THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504210005
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LYNN FEIGENBAUM
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
When Michelle Tribble complained about a Pilot headline being ``very, very explosive'' and a ``powder keg waiting to go off,'' she wasn't talking about the blast that devastated an Oklahoma federal building this week.
She was referring to the Pilot's front-page banner Tuesday, ``Court lets white men's victories stand.'' It referred to the Supreme Court leaving intact two lower-court decisions on affirmative action.
Tribble and a dozen other readers were livid at the headline, which they saw as racist, divisive, inflammatory and even a few unprintable epithets.
``It is in extremely bad taste,'' said Glenn Skinner of Virginia Beach. ``It stirs up dissatisfaction rather than reporting the facts of the case.''
Skinner said there were 50 better headlines for that story, and even offered one: ``Court lets reverse-discrimination decision stand.''
Richard Slepin of Portsmouth also offered up a good alternative: ``Court deals affirmative action a blow.''
Probably neither headline would have fit in the allotted space, but our callers made their point: It wasn't necessary to put the story in terms of black vs. white or ``us vs. them.''
They have a point, though I can't help wondering if there isn't some shoot-the-messenger syndrome here, a bit of discomfort at seeing ``white men'' isolated in banner-sized type.
You could almost find the headline amusing. What white men? How many? What victories? But our callers weren't laughing.
FUNNIES AREN'T FUNNY. Readers haven't been laughing at all the funnies lately, either. Fans of ``For Better or For Worse,'' who just recovered from the near drowning of little April, now are mourning the family's dog, Farley.
And there have been somber episodes in other strips, too - a mugging and miscarriage in ``Curtis,'' a drunken-driving accident in ``Luann.''
``I thought comics were supposed to be funny,'' said Lynn Phillips of Norfolk. ``Whoever is drawing these needs to have funny redefined. Is this a trend?''
Is it? Are comics, our escapist fare, becoming more reality-based and less entertaining?
Not according to Lucy Shelton Caswell, a professor at Ohio State University and curator of the school's cartoon research library.
``It's not anything new,'' she said. ``A character died in `The Gumps' in the '20s. `Little Orphan Annie' frequently was a tearjerker, so you can go way back.
``The idea that the funnies have to be funny is simply not correct. They are intended to amuse and entertain, but entertainment is not always funny. We go to scary movies.''
Caswell also recalled that cartoonist Milton Caniff's ``Terry and the Pirates'' had a character die in 1941, in the context of the Japanese invasion of China.
``It was very dramatic,'' she said. ``He got hundreds of letters, made Time magazine; people sent him sympathy cards. I think that he was reflecting the reality of his time.''
Likewise, she said, ``For Better or For Worse'' cartoonist Lynn Johnston is reflecting the realities of family life. Johnston echoed that in a conversation with reporter Kerry Dougherty.
Lately, said Johnston, comics have focused more on relationships. ``But I think that's a reflection of society,'' she said, ``where we are all talking more about personal matters. Look at the books dealing with men and women and relationships.''
Bruce Beattie, president of the 500-member National Cartoonists Society, has another explanation. Sometimes, he said, cartoonists have to get away from the ``gag-a-day'' format.
From the sound of it, many readers would prefer they didn't. MEMO: Call the public editor at 446-2475, or send a computer message to
lynn(AT)infi.net. ILLUSTRATION: The cartoon character Raven Sherman died in a 1941 ``Terry and
the Pirates'' strip.
by CNB