Postmedia apologizes to Alberta Sikhs for Harjit Sajjan cartoon

mentalfloss

mentalfloss

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Postmedia apologizes to Alberta Sikhs for Harjit Sajjan cartoon

Postmedia has apologized for a political cartoon that sparked outrage among members of Alberta's Sikh community.

On Tuesday, the Edmonton Sun and other Postmedia publications portayed Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan stewing in a cauldron with the label "LIES."

Sajjan recently apologized publicly for overstating his role in Operation Medusa, a pivotal 2006 battle in Afghanistan.

But critics say the caricature was offensive because it resembles images of historic Sikh religious figures who were tortured.

Postmedia apologizes to Alberta Sikhs for Harjit Sajjan cartoon - Edmonton - CBC News
 
B00Mer

B00Mer

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LOL Now that's funny :lol:
 
Murphy

Murphy

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Tell the Sikh organization to suck eggs. It's what happens when you are a public servant. And, in the opinion of many, not a particularly bright public servant to boot. I would also tell them that Sajjan will taste wonderful sauteed in butter with lots of carrots!

He really isn't fit to be MND given his stumblebum approach to the job and talking to the media generally.
 
Durry

Durry

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May 18, 2010
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It's only because you're not very bright, that's all,,,,don't worry about it, you wouldn't understand even if it was explained to you.
 
C

Curious Cdn

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Durry said:
It's only because you're not very bright, that's all,,,,don't worry about it, you wouldn't understand even if it was explained to you.
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Well, if a crypto Nazi like you sees something racist in that, you might be right.

He's wearing a turban, but he's a Sikh, for cripes sake ... and he's in the soup ... which he is. If he weren't a Sikh, they'd show him wearing a beret ... but Sikh soldiers wear turbans.
 
Jinentonix

Jinentonix

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Bar Sinister said:
You do realize that Sikhs are among the most conservative of Canadians don't you? So I guess they would be whiny rightards.
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And you know that for a fact or is it just your assumption because they're religious?

But here's the real issue at hand. There's suggestions for more multiculturalism in the editing rooms so that these kinds of honest mistakes don't happen. We need to be more aware of other cultures' history. Yet, considering these people are coming here, one would think they should also be made to be more aware of OUR culture/pop culture. I can guarantee you that 100% of Canadians who aren't Sikhs weren't aware of the unintended connection to their history. By the same token, the envisioning of someone stewing in their own juices is a rather western idea. Likely evolved from the earlier "Fry in one's own grease" from Chaucer's 'The Prologue of the Wyves Tale of Bathe' where he says, "in his owene grece I made him fry"
 
Jinentonix

Jinentonix

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mentalfloss said:
You're certainly giving them a pass here.
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I didn't realize it was my job to denigrate private enterprise for any apologies they may make for whatever someone found offensive.
Years ago one of the local newspapers where I lived published an apology for a cartoon they printed. In the background was a maximum security prison. It was a winter scene and in the foreground were trees, an open field leading to the tress and an empty wheelchair with a furrow in the snow leading away from it. At the wheelchair were two prison guards with their dogs. The caption said, "Well, whoever it is, they couldn't have gotten far on foot." The newspaper got all kinds of hate mail from people claiming to speak for the disabled, although it was surprising how few of them were actually disabled. The paper rolled right over and apologized and quit taking submissions from that cartoonist.
Here's the problem, that cartoonist was a friend of mine who lost both his legs above the knee. The funny thing is, he didn't realize he'd created a joke within the joke. I mean the obvious joke was the caption itself. But what I found more funny was the fact these two guards had no idea who it was. Like, just how many paraplegics in wheelchairs would you find in a given prison? :lol:

Anyway, the point being I was going to send the newspaper a rather unpleasant letter explaining their stupidity. My friend told me not to bother. When I asked him why not, he basically said it was only a matter of time before someone took his humour the wrong way and that newspapers make money by not pissing off their readers, even the stupid ones. They don't make money by stroking the egos of cartoonists.

That guy was stoicism personified I tell you.
 
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