Walter Reed Military Hospital: A Little More Editorial, A Little Less Cartoony
American cartoonists walk the line between being editorial heavyweights and gag-writers: some topics call for more of the former, some for the latter. The recent Walter Reed hospital scandal is a sterling (mold-infested, leaky) example of heavy-hearted cartoonists taking on a serious topic with biting sarcasm and a sense of absurdity, but without the one-liners.
In Mike Keefe’s Walter Reed “warehouse,” patients are delivered on forklifts. RJ Matson portrays an injured soldier being told not to “get too comfortable” in his new disgusting, rat-infested Walter Reed quarters. And Pat Bagley’s Walter Reed accommodates an injured soldier, four rats, two roaches, a gossip rag and a TV tuned to Anna Nicole: “Is this a great country or what?”
The small number of cartoons on the topic is a testament not to the significance of the scandal, but to the power of editorial and audience control. Some editors and readers expect editorial cartoons to make them laugh out loud, not to make them think. We aren’t seeing more Walter Reed cartoons because, well, they’re just not very funny.
Susie Cagle is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York and works as a freelance writer.
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19 Responses to “Walter Reed Military Hospital: A Little More Editorial, A Little Less Cartoony”
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“We aren’t seeing more Walter Reed cartoons because, well, they’re just not very funny.”
Yup, those catoons will only prvoce grim smiles, but they provide an important service nevertheless in reminding the public of the sandal at the very first look. And the ridicule they heap on the authorities will force the brass to make things happen.
Susie, your excellent cartoons do make me think!
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Agreed! Great article, thank you.
–Sergeant S.W. Foster
US Army Reserves
http://www.DesertVets.org
http://www.IraqfromtheWindow.com
http://www.SgtScorpion.com
http://www.Serving-in-Iraq.com