When Ducks go Bad

Izzie has been a political cartoon junkie ever since her flobberworm days. We still have some very yellow and faded piccies of Leonid Brezhnev proudly parading his latest acquisition - a very hairy and grumpy Afghan dog. Absolute favorites are Martin Turner and Michael Leunig.
Michael Leunig has been famous for his curly and quirky ducks and angels and big nosed critters with teapots on their heads.
There was always an element of whimsical mysticism and cute quirkiness. But lately, that has changed. While still funny, his cartoons have now become much angrier and bitter. These days they often have the subtlety of a sledge hammer. The impartial observer has tossed off his invisibility cloak and gotten rather more militant and polemical. There are still lots of wickedly wonderful biting gems but the anger and rage is becoming more obvious. Izzie prefers the old Leunig but we guess there's lots to be pissed off about these days.

But still, there remains this sense of the outsider looking in on the antics of these crazy humans with a sense of sadness and bewilderment. So, it was with much surprise that we reads on Tuesday in the local paper that a certain Mr Leunig had entered the very dodgy, dubious and totally tasteless Iranian cartoon competition. it is an ingenious idea - to call the bluff on the European claims to freedom of speech. It is much preferable to fight cartoons with cartoons than with swords and Molotov cocktails. But it is still cheap and nasty because the subject of the competition is not the Mohammed cartoonists or even the country of Denmark but the usual suspects and favorite scapegoats for all the evils in the world. (Damn - tried googling to get the Henderson op ed piece but no luck at all - but we did discover that Hendie hates Leunig's guts - not sure if the feeling is mutual. Seems uncannily like Severus Snape and Lupin. Yesss - Leunig is sort of like Lupin - a bit of an outsider and rather sad and strange but that's just yet another reason for this serpent to like him.


The Izzie knew straight away which cartoon was in question since an editor in Oz had refused to publish it several years ago - considering it to have well and truly crossed the line. But Gerard Henderson's claim that Leunig had BOTH opposed the publication of the Mohammed cartoons and had submitted his own offering to the competition as a protest about hypocrisy concerning free speech was most unlike the Leunig that the Izzie had grown to know and love aside from the fact that not only does this Mr Henderson have a smirk uncannily like that of his lord and master - the King of Rats himself - but Mr Leunig as a constant critic of the Prime Minister, is definitely in the sights of Hendersen as some one to be sniped and swiped at at every possible opportunity
Izzie would expect Michael Leunig to either be lovie dovie and all nice about offending Muslim sensibilities and to NOT enter this competition under the justification of free speech or to be in favor of cartoonists drawing whatsoever they want and not entering the competition because it is parading nastiness and prejudice under the pretence of free speech.

While the cartoon in question was certainly Leunig's work, Izzie would never expect him to enter it into such a nasty competition. While it is easy to see why it caused offense to many Jewish people, it is not necessarily anti-Semitic and the Izzie suspects that while it is seen that way by many - was not necessarily so intended.

So, it turns out that the cartoon was in fact submitted but not by Mr Leunig himself and he was apparently pretty peeved that it was sent in by some one claiming to be him and making various statements about solidarity with Muslims and western double standards concerning free speech
He was threatening legal action and such. Some snoops got on the trail and found that it was some one from a satirical journal who had sent it in.

So, the shit has hit the fan and the armies of Leunig loathers have issued a Quackwa against ducks and other curly creatures.
Actually - the editor who rejected the cartoon back in 2002 makes quite a few good points
PS - one other entrant is the sad and one track minded Latuff of Brazil. When oh when, Izzie wonders will Israel earn the right to be treated just like any other country instead of being regarded as the source of all evil in the world or the poor little victims who can never do any wrong?

PS - there was a lot of bitching and name calling about a certain cartoon (it's lurking somewhere amongst all the links) but no buildings got burned and Leunig is still alive to tell the tale