Sean Delonas
Sean Delonas is an American political cartoonist and author whose work was for 23 years published by the New York Post as part of their Page Six content. A number of his cartoons have been criticized as "racist, offensive, and misleading."[1]
Life and career
Delonas graduated from the New York Academy of Art.[2] Delonas is author of the children's book Scuttle's Big Wish (a retelling of the story of King Midas),[3] and illustrator for Willowood[4] and Jackie Mason & Raoul Felder's Survival Guide to New York City.[5] His work has also appeared on the cover of another Rupert Murdoch-owned publication, The Weekly Standard.[6] He painted the altar triptych for the Church of St. Agnes in New York.[7]
Controversies
His work has been criticized as "ham-handed",[8] and he has been accused of "churning out malevolent fantasies."[9] He has been called "the worst cartoonist on the planet" by Vanity Fair, which also asked if he was "stupid, racist, or both?"[10] Conversely, Commentary also praised his irreverent visual imagination, and described as "a bizarre cross between Jack Davis of Mad Magazine and Hieronymous Bosch."[11]
A 1999 cartoon depicted Louis Farrakhan about to undergo surgery for recently diagnosed cancer, with the surgeons preparing to cut through his neck to remove "the cancerous tumor from Farrakhan's body."[12] A 2001 cartoon showing rival editor Mortimer B. Zuckerman of the New York Daily News sending anthrax to Post editor Col Allan led to sponsor withdrawal.[13]
After a photoshopped picture of the Sesame Street muppet Bert standing alongside Osama bin Laden went viral when it turned up on a pro-Osama placard, the website which included it (Bert is Evil) was taken down. Referencing this, in the Post, Delonas did a series of depictions of Bert instructing and training Taliban and Al Qaida terrorists.
In 2009, two days after a local chimpanzee mauling[14] and one day after legislation was signed into law by President Barack Obama,[15] Delonas depicted two white police officers who just shot and killed a chimpanzee. One officer says, "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."[16] The cartoon was widely criticized as in bad taste[17] and as making a reference to the racial slur of African Americans being portrayed as apes. Protests came from journalists,[18][19][20][21] politicians,[22][23] police groups,[24][25][25] and the public.[26][27] The Post disputed this interpretation and defended Delonas.[28] The Post apologized "to those who were offended by the image" while in the same statement accusing "some in the media" of seizing on the opportunity for "payback".[29]
In 2018, the Albuquerque Journal apologized for publishing a cartoon by Delonas which equated MS-13 gang members with Dreamers. The cartoon was widely criticized, including by both US Senators from New Mexico.[1][30][31][32]
References
- 1 2 "Albuquerque newspaper apologizes for "obviously racist" cartoon attacking Dreamers". Salon. 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
- ↑ Hoffman, Bill (February 9, 2006). Monster in a Box. New York Post
- ↑ Delonas, Sean (2006). Scuttle's Big Wish. HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0-06-072645-4
- ↑ Mason, Jackie and Raoul Lionel Felder (1997). Jackie Mason & Raoul Felder's Survival Guide to New York City. Avon Books, ISBN 978-0-380-97483-2
- ↑ Colford, Paul D. (February 5, 1998). Conservative Journals Are Yukking It Up. Los Angeles Times
- ↑ Beth Landman & Deborah Mitchell (February 16, 1998). Delonas's Saints of Circumstance New York Magazine
- ↑ Grossberger, Lewis (October 29, 2001). Beware News Abuse. Mediaweek
- ↑ Cotts, Cynthia (October 30, 2001). Big Brother’s 'Reason' to Fear. Village Voice
- ↑ Sancton, Julian. "Sean Delonas: Stupid, Racist, or Both?". The Hive. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
- ↑ Michael J. Lewis (October 2003)
- ↑ Kurtz, Howard (March 29, 1999). Report of a Death, Slightly Exaggerated. Washington Post
- ↑ Blair, Jayson (October 24, 2001). Ads Withdrawn From The Post As Criticism of Anthrax Cartoon. New York Times
- ↑ "Pet Chimp Is Killed After Mauling Woman"
- ↑ "'Racist' US cartoon causes stir". BBC News. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ↑ Delonas, Sean (February 18, 2009). Chimpanzee cartoon. New York Post
- ↑ Roland S. Martin, Commentary: NY Post cartoon is racist and careless, CNN, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
- ↑ Gabe Pressman, The Unfunny Cartoon, MSNBC.com, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Commentary: NY Post cartoon is racist and careless". CNN. February 18, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29263562/
- ↑ "Sebelius may fill void in Cabinet". The Boston Globe. February 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Chimp-Stimulus Cartoon Raises Racism Concerns"
- ↑ http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/94217/more-protest-planned-over-new-york-post-cartoon/Default.aspx
- ↑ Simone Weichselbaum, New York Post chimpanzee stimulus cartoon draws cops' ire, New York Daily News, February 19, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
- 1 2 Weichselbaum, Simone (February 19, 2009). "New York Post chimpanzee stimulus cartoon draws cops' ire". Daily News. New York.
- ↑ Nico Hines, Protesters picket New York Post over chimp cartoon, The Times, February 19, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
- ↑ Hines, Nico (February 19, 2009). "Protesters picket New York Post over chimp cartoon". Times Online. London.
- ↑ Ashley Fantz, Racism row over chimp cartoon sparks debate, CNN, February 19, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
- ↑ Editor (February 20, 2009). That cartoon. New York Post
- ↑ Romero, Simon (2018-02-08). "New Mexico Newspaper Apologizes for Cartoon Portraying 'Dreamers' as Muggers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
- ↑ "Albuquerque Journal apologizes for racially-charged cartoon". POLITICO. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
- ↑ Gstalter, Morgan (2018-02-08). "New Mexico senators blast 'heinous' cartoon depicting Dreamers as gang members". The Hill. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
External links
- Delonas' cartoons via New York Post
- The Sean Delonas Collection of Cartoons from the New York Post at the New-York Historical Society.