Seriously. Just because he is brown?
COMMENTS
Anil | July 30, 2007
[Cringe.]
Ennis | July 30, 2007
I don't think that the cartoonist thinks of Buddhists are brown - the other guy is probably supposed to be yellow. No, I think it's because of his ignorance.
Andrew R. | July 30, 2007
I don't think that ethnicity has much to do with it, especially as these days, Buddhism tends to often be associated with vapid, upper-middle class white people.
Desi Italiana | July 31, 2007
Maybe I missed something, but how is the above cartoon associated with Buddhism? Because it could be Hindu... Perhaps: 1. Depicting Westerners as rational and dealing with the material world's matters (man who comes to inquire about something with a briefcase in hand), whereas the Easterner (dressed in swami attire, sitting down on the ground and chanting some obscure mantra in English) is more spiritual and abstract. And then, by extension...[see #2] 2. Critique on Hindu/Buddhist philosophy, which is "I renounce everything, I have chosen to become inactive, I give up living and life, I disengage myself from the material world since it is all maya anyway, and I will mentally cocoon myself in order to spiritually perfect myself." I am probably totally off the base here, as I am wont to do :)
nate | July 31, 2007
I don't think it has anything to with brownity. But I'd lean closer to #2 suggested above. Desi Italiana, you do realize who the cartoon is about I presume? (lying sack of partisan flesh --oh, and and attorney general for Bush-- Alberto Gonzales) The cartoon could have easily been directed at Libby or others. I would say that it is poking fun at Buddhist trendiness in the US by comparing Gonzales' adamant refusal to take part in the reality everyone else seems to be experiencing with the new-agey yuppie religion trends. To me the robes look less Buddhist than Hare Krishna, but chalk it up to ignorance or a deliberately generic portrayal.
Desi Italiana | July 31, 2007
Nate: "Desi Italiana, you do realize who the cartoon is about I presume?" I KNEW I was going to be off the mark somehow! And sure enough, when I read your comment, yes, I now see I missed the little part of the cartoon where it says "Attorney General." My bad [am slightly blushing out of embarressment]. "To me the robes look less Buddhist than Hare Krishna" Yup. Same here. But speaking of Buddhist trendiness in the US, the impression that I get living in the Bay Area is more that Hinduism is trendy (but then again, Tibet is a fashionable hot "cause" right now in Berkeley which supporters can endorce by activist consumption. Buddhism and Hinduism are definately pushed here). There's a lot of Hare Krishna individuals and forces (many of whom are, I have noticed, German converts) that are flocking passerbys in front of Indian restaurants, trying to get people to convert.