Saturday's unfortunate cartoon

Letters

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Editor Sir,

I have spent the better part of the last 24 hours trying to come up with some excuse or rationale for that unfortunate cartoon in the Jamaica Observer on Saturday.

And I say unfortunate because that is the only word that can best be used to describe such a broad-brush characterisation of Jamaica's athletes.

It is one thing to have our success in track and field scrutinised by all and sundry from overseas and especially here in the United States where I have resided for the past 30-plus years that we are systematically using illegal drugs, but to have one of our own national newspapers give credence to these unfounded accusations is too much.

Herb McKenley and those who paved the way must be rolling in their graves when a national newspaper who one would expect to know better behaves in this callous and unwarranted manner.

No doubt this cartoon was in response to the news that an athlete had failed a drug test, but the name on the back of the runner was not Mullings' but 'Jamaica' hence the characterisation that all Jamaicans were drug cheats. This is an unwarranted attack on all that we hold dear that as a people we work hard to achieve success.

Does this 'Jamaica' represent Bolt and Powell and the ladies who won titles at the last World Championships and Olympic Games and those who will be representing us at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea and in London next year?

Is this what the cartoonist is telling the entire world? No wonder everyone else is always so happy when another Jamaican is accused of failing a drugs test.

While the cartoonist does show some skill I suspect there is some ignorance or shortfall in his thinking process as not so long ago in yet another track and field cartoon depicting athletes from foreign countries eating Jamaican staples after a story about steroids gained from yams etc, he labelled one as 'USSR' despite the fact that this country has ceased to exist many years ago.

I have little knowledge of how a news room works, but isn't the cartoonists' work vetted like any other contributor or reporter, certainly if it was then these appalling mistakes would not be forced on us the readers.

As one who has no choice but to read the papers everyday to keep up with what is going on in Jamaica, I have always made it my duty to read the Observer and the Gleaner plus read the various chat rooms and forums to keep up.

I have noticed that while the Gleaner has been plugging their coverage of the World Championships, I notice the Observer has not said one word. Is it that the Observer will not be sending a team, that would be a shame as we can't depend on the American media to inform us of what is going on and I can't afford to travel to Jamaica this year, just to watch the live coverage as I did in 2009.

Mr Editor I am sure the Observer can do better and I expect that you will do better.

Respectfully,

Howard King

Elm Street

Waltham, Mass 02452