Political Cartoons
by Alleen Pace Nilsen
and Don L. F. Nilsen
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Caricatures
• Caricatures are probably the oldest form of
pictorial humor, where caricare in Latin
means “to overload, or exaggerate.”
• The main stylistic devices here are distortion
and exaggeration, and the main subject,
famous people.
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The Word “Cartoon”
• The term Cartoon originally comes from the Italian
word ‘cartone’ and means a strong, heavy paper or
pasteboard. It denotes a full-size drawing made on
paper as a study for further drawings, such as a
painting or tapestry.
• Punch applied the term to satirical drawings by
publishing some parody drafts for frescoes (also
called cartoons) and making the term’s new meaning
permanent.
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• A cartoonist’s craft may force them to limit
their originality, because they have fewer than
10 seconds to grab the attention of viewers,
and, in fact, to tell whole stories.
• We will start with two classic cartoons by
David Levine for the New York Review of
Books. No words are needed, but readers had
to have cultural knowledge in order to “Catch
on.”
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• After President Lyndon Johnson had
gallbladder surgery he lifted his shirt to
show his scar to reporters at a news
conference. Levine’s drawing shows
that his real scar was in the shape of
Vietnam.
• President Reagan, who was famous for
cutting welfare is compared to Marie
Antoinette who after being told that the
people had no bread famously said,
“Let them eat cake.”
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• Cultural Icons can be either
– recognized visual symbols
– or familiar words that can be parodied.
• Cartoonists first have to help the
viewers into the mindset of the original,
• Then take them in a new direction.
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• As with Mike Peters’s 1984 criticism of
President Reagan’s military support of El
Salvador:
– I pledge a billion to the flag
– of the right wing government of El
Salvador
– And to the death squads for which it
stands
– One nation, underfed
– Indefensible
– With M-16s and Howitzers for all.
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These words have come into English from
various cartoons:
POW! ZAP! WHAM! ZIP! ZOWIE!
Teddy Bear
Gerrymander
Yellow Journalism
McCarthyism (from Senator Simple J.
Malarkey in the Pogo Comic Strip)
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ARACHNOPHOBIA  IRAQNAPHOBIA
• The term “Iraqnaphobia” was first used in
the caption of an editorial cartoon by Clay
Bennett that appeared in the August 3, 1990
edition of the St. Petersburg Times.
• The cartoon shows a spider labeled “Iraq”
menacing Kuwait, and the caption reads
“Saddam Hussein Presents Iraqnophobia.”
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Obituary Cartoons
• Cartoonists hate doing them, because
they have to be respectful, no matter
what.
• But their audiences love them, because
they capture the essence of the person
who has died.
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For efficiency, cartoonists make
use of common visual symbols
• Pointing fingers or arrows
• The Trojan Horse
• Tombstones and the initials R.I.P.
• Skulls/The Grim Reaper
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• The three monkeys
• The Ghost of Christmas Past
• Superman
• Railroad tracks not matching up
• A 1973 Boston Globe Cartoon by Paul Szep showed
Vietnam as a maze.
• Reprinted in 1975 with added symbolism.
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Other Common Symbols include:
•
•
•
•
Snakes
Wolves
Fantasy characters
Baby buggies (because they hide
information)
• And new interpretations of familiar sayings
about big sticks (which a person should
carry as he speaks softly), and where the
buck stops.
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• Variations on the
Statue of Liberty show
how symbols can
change over time while
still retaining some of
the original meaning.
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• Statue of Liberty cartoons
while making many
different political points
still rely on images that in
most people’s minds are
“feminine.”
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• 1960: Doug MacPherson drew Fidel
Castro and Nikita Krushev having a
picnic on her head.
• 1971: Daniel Aguila drew her with
shortened robes under the cutline “Lib
and let lib!”
• 1980: Doug Marlett showed her
sweeping dirt under a rug designed as a
flag.
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• 1984: Signe Wilkinson showed her
going through a sewing factory
shouting “OK, you huddled masses, I
know you’re in here!”
• 2001: After 9/11, a tear falling from one
eye
• And two sad eyes reflecting the burning
Twin Towers
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• 2003: Expressing womanly impatience as she says
“Geez, two years and still no capture of Osame…or
Saddam…or Al Qaida…or WMD…or the Taliban, or
Justice or…” A side note read “In a city accustomed
to the New York Minute.”
• 2005: Nick Adams won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for
showing President Bush sitting on top of her crown
wearing earphones hooked to a satellite dish, which
had replaced the flame in her extended arm.
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A Recent New Yorker Cover
What is the intended meaning of
this cartoon?
Does it mean different things to
different people?
Is The New Yorker more
conservative or more liberal in its
leanings?
What about the cartoon?
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• Coffins have a similar impact. At first the
Bush administration forbade photographs,
but the drawings were even more heartrending because cartoonists added their own
touches.
• Walt Handelsman drew coffins each covered
with a funeral bouquet; His cutline: “They’ll
be Greeted with Flowers.”
• Another cartoonist stood coffins on end as
an eerie reminder of the domino theory that
guided American policies in Vietnam.
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• The Abu Ghraib prison scandal again shows
shape as a hidden persuader.
• The most heart-wrenching photos were of
Private Lynddie England holding a naked
man on a dog leash, a pyramid of naked
Iraquis, and a hooded prisoner silhouetted in
a ragged, black blanket.
• Out of 40 Abu Ghraib cartoons reprinted in
“Best of the Year” collections, more than half
featured this man on the box.
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!
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• It was the most dramatic of the
images.
• The simplicity of design made it
easy to highlight.
• It inspired viewers to pull related
images from their own minds as in
comparing it to the Ku Klux Klan.
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In 2010, Where’s the Humor?
People are so frustrated with each other that really
funny cartoons are hard to find.
Today’s cartoons are mostly hostile and accusatory.
They illustrate the idea of the MICH theory—Moderate
Intergroup Conflict Humor—which says that people
have to be a little bothered by something to expend
the energy to make a joke. But if people are so
bothered that they are really angry, they want to
express their hostility in something more powerful
than a joke.
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The Biggest Surprise in the 2010 National Election is the
ToughTalk between Male/Female Candidates
Polite sensitivities have been shelved, while
bold gender-based power plays have become
the norm.
Linguist Deborah Tannen relates the change to
lines blurring between public and private.
Communications Professor Kathleen Jamieson
says that tough language frames the attacker
as tougher than the person attacked.
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“Joking” is now coming through sexist insults that are
repeated by the late-night comedians.
In August, Sarah Palin told Fox News that President Obama did
not have the “cojones” to get tough on illegal immigration.
In an October debate between Nevada Senate candidates, Sharron
Angle zinged Harry Reid with “Man up, Harry Reid.”
Although Angle’s zinger got the most publicity, the phrase had
already been used by Missouri Democrat Robin Carnahan in a
Senate debate with Rep. Roy Blount.
In September, Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell told
a radio interviewer that her primary opponent should “put his
man pants on”
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Linguist George Lakoff explained that the Republican worldview
emphasizes masculinity and strength,while Democrats
underscore the more feminine quality of empathy.
This is why, “If you’re a woman candidate who’s a conservative,
then you have to say you’re more masculine than the other
guy.”
However, there’s a double standard in this bold, new talk because
it doesn’t go over well for a man to tell a female candidate to be
more ladylike.
Colorado Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck faced
repercussions when he said that unlike his primary opponent
Jane Norton, “I do not wear high heels.”
In California, Governor candidate Jerry Brown apologized to
Republican Meg Whitman after an aide was recorded calling her
a whore.
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New Yorker Cartoonists Therapy Session
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdts_HG7e2Y
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The Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning
Here are some web sites of Pulitzer Prize
winners in the category of “Editorial
Cartooning.”
No web sites could be found for some of
the Pulitzer Prize winners.
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1974 and 1977 PULITZER PRIZE: PAUL SZEP
http://www.szep.com/szep_thisweek.htm
1976 PULITZER PRIZE: TONY AUTH
http://www.gocomics.com/tonyauth/
1978 PULITZER PRIZE: JEFF MACNELLY
http://www.macnelly.com/
1979 PULITZER PRIZE: HERBERB BLOCK
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/
1981 PULITZER PRIZE: MIKE PETERS
http://www.grimmy.com/editorials.php
1985 PULITZER PRIZE: JEFF MACNELLY
http://www.macnelly.com/
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1987 PULITZER PRIZE: BERKELEY BREATHED
http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/pages/index.asp
1992 PULITZER PRIZE: SIGNE WILKINSON
Http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/special_packags/signe/
1993 PULITZER PRIZE: STEVE BENSON
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/benson/
1995 and 2006 PULITZER PRIZE: MIKE LUCKOVICH
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/luckovich/index.html
1999 and 2003 PULITZER PRIZE: DAVID HORSEY
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/horsey/
2001 PULITZER PRIZE: ANN TELNAES
www.anntelnaes.com
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2002 PULITZER PRIZE: CLAY BENNETT
www.claybennett.com
2005 PULITZER PRIZE: NICK ANDERSON
http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/properties/anderson/home.php
2009 PULITZER PRIZE: STEVE BREEN
http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/stevebreen/
2010 PULITZER PRIZE: MARK FIORE
http://www.markfiore.com/
2011 PULITZER PRIZE: MIKE KEEFE
http://www.denverpost.com/keefe
2012 PULITZER PRIZE: MATT WUERKER
http://www.politico.com/wuerker/
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2013 PULITZER PRIZE: STEVE SACK
http://www.startribune.com/steve-sack/10645851/
2014 PULITZER PRIZE: KEVIN SIERS:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorial-cartoons/kevin-siers/
2015 PULITZER PRIZE: ADAM ZYGLIS:
http://www.adamzyglis.com/
2016 PULITZER PRIZE: ?
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