Political

Team Member Name: _____Marissa Shields______________________________
Publication____The Examiner__________________________Date:_October 7, 2011___
Cartoonist:______Chris Weyant________________________U.S.
Title of cartoon:_______Protest Song__________________________Cartoon#_12__

What action is taking place in the cartoon?

A protester is holding a Rock Band guitar and is singing about his interpretation of the Wall Street movement.

Tone of the cartoon:

1) positive or negative framing of protesters
2) framing is supportive or opposed to protesters of the wealthy 1%
What “reality” is constructed/framed about the protesters? About the wealthy %?

In the cartoon, Weyant shows two elderly people watching news on the Occupy Wall Street Protests. The older generation points out that the Occupy Wall Street Protesters are acting like congress, because the newscaster calls the protesters “short on solutions and fuzzy as to what they stand for.”

This cartoon is comparing the Occupy Wall Street movement to Congress because both movements lack unity and don’t get anything done. By this comparison, Weyant is showing the protestors in a bad light as well as congress. Weyant is constructing the reality that while Wall Street Protesters aren’t the best, congress is worse, because they set the standard for what is unorganized.

Team Member Name: ______Hannah Heninger_____________________________
Publication__Salt Lake Tribune____________________Date:__October 18, 2011_____
Cartoonist:______Pat Bagley________________________U.S.
Title of cartoon:_________The 99 per cent_______________________Cartoon#_5__

What action is taking place in the cartoon?

There are four people holding signs, 3 are unhappy while the one labeled the politician is happy. One of the signs blames him for his misery.

Tone of the cartoon:
1) positive or negative framing of protesters
2) framing is supportive or opposed to protesters of the wealthy 1%
What “reality” is constructed/framed about the protesters? About the wealthy %?

The protesters seem to be middle-class, according to their dress. The politician is in a suit and looking happy with the situation. The recession affected everyone except the politician, so he is happy.

Pat Bagley, with the Salt Lake Tribune, published this illustration in October of 2011. As can be seen plainly in this cartoon, there are three unhappy people and one who is smiling. The three upset people appear to be middle-class; by the way they are dressed. The one smiling is in a suit, and is assumed he is wealthy. Each person is holding a sign, talking about either the 99% or the 1%. Each has a label describing their occupation. This cartoon is generally liberally skewed, seeing as the cartoon is sympathetic towards the 99%.

The messages displayed on the posters in the illustration suggest that the three middle-class people are in financial trouble. They complain of the job-losses, issues with health insurance, and home-loss. The wealthy man in the cartoon displays a poster about his campaign donations. His sign implies that wealthy people contribute to his campaign fund, essentially being funded by the wealthy. A sign held by the man next to him blames the politician for being the reason why he has no chance. The cartoon essentially blames politicians for being in the pockets of the wealthy, which makes it difficult for the middle or lower classes to stay afloat financially.

Team Member Name: _____Hannah Heninger______________________________

Publication______Unknown________________________Date:_December 31, 2011____

Cartoonist:_______Chris Weyant_______________________U.S.

Title of cartoon:________The Hill_________________________Cartoon#_20__

What action is taking place in the cartoon?

Protestors are commenting on the political parties and their disagreements.

Tone of the cartoon:

1) positive or negative framing of protesters (circle answer)

2) framing is supportive or opposed to protesters of the wealthy 1% (Circle answer)

What “reality” is constructed/framed about the protesters? About the wealthy %?

This political cartoon, by Chris Weyant, related to the Wall Street movement and its relationship to government. The protestors have long been criticized for not knowing what they were protesting for. Apparently the same issues exist in government. The democrats and republicans (implied by the donkey and elephant) are holding protest signs, while Wall Street protestors look on. The protestors remark that the political parties don’t know what they’re arguing for, just like the Wall Street movement.

The protesters in the background appear to be shabby and lazy, while the ‘political parties’ are in suits. This reinforces the stereotypes associated with the movement.

This cartoon shows that the Wall Street protests are important, but the illustration points to a larger problem that is wrong with American society. If the Wall Street protestors want change in their society, first the political system must be addressed. The political parties, being republican and democrat are shown not to agree on anything, quite similar to what the reality is.

Framing is present in this cartoon, as shown by what the artist highlighted. In many Wall Street cartoons, the focus is on the protestors with their jumbled demands. In this cartoon, however, the politicians are the focus. By framing the cartoon this way, it seems as if the Wall Street movement was fading into the background while the presidential race took precedent.

Team Member Name: ___Hannah Heninger________________________________

Publication______The Augusta Chronicle______________Date:_December 16, 2011______

Cartoonist:________Rick McKee______________________U.S.

Title of cartoon:_____Government Shutdown_____________Cartoon#_21__

What action is taking place in the cartoon?

An occupier and a politician are conversing about shutting down government in Washington D.C.

Tone of the cartoon:

1) positive or negative framing of protesters (circle answer)

2) framing is supportive or opposed to protesters of the wealthy 1% (Circle answer)

What “reality” is constructed/framed about the protesters? About the wealthy %?

Rick McKee in this cartoon is illustrating the issues with the Wall Street movement in regards to government. The Wall Street movement did not stay purely in New York City, it spread to other large cities in the U.S. The extent to the movement is extraordinary; many cities throughout America took up the charge of protesting about many different things they wish to see in their society. This protest is clearly in Washington D.C, as shown by the sign and the Washington Monument in the background. The occupier is a typical protestor; in a tent, with rubbish around him. He also resembles a protestor by the way he is dressed; quite shabby.

The protestor is talking to a politician. One can identify the man as a congressman because of his suit and the briefcase that says ‘congress’. The conversation between these two is in regards to government. The protestor is remarking that he plans to shut the government down because of their inability to address the core issues of the occupy movement. The congressman addressed the protestor that congress would shut down the government before the protestor could. The protestor is stereotypical; camping in a tent, looking shabby. The politician appears to be wealthy, fat and in a suit. These are framed to be clichéd of the 99% vs the 1%.

The media effect theory that is presented in this cartoon is that the Wall Street protestors wish to shut down government because they are ineffective in providing their constituents with what they want. The government, on the other hand, is so unsuccessful that they are going to shut themselves down regardless. The framing is present because of the inability of either party (protestors or government) to fix the system of government. The protestor seems only want to cause trouble, while government is combusting on its own. This makes the reader perceive that government is ineffective, just like to movement.

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