By GI Korea on February 11th, 2009 at 7:29 am

Korea Times Finds Humor in Australian Bushfires

» by GI Korea in: Australia,Journalism

I cannot say I am not surprised at how distasteful the Korea Times cartoonist is considering his past cartoons that I have featured here on the ROK Drop that were of questionable nature, but this one is by far the worst yet:

bushfire-cartoon

The cartoonist is making fun of the bushfires in the Australian state of Victoria by trying to blame them on global warming. Global warming is not what started the bushfires because most of the fires were started by arsonists on the hottest day of the year in Victoria. The fires were started near towns which caused many people to die in their cars as they had no time to escape which is what this cartoonist is making fun of.

This cartoonist is not the only one that has been pushing this global warming nonsense as Greenies in Australia have been saying the same thing to include Australian Greens Parliament Member Bob Brown. These people are disgusting and revolting and should be ashamed on themselves.

The argument that the environmentalists are responsible for the fires could just as easily be made as global warming since they are the ones that forbid controlled burns and cattle grazing in the National Parks thus causing an excess of fuel for these fires to burn. However, none of this is relevant when you have arsonists running around starting fires and even relighting some fires that were put out already. For the Korea Times to make light of the deaths of hundreds of people is irresponsible and insensitive journalism at the very least.

Since Robert Koehler first posted the link to the cartoon, The Korea Times has since pulled the cartoon due to the reader backlash the paper received. That is a start but the fact they would publish such a cartoon in the first place just goes to show how low the standards of journalism in that newspaper are. Thanks to Brian Deutsch we now know that the name of the cartoonist is Stephane Peray who draws his syndicated cartoons from Thailand of all places.

Could you imagine what Koreans would be saying if an Australian newspaper made fun of the Daegu subway fire tragedy that killed 130 Koreans? There would be a huge protest in front of the Australian embassy. I doubt such an angry reaction will occur against the Korea Times over this cartoon, but at least the Korea Times should fire this cartoonist at the very least.

Tags: Australia, bushfires, cartoon, Korea Times, Stephane Peray, Victoria

- 7,055 views

hoju_saram
12:53 am on February 11th, 2009 1
Let's not forget the religious nuts using the fires to push their agenda from the pulpit:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/pastors-abortion-d…

I seem to remember Jerry Falwell doing the same thing with 9/11.
GI Korea
1:25 am on February 11th, 2009 2
That guy is even wackier then Bob Brown. Unsurprisingly now Tim Flannery is getting in on the act by blaming pollution:

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/ind…

There is also irresponsible speculation going around the Internet started by Drudge that Islamic terrorists were maybe responsible for the fires due to threats from this wack job group before the fires:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/islam-group-urg…
Tom
8:52 am on February 11th, 2009 3
The cartoonist name is an anglicized name. He's not even Korean.

They pulled down the cartoon, what are you complaining about?
GI Korea
11:41 am on February 11th, 2009 4
Tom I never criticized the cartoonist for being Korean. I criticized the Korea Times for having such low journalism standards to run such a cartoon in the first place.
sean
3:17 pm on February 11th, 2009 5
i'd say there'd be an aussie fatwa on this cartoonist… punishments include

Burning at the stake

Being Fed To A Shark

Having to Suffer an entire Missy Higgins concert

A day at maroubra with the BRA boys
betchay
3:42 pm on February 11th, 2009 6
that's really in bad taste and KT published that?

i found stephane's photo here…
http://www.cagle.com/politicalcartoons/PCcartoons…
smiles
4:41 pm on February 11th, 2009 7
Dry hot weather causes fires to spread faster. People died because the fire spread so fast that people did not have time to get away. Although global warming can not be attributed to starting the fires set by arsonist, global warming did contribute to the speed at which the fire spread.
Hamilton
6:50 pm on February 11th, 2009 8
Green policies contributed more to the fires just like in the US. When you don't allow material to be removed you add more fuel for these events.
JoeC
8:25 pm on February 11th, 2009 9
Here is more "global warming nonsense" from a "greenie" "environmentalist."

Through global warming, we have now a fire season all year round. We used to have fire seasons only in the fall. But now the fire seasons start in February already."

Cal. Gov. Schwarzenegger
GI Korea
12:13 am on February 12th, 2009 10
Victoria had much more rain then usual for the summer time this year:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,2494867…

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24792342-124…

Victoria got hit with its first major heat wave when the fires hit this year. The heat wave is probably what encouraged the arsonists to come out and light fires after a wetter then normal summer.

As Hamilton stated there is more of a rationale of poor forest management that caused the fires to spread then global warming:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/fined-for-illeg…

THEY were labelled law breakers, fined $50,000 and left emotionally and financially drained.

But seven years after the Sheahans bulldozed trees to make a fire break — an act that got them dragged before a magistrate and penalised — they feel vindicated. Their house is one of the few in Reedy Creek still standing.

The Sheahans' 2004 court battle with the Mitchell Shire Council for illegally clearing trees to guard against fire, as well as their decision to stay at home and battle the weekend blaze, encapsulate two of the biggest issues arising from the bushfire tragedy.

Do Victoria's native vegetation management policies need a major overhaul? And should families risk injury or death by staying home to fight the fire rather than fleeing? (…)

Although Liam Sheahan's 2002 decision to disregard planning laws and bulldoze 250 trees on his hilltop property hurt his family financially and emotionally, he believes it helped save them and their home on the weekend.

"The house is safe because we did all that," he said as he pointed out his kitchen window to the clear ground where tall gum trees once cast a shadow on his house.

"We have got proof right here. We are the only house standing in a two-kilometre area." (….)

Mr Sheahan is still angry about his prosecution, which cost him $100,000 in fines and legal fees. The council's planning laws allow trees to be cleared only when they are within six metres of a house. Mr Sheahan cleared trees up to 100 metres away from his house.

"The council stood up in court and made us to look like the worst, wanton environmental vandals on the earth. We've got thousands of trees on our property. We cleared about 247," he said. (…)

"Both the major parties are pandering to the Greens for preferences and that is what is causing the problem. Common sense isn't that common these days," Mr Sheahan said.

Here is the money quote:

Anger at government policies stopping residents from cutting down trees and clearing scrub to protect their properties is already apparent. "We've lost two people in my family because you dickheads won't cut trees down," Warwick Spooner told Nillumbik Mayor Bo Bendtsen at a meeting on Tuesday night.

Furthermore the Greenies in Australia have outlawed cattle grazing in the high country in recent years that had been going on for generations. They also have outlawed backburning in the National Parks which is something that had been going on for tens of thousands of years by the Aborigines who understood the relationship between fire and the bush.

This is yet another example of global warming fear mongering which ignores the real issues that caused this tragedy.
Tom
12:54 am on February 12th, 2009 11
"Tom I never criticized the cartoonist for being Korean. I criticized the Korea Times for having such low journalism standards to run such a cartoon in the first place."

So they made a mistake. Did they not promptly correct it?

Yes they did. They took out the cartoon hours after it was up. Once again, why is this such a big deal when the problem has been removed?
Tom
12:57 am on February 12th, 2009 12
Now all the thin skins are calling for a world wide boycott of Korea because the entire country is racist (due to one problematic cartoon from one newspaper).

This has become a serious social racial issue for expats in Korea.
Smoothbore
6:42 am on February 12th, 2009 13
What would you think there Tommy boy if US newspapers were to publish Korean comfort woman having fun with some Japanese soldier and loving it?

Yeah, thought so.

Koreans are such hypocrites.
Tom
6:56 am on February 12th, 2009 14
"What would you think there Tommy boy if US newspapers were to publish Korean comfort woman having fun with some Japanese soldier and loving it?"

If they printed that cartoon that was created by another Korean , and they pulled the cartoon off the paper, then yeah, no problem. What's the problem? I wouldn't be raving for days and days and calling for American boycott, writing blog after blog.

complain to the cartoonist who is not even a Korean.
What a joke.
8:58 am on February 12th, 2009 15
Person with keyboard that types when they should be processing someones paperwork or researchers who get paid to look at data.

Who should I believe?

I would make up my own mind, but there are so many who want to make my mind up for me.