Are we currently in a "golden age" of political cartoons?
Forums:
Sure seems that way and the following seems to support that it's a powerful medium.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/opinion/cartoonist-rob-rogers-trump-f...
I Was Fired for Making Fun of Trump
By Rob Rogers
Mr. Rogers joined The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as an editorial cartoonist in 1993. He worked there until this week. In 1999, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
- June 15, 2018
Rob Rogers
After 25 years as the editorial cartoonist for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, I was fired on Thursday.
I blame Donald Trump.
Well, sort of.
I should’ve seen it coming. When I had lunch with my new boss a few months ago, he informed me that the paper’s publisher believed that the editorial cartoonist was akin to an editorial writer, and that his views should reflect the philosophy of the newspaper.
That was a new one to me.
I was trained in a tradition in which editorial cartoonists are the live wires of a publication — as one former colleague put it, the “constant irritant.” Our job is to provoke readers in a way words alone can’t. Cartoonists are not illustrators for a publisher’s politics.
When I was hired in 1993, The Post-Gazette was the liberal newspaper in town, but it always prided itself on being a forum for a lot of divergent ideas. The change in the paper did not happen overnight. From what I remember, it started in 2011, with the endorsement of the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, which shocked a majority of our readership. The next big moment happened in late 2015, when my longtime boss, the editorial page editor, took a buyout after the publisher indicated that the paper might endorse Mr. Trump. Then, early this year, we published openly racist editorials.
Things really changed for me in March, when management decided that my cartoons about the president were “too angry” and said I was “obsessed with Trump.” This about a president who has declared the free press one of the greatest threats to our country.
Not every idea I have works. Every year, a few of my cartoons get killed. But suddenly, in a three-month period, 19 cartoons or proposals were rejected. Six were spiked in a single week — one after it was already placed on the page, an image depicting a Klansman in a doctor’s office asking: “Could it be the Ambien?”
After so many years of punch lines and caricatures, skewering mayors and mullahs, the new regime at The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette decided that The Donald trumped satire when it came to its editorial pages.
This has been my dream job. It makes the experience of buying a coffee or checking out at a grocery store a thrill. I go to pay and the person looks at my credit card, sees my name, asks me if I’m the Rob Rogers and then tells me about a particular cartoon he or she loved. The outpouring of support I have received in recent days from the people of this city, including its mayor, has been overwhelming and uplifting.
The paper may have taken an eraser to my cartoons. But I plan to be at my drawing table every day of this presidency.
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Danziger has been killing it
Danziger has been killing it daily.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ausonius
Not even close to 19th
Not even close to 19th century material.
Trump hatred apparently alters every perception.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: That’s Nancy with the laughin’ face
Oh Trump apologist, we hate
Oh Trump apologist, we hate Trump's immoral and inhumane policies.
But thanks for reminding us that you're a feckless cunt.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Poor Thom.
Poor Thom.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Not even close to 19th
Not even close to 19th century material.<<<
Are you serious? I'll bet there's so much out there re: Trump that even if you took just 10% of them, you'd still have at least 100x as many as that were published in the entire 19th Century.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Nancy has feck.
Nancy has feck.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
https://www.facebook.com
https://www.facebook.com/editorial.political.cartoons/
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
We're fecked.
We're fecked.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Thom is right about 19th
Thom is right about 19th century cartoons. Sure, there are many more now, but that’s because of digital media. The Golden Age was definitely the 19th century, though. Magazines like Puck and Judge were filled with them, and they had a different power and than they do now.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Can there be only one "golden
Can there be only one "golden age"?
Recently "followed" this group (set to appear at top):
https://www.facebook.com/editorial.political.cartoons
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
Thom: 1 FOM: 0
Thom: 1
FOM: 0
Thom is correct. The political cartoons from the 19th Century were more poignant and controversial.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Never suggested they weren't
Never suggested they weren't poignant or controversial, but how did you reach the conclusion they were moreso?
Again, can there only be one "golden age"?
{{{{{{{ exact words }}}}}}}
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
People actually read
People actually read newspapers in the 19th century.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
>> Again, can there only be
>> Again, can there only be one "golden age"?
I guess not, but that really undermines the spirit of the term.
....Wednesday, June 20th: the Golden Age of the week of June 17th...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Fair enough, how about
Fair enough, how about "renaissance"?
.... Well, I'm sorry but The Alex is a family theater. Not one of your swing joints.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
How many Trump cartoons
How many Trump / political cartoons have been created since the last post?
> 10,000
> 25,000
> 50,000
> 100,000
????
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
I have to agree that the
I have to agree that the cartoons of yesteryear could be quite outrageous, where hangings / decapitations were quite common, have a hard time pulling that off these days. Wish I had a better collection of them, as most of mine are related to the bi-metalism debates of the 1800's... these days we've got volume, teams of writers, computers, etc, but those old school editorial cartoons were freaking badass!!!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
I definitely agree that many
I definitely agree that many early cartoons were badass. I think it was partially a result of being really one of the only visual mediums of political expression at time when Presidents traveled by train from city to city vs. sending out tweets instantaneously that may have video footage embedded within.
However, with quantity, I believe we've seen the emergence of a sort of evolving collective imagery that is really honing in on the "nature of Trump". It's kind of like how if a facial recognition system is fed enough cues, it eventually might get really good at the nuances of expressions and figuring out the underlying nature of the target. Likewise, if we process enough cartoons, we somehow learn and internalize the various nuanced expressions of trump and are able to more further refine our understanding of the "target", but in a more holistic sense. Or, put another way: the plethora of Trump cartoons are really shining the light on what he's "all about", that words can't quite capture alone.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
I guess the sad part of this
I guess the sad part of this is the demise of so many newspapers nationally, especially the small town ones. It's the local editorial cartoons that have often had the freshest take, as "all politics is local." But the new world of memes has definitely been a game changer... I wonder how many people in Le Zone have made a meme before, i've certainly put a pile out, lol (but that's different from an actual artist hand drawn cartoon)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: donster
(No subject)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Danziger is still killin' it
Danziger is still killin' it day in and day out.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Are we "there" yet???
Are we "there" yet???
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune
This Modern World anyone? Tom
This Modern World anyone? Tom Tomorrow is the best.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune
...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
When are we going to "be
When are we going to "be there"?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
Dig it! Haha
Dig it!
Haha
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rasputin O'Leary
Best age since Doonesbury
Best age since Doonesbury
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Floating Flasher
What BrianK said about what
What BrianK said about what the other guy said
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Floating Flasher
If the sharpie was his wang
If the sharpie was his wang maybe
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: donster
...
...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Floating Flasher
assuming we have a history, i
assuming we have a history, i ponder how this will be written
it does all depend on who "wins" natch
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Are we there yet?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
When are we going to BE THERE???
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: dimethyllovebeam
>>>>When are we going to BE
>>>>When are we going to BE THERE???
just as soon as racist, homophobic, religious-righteous, double-talking, power hungry, money-whore, narcissistic control freaks don't govern us anymore.
So, never.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
the king is a fink
the king is a fink
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: HurtsMeToo
Wile teaching the other day
Wile teaching the other day at an upper-tier liberal arts college, I asked a class of thirty 18-22 year olds if they ever looked at political cartoons. Not one said "yes." I suppose they are irrelevant. (The cartoons, not the students.)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Woz
I think Thomas Nast would
I think Thomas Nast would tell you he lived in the golden age of political cartoons
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
I wonder if you asked them if
I wonder if you asked them if they saw political memes which are political cartoons, but yeah the political cartoons churned out by a single author that people followed are dead.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Semolina Pilchard
> I asked a class of thirty
> I asked a class of thirty 18-22 year olds if they ever looked at political cartoons.
I teach freshman comp to a similar demographic at a community college, and I'd be surprised if more than about 10% of any given class regularly reads or watches the news.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: HurtsMeToo
> political memes ... are
> political memes ... are political cartoons
Thanks for pointing this out to me El Nino. I shouldn't be so quick to judge the youngsters. I admit to being out of touch.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Yep
Yep