Unsettling to see that as a society, we’re haunted by the same greed, malice and sociopathy that two world wars, and the Civil War before them, failed to eradicate. Humans, evolutionary speaking, are not far removed from shit-flinging monkeys.
Great point, Derek. History certainly shows we haven’t come as far as we’d like to think. Our technology may evolve rapidly, but human nature, with all its complexities—good and bad—seems stubbornly consistent. Maybe recognizing that is the first step toward doing better. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Sadly, I have been wrong more often in my optimisims...
On Jan 20, 2021 I was downtown in DC to see the action on the streets (I am not one to attend inaugurations). Hoped to see the helicopter haul the Dude away from the White House, or at least hear the cheers from the crowds at the Capitol. Missed all that tho.
Besides the bored cops there were quite a few reporters who'd not got picked for the event. I was interviewed by both French and German radio reporters. Told them that I try to witness what is happening in this town as a kind of stand-in for alla my outta town friends and family. Described the nation's attempted suicide I had seen in and around the Mall 2 weeks earlier.
One of the reporters for Deutsche Welle asked me what I felt about the next election four years away in 2024. I swallowed my doubts and said I expected we would manage...the reporter looked at me skeptically.
He was right. I was wrong. I feel like I need to personally apologize to the listeners...
The people who gleefully voted for all this,didn't realize how much of it would apply to them.They thought they would be exempt,that it would never affect them or their circle.Imagine their surprise when they find out there was never any exceptions to any of it,that they were only means to an end,and there was no intention of them being exempt.
I have been on this soapbox for awhile,that this would hurt those that voted for all this much more than they would realize.They will get the shortest end of the stick, something they won't see coming until it's too late to fix.Some are already beginning to see that unless you have the big money,you don't matter either.The things that are on the chopblock,equally affect everyone.Even the MAGAts.What a surprise.
Those rotten little kids echo loudly even today.For all the effort,planning and careful building to create something to last,it takes little time to destroy it.A sudden storm,an earthquake or tsunami,or indifferent uncaring people,can cause chaos in no time at all.All the careful planning and building gone just like that.
I have always said that the opposite of love isn't hate,it is indifference.Love says I care what's best for you,and what you need.Indifference don't care what happens,the attitude is a resounding"Whatever..."This is the kind of people running it all into the ground,that we have as"leadership",worldwide.People with no empathy or respect,nothing is sacred except money and power.Certainly none of us matter,all we are are obstacles to bulldoze out of their way on the way to their utopias.The ones who voted for it will have it worst of all.All they ever were was a means to an end,there was never anything in it for them.Imagine the surprise when it finally dawns on them,they don't matter either.
Well said, Melissa. Indifference truly is dangerous—perhaps even more so than active hostility—because it quietly corrodes everything worthwhile. And you’re right, history often shows how quickly societies can unravel once empathy and respect are traded for short-term gains in power or profit. People rarely realize they’re expendable pawns until it’s too late. Thanks for your passionate perspective—it’s always welcome here
Thank you for once again showing us how we can never seem to shake loose from the grip of the evils from our past. Your take on the Yellow Kid was one I'd never heard before, since most of the time cartooning historians only point out the obvious racism that the Yellow Kid embodied and not the wider context of the comics.
Thanks, E.R.! Always great hearing from you—I really appreciate your thoughtful reads and insights. Funny story: Id been sitting on that Yellow Kid cartoon for a while, struggling to find a solid contemporary angle. Then, out of nowhere, a podcast about Musk’s DOGE antics hit me like a lightning bolt. You can’t make this stuff up! Glad you liked this broader take beyond the usual surface-level critique. Cheers
That top illustration set me up for a lighthearted quote from my old boss, who said "There's nothing dumber than a grown man watching another grown man hit a ball with a stick".
Then you you sprung the trap.
I'm now deep into every panel, enlarging each one to legible size and marveling at the chaos and inhumanity...
Haha, sorry for the bait-and-switch, Bern—I promise it was all in the name of historical insight! Glad you’re diving into the chaos (and enjoying the cartoons). If you’re hungry for more, don’t forget there’s a treasure trove waiting for you back at the OSU Library archive—plenty more cartoons to marvel (or cringe) at
Thank you, Peter. Your analogy between the 1890's and Musk's destruction of America is amazingly accurate. Yet we still standby helplessly wringing our hands as he illegally rampages through needed Government programs that service everyone except fewer than one thousand billionaires. How deaf and blind can we get. This is also similar to the brief advance in pre WW2 Nazi Germany
Thanks, Fay. You’re spot-on about the unsettling parallels . Its incredible (and troubling) how quickly we forget historical lessons, repeating patterns from past eras like pre-war Germany. Hopefully, connecting these dots helps keep eyes open. Appreciate your insightful comment
Well written, sobering, and sad, Peter. The metaphor of a horseless carriage ride is terribly apt, and the damage done will not be easily repaired. But when Trump tires of losing the reins and his voters realize they're along for the ride, we'll see how long the kid lasts.
Glad you found it illuminating, Sheila! History certainly loves a good rerun, doesnt it? “Yellow journalism” is one of those terms everyone hears but rarely explores—happy to bring a bit of clarity. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts
Thanks. I'd been planning to do a post on the Yellow Kid for awhile and was still struggling with a contemporary connection. And then Elon and DOGE got started. It kind of wrote itself from there.
Wow, great post. At a glance, I thought this would be a comment on a punk rock mindset gone awry but it went far deeper, and darker. Bravo. I think? Now I'm even more scared for us 😬
Unsettling to see that as a society, we’re haunted by the same greed, malice and sociopathy that two world wars, and the Civil War before them, failed to eradicate. Humans, evolutionary speaking, are not far removed from shit-flinging monkeys.
Great point, Derek. History certainly shows we haven’t come as far as we’d like to think. Our technology may evolve rapidly, but human nature, with all its complexities—good and bad—seems stubbornly consistent. Maybe recognizing that is the first step toward doing better. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I think Civil War2 has begun and we are unprepared to defend the Union this time...
I hope you're wrong.
Sadly, I have been wrong more often in my optimisims...
On Jan 20, 2021 I was downtown in DC to see the action on the streets (I am not one to attend inaugurations). Hoped to see the helicopter haul the Dude away from the White House, or at least hear the cheers from the crowds at the Capitol. Missed all that tho.
Besides the bored cops there were quite a few reporters who'd not got picked for the event. I was interviewed by both French and German radio reporters. Told them that I try to witness what is happening in this town as a kind of stand-in for alla my outta town friends and family. Described the nation's attempted suicide I had seen in and around the Mall 2 weeks earlier.
One of the reporters for Deutsche Welle asked me what I felt about the next election four years away in 2024. I swallowed my doubts and said I expected we would manage...the reporter looked at me skeptically.
He was right. I was wrong. I feel like I need to personally apologize to the listeners...
The people who gleefully voted for all this,didn't realize how much of it would apply to them.They thought they would be exempt,that it would never affect them or their circle.Imagine their surprise when they find out there was never any exceptions to any of it,that they were only means to an end,and there was no intention of them being exempt.
I have been on this soapbox for awhile,that this would hurt those that voted for all this much more than they would realize.They will get the shortest end of the stick, something they won't see coming until it's too late to fix.Some are already beginning to see that unless you have the big money,you don't matter either.The things that are on the chopblock,equally affect everyone.Even the MAGAts.What a surprise.
Those rotten little kids echo loudly even today.For all the effort,planning and careful building to create something to last,it takes little time to destroy it.A sudden storm,an earthquake or tsunami,or indifferent uncaring people,can cause chaos in no time at all.All the careful planning and building gone just like that.
I have always said that the opposite of love isn't hate,it is indifference.Love says I care what's best for you,and what you need.Indifference don't care what happens,the attitude is a resounding"Whatever..."This is the kind of people running it all into the ground,that we have as"leadership",worldwide.People with no empathy or respect,nothing is sacred except money and power.Certainly none of us matter,all we are are obstacles to bulldoze out of their way on the way to their utopias.The ones who voted for it will have it worst of all.All they ever were was a means to an end,there was never anything in it for them.Imagine the surprise when it finally dawns on them,they don't matter either.
Well said, Melissa. Indifference truly is dangerous—perhaps even more so than active hostility—because it quietly corrodes everything worthwhile. And you’re right, history often shows how quickly societies can unravel once empathy and respect are traded for short-term gains in power or profit. People rarely realize they’re expendable pawns until it’s too late. Thanks for your passionate perspective—it’s always welcome here
Thank you for once again showing us how we can never seem to shake loose from the grip of the evils from our past. Your take on the Yellow Kid was one I'd never heard before, since most of the time cartooning historians only point out the obvious racism that the Yellow Kid embodied and not the wider context of the comics.
Thanks, E.R.! Always great hearing from you—I really appreciate your thoughtful reads and insights. Funny story: Id been sitting on that Yellow Kid cartoon for a while, struggling to find a solid contemporary angle. Then, out of nowhere, a podcast about Musk’s DOGE antics hit me like a lightning bolt. You can’t make this stuff up! Glad you liked this broader take beyond the usual surface-level critique. Cheers
That top illustration set me up for a lighthearted quote from my old boss, who said "There's nothing dumber than a grown man watching another grown man hit a ball with a stick".
Then you you sprung the trap.
I'm now deep into every panel, enlarging each one to legible size and marveling at the chaos and inhumanity...
Haha, sorry for the bait-and-switch, Bern—I promise it was all in the name of historical insight! Glad you’re diving into the chaos (and enjoying the cartoons). If you’re hungry for more, don’t forget there’s a treasure trove waiting for you back at the OSU Library archive—plenty more cartoons to marvel (or cringe) at
Thank you, Peter. Your analogy between the 1890's and Musk's destruction of America is amazingly accurate. Yet we still standby helplessly wringing our hands as he illegally rampages through needed Government programs that service everyone except fewer than one thousand billionaires. How deaf and blind can we get. This is also similar to the brief advance in pre WW2 Nazi Germany
Thanks, Fay. You’re spot-on about the unsettling parallels . Its incredible (and troubling) how quickly we forget historical lessons, repeating patterns from past eras like pre-war Germany. Hopefully, connecting these dots helps keep eyes open. Appreciate your insightful comment
Well written, sobering, and sad, Peter. The metaphor of a horseless carriage ride is terribly apt, and the damage done will not be easily repaired. But when Trump tires of losing the reins and his voters realize they're along for the ride, we'll see how long the kid lasts.
Seems like it's time for a driverless Tesla joke. But its' getting tougher to laugh these days.
History repeats, eh? Thank you for this parallel, I never knew why "yellow" journalism was coined until now.
Glad you found it illuminating, Sheila! History certainly loves a good rerun, doesnt it? “Yellow journalism” is one of those terms everyone hears but rarely explores—happy to bring a bit of clarity. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts
Wow. I’ll be rereading this later with a glass of wine. Well done!
Glad my post could pair nicely with a good glass of wine—history always goes down smoother that way. Cheers!
Excellent analogy
Thanks. I'd been planning to do a post on the Yellow Kid for awhile and was still struggling with a contemporary connection. And then Elon and DOGE got started. It kind of wrote itself from there.
Wow, great post. At a glance, I thought this would be a comment on a punk rock mindset gone awry but it went far deeper, and darker. Bravo. I think? Now I'm even more scared for us 😬
You're right. Both about the joke and the dearth of anything funny right now. But I still hold hope that we will have the last laugh.
A brilliant work of research and analysis, Peter! You nailed it.
Jeff, thanks for taking the time to comment - such kind words.