political satire
Congrats, Glorious Leader, on your monumental decision
To: The Right Honourable Stephen Joseph Harper
From: The Semi-Employed Charles Demers
Re: Canadian Monument to the Victims of Communism
Dear Sir,
Dusan Petricic's Toronto
In 1993, when Dusan Petricic came to Toronto from Belgrade in what is now always called "the former Yugoslavia," he was generally seen as its leading political cartoonist.
That is a charged and prestigious category in Europe, particularly eastern Europe, where political discussions during most of the 20th century were coded rather than straightforward. This was especially true during the Soviet era when cartoonists, like playwrights, were significant figures; they had a limited licence to express dangerous thoughts. They were expected to both represent and defuse political passions.
Observations on Ontario's election: Changebook
The Ontario PC platform and MC Hammer pants: Some things really shouldn't make a comeback.
(Or "Plus ça change[book], plus c'est la même chose")
Ahhh, social media.
It turns nouns into verbs, though the rules are still being worked out (you can text a friend, but so far no one can figure out how to friend a text).
It allows children to Skype their play dates without leaving their computer desk. (The PhysEd teachers can worry about the suggested 60 minutes of daily activity.)
It breathes new life into old words (like "pad", "pod" or "book") simply by adding the letter "i-" at the beginning.
And it has transformed political campaigning in the U.S. and in Canada.
Grassroots comics
Unlike mainstream comic strips, 'grassroots' comics are often linked to activist organizations, movements, and social change campaigns. Interestingly, in order to engage local populations, topics for the cartoons tend to be confined to local issues and feature the work of local artists.
The circulation and public posting of such comics is intended to encourage support for a particular social change campaign. The belief is that authentic, visual storytelling is an effective way to stimulate debate on a contentious local issue.
As an activist campaigning tool, the use of 'grassroots' comics is a relatively new phenomenon. To date, such movements have been piloted in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, etc.
Celebrating comic subversives
Satiristas
(It Books,
2010;
$32.99)
In photographer Dan Dion's portrait of comedian, satirist, playwright and Daily Show essayist Lewis Black, the subject -- in his sweater and glasses, seated comfortably at what looks like a hotel bar -- appears at first glance to be a picture of the artist in late middle-age.
