Editorial Cartoon: "Taking Politics Out of Entertainment"

And how that never truly happens

Hey all! Here’s my latest for Cagle Cartoons:

I have a real issue with the idea of "taking messaging and politics out of media to make it better" as discourse typically frames it. There are ideas about how we should behave ourselves and interact with others in nearly every piece of media that exists, and any attempt to "remove" them will not only be futile but will let unintended messaging, and messaging that may unconsciously advocate for problematic behaviors, flourish.

And of course, those who advocate against putting "politics" and "messaging" in media frequently simply want to put in their own politics and messaging instead.

I say this as a Garfield superfan... Jim Davis famously has spoken out about being averse to including politics in the strip for the sake of making it "universally relatable." But just because the author didn't consciously put "politics" or "messaging" in their work absolutely, famously, does not mean those things are not there. And when a creator isn't conscious of what their work is pushing for, it can do damage. I'm not necessarily saying that Garfield is doing damage. He sure did used to get real depressed and reflective once a year.

And while depiction absolutely does not equal glorification, there can be a fine line when a character is created for younger audiences or becomes beloved. And I say that as a Garfield superfan.

As no one has ever noticed, I am particularly interested in the way cats can so effectively serve as satellite case studies for human behavior, given their... often dubious character.

This cartoon may have been best suited for a longer-form thing, but let's see how it's received. This is me trying to "talk about things I care about" in cartoons.

Until next time.