The Strange Racism Of Scott Stantis

[Mark E. Smith]

Don't know if you're familiar with the cartoonist Scott Stantis. In addition to scribbling reactionary political cartoons for various papers in his home state of Mississippi, he also is the creator of the daily cartoon strip "Prickly City." His main protagonist is a young minority female by the name of Carmen. That a white so-called conservative cartoonist should use a character such as Carmen as the mouthpiece for his right-wing viewpoints seems rather desperate and contrived to me. But then again, maybe he feels he needs to borrow the credibility of his character's race to make his politics less unsavory?

Anyway, here are our latest correspondences:

Scott: According to the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll, only 2% of blacks support the policies of the strange fellow currently occupying the White House. And then if you figure in the plus/minus 3%, it could mean there is not a single black person in this country that supports the Hero Of New Orleans. I guess that makes the main protagonist of your comic strip a rare individual indeed!

Scott Stantis replies: Thank you so much for writing us (sic). I never say that Carmen is an African-American. What she is, is representative of the racial mix that is fast becoming the majority in the United States, the browning of America so to speak. We found what you had to say of special interest. So much so that we are adding it to the list of e-mails we are considering for inclusion in the Prickly City Podcast. There's a new one posted every week at www.pricklycity.com. Give it a listen and you may hear us discuss your e-mail. - Scott Stantis [e-mail]

(Scott indeed discusses my e-mail on his rather thick-tongued podcast, and the reply below incorporates some of what he had to say there as well.)

Scott: If Carmen were asked what race she belongs to, do you honestly believe that she would be content to describe herself as being merely an example of "the browning of America so to speak?" Or even better, would she use the absurd word you used on your podcast and describe herself as an "amalgam?" Do you honestly believe it is fair (or con-correct) of you to deny her a racial heritage? Most people freely and proudly identify themselves as having a heritage be it Irish, German, African, Spanish or whatever their ethnic origin. Is it now the Stantist viewpoint that it is politically incorrect to discuss one's heritage? Sounds rather Orwellian to me. Why have you condemned Carmen to having no distinct backround? What exactly is it you are afraid of here?

BTW: Did you ever get around to reading the Wall Street Journal Poll that found only 2% of Black Americans support the Hero Of New Orleans? And if you did, would you come down off your reactionary totem pole long enough to admit it? And if those numbers are correct, who exactly would the master of the "plantation" you discuss on your podcast be? Ted Kennedy or that celebrated champion of minority rights Trent "Country Club" Lott?


Free Carmen!
"Not an amalgam!"

[SouthernDem2004]

1. Hmmm someone has alot of free time. :)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

2. I agree.

It's a just a comic strip. A poorly written and illustrated one, but nevertheless, it's still a comic strip.

[crispini]

3. Never heard of him.

Took a look at a few of his strips-- he's very obviously pushing a RW viewpoint. So, I'm curious, does your paper run a more LW strip as well, maybe Doonesbury or Boondocks? If they don't, I'd start getting annoyed about THAT. I don't think you're going to change anything by arguing with the author of the strip. :shrug: