Many of you were disappointed, confused and more than a little angry about the news that Robert Crumb had pulled out his appearance at Sydney’s forthcoming Graphic festival, following a Sunday Telegraph article that portrayed the renowned art figure in a most unflattering light. (Assuming you think “sex pervert” and “filthy weirdo” aren’t flattering tags.)
Mr Crumb has set the record straight via an excellent op-ed he has penned for the Sydney Morning Herald in which he gives the Telegraph and author of the aforementioned article, Jesse Phillips, the kind of caning they both deserve.
He writes: One can see… how skilled media professionals with low standards of integrity are able to mould and manipulate public opinion, popular beliefs and, ultimately, the direction of politics. The majority of the population in most places is not alert to this kind of deceptive manipulation. They are more or less defenceless against such clever ”perception management”.
The worst part is the apparent irresponsibility of these cynical media hacks. What if I’d gone there, and what if some Mark Chapman-type person who’d read that article decided the world needed to be cleansed of scum like R. Crumb? (Mark Chapman shot John Lennon.) This possibility worried [my wife] deeply.
Did it occur to the people at the Sunday Telegraph that they might be stirring up such dangerous passions? Do they care? Their article showed a profound lack of integrity and social responsibility. And unfortunately, I was made the object of their hateful Machiavellian tactics…
Read Robert Crumb’s article in full HERE.
