Political cartoons still offering fresh perspectives
I’ve been writing about the political landscape in the U.S. and abroad for about a year now, and nothing has impacted my political writing nearly as much as political cartoons. Political cartoons that tease at the very people I write about provide me with a “people’s perspective” I can’t get from just reading the news. Political cartoons typically utilize humor to emphasize a serious political message, and unlike most kinds of journalism you find online or in a paper, they offer a colored and humorous alternative to news reporting.
Political cartoons’ history in the United States goes back to the mid-1700s, with the first nationwide cartoon being a drawing by Benjamin Franklin advocating for the U.S. colonies to join together against aggression between the French and Native Americans, according to a 2008 article in U.S. News & World Report. While print media has experienced a great decline in the past few years, political cartoons have lived on through social platforms and online access.
The highlight of my week is checking out Politico’s “The past week in political cartoons.” The weekly compilation of artistic statements shows most political events that have happened in the past week, every week with commentary on topics ranging from gun violence to abortion laws to climate change.
Political cartoons have allowed new perspectives and opinions to flow in both the political and art worlds. Exaggerations, in particular, featured in many cartoons can show us just how outrageous certain policies or people are. It’s more than that, though. As Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Matt Wuerker put it in an interview with Voice of America, “We are making serious commentary on serious topics, but we’re doing it not so seriously.”
Political cartoons also represent freedom of speech, though political cartoonists are not free from backlash. In 2015, French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was the target of a deadly workplace terror attack by gunmen linked to al-Qaida that killed 12 people, including journalists and cartoonists. The motivation behind the attack was largely cited as political cartoons regarding Islam and caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad published by the magazine, which has been criticized for using racist and Islamophobic devices in its work. As many mourned the lives lost, the incident also sparked a major question: What is the difference between free speech and hateful rhetoric?
One of my favorite political cartoons, The Thinkers Club, was published in 1819 and depicts the effects of the Carlsbad Decrees on the German Confederation. The decrees banned nationalist groups, removed liberal university professors and limited freedom of the press. The political cartoon depicts eight professors muzzled and prevented from speaking. A plaque above them reads, “The most important question of today’s meeting: How long will thinking be allowed to us?”
This is one of my favorite political cartoons because it demonstrates a protest to restriction of speech. Freedom of speech, to me as a journalist, is one of the most important factors of my daily life.
Political cartoons such as these in the 19th century were often the only pictures voters had of political candidates alongside hand-drawn portraits during elections, according to U.S. News & World Report. Because of this, political cartoonists and their works wielded extreme power at this time and could sway election outcomes.
The increasing popularity of television and color photographs eventually began to push political cartoonists out of jobs. Voters now had photos of their candidates, and candidates could relay their policies through national television.
Political artists, in order to remain relevant, began to come back with cartoons that struck voters with their harsh criticism and exaggeration.
The newest platform for political cartoons is the digital world. With social media platforms’ wide reach, many political cartoonists are finding fame. Digital platforms such as X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram can keep political cartoons alive by providing a foundation for the art in the digital era. Likes, comments and shares are primarily what keeps political cartoons afloat since the decline of newspapers. For a sample of what the landscape looks like today, I recommend checking out Politico’s weekly recap, which is available on the publication’s Instagram.
While print media has experienced a great decline in the past few years, political cartoons have lived on through social platforms and online access.