Now this is just wrong

I came across the following article: "New Yorker's Obama Cover Touches Nerve". The problem is that it also sits on my nerve. Here is the image that has caused the uproar (right). The article talks about how some people are offended by the picture but the author of the article does not think it is offensive but funny. The New Yorker defends itself by saying that they were showing the stupidity of the rhetoric and lies that people are saying about the Obamas. You know what I am referring to: 1. Barak is unpatriotic; 2. Michelle is an angry violent black woman who wants to bring back the Black Panthers; 3. Barak is really Muslim; 4. Barak supports Bin Ladin. Given that none of these things can be substanciated or proven true, does not mean that there are not real people who really believe those things. I don't think pointing out these things and starting a dialog using an image that feeds these misconceptions and fears is the best solution. I think that there are people who really think that this image accurately represents reality. I got the sense that the editors at the New Yorker think that most people will see the cover as a joke commenting on those who think that it is true, not thinking that the magazine is condoning those thoughts. Truth is I don't have that high an expectation.