As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of editorial cartoons. They often either aim too broadly, thus obscuring the nuance of the issue, or cram too many ideas into one frame, thus dulling the punch of the joke. (Or, sometimes, the entire point of the cartoon.)
The line between caricature and stereotype is very faint -- both exaggerate the characteristics of what they describe. Recently, some editorial cartoonists have been criticized for coloring their depictions of U.S. President Barack Obama with blue (or light purple) lips. The concern is that this represents an old physical stereotype about African-Americans, specifically that you could detect the purity of a person's racial lineage by examining their lips and gums. A uniformly dark color implied a "pure" Black ancestry, whereas a mottled pink implied miscegenation somewhere in the family history.
(I have heard others suggest that gum color was a characteristic considered at slave auctions, in order to establish the pedigree of slaves for sale, but I have not yet been able to independently verify the accuracy of that statement. Leads are welcomed.)
Apparently, there is also a reference to this physical feature in postbellum American folklore. It was thought that if you were bitten by a Black man with dark gums, death by venom was soon to follow. For some, therefore, mouth coloration implied dangerousness.
The rationalizations for this artistic choice have varied. Here are two:
"...everybody in Canada, in the winter, has blue lips." (Patrick Corrigan, Toronto Star)
No, we don't -- at least, not unless we have mild hypothermia. I know of what I speak: For 11 years I lived in Winnipeg, often dubbed "the coldest city in the world".
Obama, of course, probably won't spend a much of his time in office visiting the Great White North. Furthermore, the cartoon in question, which ran (with recolored lips) on January 19, 2009 (available here), depicted Obama sailing on a clear day. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (I think) is waterskiing shirtless, towed by his Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty (again, I think). This is clearly not a winter scene. Corrigan's excuse -- more probably a joking deflection -- is pretty weak.
"Obama actually has blue lips." (various)
This is an interesting one. I have examined a number of photos of President Obama, and I don't really see it. However, a cursory Google search ("Obama blue lips") reveals some forum threads on the subject (see, e.g., here). Explanations ranged from outdoor temperatures to ethnic pigmentation to discoloration by cigarette smoking. Many amateur diagnosticians speculated that Obama was covering a serious cardiopulmonary disease (i.e., that the bluish colour is because of low oxygen levels in his blood and/or circulatory problems), and pondered why his health status was not scrutinized as closely as that of Senator John McCain.
Former President George W. Bush was frequently depicted in a simian manner in editorial cartoons, yet I sincerely doubt we'll see the same joke for Obama. The reason is obvious: Caricaturing Obama as an ape echoes a long history of comparisons -- both folksy and scientific -- between African people and primates. Is there a double standard here? Is it justifiable?
Bias often manifests in odd ways. Are the blue lips just a subtler variation of an old theme, a stand-in for the exaggeratedly thick lips from cartoons past? I'm not really sure, and it's a mistake to assume these cartoonists are necessarily bigots, but the weak justifications I've seen haven't done much to rule out the possibility.
Your thoughts on the matter are welcomed.
P.S. Happy 200th, Chuck!
UPDATE: Another example of cartoonish blue lips: Pulp Fiction.
