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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Will New Jersey Hall of Fame induct Thomas Nast, a racist and anti-Irish Catholic?

Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 07:10 AM

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One of Nast's portrayal's of the Irish

The continued controversy over Thomas Nast and his potential membership in the New Jersey Hall of Fame does not reflect well on that state.

The Asbury Park Press newspaper recently attacked Irish Americans in the state who have protested the nomination of Nast, a notorious anti Irish and anti Catholic cartoonist of the later 19th Century.

If portraying the Irish as drunken baboons and Catholic church leaders as man eating crocodiles is your cup of tea then certainly vote for Nast.

His caricature of the Irish became the prevailing one during those dreadful times.

He was enormously influential. His portrayal of Santa Claus became the universal image as did his portrayal of Republicans as elephants and Democrats as donkeys.

So when he stereotyped the Irish he did them enormous damage. Violence against them was widespread and Nast stirred the flames. See 'Gangs of New York' if you don't believe that.

Not that the Asbury Park Press seems to think so

"There’s no denying that some of his drawings wouldn’t fly today. But as historians point out, the troubling cartoons in question represent a tiny piece of a much broader and admirable body of work."

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Read More:
Irish anti-defamation league attacks New Jersey choice of Thomas Nast for Hall of Fame

New Jersey newspaper editorial defends anti-Irish, anti-Catholic cartoonist Thomas Nast

Irish and Catholic groups protest nomination of cartoonist into Hall of Fame
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"The bigger problem, says the editor, "is the danger of viewing history through the prism of today’s morality."

That's an interesting concept. We could view the KKK through the same prism. Either hating blacks was wrong in the 19th and 20th century or it wasn't.

Likewise with Jews and fascism.

Would the Asbury Park Press then defend the KKK or Nazis as symbolic of their time and worthy of revisionism?

It might be interesting to ask them.

Racists of whatever era have no place in Halls of Fame.

Ss Assemblyman Scott Rudder noted "Nast’s representation of the people of Ireland and Catholics was incendiary and damaging,” Rudder said. “His hateful rhetoric should have disqualified him from any Hall of Fame discussion. I have asked the executive director of the Hall of Fame (Don Jay Smith) to have him removed from consideration immediately.”

Smith should take this advice.

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15 comments

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dallas75216 | Jan 17, 2013, 01:04 PM EST

did the word nasty come from nast. Nast was a german buffoon who played up to the WASP society of his day. I live in Texas and most of the venomous anti Catholics are of german descent. Some of them are descend from the thugs of the Third Reich who rafted over here in the late 1940's fleeing prosecution. I had one kraut tell me all the (roman catholic) priests should be killed. his father was a convicted war criminal. I pointedly reminded him how my father and uncles visited Germany in 1945 as part of General Patton's Third Army.

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Shmrck5S | Aug 02, 2012, 08:57 AM EDT

And yes, I believe that goes for all groups, not just the Irish.

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Shmrck5S | Aug 02, 2012, 08:56 AM EDT

Maybe we should ALL get over ourselves and quit whining that "someone called me a name"! No amount of diversity training or politically correct language will change a person's heart and soul. If we lack so much self-worth that someone else's opinion of us can make or break our day, we have bigger problems than diversity training or PC language can fix.

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richard cahill | Mar 10, 2012, 02:59 PM EST

Consider the graffiti on the walls of Belfast- each threatens the opposite adherents to the recent past's violence. They cancell each other out and an argument is current that they be preserved, even as naive art, but also as a message that there be no return to that state of affairs.

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richard cahill | Mar 10, 2012, 02:50 PM EST

I'm Irish, catholic and I like to think I'm not bigoted. As to Mr. Nast, his memory ought to be preserved as a reminder of that part of human social evolution that he represented and as an icon of what we ought not return to. To object is counter-productive not to mention the fact that the Founding Fathers covered this very suggestion in the Constitution as censorship. Careful of that for which you wish.

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BARNEYKX | Jan 29, 2012, 06:37 AM EST

BIGOTS ARE EVERY WHERE THEY NEVER GO AWAY

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bob40wil | Jan 07, 2012, 01:26 PM EST

I guess it's up to the State of N.J. to decide what it's going to do.

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Penny55 | Dec 29, 2011, 09:54 PM EST

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wizardofoz | Dec 29, 2011, 08:23 PM EST

Reb, I don’t believe it but that is one of your best posts ever, I concur 100%. BTW the only day of the week you could not buy or sell black slaves in America was a Saturday, wonder why?

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pilib04 | Dec 29, 2011, 07:54 PM EST

Niall, get real, not Jews and Fascism! Jews and Nazism!!! Yeah, let's look at Nast in the same way you would look at a Nazi period German cartoonist who only occasionally drew an anti-Jewish cartoon. And Niall you are quite right to bring up treatment of slavery in the U.S.

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WedaCasey | Dec 29, 2011, 11:27 AM EST

I was hoping "nasty" had been coined in response to some of Thomas Nast's venomous art; def's include: "morally offensive; indecent," and "malicious, mean." How appropriate. But ye word comes from Middle English, of Scandinavian origin. The fit is appropriate. "Fame" can result from negative, as well as positive, acts, thus, perhaps some "Nast-i-ness" belongs in the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

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Murph46 | Dec 29, 2011, 10:55 AM EST

In liberal New Jersey-he's practically a shoo in.

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jamieLM | Dec 29, 2011, 10:51 AM EST

Even if one views history through the prism of today's morality, one would still have to conclude that Nast's depictions were despicable and abhorrent even for that time period. He was guilty of promoting fear and hatred against the Irish. In or out, Nast leaves a legacy of shame by stereotyping the Irish through his outrageous caricatures and nothing then or today can justify his behavior or excuse him for doing that.

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Rebelforce | Dec 29, 2011, 10:12 AM EST

If notorious bigot Thomas Nast had been an anti-semitic illustrator who drew ugly caricatures of Jews as grasping, money-grubbing apes, does anyone believe for a minute that he'd be an "honoree" of the "NJ Hall of Fame"? Jewish-American power and influence would easily see to it that Nast's anti-semitism was exposed and publicly denounced across the country. Nast's nomination would be quickly withdrawn and an apology issued to the people of New Jersey. Irish and Catholic Americans should expect the same respect and courtesy and use this opportunity to name and shame Nast's vicious and vile bigotry against their immigrant forefathers. Nast's anti-Irish bigotry should not be forgotten and definitely not honored by the state of New Jersey.

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brennanirish | Dec 29, 2011, 09:35 AM EST

Some years ago I was watching CSPAN and they were covering some meeting/symposium of the Thomas Nast society, all of whom were revelling in his work. I could not believe that CSPAN covered this but then realized there is a large American community of east coast, Anglo-Phile, Victorian period, re-enactor types and sympathisers, who think Thomas Nast's work is great. Because of this community, I would say its still a 50-50 chance he makes it in.

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