Fan Mail From Some Flounder
By Mark Kaufman
It was a happy day in our office last week. I recieved my first hate mail regarding an illustration. This is a detail of the piece in question. You can find a readable version of it on drawmark.com in the etc. section. The Filthy First Ladies project ran in the Stranger shortly after Laura Bush worked blue at the White House Correspondents Dinner back in May 2005, by telling a joke involving the president, masturbation and mules. It was one of the best recieved pieces I have done over the years, lots of positive feedback. So much so that I decided to use it in an ad I ran in Creativity Spark, a bi-annual print directory as well as a year-round online resource, which presents the work of photographers, illustrators and graphic designers with an emphasis on the personal. It was a calculated risk to use a piece that even though most people find funny, it does contain profanity, dirty jokes and images of 40 count ’em 40 first ladies of the United States. But it was a risk I decided to take, after all I feel like I have been throwing good money after bad over the years by running ads in various directories. Most times I would run work that I feel is fairly representative of my style and point of view and it seemed like nobody ever took notice. If I ran this, which I am very proud of BTW, maybe someone would at least take notice, attention must be paid.
Anyway, I got my wish. An art director in West Virginia took the time to email me and write “Why would a talented guy like you want to show stuff like that? Very offensive, and I’m not a prude–wouldn’t send illustration assignment to you
based on this.” She went on about would my mother, daughter or granmother approve of what I did for a living. She is of course entitled to her opinion, unfortunately she missed the point entirely, so I wrote back and told her the background of the cartoon, my point of view and the fact that the women in my life are very supportive of me. Here is my response:
“Thank you for your response and taking the time to write. I am sure that most people who feel the same way, would call me a moron and simply turn the page.
The piece in question is about hypocrisy, feigned outrage and double standards. So your reaction is quite welcome.
This is based on fact. The First Lady of The United States, by most accounts an exemplar of traditional values, a role model for polite society and the prim and proper embodiment of moral superiority works blue. Were you outraged or disappointed when Laura Bush told a joke involving the president, a mule and masturbation? I certainly wasn’t. I was offended by the double standard that swirled around the incident. Mrs. Bush got a free pass from the very same people that heaped scorn on Hillary Clinton and Tereza Heinz Kerry. Most of the barbs in my piece are aimed at the manufactured images of the presidents, not on the women that stood behind them.
The joke in my piece is not on the first ladies, motherhood or powerful women. The joke is on those who fake moral outrage when it suits them. Your suggestion that my mother or daughter would not approve of my work is condescending. The women in my life are smart, funny people that like a good joke, despise hypocrisy and understand satire when they see it.
I thought long and hard about whether I should use this particular piece to promote my work. I decided that it would be wrong not to. I love political humor, I believe strongly that my work should say something, and I am militant about the first amendment. I also believe in free market. You would not hire me based on this piece, I dare say that you would not have hired me had I used a piece with rainbows and bunnies. You also would not have noticed. This piece may alienate some. That’s fine, it has attracted interest from others and for that reason I believe I have made the right decision.”
I will not use the women’s name that wrote to me, she was kind enough to write back and although agreeing with most of my response still thinks that I don’t need to be gross to be noticed. Point Taken.