I can't say I hate political correctness, but I do get irritated by it from time to time. Some of it was necessary, of course, but it is getting old and I mean that figuratively and literally. In my long tenure as an on again, off again cartoonist at the Phoenix New Times (1970-1993) editor Mike Lacey gave me free reign to go after some very sacred cows. Here's a sampling from the BBB archives:
Daily Whipout: "Anita Hill Gets Down On Clarence's Bad Self!"
It was a big time no-no to illustrate a black person with big lips (actually it probably still is), but damn it, that's what caricature is—an exaggeration of facial features. For those of you too young to remember Anita Hill, she testified against Supreme Court nominee—and fellow black person—Clarence Thomas way back in 1991, in a bizarre parade of pubic hair jokes and "long dong" references that Anita claimed he did. I have no doubt he did because as a guy that's just what we did in those horrific days before the HR storm troopers silenced manly men from the workplace (although apparently it still exists in Congress where a recent expose of good-old-boy tawdriness and bad jokes reared it's ugly head last week).
Although I did this next cartoon twenty years ago, I still long for this: Just once I'd like to hear someone in the Mid-east say:
Daily Whipout: "A Cold Day In Hell"
It is never okay to make fun of a physically challenged person, except, of course, if that person mans the anchor desk of a Phoenix TV station for many decades and is known for his cranky and nasty asides:
Daily Whipout: "A Leg Up On Obnoxiousness" or "Up Close & Personal"
A well known Channel 10 weatherman (I can't recall his name, but you will) commenting on Bill Close and his wooden leg. Whenever I was in doubt about demeaning someone, I always resorted to showing them in a mohawk. Or, in a ZZ Top beard (examples to follow).
Here's a PC question I still don't know the answer to: is it okay to call someone a Body Nazi if they are in fact a Nazi?
Daily Whipout: "A Body Nazi Flexes His Pecs"
Is it uncool to show a peace loving icon doing something completely out of character and ridiculous?
Daily Whipout: "Ghandi Does The Freddie"
Also, from the Triple B Archives: when I turned forty, in 1986, I did a bunch of cartoons about turning forty. These two "girls" actually worked at New Times where the article ran and if I wasn't so old I would tell you their names.
Daily Whipout: "The Horrors of Turning Forty"
And finally, it's not okay to mock foreign accents:
Daily Whipout: "The Thrilla In Cornzilla"
There's plenty more where these came from, but that's enough anti-PC for today.
"Political Correctness is tyranny with manners."
—Gore Vidal