Auchtoon!

I was listening to Michigan Public (naturally) when I heard the story about the Michigan House of Representatives passing a bill last week that would require state agency hiring decisions to be based on merit.

Here’s what caught my attention: The bill passed with nearly complete bipartisan support — all but one representative voted for it. Whoa! That level of agreement between Democrat and Republican politicians seems …unlikely. Turns out, there was agreement on the vote, but not really on the intention.

As you might imagine, Republicans see it as repudiation of DEI policies. Representative Angela Rigas (R-Alto) said, “Only the most qualified candidates should be chosen for a position rather than prioritizing gender, skin color, or sexual orientation.”

Democrats, on the other hand, see it as repudiation of nepotism, legacy advantages, and other unfair favoritism. Representative Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn) said, “This bill helps to create opportunity by eroding the barrier of the old boys’ club as we work toward a more equal playing field for all Michiganders. Michigan is stronger when various backgrounds and experiences empower the best and brightest.”

The bill goes next to the Senate. It will be interesting to see if it holds together there. Basically, they will all have to agree to pass legislation that is against DEI, but for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

You may not be familiar with The White Stripes. But if you’ve been to a large sporting event in the last decade, you know some of their work. The guitar riff from their hit, “Seven Nation Army” has become a go-to for firing up the home fans. It’s super catchy and connects instantly with our monkey brains.

Which is kind of how sports and rooting for a team works. We have an inherent proclivity toward tribalism. That is, people generally want to associate with a group, and a football/basketball/whatever-ball team can fill that need nicely.

Of course, tribalism can easily grow into something toxic and disastrous: nationalism. By way of example, I offer to you the whole of human history. (It’s more than alarming that President Trump seems intent on heading down the well-worn path.)

I was talking with my son about this the other day, and he suggested that — while sports can also be toxic (by way of example, I offer to you the whole of sports radio) — associating with a team generally fills the need to be part of tribe in a positive way.

Game 6 of the Detroit Pistons series with the New York Knicks takes place after my deadline for this, so by the time you read it, future me will either be a bit happier or a bit sadder than current me.

Either way, let’s go Deee-troit basketball: 

My superpower is overthinking. I can overthink anything. Big, small, no matter. I can needlessly complicate anything.

A classic example is when my now wife and I were taking our pre-marriage course, and we were given a questionnaire as an exercise to see how well we were aligned as a couple. It was 100 questions. She finished in less than 10 minutes; it took me nearly an hour.

In the end, there were only six or seven questions in which we had different answers. But after discussing those, it turned out that we did actually have the same answer — I just had overthought those particular questions to the point of misinterpreting them.

For instance, one such question was something like, “Is having a child part of your decision to seek marriage?” I interpreted that to mean, “Have you talked about having children together at some point?” Sure! But what it really meant was, “Is she pregnant?” (She wasn’t, which was nice because it saved the host couple a lot of follow-ups.)

Anyway, this is why I can feel a bit defensive when somebody accuses me of drawing a cartoon that is reactionary — of not having thoroughly taken into account other thoughts and angles. To this I can confidently reply, “Ha!” I guarantee you that I have absolutely overthought it. Granted, it may not always lead to the best result, but it’s never from lack of effort.

So, given all that, I am particularly proud of the simple, clear message behind this week’s cartoon: If you’re implementing policies that consistently tank the market, then maybe don’t implement those policies. No need to overthink it.

The oft-cited Pogo cartoon by Walt Kelly (“We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us“) is a gift that keeps on giving. That particular cartoon was about pollution, but it really applies to almost any awful result from regrettable human behavior.

Currently, we have lots to choose from, but I decided to go with blind ideology. Why can’t government officials let go of their partisan politics and simply pass useful legislation that benefits the general public? Well, why can’t individuals believe overwhelming scientific evidence and get themselves and their children immunized for measles?

The behavior of our elected representatives is often more uncomfortably reflective of our own behavior than we would necessarily like it to be.

It’s been a wild ride this week. And God only knows what’s happening today. Well, certain people close to the current administration who are making profits from insider trading probably have a pretty good idea. That’s fun.

The grifting notwithstanding, is it not clear at this point that the fate of our economic system should not be subject to the whims of a single person? This has been like watching great-grandpa, who never drove a car, trying to parallel park a Winnebego on a city street. Yeah, he’s got the biggest vehicle and may eventually get it into a space. But there is gonna be so much damage. And so many enemies.

A common criticism for an editorial cartoon: “It’s not funny.” The common response from an editorial cartoonist: “You’re right.” That’s because the main goal of an editorial or political cartoon (a good one anyway) should be to stir a thought or even start a conversation. Humor can help, but it isn’t necessary.

Whether or not this cartoon is funny, I leave that entirely to you, the reader. I can only say that it is not purposely so. It was inspired by the video of the Tufts University student getting accosted by masked government officials, arrested without identification, and shipped to a holding facility without due process, which is just but one of many similar recent incidents.

That is not how America works. Well, it’s not how it was designed to work. But now it’s clear that all the rah-rah-rah by the current administration about constitutions and justice and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is just a means to an end for power and control. Nothing funny about that.

The ongoing “ready, shoot, aim” approach to government efficiency brings daily consequences of hobbled and/or eliminated school programs, veteran services, medical care, voter rights, environmental protections, and so on. The latest headline: “Michigan libraries prepare for impact as Trump moves to eliminate federal library agency.”

Abraham Lincoln famously described our particular form of government as “of the people, by the people, for the people.” So it seems to me that if we slash and cut and terminate all of the people parts, there will be no constitutional republic left. And a real danger of it perishing from the earth.

Late last week, a story broke about the the U.S. Department of Education investigating two Michigan universities (the University of Michigan and Grand Valley State University) for allegedly violating the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. The department provided few specifics. At U of M the DOE alleges the issue is with a project that provides mentorship and networking opportunities to business school Ph.D. students from underrepresented backgrounds.

A few days later, the President signed an executive order to shutdown the U.S. Department of Education.

So the obvious question is… if a federal agency is going to be shutdown, what’s the point of complying with their rules?

Yes, sure, I know there’s a lot more to it than that, but it makes for a good cartoon. And I could have just gone with just that. But I think there is a deeper issue, and it disturbs me more that the capricious behavior of Secretary Linda McMahon and the Trump Administration actively dismantling the department: They seem to care more about their ideological victories than they do about the actual students. Much more. If, in fact, they are thinking about students at all.

The situation with the Line 5 oil pipeline that runs through Michigan isn’t the most topical issue I could have picked this week. It’s more of an ongoing issue that (I hope) most Michiganders are familiar with.

The point I’m attempting to make, however, is extremely topical. And that topic is: propaganda works. And now I shall go further into the weeds to provide an example, the 1950 Democratic primary race between incumbent Claude Pepper and challenger George Smathers:

Part of American political lore is the Smathers “redneck speech,” which Smathers reportedly delivered to a poorly educated audience. The alleged comments were recorded in a small magazine, picked up in Time and elsewhere and etched into the public’s memories. Time, during the campaign, claimed that Smathers said this:

“Are you aware that Claude Pepper is known all over Washington as a shameless extrovert? Not only that, but this man is reliably reported to practice nepotism with his sister-in-law, he has a brother who is a known homo sapiens, and he has a sister who was once a thespian in wicked New York. Worst of all, it is an established fact that Mr. Pepper, before his marriage, habitually practiced celibacy.”

Smathers was also able to successfully label Pepper as a communist, “Red Pepper.” Smathers easily won the election.

I remember reading about this incident when I was in high school and thinking, “Dang, people in 1950 sure were easily fooled — that would never happen today.” And maybe in the 1980s it wouldn’t. But the misdirection, lies, and bullying nicknames work better than ever today.

Any Bob’s Burgers fans out there? If you’re not familiar (and you should be), it’s an animated TV sitcom that’s been around for over a dozen years. It’s about a family that operates a small restaurant in a beach town somewhere in America. The patriarch, Bob, is a good guy. He’s not particularly smart or successful, but he loves his wife, loves his three kids, and does his best.

There are times, however, that — between his family, friends, customers, arch-nemesis and fellow restaurateur Jimmy Pesto, among others — life becomes overwhelming. When he reaches a certain point, Bob typically lets out an exasperated, “ohmygod.”

It’s very quick and, more often than not, under his breath. Because he truly tries to be a decent person, it’s typically meant for his ears only, and he certainly doesn’t intend any impiety. Bob is simply indicating that he has reached his limit. The show then generally cuts to the next scene.

So… this Trump tariff lunacy. Ohmygod.