I’ve been doing editorial cartoons for The San Diego Reader since January 2002, but I have to say, it’s not often that I get any feedback.

I don’t believe a single non-spam comment has ever been posted in the San Diego section at nealo.com. One time, I saw a San Diego blog mention my cartoons and add “some of them are even kind of funny,” which obviously isn’t meant to be even as flattering as those words suggest.

And the few letters I’ve received are usually scrawled in jagged letters and so intense that I often can’t read them. I hope the implication there is clear.

So I was thrilled today when I called up the Reader website and saw this letter:

Anybody Seen The Melting Pot?
I’m calling in response to the letter by Jack D. (August 17). Jack, that cartoon (Neal Obermeyer, August 10) was the realest, realest, realest s*** the Reader has published in a long, long, long time. I love reading the Reader. You show both viewpoints, those I agree with and those I don’t agree with. But how do I know I don’t agree with someone until I read it? Jack, get off it, sweetie. America is the most hypocritical, hypocritical country there is. They have stolen land that wasn’t theirs, slaughtered people, killed people, financed people being slaughtered and killed, and you know what, they’re getting a taste of their own medicine right now. Whatever happened to the melting pot? I bet you support Bush. Jack D., it’s like, come on, man, give it up. That cartoon was the realest, realest, realest thing published in a long time. That cartoon should have been on the front page of the Reader for the next year, every week.
J. Nicole
San Diego

and this one:

Ha-Ha-Ha!
This is in response to Jack D.’s reaction (Letters, August 17) to Neal Obermeyer’s cartoon (August 10) of the Freedom Concert in Chula Vista. One of the things that I love about that cartoon is that it offends people like you. People like you are such a pleasure to point and laugh at. By the way, being liberal does not make one unpatriotic. I just retired from 20 years in the military and love my country.
Chris
via e-mail

Here is the letter they’re referring to:

Truth And Guts
I take offense to the editorial cartoon about the Freedom Concert in Chula Vista and Sean Hannity (Neal Obermeyer). Americans have a right to freedom, of all diverse cultures; Sean Hannity has the guts to speak out. He backs it up with truth and helps the veterans’ children with profits from his concerts. Leave the insults out — this cartoon smells of 1960s underground papers. Be American, live American, cut out the derogatory statements towards real people who care about our veterans and those who care about diverse cultures. Demonic people who hate our country can move to Muslim countries or Russia, China; take Jane Fonda with them.
Jack D.
via e-mail

The original cartoon is here, and you can read a story about the concert in question here.

I realize this post probably just comes off as some “look at me!” bragging, but four years on the job now, it’s nice to get some positive feedback. 🙂

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006 at 3:43 pm and is filed under blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.