Cartoonist Mr. Fish’s amazing anthology WARNING! Graphic Content feels especially relevant this month. The polemic celebrates political cartoons, comix, and “the uncensored artistic mind,” making the absolutist case for the need to offend. He collects some of the best examples of offensive political cartoons ever published.
Above: “Freedom of Expression” by Mohammad Saba’aneh, Palestinian cartoonist imprisoned by Israel in 2013
Mr. Fish came out swinging after the Charlie Hebdo massacre:
Expressing an opinion with the point of a pencil leveled against a piece of parchment should in no way justify the point of a propelled bullet or bayonet leveled against living flesh as a reasonable response under any circumstance.
1941 German political cartoon lampooning America’s 1% and FDR’s military-industrial complex. The cartoon’s intended audience was enlisted American soldiers.
Most of my favorite artists from Ovid to Lenny Bruce were convicted of crimes. Many paid dearly for daring to express forbidden ideas, and most would have done it again despite the personal consequences. So check out Mr. Fish’s anthology, but don’t have a beverage in your mouth when you do.
(h/t Print)