TOW #10: Political Cartoon by Steve Sacks

Wal-Mart has been known for its issues concerning the wellbeing of its workers. Recently, Wal-Mart’s low wages have received much attention in all forms of media, including political cartoons. Steve Sack joined the protest by drawing a political cartoon juxtaposing a Wal-Mart employee with two impoverished people. Standing beside a road with their palms outstretched, the three characters hold signs that say “Broke”, “Homeless”, and “On my break—work at Wal-Mart”.

While the first two signs describe very unfortunate situations that put someone at the bottom of society, the third seems ridiculous. Someone who is employed should be capable of finding a place to live and having some amount of money set aside, and yet, as this cartoon asserts, Wal-Mart has not met these expectations. Though the message would have been clear had the employee’s sign read “Work at Wal-Mart”, Sack adds the fact that he is on his break to show how Wal-Mart has not only stripped its employees of necessary pay, but also of their leisurely time. Both of these criticisms of Wal-Mart support the author’s argument that Wal-Mart’s policies are unjust and need reform. His purpose would therefore be bringing attention to this issue so that people will act on it.

            This cartoon was published right before Thanksgiving, and more importantly Black Friday, which has now managed to seep into Thursday thanks to corporations like Wal-Mart. The attention to Wal-Mart as a result of their earlier opening time lends to the effectiveness of this cartoon, since it is especially relevant during this time. Sack’s audience, which is made up of readers of the Minnesota-based Star Tribune, probably came across his cartoon while reading local news. Therefore, their views may not be as radical or strong as someone who searches for political commentaries. This probably benefits Sack, as those who are indifferent are more easily persuaded to accept a point of view. Sack won a Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for his editorial cartoons, and has been drawing them since 1981. Given how simply and clearly Sack’s perspective is argued, along with the ideal context of the cartoon and Sack’s moderate audience, I believe his purpose was achieved.