• The New Republic continues to oppose racism by criticising anti-racists

    The American magazine is once again at the heart of a controversy thanks to an article by Jeet Heer, a mainstay of the publication as well as a senior editor.

    The article quotes a Charlie Hebdo cartoon, and claims:

    On the face of it, the cartoon seems blatantly racist, although as always Charlie Hebdo has defenders who argue that it is an ironic commentary on racist attitudes. The problem with this defense is that constantly using super-racist images to satirize racism seems like a strategy with diminishing returns. After constantly publishing such racist images, isn’t it fair to ask whether this isn’t a satire on racism but simply an expression of racism?

     

    On the face of it, the article seems blatantly critical of the anti-racist Charlie Hebdo, though as always Charlie Hebdo has its attackers who argue that it is expressing racism, rather than satirising it. The problem with this strategy is that constantly attacking anti-racist magazines to criticise racism seems like a strategy with diminishing returns. After constantly publishing such anti-anti-racist attacks, isn’t it fair to ask whether this isn’t an attempt to attack perceived racism but simply a way to defend racism against biting satire?

    Category: Satire

    Article by: Notung

    I started as a music student, studying at university and music college, and playing trombone for various orchestras. While at music college, I became interested in philosophy, and eventually went on to complete an MA in Philosophy in 2012. An atheist for as long as I could think for myself, a skeptic, and a political lefty, my main philosophical interests include epistemology, ethics, logic and the philosophy of religion. The purpose of Notung (named after the name of the sword in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen) is to concentrate on these issues, examining them as critically as possible.