Drugs to Death in a Political Cartoon: An Oversimplification?
Drugs to Death in a Political Cartoon: An Oversimplification?
As the more stable counterpart to an inconsistent southern neighbor, the United States has always had a suspicious outlook towards Mexico. In recent years, the boost in illegal immigration, the unstable economies in both countries and the issues resulting from drug use and trade have added tension to the already strained relationship. Blame flows and lands on various subjects: each government, drug cartels, drug users, and more. In the October 2009 political cartoon posted by David Kurtzman¹ , various angles are used to portray the cartoonist’s opinion that blame should be limited to one party: the drug cartels. Through the use of color, stereotypes, and the pathos connected with images of death, the cartoonist blames the violent Latin American drug cartels for Mexico’s problems and spoils the legitimacy of the attempts of the Mexican government, as represented by the stiff piñata, to solve the drug issue. In the cartoon, the drug cartels are represented by the photo at the top, with a dark black shirt and a menacing face and stance. The color scheme, as compared to the bright piñata and the white, light skulls, makes the drug cartels an image of havoc and danger. The sheer physical size of the figure also warps the responsibility of these cartels for the ruin of Mexico. The cartoon ignores the presence of the approximately 25 million people in the United States who are heavy drug users and it created a market for the products of the drug cartels (ex. Marijuana and Cocaine ), instead perhaps weaking the situation to act like the drug problem as a one-sided, clear, and violent issue². The pathos involved with this overblown portrayal uses the scare tactic; the audience’s fear of the dark colors and frightening male figure assist the cartoonist’s objective of pointing the finger at the drug cartels for the violence in Mexico. The color scheme and setup of the background
As the more stable counterpart to an inconsistent southern neighbor, the United States has always had a suspicious outlook towards Mexico. In recent years, the boost in illegal immigration, the unstable economies in both countries and the issues resulting from drug use and trade have added tension to the already strained relationship. Blame flows and lands on various subjects: each government, drug cartels, drug users, and more. In the October 2009 political cartoon posted by David Kurtzman¹ , various angles are used to portray the cartoonist’s opinion that blame should be limited to one party: the drug cartels. Through the use of color, stereotypes, and the pathos connected with images of death, the cartoonist blames the violent Latin American drug cartels for Mexico’s problems and spoils the legitimacy of the attempts of the Mexican government, as represented by the stiff piñata, to solve the drug issue. In the cartoon, the drug cartels are represented by the photo at the top, with a dark black shirt and a menacing face and stance. The color scheme, as compared to the bright piñata and the white, light skulls, makes the drug cartels an image of havoc and danger. The sheer physical size of the figure also warps the responsibility of these cartels for the ruin of Mexico. The cartoon ignores the presence of the approximately 25 million people in the United States who are heavy drug users and it created a market for the products of the drug cartels (ex. Marijuana and Cocaine ), instead perhaps weaking the situation to act like the drug problem as a one-sided, clear, and violent issue². The pathos involved with this overblown portrayal uses the scare tactic; the audience’s fear of the dark colors and frightening male figure assist the cartoonist’s objective of pointing the finger at the drug cartels for the violence in Mexico. The color scheme and setup of the background
Cited: ¹Kurtzman, Daniel. "Mexican Piñata - Drug War Cartoon." Political Humor: Jokes, Satires and Political Cartoons Web. 05 October 2009. http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Mexican- Pinata.htm ²Drug use in the United States percentages from the Center for Disease Control Website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/FASTATS/druguse.htm Population of the US as of June 2008, from the U.S. Census Bureau. Alfano, Christine L. and Alyssa J. O’Brien Envision: Writing and Researching Arguments. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2008. Print.