Whatever your political leanings, you should believe in respecting, not demonizing your fellow human beings. I’m an independent, so I get uncomfortable when I hear racist slurs against Obama (which unfortunately, do exist) or see him depicted as a monkey or a terrorist (it’s like, seriously, people?). I’m similarly uncomfortable when sexual harrassment against a real person is described as funny. If I didn’t know Willis better–I know he’s no sexist–I’d wonder if he’d write the same way if Palin were man. If he’d think to be so grossly rape-esque. I’ve seen far too much “Sarah-Palin-hate” with strongly sexist overtones, and I don’t think it’s very enlightened of an artist or a writer to go after someone’s sex or sexuality, or attack them in sexually-depicted ways.

Thankfully, I know Willis isn’t sexist, and he’s not mimicking the thousands of writers who’ll attack a female politician one way and a male politician another way.

I have noticed, however, both from his comments under his other comics and in his art styles in these particular comics, that there’s a fair amount of hate and disrespect floating around his art. We all have a little Mike in us, but there’s a point at which for effective political discourse–and to keep us from becoming the extremists we all hate–we need to reign him in and say, “this isn’t funny. This is wrong. I need to respect those I disagree with.”

Here’s to respect, in art and in life.
Yes.