CSotD: The Whole World is Watching
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My first reaction to Brandan Reynolds' cartoon was the realization that, while normally a South African commentary on US politics would provoke a knee-jerk "What business is it of yours?" response, Donald Trump is an international issue and not just our own problem.
Which, to start with, is the natural result of our sticking our nose into everyone else's business.
I mentioned the other day that it's embarrassing to have people in other countries be familiar with our pop culture absurdities (Note to overseas fans: You should see the brainless crap that doesn't get exported!), but, on a less trivial level, when you're running around destabilizing people's governments and playing with their economies, they're just naturally going to take an interest in how your government is shaping up.
My second reaction, however, was more geared to cartooning as an art form, which is that any damn fool with a shotgun can fire into a barrel full of fish and hit one, but it takes a good eye to nail a particular fish with a single bullet.
And there have been a lot of shotguns fired into this particular barrel.
But by placing Trump alongside French rightwinger Marine Le Pen, Reynolds ties his emergence into a more general move towards racist/fascist politics, while that second layer of "founders" spotlights Bush and Cheney but also ties in Tony Blair and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Not only is this a great deal more layered and nuanced that most of the other commentary I've seen on Trump, but it makes a point about that initial reaction of mine:
The question isn't "Why is a cartoonist from another country commenting on our internal politics?" but rather "Why aren't we in our country paying more attention to global politics?"
Tip O'Neill famously declared "All politics is local," but he wasn't talking about responsible governance. He was talking about how you get re-elected.
Which cynical, pragmatic view contrasts with a different, more global political quotation: "There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem." — Eldridge Cleaver
Meanwhile, back in this country, Andy Marlette elevates his piece above the flood of Trump-as-Hitler cartoons by not simply declaring the similarities but making a more compelling statement about the evolution of racist fascism.
In his place, I probably would have skipped the headline with the Sinclair Lewis reference and just let the four panels speak for themselves, but a reluctance to use labels can work against you: There's a flaw in assuming that people will get your point and, if you want to go beyond preaching to the choir, it's not a bad idea to provide a conceptual cheat sheet once in awhile. He made the right choice.
When you simply say "Look: He's just like Hitler!" you're in danger of being blown off as a cheap-shot artist engaging in partisan name-calling, and not just by Trump's supporters. The simple comparison is too over-arching, too blunt an instrument.
By depicting the process, Marlette is more incisive and stands a better chance of reaching those fence-sitters who need to wake up and recognize what lines have been crossed and where we are in danger of heading.
If an editorial cartoon is going to matter, you have to get beyond shouting "We're Number One!" within your own fan section and do something that will convince other people of that.
Speaking only vaguely of which
The Kenosha Festival of Cartooning has announced its lineup for Sept 15-17 and I am more than a little psyched.
The vague connection to the above is that one of the cartoonists is Ann Telnaes, with whom I had an email exchange a decade or so ago in which I said somebody should make a graphic novel out of Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" to which she responded with a textual chuckle about "all I need is one more thing on my plate."
Well, I didn't expect her specifically to do it, but I wish someone had, because the difference between that play and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is that "Body Snatchers" is simply about becoming a willing cog, while "Rhinoceros" is about slowly becoming part of a violent, destructive force that you had earlier rejected as a horrifying myth.
Fortunately, of course, it can't happen here.
Anyway, Ann's gonna be in Kenosha, as are Jen Sorensen, Wiley Miller, Rob Harrell, Eddie Pittman and, in a starring rather than backstage role this year, John Hambrock.
That's an awfully good balance of approaches and subject matter and target audiences: Ann and Jen for sharp commentary, Wiley and John with the absurdist viewpoint and Rob and Eddie for the next generation of fans.
And really sharp artwork all around for those who just like to look at the pictures.
As in the past, Tom Racine, Mike Cope and I will provide coverage, but that doesn't mean you should wait to see what we report: The reason to tell you now is so that, when the 2016 vacation sheet comes around the office, you will know to block off Sept 15, 16 and 17, plus whatever travel days you need to get there.
The kids? Bring'em! They'll have a blast!
See? Bill agrees:
Mike Peterson has posted his "Comic Strip of the Day" column every day since 2010. His opinions are his own, but we welcome comments either agreeing or in opposition.
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