Media Watch Letter to Cartoonist Mike Lester

November 20, 2006

Dear Mr. Lester:

We love a good lampoon of a despot as much as the next person, but you crossed the line of decency when you demeaned an entire people with the "Morested" cartoon (of Oct. 24, "North Korea 'sorry' for testing nukes").

Was your caricature of Kim Jong Il so unfunny or your caption of his quote so dry that you needed to dress it up with a mock-Asian accent? That use perpetuates the mean-spirited stereotype that Asians cannot pronounce English properly and, moreover, that we are "others."

The distorted speech helps to reinforce a distorted image of Asians and Asian Americans.

We deserve better from those who hold such persuasive powers.

Sincerely,

Abe Kwok
Co-Chair, MediaWatch Committee
Asian American Journalists Association