Things You Should Generally Avoid Touching

November 18th, 2017 Barry Posted in Racism & Racists, Sexism & Misogyny, Social Justice | No Comments »


This cartoon was written by Rachel Swirsky. Check out Rachel’s website!


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Transcript of cartoon.

At the top of the cartoon, the title is printed in a friendly, 1950s retro font.

TITLE: Things You Should Generally Avoid Touching

PANEL 1
This panel shows two beakers, filled with colored liquid that is bubbling away.

CAPTION: Mysterious, bubbling beakers.

PANEL 2
A Black woman with a wonderful head of hair turns back, looking annoyed, as a hand reaches out from behind her to touch her hair.

CAPTION: Strangers’ bodies.

PANEL 3
There is a sandwich; rising from the sandwich is a vaporous green death skull.

CAPTION: Sandwiches abandoned at nuclear test sites.

PANEL 4
A woman, large with pregnancy, wearing a “baby on board” tee shirt, looks down with annoyance as a hand extends out to touch her belly.

CAPTON: Strangers’ bodies.

PANEL 5
A bunch of vampire bats, including a big one in the foreground staring straight out at the viewer, mouth open to reveal fangs, are flying in the air.

CAPTION: Rabid vampire bats.

PANEL 6
We see the hips, butt and waist of a person, gender indeterminate, wearing pants with a shirt tucked in. A hand reaches out to touch their butt.

CAPTION: Seriously, strangers’ bodies.

PANEL 7
A double-wide final panel.
A white woman talks to the Black woman from panel 2. The white woman has her finger on her face as if concentrating; the Black woman looks amused.

WHITE WOMAN: What if the rabid bats attack AND I have to defeat them with the mysterious beakers but FIRST I have to get a stranger out of the way AND she can’t see or hear me… THEN can I touch her hair?

BLACK WOMAN: That sounds likely.