Capitalist Piglet
Encyclopedia
Capitalist Piglet was a comic strip which appeared briefly in The Sheaf
during 2005-2006, and is best known for a controversial installment depicting Jesus Christ performing fellatio
on a cartoon pig
.
, the University of Saskatchewan
students' newspaper.
. The Sheaf editor-in-chief, Will Robbins, wrote a 1,000-word editorial prefacing the other opinions outlining the reasons behind The Sheafs editorial decision not to publish any of the controversial cartoons. Robbins also indicated that the decision not to publish any of the cartoons was not unanimous among the editorial staff. Indeed, in response to this decision The Sheaf news editor, Jeremy Warren, resigned from the paper. The nuanced journalistic position Robbins staked for The Sheaf was brought into question just one week later by the appearance of a controversial instalment of the Capitalist Piglet cartoon.
is a tool of Capitalism
.
The comic had been scanned and laid-out into the newspaper's publication software by the graphics editor. The editor-in-chief reviewed the first draft of the paper and marked the Capitalist Piglet comic for deletion from the issue. It is in dispute whether or not he also verbally instructed the graphics editor to remove it or not; regardless the comic was not removed. The issue went through several more revisions before going to print without the offending comic being withdrawn. The editor-in-chief later claimed this was a mistake and due in part to a staff shortage (ostensibly aggravated by the above-mentioned resignation of the news editor).
In a retraction posted on page A2 of the March 9, 2006, issue, The Sheaf stated that Mark Watson was not an author of the March 2, 2006, Capitalist Piglet cartoon. In a letter appearing in that same issue, Mark Watson explained that his colleague, Y!ph, added his name to the installment "because he was using my character". In the same issue, Jeff MacDonald accepted full responsibility for authoring the comic.
President Peter MacKinnon
distributed an e-mail to all university staff and students calling on The Sheaf to apologize.
The Saskatoon daily newspaper, The StarPhoenix, published several stories about the incident, beginning on March 11, 2006.
Several Rawlco radio stations also picked up the story, in particular its Saskatchewan AM Radio Talk News stations CKOM and CJME. Morning talk-show personality, and former Progressive Conservative
Member of Parliament, John Gormley
, called on listeners to file a complaint with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
The comic was reported by other media, including the local CTV
station. It gathered national media attention as well, and was heavily debated on many blogs, including the popular Saskatchewan blog Small Dead Animals. Canadian University Press
also ran a wire story detailing the situation.
Numerous letters, both supporting and attacking The Sheaf were published in its subsequent March 9, 2006, issue on pages A11-A15.
According to Robbins' comments in a Star Phoenix article, he was invited to a Sunday meeting at The Sheaf and informed that all the other staff and editors had lost confidence in his ability to manage the paper and asked him to resign. Reluctantly Robbins resigned. Despite many letters of support for Robbins, The Sheaf Board of Directors accepted his resignation and appointed the production manager, Liam Richards, interim editor-in-chief and primary spokesperson during the controversy. In a press release, The Sheaf Board of Directors stated that "while the board is of the view that the 'Capitalist Piglet' comic is not consistent with The Sheafs objectives, nor its previous editorial policy, we wish to make clear that our acceptance of his resignation was based primarily on his failure to carry out his duties diligently."
The Sheaf
The Sheaf is a student run newspaper serving the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan since 1912. A new issue comes out every Thursday with approximately 9,000 copies per issue.The Sheaf is a student-run non-profit organization...
during 2005-2006, and is best known for a controversial installment depicting Jesus Christ performing fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
on a cartoon pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
.
Creation
The strip was a collaboration between cartoonist Mark Watson (aka Marq) and Jeff MacDonald (aka Y!ph) and appeared infrequently in The SheafThe Sheaf
The Sheaf is a student run newspaper serving the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan since 1912. A new issue comes out every Thursday with approximately 9,000 copies per issue.The Sheaf is a student-run non-profit organization...
, the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
students' newspaper.
Background
In the February 22, 2006, issue of The Sheaf, pages B1-B4 of the issue were devoted to several lengthy opinion articles and letters addressing the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversyJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
. The Sheaf editor-in-chief, Will Robbins, wrote a 1,000-word editorial prefacing the other opinions outlining the reasons behind The Sheafs editorial decision not to publish any of the controversial cartoons. Robbins also indicated that the decision not to publish any of the cartoons was not unanimous among the editorial staff. Indeed, in response to this decision The Sheaf news editor, Jeremy Warren, resigned from the paper. The nuanced journalistic position Robbins staked for The Sheaf was brought into question just one week later by the appearance of a controversial instalment of the Capitalist Piglet cartoon.
The March 2 issue
In the March 2, 2006, issue of The Sheaf, a two-panel installment of the comic strip appeared in the paper's "Comics and Humour" section depicting Jesus Christ performing fellatio on a top-hatted, monocle-wearing "Capitalist Piglet". The punchline in the second-panel refers to Jewish food-preparation traditions. The cartoon therefore appears to imply that ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
is a tool of Capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
.
The comic had been scanned and laid-out into the newspaper's publication software by the graphics editor. The editor-in-chief reviewed the first draft of the paper and marked the Capitalist Piglet comic for deletion from the issue. It is in dispute whether or not he also verbally instructed the graphics editor to remove it or not; regardless the comic was not removed. The issue went through several more revisions before going to print without the offending comic being withdrawn. The editor-in-chief later claimed this was a mistake and due in part to a staff shortage (ostensibly aggravated by the above-mentioned resignation of the news editor).
In a retraction posted on page A2 of the March 9, 2006, issue, The Sheaf stated that Mark Watson was not an author of the March 2, 2006, Capitalist Piglet cartoon. In a letter appearing in that same issue, Mark Watson explained that his colleague, Y!ph, added his name to the installment "because he was using my character". In the same issue, Jeff MacDonald accepted full responsibility for authoring the comic.
Public reaction
On March 3, 2006, University of SaskatchewanUniversity of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
President Peter MacKinnon
Peter MacKinnon
R. Peter MacKinnon, QC, LL.M is a Canadian lawyer, legal academic and the current President of the University of Saskatchewan.-Biography:...
distributed an e-mail to all university staff and students calling on The Sheaf to apologize.
The Saskatoon daily newspaper, The StarPhoenix, published several stories about the incident, beginning on March 11, 2006.
Several Rawlco radio stations also picked up the story, in particular its Saskatchewan AM Radio Talk News stations CKOM and CJME. Morning talk-show personality, and former Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
Member of Parliament, John Gormley
John Kenneth Gormley
John Kenneth Gormley is a Canadian radio talk show host and lawyer.He was born in Singapore, where his father was serving as a medical officer with the British Army during the Malayan Emergency...
, called on listeners to file a complaint with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
The comic was reported by other media, including the local CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
station. It gathered national media attention as well, and was heavily debated on many blogs, including the popular Saskatchewan blog Small Dead Animals. Canadian University Press
Canadian University Press
Canadian University Press is a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by almost 90 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada. Founded in 1938, CUP is the oldest student newswire service in the world and the oldest national student organization in North America. Many...
also ran a wire story detailing the situation.
Numerous letters, both supporting and attacking The Sheaf were published in its subsequent March 9, 2006, issue on pages A11-A15.
Actions by The Sheaf
Shortly after the March 2 edition came out in print, the "Comics and Humour" section - including the offending comic - was removed from the The Sheafs online version.According to Robbins' comments in a Star Phoenix article, he was invited to a Sunday meeting at The Sheaf and informed that all the other staff and editors had lost confidence in his ability to manage the paper and asked him to resign. Reluctantly Robbins resigned. Despite many letters of support for Robbins, The Sheaf Board of Directors accepted his resignation and appointed the production manager, Liam Richards, interim editor-in-chief and primary spokesperson during the controversy. In a press release, The Sheaf Board of Directors stated that "while the board is of the view that the 'Capitalist Piglet' comic is not consistent with The Sheafs objectives, nor its previous editorial policy, we wish to make clear that our acceptance of his resignation was based primarily on his failure to carry out his duties diligently."