Cartoonists on Occupy Movement

Today, the Cartoon Movement website started a series of cartoons related to the Occupy Movement. The cartoons are from three different artists, covering three different cities. Some of them show the encampments, but most of them do a very good job of describing some of the protesters and various types of people that are participating in this movement.

From their website:

Over the last two months, the Occupy movement has captured worldwide attention. Cartoonists have been on the scene sketching, reporting, and participating. So we asked some of our contributors to share their drawings. Susie Cagle, Sharon Rosenzweig, and Shannon Wheeler bring us sketches from Oakland, Chicago, and New York respectively. We'll have another batch from different cities next week.

My favorite cartoons were from Shannon Wheeler, whose work I'm familiar with because of his Too Much Coffee Man cartoons. Definitely looking forward to the next batch.

Global Warming...and SpongeBob

The other day, Politicus USA reported on how the Fox News show, "Fox and Friends," attacked SpongeBob Squarepants for promoting the issue of Global Warming, which they are very angry about because they feel it is "unproven science." This, despite a 2009 survey in which 82% of scientists believe that human activity has been a significant factor in changing mean global temperatures. (By the way, some of the scientists who don't believe in Global Warming are usually the ones who work for the oil industry).

This, however, is not the first time that SpongeBob has had to face the wrath of right-wingers. Some years back, SpongeBob was attacked by Christian Fascists when he participated in a video, that included other animated characters, for the purpose of promoting tolerance. Of course, James Dobson, and his Focus on the Family group, believed that "...Kids should not be taught that homosexuality is just another 'lifestyle' or that it is morally equivalent to heterosexuality."

SpongeBob is actually a pretty cool guy. I interviewed him this one time...

Commie Smurfs?

If you have a group of friends who are somewhat political and that grew up watching cartoons in the late 80's/early 90's, you will most certainly, one day, have a conversation, (possibly high or drunk), with the main question being, "Where the Smurfs a communist society?"

According to a recent post on The Atlantic Wire, people in France really like to talk about this a lot, (even when they are not drunk on le wine). And things there have heated up because of the publication of Antoine Buéno's "The Little Blue Book: A critical and political analysis of the Smurf society." The book, supposedly, claims that the Smurfs are Communists--and other horrible things. All this, however, is quickly dispelled by a quote from Thierry Culliford, (the son of The Smurfs creator, Pierre Culliford), who said: "My father absolutely wasn't interested in politics. When there were elections, he asked my mother: 'What should I vote?'"

Still, if you do a quick analysis of Smurf society, there isn't much to brag about. At best: they are an example of a primitive communist society. At worst: they are just cartoons.

But, is there anything good we can take away from the Smurfs? I did enjoy how worked cooperatively, happily, and in harmony, on big projects, like building dams and what not. And they all seemed pretty cool--except for Brainy Smurf, who was annoying.