Priti Patel Cartoon

[Everanewbie]

Whatever you think of her politics, AIBU to feel that the Guardian, and left wing commentators display disgusting hypocracy in their treatment of politicians in the centre-right, especially when female or of colour, in thius case Home Secretary Priti Patel?

Diane Abbott has been targetted by the most foul abuse, which is rightly highlighted and condemned, however claims of abuse are fired back when her views, consistency, politics and competance are questioned. But if the person in question is more of a centre-right pursuasion, they seem to be fair game.

PIPinghell I think intent matters and I don’t think the cartoon has racist intent. I agree it could be argued that it is a racist depiction though and the editors should have picked up that it could be misinterpreted.

Quite plainly racist.

Disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

Thank you for posting this. I don't like her, I fully believe in the bullying allegations against her. But the cow and the nose ring is not on. Both cows and bulls are sacred to my religion, and I've been racially abused soooooo many times with the cow/bull talk. I hate this cartoon and I loathed the nasty article about British Indians not behaving the way they 'ought' to. Fuck the counting guardian

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/27/how-did-british-indians-become-so-prominent-in-the-conservative-party

@mammmamia

I can honestly not understand why this was allowed to be printed. It’s disgusting.

Also - if it was an African women sat next to Boris and they were both drew as monkey cartoons - would nobody bat an eye and shout ‘but but Boris is a monkey too!’

Would they hell! And if they did they seriously have deep rooted issues

It is racist and it hid in plain sight

Yes its racist and clearly shows the different standards the far left want to adhere too.

Not to derail the thread but as someone early in the thread mentioned spitting image coming back, I find the depiction of Meghan utterly racist too:
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/28/spitting-image-returns-chaotic-times-trump-putin-zuckerberg

@Summersunandoranges

That article is absolutely putrid.

WTAF?!

The Guardian gets more bigoted by the minute!

Thanks for posting that link Summers - it's the same article I was thinking of in my first post on the thread. It doesn't get any better on a second reading.

She is a politician. Her treatment seems about the same as all other politicians that Steve Bell has done over the years - some unbelievably offensive.

Unfortunately for all the people who claim to be outraged on her behalf, exactly the same principle applies as it does to the Prime Minister when he describes “watermelon smiles” or “letter boxes”. Free speech.

And you cannot lawfully censor cartoons and we never have done in this country. So you will have to accept that if the PM can call Muslim women letterboxes, then Steve Bell can draw the Home Secretary as a cow.

Likewise all the articles cited. Free speech. Not one bit of them engages the law in any way.

"The guardian did a piece about her not so long ago I think it was something like
how did British Indians become so prominent in the Conservative party"

You mean this one, by Neha Shah?:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/27/how-did-british-indians-become-so-prominent-in-the-conservative-party

I agree with that LexMitior. I would not want to ban this cartoon, even though I think it is deeply unpleasant, but I think it is only right that the hypocrisy of the Guardian is pointed out. For a few years now it has adopted an authoritarian, woke, morally-hectoring stance, and yet somehow its happy to indulge in racist tropes when a brown person dares to not be left wing.

I wouldnt ban it either

I guess I just wish they hadn’t thought of it at all but at least those of who don’t fit their skin colour narrative know where we stand with them.

They are just horrendously prejudiced at the Guardian but I do think people are starting to realise that.

So you will have to accept that if the PM can call Muslim women letterboxes, then Steve Bell can draw the Home Secretary as a cow*

What makes you think anyone was happy with it?

It makes me think about Nikesh Shukla's book "The Good Immigrant". The "good" immigrant is one who achieves supporting success for Britain, or celebrity in the entertainment world. The "bad" immigrant is either (a bit like Schrodinger's cat) simultaneously taking people's jobs and a benefit scrounger. The Guardian has its own version of the "good immigrant" - the one who votes as they're told by its editorial. The rest are bad, and its a shame they or their parents ever moved here.

sporting, not supporting

They might be absolutely horrible - but you know even in this world where there seems to be a definite taste for declaring people persona non grata for whatever reason, outrage goes nowhere.

I see things every day that offend me. I have to put up with it. I might say something to whoever it was, but I don’t claim someone who doesn’t agree with me needs a special wigging.

We are all grown ups - we don’t actually have to be so eager to get into this kind of finger pointing. Don’t buy the Guardian. It’s not like an article where you might claim libel or something else.

Steve Bell has been an arsehole to many politicians over the years. Of all kinds and stripes. As a cartoonist, he is actually licensed to offend.

I agree with you, OP. A step too far.

Too far compared to what?

Fuck me. Until I saw the cartoon I couldn't really get too exercised as I think she's awful and incompetent, and I'm a centrist Tory voter (i.e. I was until Brexit). Have had to change my vote as every aspect of what that depiction evokes is unacceptable.

She’s (and Boris) are BOTH shown as bulls because they’re being bullish in the face of Patel’s criticism of being a bully in parliament

This was my take on it too and a lot of people I saw tweeting disgust about it were all using the cropped version without seeing that Boris is sat next to her and BOTH are shown as bulls.

Politicians have been the subject of this sort of stuff for a very long time - 300 years in fact, going back to John Bull cartoons. Of course, back in those days, all politicians were male and white and wealthy, so no accusations of racism or sexism could be thrown at them. Spitting Image presented Kenneth Baker as a slug. I don't recall anyone other than Kenneth Baker being upset about it and I wonder if social media would have been in outrage over it had it existed then? I'm inclined to think not.

I agree with ladyrosemadder

The Guardian enjoys telling brown people and working-class people what to do.

I’m not a big Patel fan but I’ll say that this cartoon is unpleasant. Did no one at the paper spot the cow connectijn or did they not care?

I think it's racist at worst and incredibly misguided at best, and I say that as someone who thinks Priti Patel represents pretty much the absolute nadir of politics in this country. It should never have been printed.