It was pointed out somewhere that the average IQ needed to understand satire is 115. It’s been said if the image of the cover of The New Yorker was limited to the oh so brilliant readers of the print publication it would be different (I’m not sure I agree with that but whatever), BUT because it is passed around to millions of really dumb funks all over the internet it becomes the responsibility of the New Yorker to take into account the abject stupidity of those who would misunderstand it?
I’m not so sure really.
There have been more offensive covers by the progressive blogesphere with nowhere near the outcry.
In the meantime this seems to be the predominant story out there, when there are other deserving of more attention. Many of the stories which merit attention are ignored.
Let’s stop talking about a cover bound to give The New Yorker more publicity than they deserve at this juncture.
In lieu of a picture of the untimely and much maligned cover I offer LaVena Johnson
A young women born in July of 1985, an honor student. A soldier whose death was called a suicide, but whose autopsy report and photographs revealed a broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, lye acid burns on her genitals, and a gunshot seemingly inconsistent with suicide.
Thanks to a shout out from A Slant Truth
The original post from The Pfc. LaVena Johnson Petition
The Front Page of the Lavena Johnson site.
A recent update on the case, with more instructions on who to contact to correct this abhorrent cover-up, is available at What About M Daughters
A few random land of blogs links, there should be thousands.
The tragic story of LaVena Johnson
Philip Barron | The Next Pat Tillman-Style Cover-Up?
Army Cover-Up of Rape and Murder?
PFC Lavena Johnson “suicide” looks more like murder; help to reopen the case
Parents question their daughter’s mysterious death in Iraq
Silence is the virtue of fools.
Interestingly enough I have just searched 8 major news organizations and 3 lesser ones and haven’t found a thing about this. Not even the Baltimore Sun unless I missed it.
I’m not at home but later will post this to my site.
I couldn’t find much either which is beyond frustrating considering what they do put out there.
You said it well. I was a bit torn on this issue as well. I hated the cover, as it didn’t really reach the level it could have — say maybe throwing in Obama’s hand a bible to show the irony of him being both a Muslim and a Wright-wing Christian fanatic. However I’ve drawn some art that if put on the cover of The New Yorker would probably be considered unfair and offensive — which is why I blog — I don’t have to worry to much about getting people offended (except for those in China that don’t seem to like me).
I’m taking a break though from so much of this no sense right now. The election is in the at stage of politico orgy where nothing’s happening so people start making stuff up.
Issues like LeVena Johnson are definitely more important and don’t get the attention they deserve. Thanks for keeping us aware.
I know what you mean,. I am way too overloaded with so much garbage without substance while real issues when you find them are just not considered news. It is beyond frustrating.
People have conniption fits over some of this stuff yet murder and cover-ups is passed by in the wake of it all.
Satire is more valuable than equality, safety or progress and far more valuable than people with IQs over about 120.
Satire makes all people equal while exposing some of the basest human qualities of those who actually laugh at the satire.
This one should have been ignored.
I imagine you hinge somewhere over 120 dawg.
That would explain a lot.
There have been more offensive covers by the progressive blogesphere with nowhere near the outcry.
In them meantime this seems to be the predominant story out there, when there are other deserving of more attention. Many of the stories which merit attention are ignored.
That’s what I’m talking about. This is a great post. Thanks for helping to spread the news about this.
And considering all the issue that face us now and face his campaign it annoys me that this issue has to be plastered and treated as news when right now it isn’t. I could probably go grab at least 10 very offensive covers out there from the past year alone, some purporting to be satire some not, so why this and why now? It obscures stuff that needs to be covered and isn’t and it makes me angry.
I was stunned really when after reading your site, as casey said he did, I looked up Lavena Johnson and found so little out there on it.
I gave up my subscriptions and they don’t exactly have The New Yorker on news stands here. I’m one of those people who loved it when it didn’t have a table of contents, the author’s name was on the last page of the article and I would give myself points for guessing the author within the first few paragraphs. Made me truly read critically before that word was used. Oh god I feel ancient. I swear the cartoons were wittier, more ironic and intellectual also. Or maybe I’m just getting old and grumpy
And once again thank you Cooper for keeping me fixed on what’s truly important and I don’t mean New Yorker covers
I do think there is something about satirical cartoons of old where the over the top was still subdued and it did truly need a much smarter audience to understand. To actually have to use such depictions as were used on tis cover is not exactly all that clever.
This is one where I just shake my head.
Lot a good that will do.
Wouldn’t it be something if every one of those New Yorker magazine covers seen all over the internet were replaced with that picture and that story.
Wouldn’t it though.
I had not heard about her story. You are certainly right every day there are more important stories and we get fixated on the big headlines while everyday the common and the neglected go unremarked upon and neglected.
Maybe a media blog specifically for neglected news “titled “neglected news” where the only thing posted is important yet neglected news.
New Yorker: Should run a cover with McCain and wife: She’s holding a Stella Artois saying, “This Bud’s for you!” with a another caption towards her husband saying, “This dud is for you…America. You can have him!”
The Private: These issues always get lost.…covered up and white washed because its a government black eye to admit something is amiss.
However, I will say this: The addressing of bigger issues than individual concerns is the only way to solve those individual tragedies…Yes, it is wrong someone dies. But we need to get at the bigger picture problems. Because people revel in the sex crimes, the murders, the one-to-one violence when at the root it is the larger public concerns that have to be addressed.
IMHO.
ignoring this and paying attention to that is what we need to do. Unfortunately the public is obsessed with minutia ‚making it the headline.
I didn’t catch much on that cover until now. I surfed around and there is still a lot of stuff out there on that cover.
I don’t read many blogs but I do read the news online and watch a couple of nightly news broadcasts when I have time. I have never heard of that case. It’s is pretty disgusting that stuff like doesn’t hit the news while that cover is probably making a lot of extra money for The New Yorker, because people will be purchasing it even if they never read the magazine.
Most people will want it because if he wins it will be a cover worth owning.
G you’re killing me.
The thing is, it would have only taken a small change– adding an elephant sitting at a drawing desk– for the New Yorker to cover its ass here. They shouldn’t have to, but someone there had to be smart enough to know that even if EVERYONE who bought a copy understood what it was about, the cover would still be plastered all over the 24 hour news cycle. In fact I’m almost convinced that was their motivation behind it. All in all, it caused news sources to reaffirm repeatedly that everything depicted there is demonstrably false. Works for me.
What’s really frightening to me about LaVena Johnson’s death isn’t specifically that it was covered up, but that whoever was responsible clearly thought they could get away with it, even with such an implausible story. Makes you wonder if perhaps they had every reason to believe that no one would ever figure it out.
AARRGH!!! I am so sick of the coverage of that stupid cover (and I haven’t even gotten my copy yet!) How much mention has Congress gotten for overriding Bush’s Medicare veto? How much coverage is there of the major prisoner exchange in Palestine? How much coverage is there of a US envoy to Iran? How much coverage is there of Darfur or Iraq?
How much coverage is there of LaVena Johnson? Well, since this is the first I’ve ever heard about it, and it happened 2 years ago, I’d say not that much.
I’m sick of non-issues taking precedence.
Time for another weekend break away from the politics of the day.
Tragic.
I think God spoke to the Army people & told them to cover up this holy rape done by our proud Holy American Soldiers & their Holy penises.…
Ok…Not funny at all I know.
This country is run by people more dedicated to cover up than to accountability. The sad thing is , is that this happens so frequently that not only is it little foot notes in news, but this is an example of the sad state this country is in.
The few?.….No. The many bureaucracy’s in which we live in.
I still think abortion is a good thing. Less idiot bruits, the better.
I wish I were Japanese. Eat healthy, live healthy, & take pride in the ability to honor truth above all…
We have many honorable soldiers it is the institution surrounding them that appears faulty.
It is however unfortunate that women are treated so abhorrently, overall it is women in the service who are subject to these abuses. The fact that it is often kept quiet and more likely to be kept quiet if you are not a petite cute blond is even more egregious.
Check out my blog, “Deadly Wall of Silence” in reference to the LAvena Johnson case at http://www.myspace.com/femalevet.
That is quite awesome and informative, I hadn’t seen it before.