A New Lesson For CTU

Scooby Doo Gang, circa 1969.

“Hey, gang. We saw in the news that a meme was posted about Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the Chicago police, Chicago schools, and some characters that sure do look like us. The Mystery Machine has solved this one and those are actually members of the CTU wearing masks of us, too!

“We have a message to the organization:  Chicago Teachers Union, read some books and educate yourselves on civil discourse. Don’t impersonate us for your own views. We’re not a part of your union. We’re a beloved cartoon for kids. Racist memes just aren’t groovy; not back in our day and not now.”

The political cartoon below depicts Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Black woman, as a criminal disguised as a white police officer, in retaliation for not agreeing to CTU’s demands. Effectively, she is in Whiteface. The Chicago Teachers Union makes light of current events in which this May, video documented how George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck as a method of restraint. Or of the various other white police officers in different communities who used excessive force against Black men, who consequently died as a result of police brutality, and are now finally being charged themselves. These videos have further revealed the systemic problem in policing which is finally being recognized and deplored by many citizens, businesses, and officials. Today people are getting clued in to the many instances of the assumed guilt of Blacks when approached by police, and for the bias by some police against Blacks, as evidenced in cases from different states, but all that seems to be mocked in this cartoon as well.

At a time where the country has seen mass protests sparked by George Floyd’s death, and against police brutality and racism, this whole image seeks to subvert the national discourse that has erupted and attempts to reinforce negative stereotypes of Blacks in this country.  

“