Harry's cartoon on Friday, June 14, was a cheap and nasty slur on anyone of Arab heritage.
The 'crazed Arab terrorist' stereotype is a quick and easy, almost fashionable, image for some cartoonists. Arabs have become the new bogeymen, with oil wells in their backyards, camels in the garage and evil on their minds.
Long gone are the images of the pig-tailed coolie, the jack-booted German, the scheming Shylock, the shoe-shining African American, or the sombrero-wearing Hispanic. Such stereotypes are no longer accepted.
Hateful images have powerful effects on public opinion. They can lead to the creation of social scapegoats and they focus on the wrong issues and the wrong priorities.
Hong Kong has more than enough of its own racial stereotyping. Come on, Harry, you can do better than that.
PAULINE BUNCE
