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Karen Ramos
Professor Batty
English 113A
16 October 2014
Poor Judgment Upon Ourselves
In todays media, there is a numerous amount of people that normally look at the
newspaper to see the daily activities and exciting events that have occurred in the world.
In those newspapers, they sometimes contain humorous cartoons or comics that are
placed in the very bottom corner of the pages. When you do come across these particular
cartoons, people may just see these short comics or cartoons as some sort of
entertainment and amusement. However, these political cartoons can actually contain a
political or social message than can relate to certain events, such as racism that still
occurs today. Although, these comics might seem like they are just for show, they can
create a whole story or have multiple meanings to it. For instance, when it comes to
African Americans, political cartoons can elaborate how racism and discrimination is
unnecessary and can be preventable by not targeting a certain racial group or assuming
the worst of a person.
Throughout history, African Americans have been targeted the most for their
appearance. Although our society has become a bit more understanding of equality for
everyone, racism hasnt been depleted completely. Sometimes people can still act racist
and not even be aware of it. For instance, the artist, David Illson, has an unknown title for
his political cartoon that illustrates the problem of racism towards African Americans and
the police. He exemplifies the issue of racism by having an African American man and a

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White policewoman placed in the central area of the image. In the background, there are
a couple of palm trees that are in the corners of the image and a car behind the two
people. The two main subjects of the photo are both looking at each other, from eye to
eye, because they seem to look worried and afraid of the situation. The police officer is
showing a sense of action and motion by having a certain stance. Where she is standing
away at a fair distance from the criminal and holding a dangerous weapon in her hand
that is directly pointed at the guy, giving her the power of the situation. However, the
African American man seems to show some emotional distress and is acting in an
unresisting manner by placing his hands up for the officer.
In addition, the woman is wearing a formal uniform to show that she is clearly an
authorized police officer. She has the official police cap, an equipped belt, a walkietalkie, and a badge or stitching on the side of her arm representing the law. Then the
accused victim is wearing a very casual and appropriate outfit for any ordinary day, such
as wearing a fitted polo, slim fitting slacks, and a belt. Lastly, there is some text in the
cartoon that specifically refers to the African American saying, Gang member! Im not a
gang member, Im the newest sailfish club member!! Then in the text below, David
Illson states, After a year-long and much publicized battle, the Sailfish Club finally
relented and changed their charter to officially open membership to all races and creeds.
That doesnt mean that attitudes changed their elsewhere on the island (Illson).
From the details of the photo, it shows how they are living in an area that seems to
be quite wealthy and not rundown or ghetto, considering how they are on an island.
Although the police officer assumes that the African American is a gang member, he is
dressed up in a formal attire that is considered appropriate for a club that is exclusive for

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certain members only. Several people assume that all Black people are poor, striving for
survival, and living in poor areas. However, usually citizens who are in a club, they are
paying large amounts of money for their membership. Besides, even if the man was being
accused of being a gang member, he didnt try to take off running or disobeying the
policewoman. He did exactly what he was told, even though he didnt do anything
wrong. Usually people who get stopped and know they did something wrong, take off
running or attack the police physically with their body or weapons. Also, when she
claimed he was a gang member, she assumed he was one based on the color of his skin.
Not everyone African American is a criminal or a gang member, it could be any race in
particular but usually Black people are the ones who are targeted the most. Even though
some people can be more accepting to other races, not everyone has the same mindset or
understanding of racism.
For this political cartoon, it is uncovering the idea of racism and discrimination
that is taking place. It is expressed by showing the actions of the policewoman, who is
accusing him of being a gang member. If he were to be any other person, such as
someone who was White, Hispanic, or Asian, the likelihood of her stopping them instead
is much lower compared to those who are African Americans. Although, she may have
only stopped him because she thought he was acting in a suspicious behavior. The artist,
David Illson states, [That] the man was waiting in his car to pick up his wife from work
but the police officer said, He looked like a gang member (Illson). From her
assumptions, it created an unnecessary tension between the two even though he wasnt
doing anything wrong at that moment. She just judged him based on the way that he
looked and assumed that he was dangerous because of his ethnicity. Therefore, making it

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seem as if she particularly targeted him. Usually when someone is a different race, it
doesnt entirely mean they are a criminal or a bad person. It just shows how much
diversity there is in the world. Some people just react a certain way because of the
stereotypes they have heard and believe it applies to everyone in that specific ethnic
group.
Overall, this political cartoon relates to a contemporary event that occurs regularly
today. According to the book, African American Psychology, by Faye Z. Belgrave, he
states the situation of driving while black phenomena (Belgrave, 117), which is
referred to how mostly African American males are often stopped on the road more than
White people alone. It has been found that African Americans have the highest rate of
being stopped by a police officer for certain traffic reasons, as well as being stopped,
beaten, or searched the most by the police. However, many officers claim they are fair
and dont stop a person based on their race on gender, but only by suspicious acts and
behaviors.
Not every city, neighborhood, or street is always a safe when you are all alone at
night. However, some people can act differently when it comes to avoiding a certain
ethnic group on the streets. They might think their instincts or reflexes are helping them
from avoiding dangerous situations, especially when it comes to being out in public
areas. Although, reacting quickly from danger is beneficial for a persons safety, it can be
pointless to be worked up and scared of a particular person based on their physical
appearance because the individual could be completely harmless. From the story, Black
Men and Public Spaces, the author, Brent Staples, states, As a softy who is scarcely
able to take a knife to a raw chickenlet alone hold it to a persons throatI was

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surprised, embarrassed and dismayed all at onceI was indistinguishable from the
muggers who occasionally seeped into the area from the surrounding ghetto (Staples,
183). Brent Staples experience is relatable to the political cartoon because they both go
through discrimination from people on the street that just judge them based on their
physical appearance and automatically assume that they are criminals. Even though they
are like any other person walking down the street.
Although political cartoons are very short and brief, they are able to incorporate a
huge story behind them. It allows a person to see the whole meaning of the image based
on the many details that are provided such as the text, the objects in the image, the
background, or the subjects that are involved. From all these little details, it can create a
whole scenario that has a deeper meaning behind it. In particular, the political cartoon
incorporates racism very clearly. It shows how discrimination can be prevented if an
individual has a different attitude towards other ethnicities. Nevertheless, there are just
many people who have different beliefs and perspectives, making it difficult for them to
understand how they feel and what they go through. In other words, just because
someone looks a certain way, people should be more open and considerate of others.

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Works Cited:

Staples, Brent. "Black Men and Public Spaces." N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.

"Eliminating Racial Profiling Not Just about Changing Rules." Eliminating Racial
Profiling Not Just about Changing Rules. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

Belgrave, Faye Z., and Kevin W. Allison. "African-Centered Psychology." African

American Psychology: From Africa to America. 3rd ed. Print.

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Appendix