Political Cartoons

Political Cartoons

The word propaganda was originally meant to convey a sense of informative instruction , but today has taken on a more sinister connotation . It brings to mind the more devious and even Machiavellian aspects of information heavily biased in favor of the entity that dispenses it . It has come to mean the lies and half-truths foisted on a gullible public by a state bent on swaying public opinion . In the grand scheme , all art is propaganda to a varying degree . Art , by its very nature , is meant to evoke an emotion

, and it is clear that throughout history artists have served the state , either willingly or not . They are compelled to advance the causes championed by the ruling junta , whatever the form of government , be it Senate or clique of colonels . It is no coincidence that political cartoons quickly became biting and barbed and aimed at the enemies of the state . The best of such works carries a ring of truth , which the public immediately recognizes and champions , as well as having a humorous bent that makes them memorable . Political cartoons were used in the American Revolution , and some have credited Benjamin Franklin with their first use . They are still relevant in the 21st century , giving credence to both their longevity as well as their effectiveness in the eye of the public

The cartoon ' Maisah Robinson , Ph D states in an op /ed piece in 2007 , subverts political authority by using a form of propaganda that mocks its claims to superiority and /or legitimacy (Robinson 2007 . The point is made that ridicule is an important weapon in the political arena , and it becomes even more powerful in the HYPERLINK "http /www .associatedcontent .com /article /260790 /theme /1516 /age .html " \o "age " age of mechanical reproduction (Robinson . This is a variation on the old adage attributed to Mark Twain that one should never argue with a person who buys ink by the barrel

John T . McCutcheon was a well known political cartoonists early in the 20th century . In January of 1915 World War I was heating up in the North Atlantic and Germany was having great difficulty with both the British navy and with the merchant shipping that was supplying England . They developed a two-pronged response to this situation . They announced a policy of attacking all ships bound for English ports and the stepped-up use of submarine warfare that was often indiscriminate in its destruction . Britain began a campaign to stop all shipping bound for Germany and this caused them to attack U .S . merchant ships and to confiscate their cargos , which the Americans perceived as illegal McCutcheon , a 40-year veteran of the Chicago Tribune , and eventual Pulitzer Prize winner drew a series of cartoons aimed at this British policy . One of the works , entitled Britannia Must Be More Careful How She Waves The Rules depicts England 's John Bull telling Uncle Sam that he only means to hit the Kaiser with his stick , but small children labeled Neutral Commerce...