Today's political messaging is quite different than that of the beginning of print journalism. Formerly unique to newspapers and magazines, political cartoons of today have transitioned from well sketched out pieces of art to internet generated memes.
As easy as going to google and searching for a meme generator, participating in political cartooning is now something that anyone from a creative teen to a bored boomer can do to express their views on hot button political issues. Today, you can log onto Twitter and find the latest political satire created by a 13 year old in Iowa. The need for print journalism's political cartooning is now over. The average Joe is now taking the reins.
The above meme I generated after a 2 second google search. In today's Covid environment, everyone is wearing their mask everywhere they go. What was once a nuisance is now common practice that seems normal. A lot of people often forget that they are even wearing a mask; we are almost 1 year into the mandate so it makes sense. For many, a mask is a political statement used by the political left as a way to virtue signal that caters to their 'better-than-thou' complex.
This meme makes fun of people alone in their car, where the virus won't be transmitted to anyone else. It plays into the idea that some people are so 'virtuous' and so concerned with their health that they wear a mask even when not necessary... like alone... in their car... where no one can be infected. Mask have become such a political issue that I like to joke "I'm not a liberal, I'm just cold" when I walk around outside. We have gotten so used to the concept of mask wearing, that making jokes about them is natural.
Using the same website as the above meme, I generated this meme making fun of President Trump's refusal to concede the election to Joe Biden. Yes, there was eventually a peaceful transition of power, but Donald Trump never formally conceded the election. For the rest of history, historians and political scientists will debate the legacy of Donald Trump- good or bad- but one thing is for sure, his presidency did give the American people great meme content.
The beautiful thing about political cartoons is that they are often satirical with no intentional harm meant. I am a Republican, I voted for Donald Trump, but I can still laugh at the memes about him and his presidency. We as a culture need to leave the era of cancel culture in the past and simply laugh at our own misfortunes. The 'snowflake' generation needs to mold into a generation that, rather than cancel people who disagree or make fun of them, can laugh at the jokes and dish it right back.
Sometimes political satire and memes can get out of hand and out of touch with reality. What was meant to be a joke can often times be truly offensive and insensitive. Just recently a political cartoon was published by WRAL of North Carolina's Lt. Governor dressed as a KKK member. It just so happens that North Carolina has a black Republican Lt. Governor, Mark Robinson. Created by a middle school teacher and published by WRAL, this cartoon appears to have struck a nerve with Republicans, Democrats, African-Americans, and really anyone who doesn't agree with comparing people to the KKK.
While memes and satire should be welcome alternatives to political news, sort of like a comedic escape, they can harm the fabric of society and some things- like calling a black man who happens to be a Republican a member of the KKK- should not be accepted. The day's of political parties and opponents creating elaborate cartoons are over; we see this with a middle school teacher having his racist cartoon published and with teenagers being able to create satire in 10 seconds on the internet.
Our country has gone from political messaging to meme-ing in the matters of a decade. It is only a matter of time before political satire in print journalism becomes obsolete all together.
Images created using Imgflip.com.
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