The format of Tim Kreider’s Twilight of the Assholes pairs political cartoons with short essays that detail the circumstances surrounding each cartoon. In these essays, Kreider also includes any personal thoughts that he felt went with the highlighted work. Some of these thoughts were philosophical comments on the nature of art and satire that I want to briefly highlight today.
Kreider notes that an artist should always create what he or she wants to see in the world. This reminds me of a thought I’ve highlighted on TOA in the past – an artist must demand everything and, if those demands are not met, channel the ensuing rage and disappointment into creative work. The anger and despair that Kreider felt from the politics of the Bush years surely fueled his artistic passion and pushed him to bring into the world what no one would hand him. I think what he desired was for the public to see that the leadership of his time was the modern equivalent of the emperor with no clothes. His cartoons suggested to me that he felt destroying the public’s illusion of the Bush administration’s competence and benevolence was vital to accomplish this goal.
Kreider’s characterizations often sought the fine line between broad generalizations and unfair stereotypes. As he used his work to criticize, protest, or attack the administration’s positions and policies, it was vital to make a point without exaggerating his opponent’s flaws because if he went too far he would risk his own credibility. I thought his note that good comedy often starts with a simple reference to a common set of assumptions explained how he kept his characterizations within credible limits – once the audience understood the reference, there was no need to extend the caricature any further.
