[COMMENTARY] Twitter Reacts to NY Mag's "Kamalot" Cover Image

Trust in the mainstream media is at an all-time low thanks to years of living in a rage cycle dominated by Donald Trump's temper tantrums. 

When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were inaugurated in January 2021, I naively thought Trump would go hide under one of his golf courses and wait for his many trials, embarrassed by losing and the lack of fanfare surrounding his exit from the White House. I figured the MSM would remember the joys of covering a normal President, one who might occasionally make a gaffe or trip over a bike pedal, but who would bring controversy at the level of a tan suit, at the very most.

Instead, Trump refused to go quietly and turned his criminality into a campaign strategy, which the MSM is still fully embracing, to their own detriment. They refuse to acknowledge the Jeffrey Epstein Files release which should be dominating their airwaves. They remark on his unhinged rallies with the same bemusement from 2016, as if he hasn't accumulated 34 felony convictions and a mugshot. They haven't even demanded a proper medical report from the shooting incident at his rally in Pennsylvania on July 13th.

So it's no wonder that the same media outlets which barely paid any attention to Vice President Kamala Harris for the last 3.5 years have no idea how to properly cover her now.

On Monday, New York Magazine released what I'm sure they thought was a positive story about the VP and her new campaign, which has energized millions and raised millions more. 

But this image is so cringe-inducing and clearly illustrates my points for me.

Making a historical presidential campaign sound like a wacky sitcom is already lazy journalism. That she's perched on a coconut smacks of racism--which I've already written about. The only excuse for that would be revealing their photo editor is a GenZ TikTok influencer of color. But I doubt it.

Because they just couldn't give Kamala Harris a standalone cover, by herself, looking regal and Presidential. No, they had to Photoshop a photo of her laughing (because it makes white men mad!) while sitting on coconut. Is that even her body? 

And look who's included on the cover to share the credit for putting Kamala on that coconut. I see a lot of men. Why is George Clooney there? Get all the way bent. Rich white guy who doesn't even live in the US who demanded Joe Biden step aside? He didn't do anything to help Kamala Harris.

Just a quick check of other NY Mag covers featuring male politicians shows the clear misogyny here.

See what I mean?

To be fair, NY Mag also did this cover, but it took them a while.

The only man I'd have accepted with Kamala on that cover is the man who put her on the ticket with him and refused to listen to the naysayers who said she wouldn't be ready to take on the job. And knowing Joe Biden, he would've refused because he would want Kamala Harris to have that moment.

I'd accept the other women on the cover, if it was a fold-out showing all of those who have the Vice President's back. 

This is Presidential. This is Kamala Harris. This is the dignified strength that belongs on a magazine cover with the same dignity that would be provided to a male Presidential candidate.

DO BETTER, MEDIA. Only all of Twitter is backing me up here.