We’re completely on the same page when it comes to wanting a less nauseating sentiment than your average Valentine’s Day cards usually offer.
But there’s tongue in cheek and then there’s just plain offensive. And if social media’s reaction is an accurate barometer to judge by (even though it’s often not), it appears that the Toronto Star went a little way too far with their left-field offerings this Sunday.
The newspaper’s cartoon section offered four last minute V-day cards for readers to cut out and keep this Sunday. But let’s just say, if you forgot to buy your girlfriend a single red rose this weekend, these weren’t exactly about to get you out of the doghouse either.
The cartoons, by Theo Moudakis, exhibited poor taste through a series of bad puns featuring Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. But the most alarming sketch of all was that of Jian Ghomeshi, which featured the former CBC Radio host, currently involved in an ongoing sexual assault trial, hugging his infamous stuffed animal, Big Ears Teddy.
Happy Valentine’s Day by Theo Moudakis #EditorialCartoon #ValentinesDay https://t.co/mIowT0G15X pic.twitter.com/j79pJrnHD6
— TorontoStar (@TorontoStar) February 14, 2016
The drawing showed the disgraced presenter hugging a teddy bear so hard its eyes were bulging, along with the caption “You get me all choked up.”
The caricature referenced the females who have said that before they were assaulted, Ghomeshi introduced them to his teddy bear before turning it around, saying “Big Ears Teddy shouldn’t see this,” and then proceeded to slap or choke them.
Twitter and Instagram was awash with detractors, who took umbrage with the cartoon for making light of sexual assault and openly joking about rape.
We’ll take ‘Roses are Red, Violets are Blue…’ any day over casual comedy about sexual violence.
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