A lot of people have been asking me about this so I’m posting a few comments about it.
The right-wing maniac who killed a bunch of kids in Norway last week used one of my cartoons in the video he posted about his political beliefs. The still image below, about 2 1/2 minutes into his video, is the one in which my cartoon appears. Mine isn’t the only cartoon he employed; the entire video is one image after another, and a lot of editorial cartoons are used to support his point.
This is a larger view of the Bizarro cartoon he used and it is about the ridiculous lengths people will sometimes go to to be “politically correct” and “multicultural.” Evidently, the Norwegian Maniac has a huge problem with other cultures (read: Islam) and believes they are systematically dismantling European (read: white/Christian) traditions and culture in an effort to turn the entire world Muslim. As for myself, I agree with Christopher Hitchens: Religion Poisons Everything. All of the Big 3 are equally guilty. (That is NOT to say that all people who believe in one of the Big 3 religions is a violent whack-job. Far from it.)
And I just noticed that he is not only a bigot and deranged killer, but a copyright infringer. My signature and copyright are missing from the lower right corner. Perhaps that is why I have not heard from the Norwegian police.
I don’t agree with his political views and wish he hadn’t used my cartoon in his video, but he did so that’s that. Even more, I wish he hadn’t killed a bunch of kids.
Precisely: “Religion Poisons Everything. All of the Big 3 are equally guilty.”
how could you say rligion poisons, im a muslim and people like you see muslims and many other religions as a threat but when someone like you writes a comment like that i feel threatened because because you refere to a few people as a whole religion which isnt rightm its funny because all these muslim stereotypes are from the media and no one can see they are doing this, theyve done it to black people, jews. they use to stereotype germans as terrorists and now its happening to muslims.
I’m not afraid of muslims and don’t think they are all alike. Redneck Christian terrorists are every bit as frightening and we have plenty of them in the U.S. When I say that “religion poisons,” I am referring to society and the mind. People who base their actions on what they believe an imaginary magical person in the sky wants them to do are dangerous.
I think this sucks – as I understand, you are an atheist, and still your work is used by a fundamentalist christian to promote his deranged ideas.
BTW, I see nothing wrong in deconstructing traditions. Traditions is what drags us down and slows down the progress. Stem cell research is a good example.
Yea..thats about all you can say…I have evolved to a place in my mind where I am so deeply confused and damaged and hurt by the insanity in this world….. You did a good job explaining that tragedy..I can’t even read about stuff like that…
The comic is ruined for some people now because it is a ‘TRIGGER’ for the sadness….I have to avoid alot of triggers….some people are more sensitive to triggers than others…do not take this fact lightly…..I have to avoid many situations in life now because it creates panic due to trama……one way I am able to cope with this is through humor….I try to stay as silly as possible….may I interject a joke here? I’m not sure if it’s even funny, so I guess I won’t…..but I’ve managed to amuse myself…and Bizzaro is still my Fav…
Damn it, that’s one of my favorite cartoons! Now it’s ruined forever. (P.S. I loved your note. Perfectly done.)
If you let the terrorists ruin the cartoon for you, the terrorists have won!!!!
Writing a reply for Pamela below, I was thinking about your comment.
I believe this is a sincere comment: it’s really ruined for you. It’s not a figure of speech. On top of it, it is probably beyond your control. It’s just ruined (please let me know if I got it wrong). I am really interested to explore why/how this happened.
Is it that one feels so appalled by this guy that (subconsciously) wishes to disassociate as much as possible by changing what one liked before?!
Is it that we are now exposed to a different interpretation, a terrible one, that ruins our comedic feeling, much like a annoying fly? Why do we give weight to this new interpretation?
I know we cannot answer these questions by just consciously discussing them but it’s good to wander about these things.
Dan, I’m pretty sure that your fans know you had absolutely NO involvement with the Norway Maniac. It’s a shame that he chose to use comics and writing from popular artists like yourself. It’s a shame that he chose to highlight the speeches of so many people in his video – people who have never heard of this man yet have shown up in his video, completely without their knowledge or permission.
I don’t know what the punishment should be for his actions, but I hope his crime(s) is taken seriously and punished accordingly. I hope the survivors, their loved ones, and the loved ones of those who didn’t survive are able to find healing, even in their grief.
Thanks, Pamela!
Why is it “a shame that he used comics and writing from popular artists”?
Don’t popular artists appeal to many people? (of course, by definition of being popular) And often for different reasons? (sure, this might be an element to their popularity).
Isn’t it a part of the human nature to see what we want, to interpret things how they fit for us? Everybody does it at varying degrees, and some deranged individuals in do it in the extreme.
Do we feel more comfortable if we see him as a complete monster that does not relate to us in any way? Someone that lives in his own world, creating his own art, thinking ideas that no other people have thought?
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the gut feeling of the artist “No, this is not what I meant!!” Given the circumstances in this particular case, there is nothing more that one can do, than what Dan already did.
I think the use of the cartoon it no shame at all. On the contrary it can be used as a reminder of the versatility that ideas have.
And since I appear somewhat dissenting here :-) … let me keep it up and ask Dan a question: Which are the Big 3 Religions? And then: “Really?” (I have a feeling you mean JudeoCristianIslam)
The Big 3 are Judaism, Islam and Christianity. All are from the same root and have historically (and continue to) cause more war, torture, and persecution than all other religions combined.
I know you meant them, that’s why I asked “Really?”.
Judaism is of course the predecessor of Christianity and Islam, but it’s difficult to label it “big”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html
Hey, non-religious is the 3rd largest group :-) That’s a surprise for me!
Sir, may I, then, recommend you read up on Pastafarianism?
perks include wearing pasta strainers as official religious headgear.
Know all about it, I’m a big fan. Makes as much sense as any of the tax-free religions.
If this violent nut had only known what a liberal you are, I doubt he would have used your cartoon. I am sorry that he did, as i am sure it is difficult for you, a non-violent, caring person, to see your fine and funny work used to justify maiming and killing so many. Still, your work is amazing and I know more good has come from your cartoons than bad. Please continue to speak through your cartoons; they inspire me daily!
Thanks, Patty!
I bet he did know. He took out the signature and URL so that people can not go to Google and accidentally find out conflicting opinions.
Just wanted to rant a little bout the use of “right-wing maniac”. That term came to replace the word terrorist when it got known he wasnt an islamist extremist. He’s still very much a terrorist and nothing would hurt if we keep calling him that. What would hurt though is if the word terrorist only is used to describe islamic violence.
Cheers
Good point.
Irony never ends:
SPIEGEL: ‘Madame Secretary, in your first testimony to the US Congress as Homeland Security Secretary you never mentioned the word “terrorism.” Does Islamist terrorism suddenly no longer pose a threat to your country?’
Janet Napolitano, President Obama’s new Homeland Security Secretary: ‘Of course it does. I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word “terrorism,” I referred to “man-caused” disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.’
Today’s media all to often skews the concept of these types of tragedys. It is not about the cartoonist (I am an amateur cartoonist myself, Mr. Piraro), it is not about the alleged murderer (is this case, a confessed lunatic); it is, at it’s very essence, about the victims. In this case, children and adults.
When media in general, and American media in particular learn that these types of crimes are perpetrated by people desperately seeking the attention of the media, and deny them that attention, instead giving the victims the attention; then, and only then, will society begin to curb this type of behavior.
You are an American, Mr. Piraro. You are not only entitled to your religious beliefs; you are also entitled to free yourself from the mis-guided faith of others.
“We have guided missles, and mis-guided men.” Martin Luther King.
Best wishes and keep going.
Norwegian Would…not get the humor in this cartoon. This man is a sociopath without remorse. I say, let them study his brain as if he were a lab rat, and by no means give him any type of forum to vent his poison.
I don’t know Norweigan law, but someone needs to sue him for copyright infringement too. It doesn’t help you or the victims but it sends a message that sh*t like this will not be tolerated at all.
When I first watched the now infamous video I saw your cartoon and thought: “he’s not going to be happy about this”. You’re a nice guy, DP.
I feel your pain. The violence and shock experienced when someone hijacks something personal and uses it to hurt others (or justify hurting others) is immense. It is much the same for people of faith whose most sacred beliefs are stolen by leaders who are ignorant, greedy or just self-serving and twisted into the antithesis of all they should be, just to incite hatred and violence. I too hate religion, but in truth, if we eradicated all religion the craziness wouldn’t go away. We would still have the politics that hides behind religion and the greed (corporate and otherwise) that hides behind that and fear. There will always be people who set out to control everything, enslave others to enrich themselves, and destroy those whose beliefs are somehow threatening. Then there are the sociopaths like the one who used your work, for which you have my condolences.
I’m just sayin’
Your heart must have sunk when you saw that. So sorry you were dragged into all of this and while it’s normal to feel manipulated and a bit violated by his forced association to you, I hope you know your readers are smarter than that. We all like you and understandably get a little protective when something like this happens. Personally, I stopped wearing my collars up.
It is instructive to remember that the killer is a human being, and not a monster per se. If we label him a monster we don’t have to face what it is that’s in human beings that can lead us to carry out such horrific acts. Hitler became a cliche, but he was a real man who, along with many others, let their dark, murderous shadows run wild. Letting the infantile id (or whatever you wish to call it) run loose results in destruction, pure and simple. The old testament Yahweh killed millions of human beings, usually when he was in a fit of pique–but that mythological beast was a projection for mankind. I like to think there was some sort of Bronze Age Bizarro Man painting on the cave walls or the solemn temples, making people see absurdity in the culture at large, and have a chuckle to boot.
No. This guy killed dozens of innocent people. He is a monster.