Chow slams Toronto sun cartoon as "racist" and "sexist"

It's hard to believe, but the Sun actually delivered this editorial cartoon to Toronto doorsteps yesterday. In the drawing, Olivia Chow is pictured in a Mao costume literally riding the coattails of Jack Layton's suit while zipping along on a skateboard.

"Because I am Chinese-Canadian, I must be a communist and have slanted eyes and glasses ... and since I am a woman, I must be inferior and therefore not good enough for the job of the mayor so I must rely on my deceased husband so it is both racist and sexist," the mayoral candidate told CP24 late last night.

Chow expressed understandable disappointment that stereotypes like this are still being tossed around today. "I remember getting that kind of attack in the 80s when I first became a school trustee... I thought those kind of racial stereotypes were long past us and then to bring up my deceased husband and to drag him in... it is just quite outrageous."

You can see the full cartoon and page spread (including Ford brandishing guns) here. The Toronto Sun has yet to comment on the illustration. Now might be a good time to remind everyone that today is election day. Exercising one's democratic rights is a good way to help ensure that controversies like this cease to unfold. And remember to take some time off the internet (and the newspapers) after you hit the polls today.

by Aubrey Jax via blogTO