Political Strikes

Memes; one of the many ways the people of the internet can voice their options on all matters, political or not. Fortunately for us though, the political memes have never peaked quite this hard. I believe it might have a little something to do with this new presidency we have on our hands.  

However tragic Donald Trump’s presidency might be, you have to admit – the memes have never been better. So let’s get started and check out some of the most popular political memes of 2019. 

Donald Trump

Let’s face it; Donald Trump is the easiest target in the history of politics. I mean, everyone felt like they were throwing stones at a blind kid when they made fun of George W, but with Donald Trump, it’s like we hog-tied the blind kid and tied him to the end of a pickup truck.  

Memes like this one will always have a special place in my heart, but much like George W’s run, it’s getting old. 

I find that memes like this one tickle my funny bone just as much as any other, but they lack substance. The best political memes (in my opinion) require a little bit of background info, more so than any “build the wall” memes that might cross my path. I’m sure you feel the same way, so let’s move on to the real juicy stuff. 

The White House

In this past year or two, the Whitehouse and it’s staff have been at an all-time low. The government shutdowns have been wildly unpopular around the country, and nothing quite embodies that cheap/sad feeling more than a Spirit Halloween store. Example A. 

The elections in Australia have been quite a hot topic, even here in the US where we eat with utensils and brush our teeth. There was recently a federal election that put a man in power whos less than polite. The people were pretty divided, but it seemed as is the overwhelming majority wanted to vote for the democratic party.  

The Aussies were shocked when the results came out to show a hairline victory by the Republican leader. I thought this fire meme summed-up their feelings pretty well. It’s a reference to the hit Netflix film “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” and it’s a still of a scene where the protagonist in the skit finds himself getting hung for the second time – not too far off from how we feel over here in the US. 

Brexit

The Brexit was (and still is) a huge fucking mess for everyone involved. It all started as a grasp as long-lost British nationalism and ended up being a bunch of racist Britts screwing themselves out of the largest multinational alliance known to the planet earth. But at least they’re free from Europeans? I don’t know. Those people are all on an Island, anyway. How much more isolated can you get? 

I thought this meme perfectly captured the Brexit’s true damage, while incorporating some classic shitty vine humor. God, I miss Vine.  

Anyways, this meme here pokes some fun at the UN, EU, and most of all – the league of nations. Could you also for any more?

Everyone loves a good bumper sticker. 

Okay, maybe not everyone. Granted, they can be pretty stupid, but some are actually clever enough to make you laugh, and those are the ones we enjoy seeing. What better way to display your humorous wit than with a political bumper sticker? Politics make for great jokes (just look at our president!), and if you don’t have a stick up your butt, even the ones about your party can be pretty hilarious. 

Voting is Like Driving a Car…

Voting is like driving a car, choose (R) to go backward, choose (D) to go forward 

What better way to express your political leaning than with this bumper sticker that directly references driving? This is probably the most clever bumper sticker you’ve seen that actually utilizes the act of driving to not only remind people of which position to use their gearshift but that Republicans have utterly backward ideology. 

May the Fetus You Save…

May the fetus you save be gay 

It seems that pro-lifers aren’t really so “pro-life” once you start talking about human rights for gay people, immigrants, and people of color. They aren’t too fond of saving the lives of fully grown humans who’re facing threats to their lives; they’re just concerned about the unborn ones. So how funny would it be that the seed-sized “person” they’re saving turns out to be everything they hate? Now, you could remind them how ridiculous they’re movement is with a flashy bumper sticker.

I Don’t Need Sex…

I don’t need sex, the government fucks me every day 

I’m sure we can all relate to this one. Democracy mixed with capitalism has proven to create some frustrating results that the people of this country have had to get fucked with daily. Every single person in this country can say that they feel the government has royally fucked them at some point, maybe even continuously, so this is the perfect bumper sticker to get a few honks! 

Land of the Free…

Land of the free, home of the world’s largest prison population 

Okay, this one’s probably the funniest out of the stack, and it really makes you think. The United States has the largest prison population of any other country in the world, but the media and our president would have you believe that foreign countries are evil and have horrible criminals that we shouldn’t let into our country. The way the U.S. likes to deal with minorities, clearly, is to lock them up in prison for grotesque amounts of time, not to mention the horrible conditions prisoners live in. 

Is That True?

Is that true, or did you hear it on FOX News? 

We all know by now that FOX News is entirely false, sensationalized Republican, conservative propaganda. Nearly everything said by its reporters has a spin on it that favors their party’s agenda, so most of the facts aren’t all of the details. Viewers of FOX News rarely take it upon themselves to research further, or consider the other side, so to remind them that what they hear on TV isn’t always true, slap this bumper sticker on your car and drive around town!

There are a number of famous political statements that come to mind when someone says “a slip of the tongue,” however, there are a few statements that aren’t a slip; they’re deliberate. The most famous of these statements usually come from the men and women of the Republican party. Big shocker, I know.

Some of these statements are flat out hilarious. But I won’t waste any more of your time discussing the reception of broad political statements and the figures behind them, so without further ado, let’s get into it.

Rick Santorum

“Many of the Christian faith have said, ‘Well, that’s okay. Contraception is okay.’ And it’s not. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”

Oh boy. Where do I even start with this slam-dunk of an answer? I guess we should start by addressing the whole, “how things are supposed to be” part by saying this; no politician should ever discuss how “things are supposed to be.” It makes it sound like the country has already agreed on exactly what they want when, in reality, the American people have never been more divided on the issues at hand.

Also, who the fuck never told good ole’ Slick Rick here about how birth control works? Mama Santorum needs to have a word with this guy. No wonder this quote lost him the election.

Rick Perry

(In response to a question about climate change) “The science is not settled on this. The idea that we would put Americans’ economy in jeopardy based on scientific theory that’s not settled yet to me is nonsense. I mean, and I told somebody, I said, just because you have a group of scientists that have stood up and said, ‘Here is the fact’…Galileo got outvoted for a spell.”

I don’t know what’s worse; telling everyone that climate change is fake, telling everyone that the scientists researching climate change are lying to us, comparing yourself to Galileo, or not realizing that Galileo was persecuted for defending science and the results it yields. Holy shit Rick, you really fucked the pooch on this one.

Yeah, anyways, he definitely lost this election. I mean, just shut up when you talk Rick. He could have stood up at that podium and make airplane noises with his mouth, and he would have received more votes than after this previous statement.

Todd Akin

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

I’m sorry, but what. What are you EVEN SAYING now, Todd? I mean, I get that talking about topics that you first heard about just moments before stepping on-stage, but this is just getting ridiculous now. I would love to hear what weird anatomically-false statements Todd Akin has to say about the female body. I seriously don’t think there is a single person with LESS experience with the female body than Todd “lady-killer” Akin over here.

Yeah, so it’s safe to say he lost this election without even looking it up. Sorry Todd, but this was one slip-up too many. You’re out of here.

Caricatures often fail to get the respect and recognition they deserve as a powerful art medium. There’s a reason the cartoon section in the newspaper was and still is, the most popular section of the entire paper. It’s why they still get printed and is the only content that has remained constant on newspapers. People still look forward to reading them every day because they never know what to expect and what social commentary will be made that they can laugh to. 

While political cartoons can be humorous, they also tell a truth that we need to pay attention to. Political cartoons have a history of marking critical events in the world’s history and using social criticism to tell a story. By looking at political cartoons throughout the years, one can piece together the events of things like the World Wars and make sense of what was going on at the time, and more importantly, how it affected people and made them feel. 

Here are some political cartoons that have that effect and speak volumes of truth and reason through humor.

“Join or Die”

Perhaps the most influential political cartoon of all time, at least in the western world, is the one that ignited a revolution. First published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754, Benjamin Franklin’s cartoon depicting a cut up snake with the abbreviations of each disjointed colony at the time next to each body piece. The point of Franklin’s cartoon, often referred to as America’s first political cartoon, was for the colonies to band together against French expansion and Native Americans. The cartoon was extremely popular and reprinted many times throughout the colonies and was later used as a symbol for the American Revolution.

“Tattooed Man”

Drawn by Bernhard Gillam, this cartoon shows 1884 Republican candidate James G. Blaine covered in tattoos of all his political sins. It was first printed in the satirical journal Puck and resulted in the election going in favor of the Democrats. The reason for this cartoon being notable is because of the fact that no other cartoon had as much influence and vogue over an election as “The Tattooed Man” by Blaine. It was received so well by the public that Gillam made an additional 20 more cartoon for the series, but made sure to clarify it was for satire purposes and not a personal attack.

“Don’t Waste Petrol. It Costs Lives.”

Printed in 1942 in The Daily Mirror, Philip Zec’s cartoon on the petrol industry caused havoc for the British government. At the time, the British government had raised the price on petrol, inspiring Zec to draw up a cartoon of a torpedoed sailor lying on a raft with oil smeared on his face, with the caption reading “Don’t waste petrol. It costs lives.”Winston Churchill interpreted the cartoon as the sailor’s life being sacrificed on the altar of the profits for the petrol industry. 

Printing this cartoon earned the paper a reprimand from the British government and Zec was investigated by MI5.