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JERM AND JACK DEFEND PINK ARCHIE COMICS
LAST MONDAY NIGHT, talk show host Kieno Kammies hosted cartoonists Jeremy Nell (Jerm) and Jack Swanepoel (Dr Jack) on his late night radio show broadcast on 702 and Cape Talk. The subject of the night's show was the pinking of Archie Comics - a gay character has recently been added to Archie's gang.Kieno asked whether the cartoonists felt that the addition of a gay character into a mainstream comic such as Archie would help society to be more accepting of alternative lifestyles.
The two cartoonists agreed that cartoons reflect society rather than the other way round. Dr Jack remembered how social perceptions discouraged cartoonist Reg Smythe, Andy Capp's creator, from showing Andy and Flo engaging in domestic violence. Society changed the cartoon, not the other way around.
So despite the talk show host's attempts to inject some debate into the subject, everyone agreed: Archie's new gay friend is simply a case of art reflecting life. But then the telephone lines opened...
Gladys enthused that it was a development long overdue. Louise, a Christian, countered that it was not right morally and biblically, and she would fight against this kind of degeneration with all her might. Cathryn, also a Christian, felt Louise was going overboard.
After the show, cartoonist Gavin Thomson (yet another Christian) played down the drama by remembering Desmond Tutu's contention that God loves gay people too.
