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Notre Dame uproar over anti-gay cartoon in student newspaper

By
DARA KELLY,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, January 15, 2010, 12:12 PM
Updated Monday, January 18, 2010, 1:58 PM

 

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The anti-gay cartoon that appeared in The Observer student newspaper

The University of Notre Dame is being rocked by a controversy over an anti-gay cartoon printed in the student-run newspaper, The Observer.

The cartoon depicts a conversation between two figures that reads: 

“What’s the easiest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable?"

“No idea.” 

“A baseball bat.” 

Earlier, the cartoonist, who has not yet been named, posted the original version of the cartoon on his blog. In this version, it shows  the punch line as  “AIDS” instead of  “a baseball bat.” The paper, he claimed, preferred “not to make light of fatal diseases.” 

In a statement to the press today, The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) claimed “The Observer made a dangerously misguided decision that promoting violence was somehow superior to making fun of HIV/AIDS. Both versions of the cartoon were abhorrent.” 

GLAAD contacted The Observer’s editor, Jenn Metz, who relayed a tearful apology by phone. She explained that she was not present when the decision to run the cartoon was made, and that she was incredibly upset that others on staff had made that decision. 

An apology printed in the paper this morning included the following: 

The editors of The Observer would like to publicly apologize for the publication of “The Mobile Party” in the Jan. 13 edition. The burden of responsibility ultimately lies on us for allowing it to go to print. 
There is no excuse that can be given and nothing that can be said to reverse the damage that has already been done by this egregious error in judgment. 
 

Allowing this cruel and hateful comic a place on our pages disgraced those values and severely hurt members of our Notre Dame family — our classmates, our friends. For this, we sincerely apologize. Unfortunately, the language of hate is an everyday reality in our society.” 

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Posted by Haole3000 on Jan 23, 2010, 05:55 PM EST
Taxes are only collected through violence, no violence no taxes. Try collecting taxes without the threat of jail. Ban any speech about raising taxes, speech about increasing the level of violence in society should not be tolerated.
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Posted by RadCelt on Jan 22, 2010, 02:12 PM EST
What a shameful disgusting display. Notre Dame is right to apologize and be ashamed. Let's just hope that retraction comes soon enough to offset a sick/frightened person from committing a horrible crime. @Sungold - Yes - this kind of trash offers someone predisposed to violence an atmosphere of acceptability to go ahead and physically attack someone they perceive as gay or lesbian - because it is dehumanizing and advocates violence - what about that don't you get?
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Posted by olovely on Jan 22, 2010, 09:06 AM EST
I think that dehumanizing gay people in this way is a constant tactic of the right that leads to people going out and gay bashing, yes. Cartoons that endorse attacking or murdering minorities are no longer merely cartoons. Your comments about Ann Coulter etc are bizarre and distasteful, suggesting ideological bias excuses their intent. It does not.
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Posted by Sungold on Jan 22, 2010, 02:12 AM EST
olovely, do you seriously think that people who read this cartoon are going to run out & start beating gay people with baseball bats? I don't think I know anyone who has ever copy-catted a cartoon, except for maybe small children. I said that the cartoon was unfunny & distasteful, and that the students responsible should be fired from the paper. If the cartoon made the same remarks about Conservatives like Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh, would you be as upset? Somehow I doubt it. And as a reminder...not everyone who attends Notre Dame is Catholic, although I would hope that the college paper would reflect Catholic values. My mind is just fine, thank you. No swearing needed.
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Posted by Meggie01 on Jan 21, 2010, 07:03 PM EST
This cartoon doesn't pass the smell test. I was all set to insist that freedom of speech should be respected, but we have never had the freedom to incite illegal acts of violence. There's nothing funny about this, so I cannot find anything to defend.
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Posted by sully1167 on Jan 21, 2010, 12:20 PM EST
Idschap,you better go back and read your bible.I don't think Jesus would approve of gays being beaten with a baseball bat.You are probably a repressed homosexual yourself just like 95% of the priests and bishops in the RC Church. For the record I am also Catholic.
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Posted by olovely on Jan 21, 2010, 12:10 PM EST
Sungold, do you really believe that cartoons that explicitly suggest beating gay people with baseball bats until they're brain damaged is just a free speech issue? Are you out of your goddam' mind? This isn't a censorship issue, this is about fundamental decency versus incitement to hatred. And the poster ldschap (Mormon?) apparently thinks that adhering to Catholic dogma means not having to bother his conscience if the person being beaten or murdered with a baseball bat is gay. What a great example of Catholic thinking. What a lovely Christian thought.
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Posted by Colliegirl on Jan 21, 2010, 01:35 AM EST
Even those who agree with the Catholic church that acting on one's homosexual inclinations is a serious sin against the virtue of chastity should be able to recognize that this nasty cartoon sins against the virtue of charity (love of our neighbor) and should not be condoned by a Catholic university.
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Posted by ldschap on Jan 20, 2010, 10:36 AM EST
And here I thought Nortre Dame was a 'good' Roman Catholic school, and adhered to the Catholic church's dogma. No sex before marriage, marriage is only to be between man and woman, and sex between same genders, would result in immediate withdrawal of the sacrament of the Lord's supper? Whatever happened to morals in today's world, where an anti-gay cartoon would call down the wrath of the student body of a Catholic university? I for one, still believe in the Bible, AND the New Testament, that says marriage should be between 'a man and a woman,' or is there a new version of the Bible out there?
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Posted by Sungold on Jan 20, 2010, 03:07 AM EST
I saw stuff like this, and worse, in college newspapers when I was in college. I think that one can expect "irreverent" attempts at humor in a college paper...this is not the New York Times. I didn't find it funny, I found it juvenile & distasteful. But since freedom of thought & press are still rights in America (for now), I don't think the cartoonists should be slated for a "fatwa". Fire them, and move on. I think that most people objecting to this cartoon would condemn censorship in most any other situation.
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Posted by olovely on Jan 19, 2010, 11:40 AM EST
CAzares594 you are talking through your homophobic fundament. Gay people are not "demanding" tolerance from intolerant heterosexuals like yourself. You are free to be the hateful individual you clearly are. They could care less. They are asking for legal equality for themselves. They couldn't give a tuppence for your opinion.
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Posted by casey1957 on Jan 18, 2010, 06:59 PM EST
Colin Hofman Jay Wade Lauren Rosemeyer those are the 3 cartoonists. their names have been posted on every other website. they were on the cartoon itself.
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Posted by casey1957 on Jan 18, 2010, 06:38 PM EST
@iamceltic: so any Catholic that is older than menopause should not ever have sex? no infertile couples should ever have sex? no senior citizens should ever have sex? no one in the gay community is asking for RELIGIOUS weddings. we are asking for LEGAL marriages, insofar as every single right to property, right to hospital visits, right to custodies, tax rights etc. we are asking for the right to EQUALITY, not more, not less. SEPARATE BUT EQUAL was shot down by the SCOTUS in the '50s as regards to education and racial rights. we are asking no more than that. we couldn't care less what the Catholic Church has to say about it. We are AMERICANS and we live in a SECULAR society. the church, ANY church, synagogue or mosque has NOTHING to do with EQUAL HUMAN RIGHTS.
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Posted by casey1957 on Jan 18, 2010, 06:34 PM EST
@CAzares594: you can certainly tell you're a bigoted screwball. the sooner people like you fade from existence the better. as far as the cartoonist's names not being published, THEIR BYLINES ARE ON THE CARTOON. their names have been published in MANY blogs the past few days. here they are: Colin Hofman Jay Wade Lauren Rosemeyer all are students with the normal NDU.edu emails, and are also on LinkedIn. they should all have this black mark placed on their personal files for future employers to be able to access. if they're receiving any sort of stipend for this campus job, they should be made to reimburse the university before they are able to graduate. they should all lose their jobs as well this is further information about the mindset of these privileged bigots: Now it's someone else that's to blame: Apparently there is another response from one of the authors. See here: openeconomicsnd.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/off-topic-homophobia-still-a-huge-issue-at-notre-dame/ " I know. It’s awful, it should not have been published. Honestly, I feel really bad about it. BUT, there’s a story behind it. We normally create comics with a group of people and a case of beer, just throwing out random ideas. Usually we create things like this for our own stupid amusement, and the Observer people know that. Sometimes we’ll send them 3 comics over the course of the night because the first two get censored. This was one of those times. My friend told this ‘joke’ to the group and we sent it the comic to mess with the observer people (as we often do). Obviously the person working that night did not get the joke and let it through. I don’t want to in any way want to try to absolve myself from responsibility, but we did not intend for it to be published…. I’m sorry you were offended (for good reason), and we’ve written a letter to the editor apologizing and attempting to explain ourselves."
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Posted by ciarrai on Jan 18, 2010, 05:34 PM EST
I second "CatholicsSuck"'s idea that the names of these heroes be published. What a bunch of creeps.
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Posted by CAzares594 on Jan 18, 2010, 02:54 PM EST
Very stupid, not the cartoon but the apology from the paper editor. Gay people who demand equality from heterosexual are quilty of it themselves, they demand tolerance but could not tolerate those who disagree with their point of view and accusd them as homophobes, they're quilty of ageism, anyone over thirty is considered a troll not worthy of having conversation with unless they are loaded to be financially exploited with, worst backstabber you can encounter.
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Posted by hyperion on Jan 18, 2010, 01:59 PM EST
Hey Cristisall: Your sheer ignorance and reactionary fear of homosexuality goes against nature. It's you I pity.
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Posted by FatherVol on Jan 18, 2010, 01:47 PM EST
Sick. Just plain sick. Just more evidence that ND is, in reality, no longer Catholic.
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Posted by iamceltic on Jan 18, 2010, 01:11 PM EST
Gays and lesbians are welcome at any Catholic church in the world. They can even reeive Holy Communion at any Catholic church in the world. However there is one requirement-ONLY married husband(man)and wife(woman) can have a sexual union with the sole purpose to have ajoyful, loving and blessed marriage and hopefully to produce children. All other Catholics are not allowed to have sex as the sixth commandment of God states and must live a chaste and celibate life.
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Posted by ciarrai on Jan 18, 2010, 11:16 AM EST
Catholic higher education. They must really hate the priesthood.
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Posted by CatholicsSuck on Jan 17, 2010, 07:03 PM EST
“Vegetables”?…Let’s publish the names and photos of the responsible students on this website for public consumption.
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Posted by Rebelforce on Jan 17, 2010, 01:11 PM EST
If you weren't so damn ugly, I'd bend you over and teach you how physically possible it is.
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Posted by Christisall on Jan 16, 2010, 07:55 PM EST
I feel and have always felt deep pity for gays; what a tough life. . .it all goes against nature. I've had it with political correctness. . .
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Posted by Christisall on Jan 16, 2010, 07:54 PM EST
Just because someone believes that men and women are supposed to go together, given our anatomies, does not mean that that individual hates gays. Think about it: a woman marrying a woman or a man marrying a man: it is a ridiculous concept. It is a physical impossibility. Civil union is fine, but marriage is out of the rational question. Really . . .
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Posted by Christisall on Jan 16, 2010, 07:51 PM EST
to heybuddy: gay and virulent do not go together. . .
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Posted by olovely on Jan 16, 2010, 02:42 PM EST
heybuddy, i enjoyed how you felt the need to contrast your kind of hatred from the hatred expressed in that cartoon. i'm not sorry that you feel you can't express your "silent contempt" for gay people with either words or actions. a man like you always feels contempt for so many things, usually. maybe you should do us all a favor and stay home in front of a mirror. that way you'll never have to deal with anyone different to yourself, ever.
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Posted by Ruler4You on Jan 16, 2010, 11:01 AM EST
Even more "unfortunate" is that 'hate' is subjective and there fore open to interpretation by those unqualified to make such judgments but who have no problem condemning some one by still making such proclamations.
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Posted by heybuddy on Jan 15, 2010, 11:17 PM EST
I feel sorry for the person who drew this cartoon. He's outnumbered by virulent gay activists who thrive on inarticulate objections to their lifestyle such as this cartoon attempts. The same people who voted "homophobic" into the dictionary can't understand there are other anti-gay attitudes the dictionary's homophiliac editors decided to not countenance. These attitudes pervade this country and have nothing to do with homophobia or so-called "fear of homosexuals." Nor do they consist of violent hatred. They consist of silent contempt.
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Posted by olovely on Jan 15, 2010, 10:04 PM EST
Hi Thomas Coolberth. Here's a map back to the Middle Ages. You've demonstrated you're out of your depth in 2010.
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Posted by ThomasCoolberth on Jan 15, 2010, 09:57 PM EST
Notre Dame is hardly Roman Catholic as it continuously supports pro-abortion commencement speakers. Likewise, the cartoon continues with the un-Catholic tenor at this school. The teachings of the Church are well documented and she teaches that those with homosexual inclinations are to be treated with respect and compassion (the same as all mentally ill people.)


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