Hitting below the belt

“My cartoons give me the platform to put my opinion forward in its totality,” says Daryl Cagle, an American political cartoonist during an interaction in Kochi. “I get the space to voice my opinion in all its totality, and say, ‘Hey this is what makes me totally responsible for my work’.”

Despite the freedom, there is a regulatory mechanism at work. “There is censorship in the marketplace as, largely, news editors are timid folks, and prefer cartoons, which are gentle jokes, instead of those voicing a strong opinion about the latest political events,” he says. “This, and not the government, serves as the naturally correcting mechanism. Whereas, here in India there are a lot of rules.”

Some of Cagle’s cartoons include a US marine towering over a timid Afghan family, President Barack Obama as Cupid showering free contraceptives on Valentine’s Day, Libyan military leader Muammar Gaddafi‘s surrender and the Greek economic crisis. All these have been drawn with imagination.

“Cartoons are akin to poetry,” he says. “The fewer the words used, the greater is the chance of success. Sometimes, American cartoons tend to be ‘wordy’ and the way to overcome it is through the use of clichés and metaphors. National flags and symbols of state are used frequently. It serves effectively to bash governments and institutions and to ban that would be shocking. Half my cartoons would be thrown away. Editors do wish that we would be mere illustrators, instead of fully making use of the freedom of the press.” Cagle’s topics are wide and varied. They include former President George W Bush and Iraq, Obama and his policies, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her run for the 2008 presidential elections, golfer Tiger Woods and his infidelities.

“George W Bush looks a bit angry on the surface, and is always about to say something stupid or funny,” says Cagle. “There is a lot of possibilities for Bush.” He has been portrayed as the cowboy, and the puppy marking his worldwide territory among many others. “However, Obama is not nearly as fun as Bush,” he says. “He is a reasonable guy with lesser humour, not the favourite of the Conservatives and also the Liberals because of his policies.”

A large per cent of Americans think Obama is a Muslim, hence a strip has a crucified Obama pleading he is not a Muslim.  Hillary Clinton is pictured as a general donning several badges. What is amusing is that the first and foremost badge is that of ‘heartbreak’ [for losing the 2008 Democratic nomination for President].One cartoon was a critique of the US Supreme Court. Cagle has depicted the judges as comprising five elephants and four donkeys, with the usual 5:4 vote. So, has he received criticism for this bold, outright depiction? “No, it was quite harmless,” he says. “This is the freedom of a cartoonist in a liberal country.”Recently, the Indian cartoonist  Aseem Trivedi  was jailed, but later released, for insulting India’s national symbols in the cartoons he posted on his website.

The national emblem of four lions with the words, ‘Satyamev Jayate’ was re-drawn as four blood thirsty wolves with a re-worded motto: ‘Bhrashtamev Jayate’ (long live corruption). Also, the Parliament has been depicted as a toilet and the imminent rape of Mother India was shown. Cagle expressed his concern for the cartoonist.“I have reservations when it comes to hurting religious sensibilities,” he says. “However, editorial cartoons must disrespect government symbols.  It should be the means to giving truth to power.”

Has Cagle ever apologised for any of his works? “Yes,” he says. “There was an occasion when my work was misinterpreted. It was the issue of rising gas prices.

Uncle Sam was shown as the abused husband, on a couch with his domineering wife, the oil price. I received passionate mails from abused women. I understood that the metaphor failed to work and thus apologised.”

Abortion, gun control, the Israel-Palestine conflict are some of the topics which irk his readers. Also, he has received flak for the ‘racist’ depiction of former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The session was organised by the Press Club and Kerala Cartoon Academy in association with the US Consulate office at Chennai.