Hey did you hear? Biden is old!
March 23rd, 2024 Barry Posted in Media criticism | No Comments »
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four panels, plus an additional “kicker’ panel under the bottom of the cartoon.
Each panel features the same central character, who I’ll call “Media.” Media is a white man wearing a suit and tie, and carrying a microphone. But instead of a head, he has a flatscreen TV on top of his neck, and on the TV is a picture of a TV anchorman-type against a background of static.
In the first three panels Media is standing against a background of abstract and colorful pop-art shapes.
PANEL 1
Media is leaning forward a bit and has a concerned expression.
MEDIA: Biden’s old. Biden’s old. Biden’s old. Biden is old. Biden’s old. Biden’s so old. Biden’s old. Biden is old.
PANEL 2
A closer shot of Media, now with a cheerful, chatty manner.
MEDIA: Biden’s old. Biden’s old. Biden is old old old. Biden’s old. Biden is old. Biden’s old. Biden’s old. Biden’s old. Biden is too old.
MEDIA: Trump’s old too.
PANEL 3
Media now looks a little panicked, spreading his arms and almost jumping up and down.
MEDIA: Biden Biden Biden! OLD OLD OLD!
PANEL 4
The scene now changes to a coffee shop. Media’s body is in casual clothes – slacks and a black polo shirt. (Although Media’s head and shoulders, on the tv screen, is still wearing a suit.) Media is sitting at a table, with a coffee mug in front of him, looking annoyed as he vents to a friend.
MEDIA: How can these people call me biased? Didn’t they hear me call Trump old, too?
TINY KICKER PANEL UNDER THE BOTTOM OF THE CARTOON
Media is talking, a bit angrily, to Barry the Cartoonist.
MEDIA: I’m pretending you said I shouldn’t report on Biden’s age at all. And I’m appalled you’d say that!
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken Fat” is cartoonist slang for unimportant details the cartoonist sticks in for the fun of it. In this case, all the chicken fat is in panel four. First of all, on the shelves behind the counter in the background is the decapitated head of Charlie Brown from “Peanuts.” (Poor ol’ Charlie Brown.) Secondly, on the wall is a framed picture of Zoidberg from the TV show “Futurama.” (I’m a big fan of both Peanuts and Futurama).
