R.J. Matson, the editorial cartoonist for Roll Call in Washington, D.C. (and who I syndicate via Cagle Cartoons) came up with an original take on Mitt Romney’s much-maligned comments following the tragic attack on the U.S. consulate on Benghazi, Libya:
Matson is one of the most prolific editorial cartoonists working today. In addition to his job with Roll Call, Matson was the daily staff cartoonist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for seven years, before being laid-off last month as part of a paper-wide cutback of employees to save money.
I interviewed Matson about being laid-off, and he shares my fear about the future of editorial cartoons, which are more popular than ever online and in syndication, but threatened by these continued job cuts.
“It’s such a difficult job to do well day after day, I don’t see how cartoonist can crank out stuff like that unless it’s a full-paid job treated with a lot of respect by the publisher,” Matson said.
“The cartoonist is essentially a columnist and a vital voice for the paper, and a vital voice for the community,” Matson continued. “People love to see events in their town reflected back in editorial cartoons… If newspapers give up on that, they’re giving up on their local scene.”
Mitt Romney’s comments following the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans has been referred to as a “Bungle… utter disaster…not ready for prime time… not presidential… Lehman moment.” And that was just from Republicans!
That's me with famed Kerala cartoonist, Toms, and his character "Unni" kicking me in the groin. Ouch.
Kerala is wet, steamy, tropical and charming, with an extensive network of estuaries called the “backwaters.” While I was here there was a big trade show going on, which brought India’s Prime Minister to town and was an excuse for me to do some cartooning speaking engagements. I had a lovely exhibition of my work here and I spent a sightseeing day with my new, Indian cartoonist buddies.
One highlight was meeting legendary Indian cartoonist “Toms,” who draws what I think Americans would describe as an Indian Dennis the Menace cartoon called Unnikkattan. Toms is the elder statesman of the cartoonists here, and we celebrated the 25th anniversary of “Unni.”
Here I am accepting a lovely portrait from talented young cartoonist Anjan Sathish.
Special thanks to my new friend, Sudheer Nath, the cartoonist for the Thejas newspapers, in Kerala’s Malayalam language; also Prasannan Anikkad, the freelance cartoonist chairman of the Kerala Art Academy and Unnikrishnan, the cartoonist for the Mathnubhumi newspaper – they all showed me a great time touring Kerala’s historic sights, and introducing me to the fascinating food here, which is served on big banana leaves, eaten with much drama with gooey fingers mushing things all about.
From left to right, Unnikrishnan, the cartoonist for the Mathnubhumi newspaper, me, Prasannan Anikkad, the Kerala Cartoon Academy Chairman, and Sudheer Nath, cartoonist for the Thejas newspapers.
Kerala has an outsized cartooning tradition, and the Kerala Cartoon Academy (KCA) is at its heart. The KCA doesn’t exist as a school, rather it is a cartoonist professional organization that organizes events, like my visit here and the tribute to Mr. Toms. They do “cartoon camps” for kids and publish books and magazines; I was very impressed with them.
I’m so rushed I haven’t had a chance to write about my visit to Hyderabad – that will come next.
Near the end of my visit we got the sad news of the murder of J. Christopher Stevens, the US Ambassador to Libya, who was a career foreign service officer, and a friend and colleague of the State Department people who were hosting me here. It was a grim reminder that the world outside of Kerala can be an ugly place, putting things into some perspective. I’m impressed with the dedication of the State Department people I’ve met on my travels and I appreciate their service.
Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was released from jail in Mumbai on $100 bail and a promise that sedition charges against him would be dropped. It was interesting to watch the media storm about Trivedi explode in the middle of my speaking tour of India.
Trivedi's drawing shows India's Parliament building as a toilet, a commentary on corruption in India's government.
The Cartoonists Rights Network, a foundation associated with my professional organization, The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, is giving their Courage in Cartooning award to Trivedi this weekend at our convention in Washington DC. I’ve been spending the past two weeks talking to the media in India, and early on I would get no interest or follow up questions about Trivedi – then when Trivedi went to jail it was all over the news, in banner headlines in all the newspapers and dominating TV news. All of India was outraged at the ridiculous charges and injustice of putting a cartoonist in jail for drawing symbols of the state.
I heard and read a lot of outraged opinions on the case in the media here, and I don’t recall hearing anyone argue in favor of jailing Trivedi. He got support from all corners of India, although I notice that nowhere in the media did I see anyone reprint or show the offending cartoons.
Also interesting was the motivation of journalists here to tell “both sides” of the story, but since nobody would speak in favor of jailing the cartoonist, the “other side” came out as derision, describing Trivedi as a “bad cartoonist,” and the cartoons as “terrible,” although “nothing that should land the cartoonist in jail.” I think that attitude is just plain rude. Trivedi isn’t a bad cartoonist – as regular readers of our site can see, his cartoons hold up pretty well to cartoons by other foreign cartoonists, and cartoonists from India. I think he’s a good cartoonist, and he deserves some respect for his artwork.
This image, a parody of India's national seal, was the cartoon described most often in the media here.
Trivedi also deserves some admiration for the way he handled himself through this media storm. He refused to accept bail for days, keeping the story alive and in the headlines. He’s been appearing all over the media since his release, giving interviews and making intolerant authorities here look silly. I think he’ll have a strong impact on moving India to a more free press.
There is a general rule that editorial cartoons are a barometer of freedom in any country – if cartoonists can draw the president of their country then the country has a free press. We don’t see Chinese cartoonists drawing their president; Fidel Castro is never drawn by cartoonists in Cuba. Our cartoonists in Singapore tell me that they are free to draw anything, as long as it isn’t about Singapore.
In India there is a mixed message on the cartoonist barometer. The press savages the Prime Minister, who is regularly lampooned in cartoons, but drawings of the President of India, who has a less substantive, ceremonial role, are barred. Cartoonists are forbidden by law from offending religious sensibilities – and Trivedi did well to limit his cartoons to symbols of the state, so that religious issues never came into the argument. Cartoonists in India are forbidden from drawing symbols of the state, without first getting permission from the state – that may change soon, because of Trivedi, and it is an important change. It is the role of editorial cartoonists to criticize government, and symbols of government (flags, seals, currency, government buildings like India’s Parliament building) are the prime tools in every editorial cartoonist’s tool chest.
This offending Trivedi cartoon shows "Corruption" about to rape "Mother India." Trivedi's "seditious" cartoons all used symbols of state in commentary about government corruption.
If I couldn’t draw symbols of governments, and I was barred from offending religious sensibilities, there wouldn’t be much of substance left for me to draw.
Trivedi has done an excellent job of making his point against government corruption in India and against the absurd restrictions against cartoonists in India. He’s an excellent artist too, and at the young age of 24 he’s now India’s star cartoonist. All in all, a great result for a talented, media savvy, young activist.
We have quite a large stable of cartoonists amassed on Cagle.com, and in addition to skewering their favorite politicians daily, a lot of them are also sports fans. So it’s only natural that going into the first week of the new NFL season, a lot of them have weighed in on their favorite team’s chances.
Adam Zyglis, the cartoonist for the Buffalo News, thinks expectiations are high for the Bills this season:
The Bills are playing the New York Jets today, and boy, those Bills fans just hate Tim Tebow:
Rob Tornoe, who draws sports cartoons for the Philadelphia Inquirer, weighs in on the replacement referees in charge of today’s Eagles opener:
Their quarterback, the infamous Michael Vick, is injury-prone, but one of his sponsers guarenteed he would be hurt as long as he was wearing their protective flak jacket. I’m sure that will end well:
Joe Heller, cartoonist for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, draws about the overwhelmingly-high expectations of Packers’ fans this season:
Meanwhile, New Englander Dave Granlund thinks as long as Tom Brady remains :
Our conservative cartoonist Gary McCoy is no stranger to controversey. After Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a “slut” for defending President Obama’s healthcare policy forcing insurance companies to cover contraceptives, McCoy drew a harsh cartoon about Fluke that seemed to set the internet on fire:
Following Fluke’s address to the Democratic National Convention last night, McCoy has drawn another harsh cartoon about the Georgetown Law School graduate that has riled up our readers and been criticized as misogynistic:
I asked Gary to comment about the cartoon, and here’s what he sent me:
Why is it that a group of people so adept at filling out welfare claim forms while simultaneously watching Family Guy, and able to ignite an American flag using only a pair of reading glasses and two, foot-long strands of underarm hair, are so lost when it comes to understanding a simple cartoon? My recent Sandra Fluke cartoon seems to have infuriated many of the same crowd who popped blood vessels over my last Fluke cartoon, and are just now hanging their Anger Management Class diplomas on their bedroom walls.
To me, it’s hilarious that the left was so incredulous at Clint Eastwood’s RNC speech, in which he, in improv-like fashion, mocked an imaginary President Obama sitting in an empty chair onstage (a perfect metaphor at that.). Yet, they see nothing wrong with inviting for their convention, a divisive, hard-core, pro-abortion ‘women’s rights advocate’ who, despite what her camouflaged congressional testimony held, has in fact pushed for government subsidized (i.e., taxpayer funded) birth control and contraceptives.
And for those whose definition of a misogynist is anyone who criticizes an extremely ideological feminist who complains before the nation that despite attending Georgetown University on a $40,000 scholarship, she can’t afford nine-dollar-a-month birth control, I can only say, shave your armpits for crying out loud! You’re blocking my view.
Here’s a sampling of our readers’ thoughts:
Jerry Chandler: Since her testimony was about medical issues and this cartoon still flogs the lie told by the right about what she said – Foul.
Sherry Russell: Why is a beautiful young woman portrayed as Bella Abzug?
Mike Villwock: While he didn’t completely quote limbaugh in this cartoon by avoiding the use of the word ‘slut’, he leaves no doubt of his low opinion of women by suggesting that those you use birth control are out there whoring it up.
Keith Lewis Simmons: It’s not funny because the issue isn’t all about having sex, unless you’re an ignorant rube. The truth is that hormone therapy is life-saving for many, many women. And men. (See, that’s funny. Not insulting to women’s health, just their psyche.)
Daniel Shrader: Did any of these conservatives actually listen to this woman’s testimony, or did they just get all their info from the fat ass Limbaugh.
Bob Flisser: McCoy is one of the finest minds of the 12th Century.
Julie Slapyawitmah Palm: Heath care for men – totally fine and not worth mentioning, even when Viagra is included. Health care for women – paying people to be “sluts,” as Rush put it. Misogyny.
What do you think of McCoy’s cartoon – fair or foul? Comment below or drop us a line on our Facebook page.
Michelle Obama gave her big Democratic Convention speech last night, and based on the reaction from both readers and pundits, the First Lady hit the ball out of the park.
We got a lot of feedback after the speech from our readers and cartoon fans on our Facebook page, and some of it was directed at Taylor Jones’ caricature, which is posted to the right:
Denise Sevier Fries: Made me cry…and I’m Canadian!
Patty Anderson O’Daniel: A breathe of fresh air after seeing that plastic FLOTUS wannabe last week… So genuine, caring and passionate! Someone we can relate to!
Denise Sevier Fries: Taylor Jones (the artist) is obviously channeling Picasso with all the disproportional facial features etc…but in this case, imitation is NOT a form of flattery.
Kathryn Rogers: Musial Michele brought it all home….AWSOME lady!
Dottie Turner: Mr. Cagle. Is it a prerequisite for all characatures that they be insulting? Mrs. Obama is a beautiful woman, she is well spoken, thoughtful and endearing. Mrs. Romney, on the other hand bears a rather striking to ‘the bride of chucky ‘.
Don Mitchell: Personable, eloquently delivered.
Ben Stewart: She connect with me much better than Ann did. All I really got from Ann was trust my husband, but Mrs. Romney failed to give me a reason to do so.
Emad Wilson: Her speech was quite,appropriate and invigorating.
Personally, I think Taylor’s caricature of the First Lady is great. It’s hard for cartoonists to draw attractive people – almost as hard as it is for us to draw positive cartoons about politics. I haven’t drawn Michelle much in my cartoons, but here’s an old one during the 2008 campaign where then-candidate Obama’s patriotism was questioned:
What did you think of Michelle Obama’s speech? Comment below, or drop us a line on our Facebook page.
I spent yesterday in Delhi speaking to packed rooms of intense students at Amity University and at the International School of Media and Entertainment in Noida. Speaking to the college audiences here is great fun.
In the evening I met with about twenty Indian cartoonists at the American Center in Delhi; the handsome group in the photo below:
What was remarkable about the meeting is that all of the Indian cartoonists wanted to make the point to me that their careers are in peril. Cartoonists in India feel they are being squeezed out by timid editors who are afraid of the reactions of government officials and powerful patrons who fear negative reactions to strong opinions in editorial cartoons. The cartoonists told me about job losses and repeated stories about how the only work is for illustrations, at very low fees. They paint a grim picture.
They were all aware of a recent issue here where historical cartoons are being edited out of text books. They knew about Aseem Trivedi and other cartoonists who are facing prosecution, but they describe the problem more as self-censorship, and a fear of the adverse attention that cartoons draw. A number of them described the situation as the “death” of their profession.
Frankly, I was surprised by the tone, looking at the newspapers here it seems that there is a lively debate, and I see Prime Minister Singh savaged in cartoons every day. The newspapers are filled with stories of the current government coal scandal with wagging fingers pointed this way and that to blame for every social and economic problem.
That said, I had a great time with the cartoonists, I got to see much of their work, I was flattered that they all knew my work, and I was impressed at their professionalism and commitment to our art form. There is a lot of talent and promise in India for cartoonists, even though the mood is glum.
Indian cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, this year’s Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award winner (along with Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat) plans on turning himself over to the police in Mumbai in the next couple of days over controversial cartoons he posted on his web site that parody India’s national symbols.
Trivedi was charged in January with treason and insulting India’s national symbols, and if found guilty, he could face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 5,000 rupees (about $100).
In the cartoon below, Trivedi took India’s national emblem of the Four Sarnath Lions of King Asoka that sit above the motto “Satyamev Jayate” (truth alone shall triumph) and re-drew them as bloodthirsty wolves on the re-worded motto “Bhrashtamev Jayate” (long live corruption):
In another offending cartoon, Trivedi drew the Indian parliament building as a toilet:
There is a long tradition of editorial cartoonists using symbols of states to express opinions about governments. Drawing a legislature or parliament building as a toilet is common. I recently drew our Capitol building in Washington as a toilet:
The offending cartoon below by Trivedi shows the “Mother of India” being held down by politicians and bureaucrats, about to be raped by corruption:
The Indian Constitution allows for “the right to freedom of speech and expression.” Trivedi’s critics argue that while he is allowed to mock and poke fun at politicans, it is a crime to mock the national emblem, the parliament and the Indian flag.
“I am democratic. I am patriotic. I have a twenty-four year life without any charges of corruption. I am only making cartoons. … I am talking about nationalism. I love my country. I am reacting [to the corruption] in my own way. Someone is protesting. Somebody is a doing hunger strike in India. [As for me,] I am a cartoonist.”
There is a lot of sensitivity in India about cartoons that offend religious sensitivities, but cartoons that bash the state must be fair game. I would argue that editorial cartoonists must disrespect governments and symbols of governments as a professional obligation.
