The war is tragic. You would have to be an animal to make fun of someone being maimed or killed or dismiss someone’s suffering or loss. On the other hand, as part of the human condition, humor is on the same continuum. That’s what makes it funny to see a cartoon frog with its legs chopped off panhandling for nickels with a tin cup. It cannot be explained.
Oh, and do you have a favored presidential candidate based on who would be fun to draw and write about or do you not think about such things?
I like Fred Thompson. He just cracks me up whenever I think about him, and the way that some people think he’s a gorgeous movie star. If he gets elected it will be hard to enjoy Law and Order reruns, the same way, as a California resident, it is hard for me to enjoy Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. McCain is always a barrel of laughs. Hillary never disappoints. Mitt Romney would be a gift for cartoonists. The problem, I am anticipating, is that anyone elected, even a Republican, will invariably do something good, which will be such a departure from what we’re used to, it will make Americans go sappy and let down their guard.
The other thing I am anticipating is that when Hillary Clinton is elected it is not going to be easy for her to give up all the heightened powers that Bush has taken. How will she handle it? How do you choose what topics to write about? Are there other topics you consider off limits to you or others? What is the best and worst part of your chosen genre?
Cartoons can be precise and can nail any topic when they are done well. I’m not saying mine always are, but the great ones can. I choose topics strictly by what is relevant to me personally at the moment. What is off limits, and, amazingly, a few cartoonists every year do this, is to draw a cartoon that is reminiscent old racist propaganda. You know, suddenly a big, smiling “darkie”, a greedy, hook-nosed jew, or inscrutable “oriental” appears in an editorial cartoon in 2007! Those things usually cause quite a stir and they should.
Article comments
1 - shockcorridor
Lloyd Dangle is a no talent hack. What a loser. Scribbling like a three year old. Pointless one dimensional hack. Pathetic excuse for an artist. Satire as deep as a three year old. Oh yeah Lloyd your liberties are really threatened. Every two bit pseudo hip weekly carries your pointless predictable no talent tripe and you act like youre some kind of dissident freedom fighter. Yeah youre real brave you scribbling talentless loser. You HACK!!!!!!!!!