Just a week after the bloody attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, a mostly unread blogger has posted a satirical cartoon that the blog’s own author says may have gone a step too far. (The cartoon is linked here. NOTE: This cartoon may be offensive to some viewers; it contains material that may be inappropriate for people who can’t guess what it looks like based on the photo of Charb right in front of you now. Really? Think like a twelve-year-old boy or a member of a college men’s Greek organization.)
“I insist it’s actually quite heroic because it’s really insensitive and is bound to cause pain to friends, colleagues, and family of Charb,” said the blog’s nominal owner, Hemlock Andashes, referring to Charlie Hebdo’s slain editor, Stéphane Charbonnier, known as “Charb”. ” Along with a lot of other folks who’ve probably experienced plenty of pain already,” he added.
The just-published cartoon appears to show Charb stimulating a large penis; the ambiguous sketch and dialogue suggest that the penis may belong to Mohammad. The cartoon also seems to inexplicably parallel a recently published picture of Charb holding up one of Charlie Hebdo’s controversial covers while giving a power-fist salute to the camera.
When asked to explain the cartoon’s point, Andashes said, “Well, it’s kind of complex in the way it uses meta-irony and stuff. I suppose by mirroring the Charb photo with the power-fist the artist wants to comment on the question of who actually holds power–so to speak–and how satire relates to undermining that power or not. You know, that sort of thing.”
Ashes bristled at the suggestion that a French reader or supporter “Je Suis Charlie” might argue that the cartoon is simply a dumb prank and that publishing it is a cowardly cheap shot and a transparent attempt to gain attention.
“Look! First off, people who object probably can’t understand American satire and the crucial role that cum-squirting dicks play in the proud American tradition of using vulgar, homophobic references to undermine the assumptions of power. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about solidarity with the French and shit, but your stereotypical French lefty doesn’t know shit about hardass American-style satire; Frenchy needs to grow a pair–and take a shower for christsake. And French left women? Calm down sisters–say it don’t spray it! And, by the way, you really need to shave your area if you expect any service from a real American man. Secondly, the cartoon works because it so precisely lampoons the low artistic and comedic value so brilliantly employed by the Charlie Hebdo ouevre[1] itself. And on top of everything, it actually honors Charb and Charlie by using a pointlessly shocking image to call attention to itself while simultaneously insulating itself form ordinary norms of decency, taste, and intelligent commentary by defining itself as satire.”
“On questions of satire, taste, and public scorn from the PC left, I’m with Ted Rall,” he asserted, referring to the RFK Journalism Award-winnin satirical cartoonist who recently wrote in defense of Charlie’s controversial cartoons. “You either get it or you don’t,” he added. “And if you don’t, then it’s a sign that you’re no different than the rest of the authoritarian censor-happy right. Fuck off.”
ENDNOTE
[1] Ouevre is believed to be a French word, not easily translated into English, meaning roughly, somethimg small and gross, as in ouevre douvre: a small bite of something gross to eat. “Spit that fucking thing out, Justin…Emily just told me it’s an ouevre douvre!”
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