Cartoonists across space and time have exercised their right to the freedom of speech to advocate for social reform, express resentment about policies and politicians, by parodying national and global matters. Nonetheless, certain cartoons satirizing gender, mental health, race, and religion spark controversy.
Lisa MacLeod July 8, 2019 [Source: Toronto Star]
Three years after Canadian politician Lisa MacLeod publicly revealed that she suffered from depression, the Toronto Star newspaper published a cartoon depicting MacLeod in a straitjacket. People all around the world were offended by the Star’s inappropriate depiction of MacLeod’s mental health struggles, especially because of the stereotypes surrounding mental health.
In 2019, The New York Times published a cartoon showing the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as a dog with a Star of David collar, leading a blind President Donald Trump wearing a skullcap. The cartoon resembled Nazi propaganda from the 1900s, offending Jews and non-Jews alike, with its rhetoric. Following this controversy, The New York Times stopped its political cartoon column in its international edition.
Former President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu April 25, 2019 [Source: The New York Times]