Column | Words can’t compete with good cartoons

Just in the week that the assassination attempt on the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo is commemorated, and attention to the precarious position of political cartoonists would be appropriate, be The Washington Post a political drawing. Cartoonist Ann Telnaes, who had been associated with the newspaper for years, resigned by return of post.

And she published a sketch of what The Post wanted to remember her readers. She drew five figures, kneeling in worship before the heavy belly of a statue of Donald Trump. Three raise a bag of money as an offering. One is brandishing a lipstick (fill in the meaning yourself). And on behalf of Disney, Mickey Mouse lies stretched out in complete surrender. It is an elegant cartoon that makes fun of the powerful men who are already looking at Donald Trump on the threshold of his presidency, because they know on which side their bread will soon be buttered. A striking kick, but not offensive, hardly aggressive. So what’s the problem?

The editors stated that Telnaes’ drawing was not possible because it duplicated the content of a columnist’s contribution. In other words: we already had this opinion. Yes, but you didn’t have it in a drawing yet. Unlike a newspaper piece, a good cartoon arrives before you know it. Words can’t compete with Telnaes’ self-degrading Mickey alone.

Telnaes calls it censorship. On a kneel from the newspaper for Jeff Bezos, recognizable in one of the guys in her drawing. He owns it The Washington Post.

Ten years ago, she was also rejected for a cartoon when she depicted Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz as one street musician with his daughters as dancing monkeys.

We keep children out of it, her bureau chief said. That’s not what Ted Cruz did, he used the girls for his campaign, that was exactly Telnaes’ point. And yet she accepted the decision and that is in line with her artistic style. She makes a fool of herself, she bites. But she doesn’t want to be false.

This time she resigns, because in this rejection there is no trace of principle. Here she is stripped of her drawing pen to avoid problems with owner Bezos. Mighty men tower high on the top of the monkey rock. Their lust for power is a rewarding subject in the arts. Think of tycoons à la Logan Roy in the series Succession or Charles Foster Kane in the movie Citizen Kane. Elon Musk leads the pack – every time I see him rant, I can’t help but associate it with James Bond’s arch-enemy Blofeld. The only thing missing is that Angora cat, the rest is perfect.

The capital that this cartoonist offers in return is her independence. Ann Telnaes is not for sale.

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