Guest Blogger: Spencer Johnson

The role and importance of political cartoons in modern society

What is the role of political cartoons in today’s government? Are they merely for entertainment purposes only or do they serve a larger purpose by breaking down sometimes complex political issues into simple though biased cartoons through which the general public can get a general idea of the issue at hand. Political cartoons have always had an important role in the split-party system by helping the opposing parties spread propaganda and get their viewpoints across, but in today’s society, political cartoons may be taking on a larger role. As said in the introduction of our government textbook, political apathy among today’s young is among the highest levels that it has ever been. Many young people have little to no interest in government and politics and the wide range of media access that they have control over allows them to escape ever having to read an article pertaining to a political issue or viewing a debate between politicians. I for one don’t enjoy watching debates or reading political articles, but if I see an illustrated cartoon, no matter what its subject, I am likely to look over it just to see what it is about. If I find a political cartoon that I don’t understand or that I particularly enjoy, I am a lot more likely to maybe look up the issue at hand to see the side not portrayed by the cartoon or to get a better understanding of what the cartoon is communicating. So, as I stated before, are political cartoons becoming a more important part of a media society in breaking down and drawing attention to important issues or are they still just a form of entertainment for politically savvy people? Also, if political cartoons are not being used to communicate about important issues, do you think that they could evolve into the role by using vivid illustrations on common websites to draw peoples’ attentions to maybe further researching the meaning or issue behind the political cartoon?