TOW #19: Political cartoon from The New Yorker by James Stevenson

Politicians have long been infamous for using sly and dishonest tactics to further their agendas. James Stevenson, a cartoonist and writer for The New Yorker, illustrates this in a political cartoon on the magazine’s website in a simple and humorous way. His illustration depicts three men in an office, presumably one that is a part of a governmental building. Two men congratulate another man on his “beautifully evasive and subtly misleading public statement”.

Stevenson uses irony in this cartoon to illustrate the misleading rhetoric that some politicians employ when addressing the public. It is accepted by most that effective writing should be clear and concise; therefore, being evasive and misleading are the last things a writer would want to do. By showing these two adjectives used in a positive manner, Stevenson creates an unexpected, and consequently humorous, situation. Furthermore, he shows the reader the other side of politics, the side that some of the public may be oblivious to.

The light-heartedness of this cartoon serves another purpose besides simply making the audience laugh- it disarms them. If Stevenson were to write an article about the strategies used by politicians to mislead their audience, some of his politically involved readers might be angered by his negative portrayal of their careers. Using a cartoon, on the other hand, he avoids the appearance of a threat, and rather builds up his image as someone who wants to show the lighter side of politics. Because of The New Yorker’s reputation for its cartoons, many of its readers would most likely be prepared to read about someone poking fun at a theme that they might hold dear.

Overall, Stevenson wrote an effective political cartoon by using humor to draw in and disarm his audience, and make light of a dishonest practice that is still relevant in the modern world of politics. Because of these reasons, I believe Stevenson achieved his purpose.