• QuazarOmega@lemy.lol
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    1 year ago

    Is it just me getting unreasonably irritated when the artist captions the things they’re depicting, as if we’re either too dumb to understand or they suck at making subtle references?

    • LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 year ago

      It’s a political comics thing that has its roots in England around 250 300 years ago. The comic is meant simultaneously to be funny (and therefore disarming) and legitimate political propaganda. To ensure that the political propaganda message is not lost on the masses they label everything to make sure their message most clearly gets across.

      For example, see this political cartoon from 1903. Panama_canal_cartoon_1903.jpg

      • QuazarOmega@lemy.lol
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        1 year ago

        That’s actually cool to know, though I dislike the practice, they kinda look like previous century memes lol

        For example, see this political cartoon from 1903.

        That was lost on me either way, but I guess it’s just my lack of knowledge on US’s history 👀

        • Phrodo_00@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          The cartoon shows the US aligning with Panama separatist factions to break from Colombia so that they can permit the construction of the channel.

          Panama was a separate colony from Colombia, but they joined when becoming independent.

          • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I find it utterly hilarious that the cited purpose is clarity, but the referenced comic required explanation. Bravo.

            Also thanks for the explanation because I wasn’t getting it, either. Makes sense, though. Give it a few hundred years and English might be so different the labels wouldn’t have mattered at all, let alone missing context.

            • thatgirlwasfire@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I’m guessing you just don’t know History very well, i didn’t need any sort of explanation to understand the comic.

              • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Good for you! Totally and completely irrelevant to my point.

                The comic already required explanation … while it had text on it. Nothing you say, do, or believe will EVER change the fact that the comic required explanation about as soon as it was posted.

                Grow up and realize you are not the main character. Your beliefs or knowledge do not change reality.

          • Phrodo_00@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I don’t necessary know about the intelligence part, I’ve seen plenty of braindead political cartoons

            • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I’m not seeing too many labels. You get an F for this political meme, good sir!

              … I know it’s not political, but how am I to know without labels??

    • DharkStare@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      These sorts of comics have been captioned like this for decades. I’m not sure if they were ever not captioned.

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        If anything I think they were even more obvious back then… The Troll would have had “Troll” written on their laptop and so on…

          • bug@lemmy.one
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            1 year ago

            Definitely just a cute little goblin hanging out in the toilet, annoyed that all these chumps have rocked up and interrupted his computer time

      • GreenMario@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        I’ve seen some done in the 1800s. Captioned.

        At this point it’s a staple of the genre.

    • vimdiesel@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      That’s just the way political comics goes. It’s expected and common. It’s not a web comic, bruh; there’s a tradition to maintain.

      • Obi@sopuli.xyz
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        1 year ago

        Not all political comics are like that though, the best ones don’t need the labelling.