Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

Code switching cartoon – from working class to a class at Oxbridge

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working class code switching cartoon

Code switching cartoon.

A cartoon about the concept of code switching.

The current usage of the term code switching refers to the action of people changing their behaviour when they are in different cultural settings, usually in order to blend in. In this sense it is most often used with reference to ethnic minority people who are interacting in predominantly white social groups.
The cartoon illustrates a relatively less well remarked upon example of code switching, which is when white working class people need to blend in with white people from higher social classes, here exemplified by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. In education the working classes tend to have lower attainment levels than other classes as a result of social discrimination.

Drawn: August 2020
Cartoon reference number: a836

You can be whoever you want to be – cartoon

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You can be whoever you want to be – cartoon

A flaw in the aspirational concept of “You can be whoever you want to be”.

The cartoon illustrates a problem with the currently popular encouragement to schoolchildren that when they grow up they can be whoever they want to be.
The aspirational, motivational expression makes the assumption that everyone will strive for a worthy goal. I don’t think this is necessarily the case.
In fact the concept gives people license to aim towards whatever they desire, which wouldn’t be a good thing.

Drawn: August 2020
Cartoon reference number: a835

Conspiracy theory cartoon

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conspiracy theory cartoon

Conspiracy theory cartoon.

The cartoon shows a person holding a placard stating “Truth lies in following the evidence”.
Another person holds the same placard with the lower part ripped off, so that the part that he holds reads “Truth lies”.

\A cartoon about conspiracy theories truth, facts, fake news.
Drawn: August 2020
Cartoon reference number: a831

The blame game – cartoon

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I blame you cartoon

The blame game – cartoon.

A cartoon showing a protester with a banner proclaiming “I blame you”.

The cartoon is about people who need to place the blame for things on other people rather than on circumstances. This includes blaming people for their attitudes rather than analysing the circumstances that make people hold those attitudes.
A cartoon about protestors, political demonstrations, guilt.
Drawn: August 2020
Cartoon reference number: a830b

An election for democracy v dictatorship – cartoon

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voting for dictatorship - populism cartoon

A voter in an election choosing to vote for dictatorship, thus voting out democracy.

This cartoon shows a voter who feels that democracy isn’t working. Perhaps he feels threatened by democracy because he thinks that most people vote the ‘wrong’ way. As a result he is voting for the anti-democratic option of dictatorship.
People sometimes think that a a ‘benign dictatorship’ or authoritarian regime may be preferable to unpredictable and unruly democracy (as long as the resulting regime is one with which they think they’ve got broad sympathy!).

Drawn: Aug 2020
Cartoon reference number: a828b
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Voting for dictatorship cartoon

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voting for dictatorship - populism cartoon

A voter in an election voting for dictatorship rather than democracy.

This cartoon shows a voter who is dissatisfied with his society and is blaming the problem on democracy. Perhaps he feels threatened by democracy because he thinks that most people vote the ‘wrong’ way. As a result he is voting for the anti-democratic option of dictatorship.
It’s not unusual for people to complain about election results, and even to say that they might prefer a ‘benign dictatorship’ to democracy.
Of course the problem with voting for dictatorship is that once you’ve got it you can’t get rid of it because you can’t vote out a dictatorship because (meaningful) elections are suspended.

Drawn: Aug 2020
Cartoon reference number: a828
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Escape from the waste land cartoon – using a builders skip as a boat

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waste land builders skip boat - cartoon

Escape from the waste land cartoon

A cartoon showing a builder’s skip being used as a boat to escape from a land covered in waste – a wasteland.

The illustration is concerned with the amount of waste and rubbish generated by our consumer society.
The people in the image are escaping from the polluted land by using a builder’s skip as a boat. Such skips are in my mind associated with over consumption, as they are often to be seen outside houses that are being refitted with more modern and fashionable fittings (especially in the kitchens and bathrooms).

First version drawn: 1991
This square version: 2020

Cartoon reference number: a445b

Conspiracy theory cartoon

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Conspiracy theory cartoon - road sign

Conspiracy theory cartoon – sign of the times.

A road sign with multiple roads leading to conspiracy theories.
One road leads to truth, but the road is closed.

The cartoon is about the current proliferation of (and acceptance of) conspiracy theories, as we now seem to live in a post-truth fake news world.
The climate of conspiracy theories is a sign of the times, hence the sign and the title of the cartoon, Sign of the Times.

Cartoon drawn: 30th July 2020

Cartoon reference number: a826
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The end is nigh cartoon

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Climate change cartoon - the end is nigh

A cartoon of a man with an “End is Nigh” placard.

A woman is saying “There was a time when I’d have dismissed him as a crank”.

The cartoon about the pessimism that is currently felt about the state of the world and about the future.
It primarily refers to climate change and global warming, but could equally refer to other malaises that are afflicting the planet.

Original version: 2010
This version drawn: 2019

Cartoon reference number: a709b
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Cartoon – is liberal democracy intolerant?

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Western democracy tolerant cartoon

The perception of tolerance and intolerance in western society – cartoon.

Western democracy is currently being judged by some sections of society as highly intolerant.
It’s my opinion that this is partly because western democracies are in fact very tolerant. This allows the intolerances, injustices and prejudices that do exist within western democracies to be analysed openly, and sometimes very loudly. At the time of writing the Black Lives Matter campaign is dominant in people’s consciousness, while subjects such as sexism, gay rights, gender issues, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and other subjects have been at the top of the agenda. These are all subjects that would not be given the time of day in countries that are less tolerant: the issues would possibly be seen as either not existing or they would be suppressed.

The cartoon is linked to the paradox of tolerance, which is the paradox that a truly tolerance society has to tolerate attitudes that (it interprets as) intolerant.
Drawn: 23rd July 2020
Cartoon reference number: a825
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Sustainability cartoon – the case for sustainable transport

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sustainability cartoon – sustainable environmental transport

The environmental impact of unsustainable road traffic

Roadkill cartoon
A cartoon about the impact of cars and transportation on the environment

The image shows a globe of the earth squashed flat on a road by a car, signifying the global impact of cars and transport in general on the environment – a sort of global roadkill.
A cartoon about transport, sustainability, car use, traffic.

 

Original version created: 2004
This version created: 2019

Cartoon reference number: a478b

Diversity cartoon – inclusion and employment policy

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workplace diversity inclusion cartoon

Diversity cartoon – inclusion in the workplace.

A cartoon about diversity policy in employment and in recruitment.

The cartoon shows an interviewer in an organisation’s hr department interviewing a man. The interviewer is saying that her organisation promotes a policy of diversity and inclusion, however the policy doesn’t extend to the man being interviewed.
Diversity policies that are aimed at reducing discrimination tend to be targeted at race, gender and sexual orientation. This frequently puts white working class males at a disadvantage, partly because they do not belong to a recognised disadvantaged group under the UK government’s 2010 Equality Act and partly because they do not have enough points under the concept of intersectionality.
Drawn: 19th July 2020
Cartoon reference number: a821
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Covid-19 cartoon – pandemic conspiracy theories

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covid-19 pandemic conspiracy theory cartoon

Cartoon about the pandemic of conspiracy theories about the covid-19 pandemic.

The conspiracy theories about the origin of the covid-19 coronavirus include it being created in a Chinese lab, being released by Bill Gates so that he can control the world, and that it is caused by G5 signals from phone masts.

A cartoon about conspiracy theories, gullibility, psychological delusion, going viral.
Drawn: 11th July 2020
Cartoon reference number: a818
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Cancel culture cartoon

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Woke cancel culture cartoon

A cartoon about cancel culture and historical thought crimes.

This cartoon is about the current (2020) phenomenon of cancel culture. This is the concept by which a person is ostracized or shunned if they are judged to hold unapproved views or have attitudes that run counter to those of the arbiters of what are acceptable views. It is a subsection of woke culture.

Cancel culture is responsible for such phenomena as no platforming, where people with proscribed views are denied the ability to put their views forward for debate, particularly in universities.
It is often applied to people based on attitudes that they held in the past. By this criterium practically everyone on the planet should be cancelled, which is one of the points of this cartoon. The saying “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” comes to mind.
Cancel culture is often applied to historical figures from several centuries ago, particularly (at the moment) to those involved in some way in the transatlantic slave trade, and is manifested in the current campaigns to remove statues.
Cancel culture can be viewed as having a stifling effect on culture and debate, with its, to me, zealously censorious woke attitudes and its Orwellian implications.

Drawn: 7th July 2020

Cartoon reference: a815
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Popular culture caricaturing of race and gender cartoon

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Racist & sexist demeaning caricatures cartoon

A cartoon about racist & sexist demeaning caricatures.

This cartoon is about changing attitudes to race and gender in popular culture.
The cartoon shows someone watching the tv programme The Black and White Minstrel Show in 1975, and someone else watching RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2020.
The cartoon draws attention to the jolly, pantomime portrayal of black men in the first show and of women in the second, and tries to make the point that while the cartoonish portrayal of black men in black face is now deemed unacceptable, the caricaturing of women as over-sexualised grotesques (similar to glamourised pantomime dames) is currently promoted in some parts of society as celebratory and ‘fun’.

The Black and White Minstrel Show was an extremely popular programme in the 1960s. I was a child at the time, and even I liked it, despite the fact that I was of an the age at which Top of the Pops was essential viewing. It was considered to be harmless family entertainment. The show was on the tv during a time of rapid social change, including a large increase in the black population of some parts of Britain, so by the mid 1970s the show was viewed in a different light and was finally discontinued because of its outdated attitudes.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is a contemporary (2020) manifestation of part of lgbtq culture.

Drawn: 6th July 2020

Cartoon reference: a814
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Cartoon of Boris Johnson losing control

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Boris Johnson control government cliff edge cartoon

Cartoon showing Boris Johnson losing control of the country and the government

Prime Minister Boris Johnson sitting in a go-cart hurtling over the edge of a cliff.
Johnson is holding a steering wheel as though he is steering the cart, but the steering wheel isn’t attached.
He is sounding very optimistic and up-beat all the same. Delusional optimism.
The cartoon plays on Boris Johnson’s jokey, boyish, playful personna.

Original (Brexit) version drawn: March 2017
This version drawn: 2nd July 2020
Cartoon reference: a812
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Leicester lockdown cartoon – and pubs reopening

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Leicester lockdown cartoon

Leicester lockdown and pubs reopening cartoon

A cartoon about the fact that pubs are about to reopen in England next weekend as the coronavirus lockdown is eased, just as the city of Leicester is put back into a higher state of lockdown (with no pubs allowed to open).
The possibility of young people leaving Leicester and getting very drunk in pubs outside the lockdown zone seems very likely to me. They will have to drive out of Leicester, and then return in a state of intoxication. A very worrying prospect.

Drawn: 1st July 2020
Cartoon reference: a811
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Obsessive photo taking and selfie cartoon

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obsessive photo and selfie taking cartoon

Cartoon about obsessive photo and selfie taking

This cartoon is a comment on the culture of constantly taking photographs and selfies, especially when on holiday or vacation.
The photos are taken as a way to record the event, but in fact they often get in the way of the event, stopping the person engaging with it in a meaningful way.
The concept behind the cartoon is that the obsessive taking of photos actually hinders the experience.
A cartoon about holidays, vacations, experiences, photography, selfies, Instagram generation, social media, smartphones, engaging.

Drawn: June 2020
Cartoon reference: a810
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Offensive and approved terms in politically correct and woke language – cartoon

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politically correct and woke language crime cartoon

A cartoon about the concept that the use of any term that is not politically correct or woke-approved to define race or gender is offensive.
Language crime cartoon

This cartoon is about the tendency within woke culture for the use of unapproved terms to describe people, especially in the spheres of race and gender politics, to be viewed as offensive and open to condemnation, even if used innocently.
The terms that are approved and disapproved sometimes change quite regularly, so it can be hard to keep up.
Notice that I’m not giving any examples of approved or disapproved terms here, in case I inadvertently get it wrong. Also, as the cartoon states, to merely mention a disapproved term as an example is viewed as offensive itself.
At the time of drawing this cartoon the tendency to police language for political purity seems to be on the rise, however it’s been there for as long as I remember. In fact I drew my first cartoon about it in the 1980s.
A cartoon about woke language, political correctness, linguistic purity, Orwellian language, political purity.

Drawn:16th June 2020
Cartoon reference number: a807
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Coronavirus rules on the number of people attending different events

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coronavirus covid-19 lockdown rules for funerals and demonstrations cartoon

Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown rules cartoon regarding funerals and political demonstrations.

A cartoon pointing out the problem that thousands of people were allowed to gather for political protests over the weekend with only mild criticism over the fact that it broke the coronavirus lockdown rules (justifiably or not, depending on your viewpoint), while the rules state that, for instance, only ten people can gather for a funeral.
I’m sure that in the near future funeral-goers will ignore the lockdown rules and will attend in larger numbers on the grounds that their reason for attending is justifiable.

Drawn: June 2020
Cartoon reference number: a803
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Coronavirus cartoon – lockdown breaking political demonstrations and Dominic Cummings

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coronavirus covid-19 lockdown breaking demonstration Dominic Cummings cartoon

Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown breaking cartoon.

Last week Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s adviser, was in hot water because he chose to defy the lockdown rules relating to covid-19.
This week thousands of demonstrators chose to defy the lockdown too.
Does that take the pressure off Cummings, as the demonstrators are potentially much more likely to spread the coronavirus, yet they haven’t come in for the same criticism (justifiably or not, depending on your point of view).

Drawn: June 2020
Cartoon reference number: a802
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Covid 19 coronavirus – the dilemma concerning social distancing and political demonstrations

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coronavirus covid-19 black lives matter demonstration cartoon

Covid-19 coronavirus, social distancing and political demonstrations.

A cartoon about the tension between the need for social distancing and the right to attend political demonstrations – as highlighted by the recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations linked to the death of George Floyd.
The dilemma is not linked to the cause advocated by the demonstrations, and would apply no matter what the cause.

Drawn: June 2020
Cartoon reference number: a801
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Christo cartoon

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Christo

Cartoon about the artist Christo

A cartoon about contemporary artist Christo Javacheff, who died on 31st May 2020.
The cartoon shows a young Christo wrapping sweets.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude (his wife and collaborator) were famous for art installations that involved wrapping things up – usually buildings.

The caption of the cartoon is : Famous Artists in Their Student Days: Christo’s Holiday Job
This version of the cartoon was drawn at the time of Christo’s death. The original version was drawn about twenty years before.
Drawn: 1st June 2020
Cartoon reference number: a779
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Coronavirus cartoon – holiday destinations without toilet facilities open

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coronavirus covid-19 holiday toilet cartoon

Covid-19 cartoon – the lack of toilet facilities at tourist destinations.

As the coronavirus lockdown is loosened (in May 2020) people visit tourist destinations and beauty spots in large numbers, pleased that at last they can go out, but when they reach their destination they discover that the public toilets are closed.

Original version drawn: May 2020
This version: August 2020
Cartoon reference number: a800b
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Fire prevention equipment factory on fire – cartoon about irony

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ironic fire in sprinkler factory cartoon

Cartoon of a sprinkler factory on fire

The cartoon shows an ironic situation in which a factory that manufactures fire prevention equipment is on fire.

I think that this cartoon was probably inspired by the observation that many fires in buildings are caused when the building is being renovated.
A cartoon about irony and health and safety (amongst other things).
Drawn: June 2018
Cartoon reference number: a776
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