jan 7, 2020, 11:04 AM Jan 2020

Is the "Trump in a Flapper Dress" cartoon offensive, or not offensive?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=12844416

I was expecting to see an immediate outcry, when it was posted... but since there wasn't (yet?) any objection, I'm wondering what makes this one okay, and how it differs from the Lindsey Graham as a "Southern Belle" cartoon.
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FreepFryer

(7,077 posts)
2. Graham has been alleged to be gay, to a degree I have not seen done with Trump.
Tue Jan 7, 2020, 11:18 AM
Jan 2020

Not an excuse but a possible reason for the disparity.

Whether true or not, in the context of each man’s respective public persona, the perceived origin of any meanspiritedness of such a cartoon might seem overtly homophobic were it an alleged gay man being portrayed in this fashion rather than one not so alleged.

BKDem

(1,733 posts)
3. I still don't see a problem.
Tue Jan 7, 2020, 11:37 AM
Jan 2020

Whatever else he may be, Lindsay is a pearl-clutcher from the South with a fainting couch. The cartoons almost draw themselves.

It's a short leap to drawing Graham a with pig-like face. It's easy to exaggerate Trump's weight problem and anus-like mouth. Is that offensive?

As a rule, editorial cartoonists aren't trying to be polite, and in the age of Trump, some are getting quite nasty. I'm fine with the contempt. IMO, it's richly deserved.

FreepFryer

(7,077 posts)
6. I am not insulted since 1. Graham is anti-gay rights and 2. has such power.
Tue Jan 7, 2020, 11:58 AM
Jan 2020

Were it a person alleged to be gay but without disproportionate power, it would be “punching down.”

Glorfindel

(9,706 posts)
4. I can't imagine why any Democrat would find ANYTHING that would
Tue Jan 7, 2020, 11:37 AM
Jan 2020

annoy *tRump or ol' sorry-ass Lindsey to be offensive. As a gay southern male, I find the depictions of Graham as a southern belle to be very funny indeed.



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CaptYossarian

(6,448 posts)
8. When I saw the Lindsey cartoon, I thought of Monty Python.
Tue Jan 7, 2020, 12:25 PM
Jan 2020

Trump in a dress only evokes J Edgar Hoover, a mean-spirited hater with no friends.

marble falls

(56,359 posts)
7. I find that most of the "gay" labeling of Trump or Graham to be an effort ...
Tue Jan 7, 2020, 12:16 PM
Jan 2020

to make them seem worse by attaching "gayness" to them. It bothers me a lot.

If they were gay it would actually make them seem more human to me, not human enough to vote for, but more human.

Mickju

(1,794 posts)
10. None of it bothers me in the slightest.
Wed Jan 8, 2020, 02:01 AM
Jan 2020

People get their panties in a twist over shit that doesn't matter.

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
11. I agree. There are "mixed messages" and inconsistent reactions. "Miss Lindsey" is....
Wed Jan 8, 2020, 07:24 AM
Jan 2020

I agree. There are "mixed messages" and inconsistent reactions. "Miss Lindsey" is offensive, we're told... and cartoons/photoshop of Trump/Putin kissing (or horseback riding together) is offensive, we're told. But trump in a dress, or Lindsey in a dress or made-up as a Belle isn't offensive, apparently.

Sometimes I seek advice/comment from my son and his husband on these questions... and they aren't offended in the least. So I guess there's no clear consensus.

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