Laundry Day
- Waadl Cartoonist
- Aug 6, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 15
Drawn on August 3, 2024 | Published from Miami |
The carcinogenic soot sprayed by certain political personalities ominously surfs, uninterrupted, along the crest of authoritarian upheaval, marring the now rally-hardened star-spangled banner beyond recognition with a distressingly familiar tarnish. Successfully celebrating freedom of speech has forsaken the action to intelligently speak out, consequently leaving ubiquitous dog-whistles to go unchallenged for far too long, gradually draping democratic values with a silt of inhumanity.
Having given too much voice to groups of uncultured philistines, their growing power will be our undoing.
"Housewives! Stop bleaching your laundry: blacken it, so that it will no longer show dirt!" [1]
— Pierre Dac, The Bone Marrow, December 1938.
Fortunately, by broadcasting racist broadsides in the most culturally diverse country on Earth, the very body bolstering fascism has become its boldest blemish [more here]. Yet, for those so steeped in muck that the grime remains unnoticed, only after a thorough wash would the full extent of filth be revealed.
Since totalitarian systems do their own quality control, typically blessing an elite breed of sensationalist butt-sniffers to review the regime's deeds [2], any admissions about the genuine decay of raggedy flags would be as rare as finding fresh ones in a landfill. Indeed, soap in hand, the time will soon come to cleanse this mess and restore the ensign to its original colors — perhaps even revealing the deception of fascism to its most ardent supporters and offering them a chance to confront the malice they once so recklessly championed.
As the pivotal juncture of democracy — voting — draws near, the name of the game is to find the right color-safe detergent and tackle the stains before it's too late.
This Tuesday, November 5th, make your laundry day election day!
[1] Original French; L’Os à Mœlle, "Ménagères! Ne faites plus blanchir votre linge : faites-le noircir, il ne se salira plus !"
[2] Not for weak stomachs: Meiselas, B. (2024) Meidas Touch Network | Adin Ross & Donald Trump Interview, X (formerly Twitter). Available at: https://x.com/MeidasTouch/status/1820558276029022329 (Accessed: 05 August 2024).
