Leftycartoons - Part 2

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Panel 1: A woman, two small children, and a man dressed like an evil landlord from a silent movie (including curly mustache) are standing atop a precariously balanced wedge of land. The underpinnings of the land have been dug out until they’re basically nonexistent. The woman is yelling in panic, the evil man is grinning and holding a shovel. WOMAN: SOMEBODY HELP US! This GREEDY BANKER undermined our ECONOMY and it’s about to COLLAPSE! Panel 2: A male superhero with a “G” in a superman-like chest design flies through the skies, somewhat startling a bird. SUPERHERO: As the GOVERMENT, I can’t just WATCH this happen… I must TAKE ACTION! TO THE RESCUE! Panel 3: With a determined expression, the superhero kicks out the remaining foundation, and the two children, the woman, and the evil man go tumbling towards the ground. Panel 4: The superhero flies through the skies, smiling, carrying the grinning evil man gently in his arms. EVIL MAN: My hero!

The End Of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (plus alternative version including I for Intersexuality)

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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First panel: We see a deep pit. Climbing out of the pit, using a rope and anchor, are three cartoon letters, each with arms and legs: “L,” “G,” and “B.” L: Almost there… Almost free of this horrible HOLE of DISCRIMINATION! Second panel: The three letters have climbed out of the pit, and are dancing and celebrating. LG & B (speaking together): We MADE IT! “Don’t ask don’t tell” is GONE! Third Panel: The shot has moved down to the bottom of the pit; the top of the panel is now above the top of the panel. There, still holding onto the rope and climbing, is a cartoon letter “T.” Word balloon from above the top of the panel: Thank goodness that’s over! Now we can rest! Another word balloon from above: YAY! T: Um… GUYS?

Don’t get me wrong — I’m thrilled about the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. We should celebrate. But we shouldn’t forget that the work ain’t done.

Transgender American Veteran’s Association (TAVA) president Monica Helms wrote:

On this day of celebration, TAVA has one request for all of those who will be cheering and partying. We ask that everyone take a moment of silence to acknowledge that the fight is not over. A moment of silence for all of those trans people who will still face discharge when being outed.

Take a moment to remember the trans people who gave their lives in silence to protect this country. TAVA stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in celebrating this historical day. All we ask is for them to stand in solidarity with the trans community in our struggle to end ALL discrimination in the US military. The fight is not over.

UPDATE: At the suggestion of a magazine editor, I modified this cartoon to add an “I” for “intersexuality.”

Posted in LGBT cartoons |

The Modern Sisyphus

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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PANEL 1 The first panel has a close-up of a Black person’s hands pushing a boulder uphill. The title of the strip, “Modern Sisyphus,” is written on the boulder. PANEL 2 We see a black woman, wearing casual office clothing, pushing a boulder uphill. A few yards above her, at the top of the hill, a white man stands listening with his arms crossed. WOMAN: I realize that you never owned slaves or raped anyone. I’m talking about systematic racism and sexism, okay? PANEL 3 The woman has pushed the boulder to almost the very top of the hill. WOMAN: Yes, I’m qualified to be in my job… No, I don’t hate white men… No, sexism and racism didn’t end thirty years ago… PANEL 4 The woman has lost her grip on the boulder and watches, appalled, as it quickly rolls back down the hill. The man walks away, disappearing off the right side of the panel. MAN: If you just stopped focusing on these things, you’d be happier… I gotta go now. PANEL 5 The woman stands looking down the hill in the direction the boulder went, slumped a little. PANEL 6 Still slumped a little, the woman tiredly walks downhill. WOMAN: Sigh…

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Posted in Anti-racist cartoons, Feminist cartoons |

How Democracy Works

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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The cartoon has three panels. Each panel shows a crowd of milling citizens, who vary in sex, race, and age, yelling up to a giant white man wearing a suit and tie. The giant’s head is far distant from the citizens, and he gives no sign of hearing what they’re saying. PANEL 1 GIANT: I’m PROUD I’ve been elected to represent the great people of this region! CROWD1: I’ve been unemployed for six months! CROWD2: How come the banks get help… PANEL 2 From offpanel, a giant hand hands the giant white man a giant bundle of cash. GIANT: I promise I’ll — Pardon me a moment. THANKS, Eric. CROWD1: Medical costs keep going up… CROWD2: In jail for a joint… Panel 3 The giant resumes speaking while he pockets the bundle of cash. GIANT: I PROMISE I’ll ALWAYS listen to the voices of ORDINARY CITIZENS! CROWD1: Tuition has doubled… CROWD2: Unemployed for ten months… CAPTION (Running across the strip, under all three panels): HOW DEMOCRACY WORKS

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Quoting a paper by Martin Gilens (pdf link):

Using an original data set of almost 2,000 survey questions on proposed policy changes between 1981 and 2002, I find a moderately strong relationship between what the public wants and what the government does, albeit with a strong bias toward the status quo. But I also find that when Americans with different income levels differ in their policy preferences, actual policy outcomes strongly reflect the preferences of the most affluent but bear little relationship to the preferences of poor or middle income Americans.

In the table above, the dark line represents the opinions of the highest-earning 10% of Americans. The further to the right the dark line goes, the more that top 10% wants a policy change to happen. And the further towards the top the dark line goes, the more likely it is that politicians will make the desired policy change happen. As you can see, the more the top 10% want a change, the more likely it is to happen.

The gray line represents the opinions of the lowest-earning 10% of Americans. As you can see, it’s completely irrelevant what they (er, we?) think. Politicians couldn’t care less. Gilens also has a similar graph showing that politicians barely listen any more to middle-class Americans than they do to poor Americans.

(See also, this essay by political scientist Larry Bartels.)

Posted in Economic cartoons, Elections |

The Economic Policy Rainbow (Republican Edition)

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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Panel 1 Angry middle-management white man: Government has gotten too damn big. That’s why I want to cut taxes. Panel 2 Anxious-looking white man: Unemployment is going down! That could create inflationary pressure! And the cure is tax cuts. Panel 3 Preppy looking white guy: The Federal deficit is unsustainable! That’s why I support major tax cuts! White guy with mohawk: Wouldn’t tax cuts make the deficit bigger? Preppy guy again: Math has a liberal bias. Panel 4 Wide-eyed white woman: People with incomes above a quarter million face too great a burden! It’s inhuman! We must lower income taxes! (We can pay for it by defunding Medicaid.) Panel 5 Grinning white man in suit: Unemployment is high! If we slash taxes, then unemployment will definitely go down to 3%. Like it did under George Bush! Panel 6 Yelling white man in disco suit: Fashion has inexplicably changed since my youth! We need tax cuts! CAPTION UNDER WHOLE CARTOON: The Economic Policy Rainbow (Republican Edition)

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Posted in Economic cartoons |

The Wage Gap And Women’s Choices

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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The scene: Two women talk. One wears a black skirt, the other has a ponytail. Panel one BLACK SKIRT: the WAGE GAP has nothing to do with SEXISM! women are paid less because they make different CHOICES. Panel two BLACK SKIRT: HAVING A FAMILY, for example. many women take time off from work to take care of children or elderly relatives… Panel three BLACK SKIRT: so women work less. or work part-time. or need more flexible jobs. and as a result, they get paid less. but what does that have to do with SEXISM? Panel four PONYTAIL: couldn’t MEN do half of that unpaid work? BLACK SKIRT: that’s CRAZY TALK! Panel four, tiny subpanel in the corner PONYTAIL: okay, i’ll let someone ELSE raise my kids. BLACK SKIRT: what kind of LOUSY mother does THAT?

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Posted in Economic cartoons, Feminist cartoons |

Health Care and Freedom

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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The scene: A woman in casual business wear addresses the reader directly. Panel one Woman: i’m TRAPPED in my job, because my kid is sick, and if i change jobs there goes my health insurance! Panel two Woman: i have a great idea for a business start-up — the kind of thing that could change my life! but i’m TRAPPED in my job because of the health insurance. Panel three Woman: the job recently forced me to relocate to IDAHO. i HATE living in idaho! i miss my family. but i’m trapped in my job because… well, you know. Panel four Woman: my boss assigns me unpaid overtime and makes inappropriate comments… but i can’t tell him to SHOVE it, because i’m TRAPPED. Panel five Woman: so my friend tells me that to solve all these problems, i should support single-payer health care. and i said to her, ARE YOU NUTS? Panel six Woman: once the government gets involved in health care, we won’t be FREE!

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Posted in Health care |

Unemployment: Democrats Vs Republicans

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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The scene shows two women, one of them a bit older and dressed in black skirt, heels, and a blazer, the other one a bit younger and wearing a hoodie, plaid pants, and sneakers. Panel One OLDER WOMAN: as an UNEMPLOYED person, you’d be NUTS to vote for the republicans! they’ve got NOTHING to help the unemployed! Panel Two OLDER WOMAN: republicans want giveaways for big corporations and they want tax cuts for THE RICH. that’s ALL they care about! Panel Three OLDER WOMAN: we’re facing the biggest unemployment crisis since the great depression! it’s CRUSHING our economy! and the gop IGNORES it! Panel Four YOUNGER WOMAN: okay, i WON’T vote republican! so tell me- what are DEMOCRATS doing to help the unemployed? Panel Five No dialog. The older woman thinks about it, the younger woman waits eagerly. Panel Six No dialog. The older woman grins like a salesperson afraid of losing a sale, the younger woman looks annoyed.

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Posted in Economic cartoons |

Our Top Ten Excuses For Ignoring Unemployment

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

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Title Panel In large letters: “Our Top Ten Excuses For Ignoring Unemployment” Below the title, a man prays and says: As the Bible teaches us: “Screw those who cannot help themselves.” Panel 1 Cheerful looking man in tie, seated at desk: High unemployment means lower wages! Think how high profits will be if wages drop to zero! Panel 2 Declaming woman: Just get rid of welfare! Once the welfare queens have to pay their OWN way, they’ll find jobs! Cheerfully agreeing man: Like during the great depression! Panel 3 Sour-looking man in expensive suit: As the OPPOSITION party, we are firmly opposed to ANYTHING getting done. Panel 4 Screaming woman with large teeth: THE UNEMPLOYED ARE PARASITES! THEY DESERVE STARVATION! Same woman, in smaller sub-dialog: I’ve been self-reliant since the day I was born! Panel 5 Trembling, fearful man: Lower unemployment COULD raise inflation slightly, which MIGHT cause investors to make SLIGHTLY less money! Same man, sub-dialogs: O the horror! I just peed my pants! Panel 6 Cheery man on tennis court: I’LL FIGHT UNEMPLOYMENT! As soon as someone pays my six-figure lobbying fee. Panel 7 Content-looking man in big suit, huge body, tiny head: DEFICIT SPENDING is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Unless it’s for something ESSENTIAL, like tax cuts for millionaires. Panel 8 Senator in her office, buried above her elbows in a sea of cash: We Senators would LOVE to help, but we can’t lift our arms because we’re buried in Wall Street money. Panel 9 Woman shaking her forefinger in the air: THE UNEMPLOYED ARE JUST LAZY! That’s what causes recessions! Sudden inexplicable national epidemics of LAZINESS! Panel 10 Man standing on a path through the grass, picket fence in background. What’s in front of him might or might not be a cliff. He says: Who CARES? I’VE got enough money.

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Posted in Economic cartoons |

Street Harassment

Cartoon by Barry Deutsch

This cartoon is available as a print or a poster on Redbubble.

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Transcript: (Each of the first nine panels shows a black-haired woman walking in a public place at different times and in different outfits. In each outfit, a different stranger on the street is making a comment to her. She looks very unhappy with the comments. Panel 1 starts showing her from fairly far away, but each panel gets closer up on her face until panel 9.) Panel 1 Man in doorway: Damn, beautiful! Panel 2 (woman is waiting at bus stop) Guy sitting on stoop: You got a number? Panel 3 Man grabbing woman’s arm: Suck my cock! Panel 4 Grinning older man: Smile! You’re so pretty! Panel 5 (Woman is carrying groceries) Man in car: Hey! I’m talking to you! Fuck you then! Panel 6 (Woman is riding bike) Man: DAMN, sexy, you’ve got a fat ass. Panel 7 (Close up on woman’s almost wincing face). Off-panel voice: Just stop and talk. I just want to talk to you. Panel 8 (Closer up on her face, which is turned away from the viewer.) Off-panel voice: What’s your name? C’mon, tell me your Panel 9 (Very far shot of woman, walking hunched over with her hands in her jacket pockets). Off-panel voice: I’d fuck the SHIT out of that. Panel 10 (Woman at home, in her bedroom. A cheerful man in the background, wearing pajamas and sitting on a bed, talks to her; she has her back to him and looks miserable.) Man: If women on the street said I look nice, it’d make my day!

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Posted in Barry's favorites, Feminist cartoons |

Government To The Rescue!

The End Of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (plus alternative version including I for Intersexuality)

The Modern Sisyphus

How Democracy Works

The Economic Policy Rainbow (Republican Edition)

The Wage Gap And Women’s Choices

Health Care and Freedom

Unemployment: Democrats Vs Republicans

Our Top Ten Excuses For Ignoring Unemployment

Street Harassment

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