Darian - Political Cartoon

Political Ad Analysis

“It is essential in a democratic society that young people and adults learn how to think, learn how to make up their minds. They must learn how to think independently, and they must learn how to think together.” We see ads everyday but we may not always know their significance, especially when it comes to political ads. 
    Political ads use a variety of elements to make a point. These elements include those of context, iconography, exaggeration, irony caricature, symbol and caption. The context of this ad showcases the cartoonist’s view of the afterwards of Obama’s presidential term.  “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” It is a statement that has been constantly debated throughout this year’s election campaign. The numbers say that we are better off, but I think the cartoonist is referring to the fact that President Obama couldn’t really come up with a “yes” or “no” answer in the beginning. Back in 2008 the economy was really bad. We almost went into a depression, hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost, and housing prices decreased dramatically. Basically things were a mess, and our economy was “on the verge of complete collapse.”
    Caricature is one of the major elements in this cartoon. In fact this ad is rife with caricature, that’s what makes it. If they weren’t there, the cartoon wouldn’t have as much of an impact. Actually I don’t think it would be at all understandable if instead the cartoonist had just simply drawn people and labeled them, “banker, average Joe, GM worker, terrorist.” So the average person (middle class) is portrayed as being poorly clothed and dirty looking, which suggests that the largest social class in America is not being taken care of, that they are suffering while others profit.  The terrorist character has exaggerated features and a long beard, creating the obvious image of a terrorist to anybody who looks at the cartoon.
    Symbols also make up a large part of the ad. The empty cup in the average person’s hands could represent the “empty promises” of the president , or simply that the middle class has been ignored and has nothing. While the horns, pointed tail and flames depicted on the terrorist suggest him as being the devil, the evil thing that threatens America. 
    The business suits could be both a symbol and a representation of caricature. They denote having wealth, and being well off. People who wear business suits are usually those who work for large companies, and are in the top income bracket. Anybody who looks at a cartoon where the characters are wearing suits can say, “oh they must be rich or affluent,” even without any background information or knowledge about the subject. If the suits weren’t there, it could be hard to distinguish between other characters.
    What helps to set the cartoon up is the caption. If that question wasn’t there it would be hard to really comprehend the point that is trying to be made. Though it is possible for one to get some sort of basic meaning without the caption (average people are struggling, terrorists are evil, GM and the banks are doing fine), the viewer would be missing the key point.; are they really better off? You can’t get that the terrorist is being grouped withe average American in terms of being well off if the captions saying “no” weren’t there. By having both the average American and terrorist characters say “no” to the question, the cartoonist is giving them something in common, which is crazy because normally people wouldn’t think of middle class Americans and terrorists as having anything in common. He’s making the statement in saying that both groups haven not benefited by the current administration, while banks and corporations (those in the upper class) have benefited a great deal.
    “They must come to conclusions, but at the same time they must recognize the right of other men to come to opposite conclusions. So far as individuals are concerned, the art of democracy is the art of thinking and discussing independently together.” If you don’t have education, where’s the foundation? If people formed answers without knowledge or some sort of basis, where would we be? We would have opinions without facts, and opinions without facts are called speculation. Speculation is hardly enough to come to a concrete decision about something, especially in matters that concern others besides yourself. 
    Political ads spark debate and argument; they provoke thought and discussion. The ads are appealing to the masses because they are humorous and persuasive, which encourages people to get informed. If they look at an ad and don’t understand it, chances are that they will end up asking or researching what the ad is about so that can come to some sort of understanding. To make a good democracy/republic work you have to have a community of intelligent, well informed people, and that’s what the political ads help to achieve.