During the period after WWII and parts during the Cold War, Senator McCarthy (Wisconsin Senator) started to get a little "trigger" happy when it came to accusing others of being communists. In order to gain popularity and and seek political gain, McCarthy created a campaign to bully and belittle others. Identifying this, Herbert Block, the cartoonist who used the named Herblock, saw McCarthy's actions as a threat to civil liberties and decided to return the favor and belittle McCarthy's campaign. The phrase "McCarthyism" was coined by Herblock and made a debut in his daily Cartoon in the newspaper.
Herblock's work was very notable and well- known since it turned McCarthyism into a big deal. This movement or action that was being done made headlines and many people started to notice the real effect it had on the American society. They realized that McCarthy was not important at all, but instead just a phony. In simpler terms, Herblock used the cartoons to expose and jive at McCarthy and his wrongful accusations on other politicians which catalyzed a scare in the American people.
Interesting post on Herblock's work! It's really inspiring how, in a time in which being liberal made a person at risk of being accused of being a communist (and therefore a spy), he strove to put a check on McCarthyism and to show a different side of McCarthy's ideas: one with humility and illustrating the errors of his ways. Herblock displayed how press is supposed to keep the government in check. Protests of the government are present today, as seen by the recent Democratic senator sit-in protesting the new Secretary of Education. How effective are our methods of protest compared to Herblock's method? For more information on this Senate protest, go to: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-democrats-begin-24-hour-protests-trumps-education/story?id=45305603
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post showing how civilians can have a very positive effect on politics. Without these cartoons, it is very possible that McCarthyism would have continued unchecked for a longer period of time. Because McCarthyism is generally considered a negative, Herblock was able to contribute positively without being directly involved in politics himself.
ReplyDeleteHerblock is a great example of how one person can make a huge difference in America through freedom of speech. Although many of us may not read political cartoons, they are incredibly important in shaping how each generation sees issues. Even today, there are hundreds of prominent cartoonists. Take Ben Garrison, for example. Since the age of President Obama, Garrison has been poking fun Obama's decisions and endorsing Trump. In one of Garrison's cartoons, Trump is shown as a knight in shining armor, who has just slayed a beast labeled "political correctness." Obviously, it is important to recognize different points of view in order to understand the Americans that voted for Trump. For more info on Garrison, here is a link to his blog: http://grrrgraphics.com/index.html BUT be warned, some of the stuff on there is offensive
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