Editorial: Mark Knight’s cartoon rightly mocks Serena Williams’ US Open finals dummy-spit
THE world has officially gone mad when a celebrated cartoonist is condemned by the social media hordes for depicting a famous sports star throwing an unedifying tantrum. Take a breath and consider the facts.
Opinion
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THE world has officially gone mad when a celebrated cartoonist is condemned by the social media hordes for depicting a famous sports star throwing an unedifying tantrum.
Take a breath and consider the facts.
Serena Williams was warned and then penalised by match umpire Carlos Ramos during the weekend US Open women’s final — including a code violation after her coach was identified giving instruction from the sidelines, a point penalty for smashing her racquet and a game docked for abusing the umpire.
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In her straight sets loss to Naomi Osaka, Williams was simply outplayed and lost her temper in a gigantic and ill-disciplined blow-up.
Mark Knight’s cartoon depicting Williams destroying her racquet and jumping up and down, with a dummy spat nearby, mocked the star player for her behaviour.
Indeed, such was the gravity of her angry remonstration it later left Osaka, who became Japan’s first player to win a Grand Slam singles title, in tears.
But Knight’s critics have focused on what they wrongly claim is some sort of inherent racism and sexism.
Williams herself claimed her treatment by Ramos was sexist and the penalty amounted to theft — and the ensuing debate seems to have heightened a critical but faulty radar for anything Williams’ supporters may see as supporting that racism or sexism.
Knight, like almost every cartoonist, mocks the powerful and famous when required; whether it be prime ministers like Malcolm Turnbull or presidents like Donald Trump.
Regardless of race or sex, they are lampooned because of their behaviour.
A tidal wave of ill-informed critics, from author J.K Rowling to rapper Nicki Minaj and a barrage of twitter users, have accused Knight’s drawing of being racist, with a number pointing to stature and colour distinctions between Williams and Osaka, who is of mixed Japanese and Haitian descent.
She was drawn with a blonde ponytail because she has a blonde ponytail.
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To argue the Williams drawing is racist is an attempt to defeat cartooning — and satire — with a politically-correct barrage.
There is a valid and urgent need to continue the march toward true and real racial and sexual equality in all walks of life.
But those who seek to prosecute their antiracial agenda by identifying racism in the Knight cartoon — where it does not exist — completely miss the point of the drawing.
It rightly mocked Williams for her dummy-spit and unsporting performance, which ultimately robbed Osaka of her chance to truly celebrate a terrific, inaugural triumph against a woman she described as her personal hero.
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