Scrote
Well-known member
He makes an explicit reference to what it means in the cartoon. There is no ambiguity. Unless Steve Bell comes out and declares an antisemitic intent then it's difficult to find antisemitism without sounding like a conspiracist.If the latest cartoon isn't suggesting a pound of flesh with Shylock connotations then what does it actually mean?
LBJ showed journalists his scar and David Levine likened it to LBJ carrying the scar of Vietnam - Steve Bell's cartoon is a direct reference which shows Netanyahu deliberately scarring himself with Gaza.
The Guardian started David Levine's obituary with a reference to the same LBJ cartoon, so it's obviously famous enough that the cartoon editor should have known the reference - even without the prompt.
The "pound of flesh" reading of it makes no sense anyway as Shylock wasn't taking a pound of flesh from himself. It requires a good chunk of mental gymnastics to make that work.
David Levine Obituary