Which Side Are You On? Pt. 2 : The Left

Editorial cartoons are a part of political discourse. Some express liberal opinions, some are more conservative. Some cartoons criticize very specific shortcomings, some have a broader approach, some are clever, some border on propaganda. And so on. This is true for all democratic countries. In this interview – the second part of yet another “special” – I tried to find out more about how cartoonists see their own role in the political discussion.

In part one I talked to conservative cartoonist Rex May and learned about the different factions in American conservativism. This week, I interviewed Bob Simpson from Illinois who runs an agency called Design Works providing political cartoons for labor unions together with his partner Estelle Carol.

Bob, you and Estelle cooperate on the cartoons … How does that work?

I generally come up with the gags. I keep notes in a word processor and jot things down until a gag starts to shape up. I then edit and write a short description of what I think it should look like. Then I give it to Estelle.

Estelle is the visual artist, so working at her computer with an electronic drawing tablet she tries to improve upon the original concept. She edits dialog and layout. We confer about any further changes and when we agree, the cartoon is done. Since everything is electronic, it’s easy to make last minute changes.

What function would you say do your political cartoons fulfill?

heading northMost of our work is aimed directly at publication by the labor movement although we are picked up by business and alternative outlets as well. We believe that a strong democratic labor movement is essential to a civilized society.

We see ourselves as exposing economic and social injustices in a direct humorous way. We hope that this encourages working class people to think more deeply about their situation. Here in the USA, the labor movement is in pretty bad shape, so we also hope that our cartoons are morale boosters for labor activists in these difficult times.

How come you as owners of a private business are actively supporting organized labor?

Both of us have worked for large educational institutions. Estelle as a graphic designer at a university and myself as a high school teacher. Here in the USA the labor movement was responsible for most of the limited social legislation that we have. Today it is fighting to defend that legislation and advance it where it can – in the face of powerful and well-funded opposition.

As a small business, we are painfully aware that an impoverished working class cannot support the many small businesses that depend heavily on working class prosperity. The empty store fronts and offices here in the Chicago metropolitan area are a testament to that reality.

investment bankerWhat other cartoons do you follow? Are there any conservative ones among them?

Among our favorite cartoonists on the Left are Clay Bennett, Gary Huck, Gary Trudeau, and Jen Sorensen. Our favorite ones on the Right are Henry Payne, Michael Ramirez, and Mike Lester.

What do you like about those right-leaning cartoonists? Is there some common ground?

An intelligent conservative movement is important to maintaining a balance in society. Conservatives who uphold the values of individual freedom can play an important role in defending those freedoms.

Left-wing governments can make stupid mistakes. Left-wing politicians can be enticed by corruption. Left-wing movements are after all made up of very fallible human beings and it is often hard to admit one’s own weaknesses. To the extent that conservative cartoonists expose and ridicule these failings, we need them.

Do you see any dangers in cartoonists’ partisanship – for example it contributing to a division of American society?

The divisions in US society are deeply rooted in our social class structure as well as our racial and gender caste system. Papering over these very real divisions will not make them go away.

With that said, cartoonists who stoop to exploiting these divisions rather than using their satire to heal them are doing us all a disservice. There is an old saying in the US newspaper industry that journalism should “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.” We stand by that old fashioned idea.

Thanks for your time!

Paul Hellmich

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