TD d'anglais juridique

IMMIGRATION PRESENTATION

“Chief Orange Sitting Bull”, by John Darkow

in January 2024, in the Columbia Missourian

Good afternoon, everyone ! Today, I will analyze a cartoon called “Chief Orange Sitting Bull”, drawn by John Darkow and published in the Columbia Missourian in January of 2024. At that time, political leaders were campaigning for the presidential elections which would be held 8 months later. The 2 main figures were the then-current President Joe Biden, and former President Donald Trump.

John Darkow is a cartoonist and watercolorist, who was born in Columbia, Missouri. He's been a cartoonist for around 45 years for several media publications, such as the Columbia Missourian, and the Missouri Times. Additionally, his cartoons have also appeared in The Times magazine, The New York Times and "CBS Evening News". Furthermore, he is a two-time winner of the Missouri Press Association best cartoon of the year, and he is best known for his left-leaning cartoons and critiques of President Donald Trump.

I. Historical irony and the consequences of “open borders”

At first sight, immediately it can be inferred that this drawing refers to the arrival of European colonizers in the New World. 3 Native Americans are standing on rocks, watching a European ship, which appears to be Christophe Colombus’s, approaching the shore. The Native American on the left is waving to the ship. The Indigenous individuals’ relaxed postures, with arms held low, suggests that they are not in a defensive position. Therefore, we can assume that they are welcoming the colonizers.

To emphasize this attitude, the one standing on the right says that the chief “wants open borders.” He then adds, “What could go wrong?” This question is clearly sarcastic and provides irony, as they are unaware of the future catastrophe that the arrival of European colonizers will bring. What seemed like an “open border” decision ultimately led to the death of 90 to 95% of the population living in the New World continent.

II. Political opportunism during crises

“Chief Orange Sitting Bull”, mentioned by the Native American on the right, is an ironic name. It combines “Sitting Bull,” a famous Lakota chief, with “Orange,” a nickname often used for President Donald Trump because of his skin tone. The cartoon criticizes Donald Trump who treats serious matters such as immigration and border control as tools to gain votes. By linking a historical tragedy to contemporary politics, the cartoon exposes political hypocrisy, showing that Donald Trump would be willing  to do almost anything to win an election.

Indeed, Donald Trump could support the idea of “open borders”, not because he supports immigration, but because it would create an issue he could then campaign against. This is a cynical interpretation, suggesting that he would benefit from crises by blaming others for them.

To conclude, this cartoon shows that when we exploit a fact, in this case, immigration, for political or even populist purposes, we are putting society at risk of a very great destabilization and deeper crises.

Where should we draw the line between using politics to solve problems and using problems to win in politics?

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