Auchtoon!Michigan New Year Goals
As always, I leave the cartoon open to your interpretation. (My intention is not to tell readers what to think — it’s more a nudge to get them to think.)
Also as always, these little essays that follow are not supposed to explain the cartoon. The cartoons should stand (or die) on their own. And no amount of “Don’t you get it? It’s funny because…” can revive a dead cartoon.
Mostly the essays are here to add a little context, provide more depth. Sometimes they explore a different view or present additional axes for me to grind.
Right. So. All that said, I’m going to go right ahead here and explain the cartoon and tell you what you should think about it:
It’s actually meant to be hopeful. Yes, it is disheartening that drivable roads, drinkable water, and functioning schools should be fairly simple to achieve. But they aren’t. And we Michiganders have been fooling ourselves for far too long to think that it should be easy. There is no magic solution. We can’t cut taxes or throw money or political gimmick our way to where we need to go. It will take planning and commitment and real work. I think Governor Whitmer set the right tone with her speech at the swearing in ceremony this week. Let’s hope that it carries through 2019.
(Next week I promise to get back to not telling you anything.)
Joe G. said,
January 4, 2019 @ 10:10 am
I was sure you meant that the bar was so high you would definitely need the “Fosbury Flop” to clear it!!!….I’m sure a political term called the “Fosbury Flop” wouldn’t be complimentary.