Notice how all of Tom Tomorrow's characters are "European Americans"?

I think he's evoking some kinda Father Knows Best, white picket fence with 2.5 kids, bygone semi-fictional era.

I believe the nostalgic image of the 1950's is what he's aiming for.

Hence, the "whitewash" -- whites were the only ones portrayed on TV at that time (in any favourable light) from my not-first-hand experience.

My 2¢ worth...

Ron

It's obvious that TT is, indeed, referring to the Lebanese civilian deaths in the strip. But how could you possibly think that think criticizing Israel's conduct is good enough? No, TT is clearly a hack and a rightwing apologist because he's not committed to exposing the evils of Zionism per se. Imagine, the degeneracy of TT embracing a position that permits one both to despise Bush and Republicanism, but still love Israel. After all, everyone knows that a hatred of Israel is a necessary condition of opposing the Republicans' far Right political agenda in the United States.

(And by the way, that bit about the bombing civilian neighborhoods? I'm pretty sure he's talking about Israel in that panel.)

I found it very funny but kinda sad. Part of me wanted to foward it to people I know who otherwise are normal intelligent people, except about politics. I am afraid that they wouldn't get it. They honestly and truthfully beleive most of what Tom is making fun of. And that is sad. It is kinda like we are talking to ouselves.

Win a Salon premium membership for life.

Emyth, hate to break it to you, but 'people of color' don't make policy in this country. People of color didn't buy up all major media outlets over the last decade. The old 'I have lots of friends who are black' shit doesn't fly here.

In the Tom Tomorrow Universe, we never read the words "Israel" or "Zionism" or Lebanese civilian deaths. We never read about the origins of the real tension in the Middle East or the way so few US liberals and conservatives fail to speak out against Israel. Isn’t that an interesting universe?

If you're a liberal who hates Bush, but who loves Israel, you can live in Tom's universe and enver feel unhappy! Isn' that FUN?

I know we all like to think we're all infinitely witty and original and precious even but the left suffers from exactly the same dull groupthink sloganeering too.

I see Sybil was out of bed early this morning, grinding his hateful axe. I've always enjoyed TMW and TT and now my joy is increased because Iknow that somewhere out there in looney-land is a guy who got his widdle feelings hurt and now he spends his time trying vainly to get revenge by writing nearly the same complaint again and again, always under a different screen name. What an exciting life he must lead.

Notice how all of Tom Tomorrow's characters are "European Americans"? Are there truly no "People of Color" in the Rightwingoverse? Seems to me that I know of at least a few citizens of Latin/Hispanic, Asian and African descent who are doing their best to turn things Rightwise...

And yet the politics of race and "color" don't seem to be on Tom Tomorrow's topic. It seems odd to me that something can be so prominently obvious - and yet remain so "obliviated". I'm not awake enough to think this through to a plausible conclusion, but a totally "whitewashed" world isn't the one I live in... I wonder, "What's going on here?"

But then, this is a Leftwing portrayal of the Rightwingoverse, no? Its iconography rises out of a polarized Left/Right paradigm where its just Us&Them with no Libertarians, no Authoritarian Leftists or Communists, no Radical Conservative Liberals, and no Messy Middle, no nuance, no subtlety... Thus no discomfort and no learning.

Now perhaps Tom Tomorrow is using clip-art... The "whitewash" then isn't his, but belongs to those who created the original designs. But I don't think so; I expect he's enough of a craftsman to be able to create whatever ethnic characters he'd wish to portray. I think that there must be an explanation for the "monochromatic" nature of his depictions (check through the archives and see for yourselves.)

After 25 years, I got tired of going to church: Too much preaching to the choir... Unfortunately, I'm getting the same feeling with Tom Tomorrow. So I laugh and nod - and I go look elsewhere to develop my understanding of the complex world/society we live in.

I do hope that Salon.com won't seem too thin and weak after another year or two of daily reading.

To varying degrees, this kind of propaganda prevails in the entire media-o-verse - PBS and NPR included.

As for the politicians, some of this propaganda is every bit as prevalent in the Democratic party as the Republican party - particularly with regard to events in the Mid east where 'left' criticism - such as it is - is generally strategic in nature. Principled opposition or criticism that opposes the goals of the right-wing and associated policies and militarism is rarely seen.

No point in singling out the right wing any longer. These days, it seems that the far right merely represents the more shrill variety of a general concensus in policies among all the major players in the media and political establishment.

Craig234: I think of an e-mail I got today circulating among right wingers, which praises Denzel Washington for a visit and donation to care for Iraqi troops who are wounded.

But the e-mail is captioned sarcastically that 'the media' missed the story, and how it all wants to give front page coverage to celebrities like Sean Penn.

I've gotten that E-mail three different times now. I just did a Google on it and it looks like it's been making the rounds since February 2005. Athough Denzel did indeed make a sizable donation to care for our troops' families, most versions of the letter contain significant exaggerations and embellishments: http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/denzel.asp