Boston Herald Obama Cartoon Causes Backlash: Watermelon Joke Was Unintentional, Says Cartoonist
The Boston Herald's Obama cartoon provoked outrage among some who said in was racist, according to reports. The backlash from readers and critics Wednesday prompted the newspaper and its cartoonist, Jerry Holbert, to apologize.
The Boston Herald's Obama cartoon was satirizing the White House invader that managed to jump the gate at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue recently. Although security stopped him shortly afterwards, Holbert's cartoon pretended the man had gotten into the President's bathroom.
The cartoon showed the man in Obama's bathtub scrubbing away while the President brushes his teeth. "Have you tried the new watermelon flavored toothpaste?" the invader says.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"White House invader got farther than originally thought," the caption read. However, some found the cartoon offensive, as African-Americans were previously stereotyped to have an affinity for watermelon.
Holbert said that he never meant to harm anyone with his humor, just poke fun. The watermelon-flavored toothpaste is one he has at home for his children, which is where he got the idea.
I "wasn't thinking along those lines at all," he told Boston Herald Radio.
Nevertheless, he apologized for being "naive" about the situation.
"I want to apologize to anyone I offended who was hurt by the cartoon," Holbert said. "It was certainly, absolutely, not my intention."
The Boston Herald apologized as well.
"His cartoon satirizing the U.S. Secret Service breach at the White House has offended some people and to them we apologize. His choice of imagery was absolutely not meant to be hurtful. We stand by Jerry, who is a veteran cartoonist with the utmost integrity," the publication stated.
In the cartoon, the reference was changed to raspberry-flavored toothpaste instead.
