Blog Politics
Cartoon Copyright 2008 Jean Burman
“Obama Unplugged”
Pen & Watercolour 12″ x 9″
Like most of us… I watched with interest (and considerable empathy) from the sidelines last week as Senator Barack Obama struggled to maintain his equilibrium in the wake of the media fallout from his association and past close friendship with the right Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
Regardless of your politics… it would be difficult not to feel some degree of empathy for a fellow human being under siege from all sides. There is no doubt that he’s in an unenviable position. Damned if you do… damned if you don’t. But this is the way of politics.
Watching the antics of the past week unfolding in the political arena… I began to identify with the exasperation etched on Obama’s face… and it occurred to me that he and I might just have had a thing or two in common last week… and that surprising as it might seem…
Blogging is a lot like politics! [It sure has taught me many things!]
Bloggers (like politicians) must have thick skin.
Bloggers (like politicians) must be prepared to “hear the words they’ve spoken twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools” (to borrow heavily from Kipling! LOL)
Bloggers (like politicians) understand the need to diplomatically “handle” comments that are made (even when some views expressed are diametrically opposed to our own)
Bloggers (like politicians) also e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y come to understand that the person in “diametrical” opposition… doesn’t necessarily “have it in for them”… they are simply attempting to use someone else’s platform to pump their own agenda [if Wright had wanted the limelight he should have gone into politics himself]
Bloggers (like politicians) know how things can get out of hand… and how in the end… the only reasonable thing to do is to reluctantly and diplomatically put a stop to it. [Obama did this week... and sadly... I am about to]
First though… I’d like to thank each and every one of you who visit my blog in the spirit in which it was intended… offering insights and generously giving encouragement and support for my humble enterprise here. You cannot know the good you do in raising my spirits and encouraging me to blog on!
My blog is my gift to you… the reader.
But remember… it’s a free service [grin] … dredged from the depths of my heart! It is not without fault… (no-one’s perfect). And you don’t have to agree with it. But I mean no harm to anyone. I wish only good for the earth… and good things for the people who walk upon it.
What I ask in return… is that your (very welcome) comments remain relevant to the topic… and more importantly… do not overly contradict the writer! It is understood that everyone has a differing point of view… and I love to hear it. I would be the first to acknowledge that our views should never be static… and to be healthy… should “bend and meld” under the influence of new information.
But… I have no wish for my blog to become my whipping post either. A place where my viewpoint is routinely contradicted and I am forced to defend each word. Where on earth is the fun in that?
Besides… this blog is first and foremost about the craft of writing. Clearly I am still learning… (aren’t we all?)
It is also about the art (and the cartoons)… which I have come to enjoy doing more and more. The issues raised are naturally those that are close to my heart… the things I care about and want to share… but they are not the most important thing. When it’s all said and done… they are just the vehicle for the writing itself… and almost always an afterthought for the cartoons!
Now… please don’t make of this that you should stop commenting. On the contrary… I would like nothing better than for even more people to join in the discussion adding richness to the mix. But please remember I am just a human person. The pays nothing to write home about and the hours are long. So be kind okay? [grin]
I hope you enjoy the cartoon… 
May 6th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Nice cartoon Jean. I have never been able to understand why white people are surprised that black people are angry. Roger
May 7th, 2008 at 5:16 am
I love the cartoon, Jean! Right on! The unfortunate thing about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright situation, and the whole race/politics situation, is that it’s so complex, with a cultural and historical background that reaches back over two hundred years, and yet every pundit and commentator has an instant opinion that changes with each day’s headlines.
Yes, blogging comes with its own set of challenges regarding the relationship of blogger to “audience,” but it’s a slippery slope. The very act of blogging is a public one, and yet it’s hard to let go of our feeling that what we’re doing is sharing our private thoughts, and that the spirit of that should be respected. But just as blogging is easy, so is responding, perhaps too easy for those who are inclined to abuse it. By granting to others the possiblity of a dialogue, what we might perceive as a privelege they see as a right. It is good and valuable for you to clarify what you expect of your audience.
I think I tend more toward the public-ness of it, and am willing to sacrifice the private aspect, though I totally understand and respect your views. (I’m not disagreeing with you at all — on the contrary — just meditating out loud on my own personal sense of it.) I have a slightly different persepective, perhaps because my father was for three decades the film critic of the New York Times, and as such his reviews were like daily blog entries, out there to draw fire, sometimes mean and vituperative. I developed a very hard skin about that, as he had to. Just the other day on the radio, 28 years after he died, I heard a second or third tier critic reduce my dad’s entire life’s work to “famously awful.”
May 7th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Thanks Roger
May 7th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Thanks John
I kind of knew you would understand. I took a risk in setting out some ground rules… but in doing so I also placed my faith in my friends here to understand. I hope I haven’t trodden on too many toes and if I have I apologise… but saying something seemed like the right course of action to keep the blog experience positive and on track.
Your Dad sounds like a very interesting man John. What a great job! You’ve got to wonder whatever happened in that third tier critic’s own life experience to make him feel entitled to call another man’s life’s work “famously awful”. Surely only one opinion… (and best kept to himself?) You must miss him very much.
Re the cartoon. Thanks again. It’s just a bit of fun. I can not know the half of it from where I sit way over here on the other side of the pond… but I am nonetheless watching with hope in my heart that good sense will prevail and that the right person for the job finds their way to the top job. Fingers crossed.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Great cartoon, Jean! And who, pray tell, is the man slinking on the floor behind Hillary’s chair? Need I even ask? Ha! Well, that was another political tale (tail) of it’s own.
And now I exit to catch up on whatever it is that I’ve missed.
May 7th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hey Vernita! Great to see you here again.
The man slinking on the floor? Hmmm…now let me see. Oops… I just realised it could actually be a couple of people! Now there’s a freudian slip if ever there was one. I’ll leave it up to you guys to decide. Both fit rather nicely. (((huge chuckles)))
May 8th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Hi Jean!
Yes I enjoyed your cartoon, who would be a Politician these days…everything is under the microscope and up for “grabs” and ofcourse everyone has an opinion. Speaking of opinions…I’m sorry if my ramblings and points of view took away from topics you have presented. With the last blog, I guess my main point was that there are so many “products” that we know nothing about, but have been using for decades without thought…I did not mean it as a personal attack.
I have always enjoyed coming here and visiting you and spilling out whatever is topical (or on my mind!!Lol!), I usually feel uplifted and positive after our cuppas! I read somewhere lately, that the world has another new “problem”…kind of like environmental phobia (depression)….the word doom is lurking! I do believe the world will end …but ONLY as we know it!!! The more we focus on the negative, the more negativity shall be begotten. I admire your cartoons Jean..as your “messages”come across quite simply and effectively. Life IS simple, it is only the process of the human thought …that is not. Ha!!! How often do we all wish for it! (big cheesey grin!)
May 8th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Thanks Jools… I think that’s why I’m enjoying the cartoons so much. They are very effective at getting the message across quickly and concisely. Mainstream art is only sometimes like that… and oft times it’s message can be clouded by the “process” and subject to a variety of interpretations by the viewer. Cartoons cut straight to the jugular!
May 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
You know..I have been thinking about why I paint what I do and how. And I think (or I know!) that my message is about considering what is still beautiful. To stay focused and happy is my agenda. To try and convey that to others is my aim. If I were the “king of the world” Jean, I would abolish money. No more bidding for the most or the best…everything would have to be shared equally!