• 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 I believe originally started in England like 250 at least 350 years ago. The comic is meant simultaneously to be funny 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.

    • 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.