The purpose of silly drawings: A look at editorial cartoons

There I was in journalism class, and there was an uproar centered around one of the talented kids on the staff. She was the editorial cartoonist for the school paper, or perhaps still is, and she had just drawn an interesting caricature depicting a couple in love that just produced a baby. It was certainly uproarious, and everyone was ticked by this image. Editorial cartoons play an important part in the journalistic world and American culture. They are what many people turn to the second they grab their local newspaper. These editorial cartoons are used as a means of communication, entertainment, and they are unfortunately endangered.

Editorial cartoons are a communication medium. Mort Gerberg’s article “What Is a Cartoon?” asked multiple cartoonists what they think the definition of a cartoon pertains to, and he deducted that “the definitions say the same thing, but differently, varying with the approach of each cartoonist. I’ll define a cartoon as instant communication of a funny idea” (Gerberg). All of these cartoonists, including Gerberg, think that a cartoon is something that communicates an idea through images, and that they depict something funny. Now, these cartoons are used as a form of communication by showing an image that represents something that is common to the public. This common image that represents something in our everyday lives, allows for instant communication of the idea that they are trying to portray. Cartoonists can do this by emphasizing some sort of stereotype among our characters of society. Or “Cartoon characters must be of a very specific type. They are people we immediately recognize from life, people we know” (Gerberg). It is easy to communicate to the reader the cartoon’s purpose if the image is related to something we already know in life. Otherwise, if we did not know what the image was, we could not relate to it, thus it would not be communicating anything to us.

In regards to how this cartoon makes something funny or entertaining is depicted through the dialogue. “A cartoon caption is super-disciplined writing—about twelve words painstakingly chosen for their meaning, imagery and sound, then polished and strung together in a rhythm that puts the beat on the funny part” (Gerberg). According to this idea, the dialogue directs the entertainment to some extent. Of course, this is not for all cartoons seeing as how many cartoons do not need words at all make you laugh. An editorial cartoon contains many elements that the cartoonist needs to take into account in order to convey a message, simultaneously splitting their sides.

My journalism class cartoonist certainly did her job well, but unfortunately cartoonists’ jobs are slim. Editorial cartoonists are endangered, and by extension their work is too. According to Doug Marlette, “Cartoonists have been keeling over in startling numbers—down from almost 200 just 20 years ago to fewer than 90 today. The poisonous fumes laying us low are the byproduct of the corporate culture that has engulfed newspapering during the past two decades” (Marlette). Cartoonists are definitely not in demand right now, and that is not only a result of the economy, but in Marlette’s mind it is due to the craving of gaining newspaper readership. Newspapers are trying to gain business, just like any other business, and thus they do not want to provoke their readers, “the editorial cartoonists’ very reason for being is to provoke helps explain why they are the first to go” (Marlette). Therefore, there are fewer jobs for cartoonists due to their provocative nature, and that means less cartoons.

Hopefully that aspiring professional cartoonist in my journalism class will find a job so she can provoke all the people in the world. After all, some aspects of journalism are all about provoking the reader, like opinion articles. There are many elements that go into cartoons in order for there to be a message and laughs. A cartoonist takes their time trying to get across something meaningful to the reader. Cartoonists should not become extinct because if they do, then their art and messages go along with them.

Works Cited

Gerberg, Mort. “What Is a Cartoon?” Exploring Language. Ed. Suzanna P. Chambers. New York: Pearson, 2010. 429. Print. 26 April 2011.
Marlette, Doug. “Freedom of Speech and the Editorial Cartoon.”