Tactless cartoonist should take more care
I’m an avid reader of the Oregon Daily Emerald, and I find that for a free newspaper, it’s pretty good. Normally I glare over the political cartoon on page 2, because last year I found the cartoonist’s brand of liberalism insulting. Yet the cartoonist last year never went after any student groups on campus, and mostly stayed on political bashing.
This year, on the other hand, the new cartoonist Aaron DuChateau has gone after student groups, such as the College Republicans. Even though I am not a Republican, and have no affiliation with this group, I still feel threatened by this cartoon. If DuChateau can so freely depict the College Republicans as drunks, without any action on their part to support his assault, what’s to stop the cartoonist from making racist commentary about the Black Student Union or depicting the religious groups on campus as extremists? Mr. DuChateau has the right to his opinion and freedom of speech, but he should also take into account the repercussions of his actions. A large portion of the publicity student groups get comes from the Emerald, and any unfounded, unfair, bad publicity they get directly affects their membership and in some cases funding.
If Mr. DuChateau can’t be tactful, I hope that the Emerald will consider getting a syndicated cartoonist; one whose professionalism will be an asset to the paper rather than a liability.
Katie Wells
University Sophomore