monkeys, assassination , and race

hm. i guess we aren't in a post-racial society after all.
this morning my boss clued me in to a New York Post cartoon that had police shooting a monkey and saying 'they'll have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill.'

Gawker has some good coverage if you want to see it. But first, ask yourself what was so funny about this? Is it the centuries of racist epithets and "scientific" research comparing Black people to apes? Is it the implicit reference to assassinating the President (a very real fear that I share with others)? Is it the reference to police shooting an unarmed person on the street? Is it the idea that police shootings are funny?

Even giving the cartoonist a huge benefit of the doubt (which I think is generous), possibly he's not familiar with the history of racist depictions of Black people. At the very least, he should acknowledge his mistake. Sounds like the Post is getting its share of complaints. Once again, it's our chance to speak out against ignorance and to call ourselves to account for not learning our history and not learning how our words, no matter how unintentional, can hurt others.