Seeing the truth

Regarding "What Was The New Yorker Thinking With That Magazine Cover?" (July 15): I'll tell you what the editors of the New Yorker were thinking. They were thinking that Americans are not all the moronic sheep that political propagandists of all stripes would like us to believe that we are. They were thinking that Americans have enough innate sense, that, perhaps with a bit of satirical prodding, we can see crude propaganda, lies and whispering campaigns for what they are.

They were thinking that Americans will not fall for the techniques of Hermann Goering, who said, "The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."

The Post-Gazette quotes professor Nicholas DiFonzo: "That's not to say they're backwards or unintelligent or anything, but ... ." Professor DiFonzo then goes on to say, in effect, he believes Americans are backward and unintelligent, that we are better served by crude propaganda calculated to appeal to our narrow preconceptions than by moderately clever satire designed to puncture our misconceptions.

I was born in Nebraska, raised in Missouri, lived in Wisconsin, Illinois and Western Pennsylvania. I have never actually set foot in New York City. I am clearly a "west of the Hudson" guy. Yet, I totally reject Hermann Goering, and, on this point, I totally reject Professor DiFonzo. Ignorance, lies, fear and prejudice are not American virtues. Holding them up to public ridicule is an American duty. The editors of the New Yorker are, like Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, American patriots.

MARK HOLM
Monroeville

Think about it

One of the best classes I took at the University of Pittsburgh while in undergraduate engineering was a course taught by the PG's Chris Rawson on satire. We covered many of the styles of satire from pre-Roman days through the charged political climate of the late 1960s.

A significant problem with satire is public comprehension. Most people do not take the time to think about what they see or read to understand the message. This directly pertains to the New Yorker's "Obama cover." It highlights all the misperceptions put forth by detractors of Mr. Obama, not facts. In the short attention-span culture of today, people only react instead of understand.

GEORGE KRAMER
Monaca

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