Police
brutality has been one of the biggest issues facing our country. From the spiteful
stop and frisk to reckless killings of innocent civilians. Furthermore, a great
deal of the victims of police brutality have been of the African American nationality.
The picture above does a great job of emphasizing on the racial component. As
we all know, African Americans were at one point considered less than a human
or slaves. The word Negro was once used to belittle or even ridicule slaves in
the early years of our country history. Even today, we see the word still
brings about an unpleasant atmosphere. I believe the illustrator’s use of the
word is justified because of its context. The gentleman holding the rifle is a
common children’s cartoon character known as Elmer Fudd. He is notorious for
hunting fellow animals in a cartoon. Another interesting part of this political
cartoon is the clothes Fudd is wearing. He is dressed in modern day police
uniform. This is one of the most important parts of this cartoon because it
portrays law enforcement as uneducated. Elmer Fudd is not the brightest fellow,
which I believe is suggesting police as the same. Once you combine these three
parts, it really drives home a message. Not only are African Americans dying
unlawfully at the hands of law officials, but those who are wearing a badge are
not properly educated. Lastly I would like to point out the fact that Fudd is
frowning. This is indicative of aggression, another fault of law enforcement. The
constant use of excessive force leaves questions. One may wonder if the crime
matched the consequence or if other emotional factors hindered the officer’s decision.
All in All, this picture does a great job of comically detailing an issue.
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