Williams’ opponent, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, is depicted as a skinny blonde woman, to whom the umpire is saying: “Can’t you just let her win?”
“(It) not only exudes racist, sexist caricatures of both women, but Williams’ depiction is unnecessarily sambo-like,” the group said in a statement. “The art of editorial cartooning is a visual dialogue on the issues of the day, yet this cartoon grossly inaccurately depicts two women of color at the US Open, one of the grandest stages of professional sports.”
Angry reaction
Knight — an award-winning cartoonist who has worked for the Herald Sun for decades — told his employer he was “amazed” by the reaction to the cartoon, which he said did not attract significant criticism until it was picked up on Twitter by users in the US.
“It’s been picked up by social media in the US and my phone has just melted down,” he said. “The world has just gone crazy.”
“I take no pleasure in saying this, but, right now, it feels like there has never been a more exciting time to be a dog-whistling politician or race-baiting commentator in Australia,” outgoing Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane said last month.
“It isn’t a subjective call,” he said. “Embarrassing to see the Herald Sun doesn’t realise defending Knight’s cartoon supports the case swathes of Australian media is blind to its own racism.”
Lack of representation
In business, the report found there was “a combined total of 11 chief executives who have a non-European or Indigenous background,” or 3% of the total.
Indigenous people are especially under-represented, and have themselves been the subject of racist cartoons in the Australian press.
On Twitter, Australian musician Eddie Perfect, who is based in the US, reflected on this difference after he received some criticism for calling out Knight’s cartoon.
“Got about 200 tweets from Aussies angry I ‘spoke for them’,” he said. “This cartoon hit hard in the US. Things are VERY different here, where image, race, history and struggle are REAL.”
“(It) stings because it’s a generalisation, but also because it’s often true,” he added. “You don’t have to look hard to see and hear it. And today’s cartoon SHOCKED Americans.”
Australian broadcaster Neil Mitchell took the opposite tack on his morning radio show on Melbourne-based 3AW.
“I looked at that cartoon and it didn’t even cross my mind it was about race,” he said.
Source : Nbcnewyork