this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2026
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Political Cartoons

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Celebrating the centuries old craft of political cartoons.

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by Tjeerd Royaards

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[–] brown567@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Ngl, I hadn't really noticed the gas prices, but hearing that we bombed a school and killed hundreds of children made me cry so much I threw up

[–] Baggie@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 hour ago

I'm truely sorry you are cursed with living in this world

[–] howrar@lemmy.ca 18 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Both plots are incredibly upsetting. What kind of monster labels their plots like this?

Most plots I see nowadays in memes/social critics look like this, or even worse. Either it's all AI, or people don't know how to make/label graphs anymore.

[–] specimen@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago

It’s gotta be AI, right?

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 5 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Hydrocarbons are killing the climate anyway. Electrification is the future.

[–] Tinidril@midwest.social 1 points 1 hour ago

The future has been canceled.

[–] AlpacaChariot@lemmy.world 95 points 1 day ago (4 children)

I know what the cartoon is trying to say, but those graphs make no sense

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 37 points 1 day ago (3 children)

For real, why is the x axis labeled with the y axis label, and why is the y axis label at the origin?

Is this AI, or just someone that slept through high school math?

[–] merdaverse@lemmy.zip 24 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Definitely not AI, the author is very much against it. But yeah, the graph labelling is really weird

[–] MerryJaneDoe@lemmy.world 11 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Expecting cartoonists to create perfect graphs is asking too much, I think.

There's only one XKCD.

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 23 hours ago

I don't want perfect, I just want it to follow the rules that we all learned in middle school. I will die on this unimportant hill.

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 2 points 23 hours ago

I would assume the point is getting across but the text gets to be horizontal which conserves space and eases readability.

The fact that the gp got it means it is working as intended not trying to teach you rise over run.

[–] ComicalMayhem@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

I think the label on the bottom right is supposed to be the title/subject of the graph, with x implicitly defined as time and y implicitly corresponding to the subject.

Still misleading though, there are better ways to present the info

[–] p03locke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 14 hours ago

X axis is time, Y axis is the two different subjects. What is there to not understand?

[–] errer@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago

I really liked getting literally free gas before that whole war thing started…

[–] InvalidName2@lemmy.zip 5 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

There is a, seemingly, large portion of the population who willingly and unashamedly admit to things like "The only thing I can do is vote for who I think is best for me" the moment the political discourse goes beyond Red Team GUD Blue Team BAAAAHD, NO BLUE Team GUD Red Team BAAAHD. This is not to both sides this shit. This is simply to point out that it's very common for people to ignore reality, deny the facts, and metaphorically stuff their heads in the sand while the world burns around them. UNTIL the flames finally reach them, and they are personally affected. It sucks, really SUCKS. But it's the reality we're dealing with. If a certain subset of people don't care about the loss of human life, the devastation imposed on others, and the only thing that gets them in alignment with my desire (for no war / less war) is the cost of fuel/gas/oil/food/whatever, then I'll take it.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago

This is not to both sides this shit.

The United States is also a one-party state but, with typical American extravagance, they have two of them.

This is simply to point out that it’s very common for people to ignore reality, deny the facts, and metaphorically stuff their heads in the sand while the world burns around them.

If living through the last few endless American wars has taught me anything, it's that the government is not a democracy and our opinions don't matter. Blaming yourself because Pete Hegseth bombs Iran makes about as much sense as blaming yourself for Putin invading the Donbas.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 26 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

I don’t know a single person who is more upset about gas prices than the victims of this, and I live in an oil state. Yet I keep seeing memes like this, I can’t help but think there is some “America bad” going on here.

[–] echolalia@lemmy.ml 22 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

All I hear at work is complaints about the gas prices.

When coworkers or customers bring up the topic, I point out the school we bombed. Everyone agrees its evil. I wonder if complaining about gas prices is just the professional way to complain about the "war" in Iran. I probably missed that little social cue. I hope that's the case; that most people are self-censoring and not just completely selfish.

But, have we Americans become such cowards we can't just openly talk about how fucked it is? It feels like it.

[–] Schmoo@slrpnk.net 3 points 13 hours ago

The workplace is an unnatural environment that causes people to behave in a very unnatural manner. It is so laden with taboos that a distinct 'corporate' dialect emerged that is made up almost entirely of euphemisms. That we collectively spend half or more of our waking lives in this setting fucks with us psychologically.

[–] MareOfNights@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I do agree, this is not exclusive to Americans.

But I think its normal to have more of a reaction to Gas prices that affect you personally. Knowing that there are people dying somewhere is kind of abstract and probably won't create any emotional reaction.

There are ways to do that. Reading stories of victims for example. But you would have to willingly listen to those. You don't have a choice with the Gas prices.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 2 points 22 hours ago

Gas prices go up all the time, literally they have been this high before within the last few years. I disagree that it’s normal to be more upset about that than death, and as I said I don’t know a single person who is.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Both are bad and both cause damage. Poverty and the cost of living causes a lot of death if you haven’t experienced poverty or a family member who died prematurely from our system that prices people out of life you’re looking down from a privileged position

[–] Tinidril@midwest.social 1 points 1 hour ago

This is true, but most of the people who bitch about the price of oil are the privileges wankers who just want cheap gas.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)
[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 5 points 19 hours ago

The reality is people are too busy trying to get by and too tired of all the doom on the news to keep up or care as much as they should about the deaths. They're tragic, but also disconnected from the day-to-day reality of trying to get by.

Gas prices, however, impact them directly and can't be ignored.

[–] yeahiknow3@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 23 hours ago (3 children)

30% of humans are subdiagnostically psychopathic. I will die on this hill.

[–] MerryJaneDoe@lemmy.world 5 points 23 hours ago

And 75-80% of those people are male.

I, too, will die on my hill.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 4 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

It's more like 12% psychopath + 28% sadist + 20-30% gray zone people, with 28% good-ish, and 2% actually good.

EDIT: Sadists technicaly have empathy btw, but choose evil anyway. They are far worse.

Then there's 20%-30% who are like "Oh, I don't get involved with politics" and that's where we are today...

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I've spent decades watching conservatives not give a flying fuck about anything until gas prices increase.

It's so very pathetic.

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 1 points 13 hours ago

Gas prices are the real red line for a lot of people.

[–] carpelbridgesyndrome@sh.itjust.works 6 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

A lot of the discourse around gas prices that I see comes from people who do care about the human issues desperately trying to convince Trump supporters this is a bad idea. And since Trump has never exactly been big on legality or moral conduct cost of living is what gets used.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 9 points 23 hours ago

I find the first panel very upsetting. I'm well aware that we have an extensive history of being warmongers, but this level of pure evil without even a hint of any sort of legitimate reason is beyond the pale. I saw a truck with a graphic of an American flag and silhouettes of troops on it the other day, and all I could see were soldiers of an evil bloodthirsty government. I lived in Germany for 10 years and grew up around the US military, and even though I'm not a fan of combat I know it's sometimes necessary, but the mask has been fully ripped off now. Most of the soldiers didn't sign up for this, but they're meat for the grinder to commit war crimes just like in Russia now.

[–] rizzothesmall@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Why is the dog so concerned about gas prices?

[–] red_tomato@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It drives up the dog food prices

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

I also make my dogs buy their own food

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 4 points 23 hours ago

The humans are upset at the big screen, so it must be some sort of threat.

[–] Asafum@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Selfish land of selfish people electing selfish "leaders."

I'm so sick of living here I almost wish ICE would deport me.

[–] pedz@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago

Don't worry it's not just the US that is obsessed by oil. I'm from its northern petrostate neighbour and the same thing happens here.

Our police harass and dislodge natives so we can sell sweet sweet oil to the rest of the world. Ecologists are considered terrorist and the economy is the most important thing at any election. And we also get very upset when gas prices are going up. Much less for a few thousand dead humans.

[–] TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think two things can be true at once.

I’m upset about both!

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

you seem to be a very small minority... but still appreciated

[–] IAmYouButYouDontKnowYet@reddthat.com 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

America has taught me even American lives don't matter when it comes to the American business. American citizens can be written off in death like day old donuts. And no one blinks an eye. We are pawns and slaves in an evil game that plays out theater on the world stage. Wake up for real. We don't have much to lose and the phrase "by any means necessary" should be constant mantra in all our minds.

But then again shuving a syringe of mass media, materialism, and desensitizing entertainment that drowns out reality like heroin is so worth it. So worth it we literally murder people via tax money for it and pretend we aren't murderers and will still have a spot in "heaven."

[–] NoTagBacks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago

This really has some r/im14andthisisdeep energy. Also looks suspiciously like some gen AI bullshit.

[–] BananaIsABerry@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The average person is not personally impacted by the deaths of people on the other side of the world.

They are impacted and concerned when the cause of those deaths also results in consequences they personally feel.

What a tough concept to understand.

the average person is a selfish cunt.

[–] paultimate14@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Also worth pointing out that our world is so oil-dependent that increasing the price of oil will almost certainly increase the price of everything else.

Food, medication, housing. People across the globe will feel the consequences.

I don't mean to minimize the direct deaths of the war. And yes, there will be plenty of people in the US who are driving pickup trucks getting 10mpg who will but h and mlan about how they can only afford to go on 2 tropical cruise vacations this year instead of 3 because of the increased gas price. But there will be people who lose their lives from the indirect economic consequences of this too.

And yes, this could have been prevented in a lot of ways: by moving the global economy away from fossil fuels alng time ago, or by not having a war. But the people in positions to make those decisions are not the ones who will suffer the most from them.

[–] orioler25@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago

Almost like there's been decades of colonialism sustained though an overwhelmingly well-funded information campaign to associate that land only with the resources it holds for the metropole.