Humorous Anti State Propaganda Ideas

[cademan]

I'm a hobbyist cartoonist/artist and would like to contribute in some way by creating some anti-state propaganda that can be used to discredit the system.

I just finished reading the article "Ending Tyranny without Violence" (http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard78.html) and was inspired by the paragraph:


The prime task of education, then, is not simply abstract insight into governmental "errors" in advancing the general welfare, but debamboozling the public on the entire nature and procedures of the despotic State. In that task, La Boétie also speaks to us in his stress on the importance of a perceptive, vanguard elite of libertarian and anti-statist intellectuals. The role of this "cadre" – to grasp the essence of statism and to desanctify the State in the eyes and minds of the rest of the population – is crucial to the potential success of any movement to bring about a free society. It becomes, therefore, a prime libertarian task to discover, coalesce, nurture, and advance its cadre – a task of which all too many libertarians remain completely ignorant. For no amount of oppression or misery will lead to a successful movement for freedom unless such a cadre exists and is able to educate and rally the intellectuals and the general public.

I'm interested in some cartooning ideas to discredit the State that I can make available to be used in any kind of campaign in the future. They can be simple one panel cartoon ideas or comic strip ideas featuring a cast of characters like an elephant, a donkey, and whatever other cast of characters.

I would also be interested in refining the ideas to make them more impactful through the collective mind of this forum.

Off the top of my head I was thinking of making a cartoon of an elephant and a donkey riding on the back of a taxpayer while arguing about how to spend his money. The elephant wants to spend it on invading iran and the donkey wants to spend it on saving the environment while the taxpayer murmurs, "Why do I support these guys". Something like that. Can it be improved?

Any ideas? Maybe this has been done already?

You can see some of my work at my DeviantArt page - http://gatorvenom.deviantart.com/gallery

[Romulus]

I looked at your page... nice work, I like that style and your idea. One image/panel cartoons seem to have the most impact IMO.

[heavenlyboy34]

not off my head, but the Onion political section has some brilliant stuff that you can turn into visual art. :)

[heavenlyboy34]

I had an idea just now-you could draw Bush in a comically oversized tank rolling over the map of Afghanistan and then Obama in another panel doing the same thing in a much bigger tank ;) The Obama panel would say "Change" beneath it. lolz ;)

[tremendoustie]

Here's some ideas for things characters characters could say, I put together for the "24 types of statist" cartoon they're working on, but they weren't used. Use anything you like.

Petulant: People only oppose big government because they're idiots who were brainwashed by corporations!

Pseudo Charitable (replacement for left wing): My programs aren't good enough for me to contribute to, but they're good enough for me to make you contribute!

Too much Krugman: People are too stupid to make their own financial decisions. We should force them to do what people with PhDs say.

The Busybody (replacement for the island): It only takes 20 hours a week to run my life, so I'll run yours in my spare time.

Creepy: If you've got nothing to hide, why do you mind if I read your e-mails?

Fiscally Nonsensical (replacement for selectively frugal): If we just go into lots of debt to buy lots of stuff from China, we'll be rich! Keynes said so!

Hegemonist (Replacement for Atlas): The leaders of Iraqistan might potentially be thinking about starting a war someday! For the sake of peace, we must blow them away!

Frightened (replacement for briefly tempting): What!? It's code Orange?! Quick, give all my money to Goldman Sachs and strip search me for contraband!

Hypocrite (replacement for stoned): Drug users who get caught are a scourge on society. Ones who don't get caught should be made president.

[tremendoustie]

I doodled one, one time (I have no drawing talent btw), that had two angry looking people, one wearing a blue shirt with "D" on it, and the other wearing a red shirt with "R" on it, each holding signs with arrows pointing to the other, saying "Hypocrite!"

The subtitle said: "Who says they both can't be right?"

Feel free to use this too, if you like it.

[Andrew-Austin]

Can you draw Lieberman as a sort of Darth Sidious type character. I would love that. The topic would be his internet kill switch bill.

Maybe you could depict Senator Ted Stevens (moron in video below) explaining his "acute knowledge" (read: something laughably ignorant) of the perils of the internet, and in reply Lieberman would be like "oh my gawd thats horrible, if only there were some type of kill switch for the internet".

YouTube - Series of Tubes Music Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cZC67wXUTs)

[tremendoustie]

I had an idea just now-you could draw Bush in a comically oversized tank rolling over the map of Afghanistan and then Obama in another panel doing the same thing in a much bigger tank ;) The Obama panel would say "Change" beneath it. lolz ;)

I like it!

[cademan]

I liked tremendoustie's idea with the "no difference between them"

Here is what I came up with. Let me know if you want it in high resolution and I will post that somewhere. Also posting these on my deviantart page.

Any more ideas?

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/both-right.jpg

[cademan]

I had the idea of two kids looking at a fish bowl with the capital building in it upside down. One says to the other, "I guess we flush it down the toilet".

I like the idea of "dead government" and "it's not working so we need to flush it" but not sure of what imagery to use. Any ideas?

[tremendoustie]

I liked tremendoustie's idea with the "no difference between them"

Here is what I came up with. Let me know if you want it in high resolution and I will post that somewhere. Also posting these on my deviantart page.

Any more ideas?

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/both-right.jpg

Love it!! :) Did you draw this by hand? If so, you're really good.

[cademan]

I drew a couple sketches to figure out how I wanted them posed and then drew it directly on the computer in photoshop to save time rather than inking over the sketch and then scanning it.

[tremendoustie]

I drew a couple sketches to figure out how I wanted them posed and then drew it directly on the computer in photoshop to save time rather than inking over the sketch and then scanning it.

Awesome :). Yeah, I just meant, you didn't copy the pics from some canned clip art thing.

Hey, random idea -- there's a "keene free press" paper in NH looking for content. Do you mind if I submit this?

[cademan]

Go for it. That's what they are for. I'm not at my home computer at the moment, but when I get home I will post a high resolution picture so it can be printed.

It would be cool if I could make a whole bunch of Anti State Cartoons and maybe I can put up a site for them.

[libertybrewcity]

cool stuff!

[morran]

That's an amazing picture. You are very talented!

You might want to look through this mises.org thread for inspiration: http://mises.org/Community/forums/t/8551.aspx.

Thanks for doing this! If you make more of these, please save them on your deviant page or somewhere else online so we can grab them when we need them.

[heavenlyboy34]

I had the idea of two kids looking at a fish bowl with the capital building in it upside down. One says to the other, "I guess we flush it down the toilet".

I like the idea of "dead government" and "it's not working so we need to flush it" but not sure of what imagery to use. Any ideas?

A common metaphor in classical libertarian lit is "the dead hand of government". Perhaps an image of a regular person interacting with his environment in one panel, and in the next panel a government official kills everything he touches. :cool:

[cademan]

Here is a link to a high resolution picture for printing of the above cartoon.

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/both-right_hires.jpg

Heavenlyboy, I like the general idea of government destroying things but it might be better to have a more concrete example of something that government has destroyed and somehow making that clear to the general public. I'm not sure what that could be. Possibly education or healthcare but with a specific example how how that is being done. Some people might look at the cartoon and simple say, "Well that's just not true." I guess they could do that with any cartoon though. I like the concept, but hope someone can come up with a specific example how government has ruined something. I'm sure there are many, but nothing specific comes to my mind at the moment.

[djdellisanti4]

I had the idea of two kids looking at a fish bowl with the capital building in it upside down. One says to the other, "I guess we flush it down the toilet".

I like the idea of "dead government" and "it's not working so we need to flush it" but not sure of what imagery to use. Any ideas?

I absolutely love that idea.

[cademan]

I had an idea just now-you could draw Bush in a comically oversized tank rolling over the map of Afghanistan and then Obama in another panel doing the same thing in a much bigger tank ;) The Obama panel would say "Change" beneath it. lolz ;)

Here ya go man. I didn't change the tank size to save time, but I think the point is still made. Obama is continuing the war he said he would end.

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/CHANGE.jpg

High resolution image for printing it here (http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/CHANGE_hires.jpg). Also posted this on my deviantart page.

[heavenlyboy34]

Here ya go man. I didn't change the tank size to save time, but I think the point is still made. Obama is continuing the war he said he would end.

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/CHANGE.jpg

High resolution image for printing it here (http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/CHANGE_hires.jpg). Also posted this on my deviantart page.

OMG, that's fuckin' brilliant! :D:D:D:D

[ClayTrainor]

cademan is awesome! :D

[specsaregood]

cademan is awesome! :D

I concur!

[cademan]

Keep the ideas coming and I'll keep pumping out the cartoons. I wouldn't mind some more educational type of cartoons that could convince some republicans how dumb the war is. Or some ideas that simply delegitimize the war to make people feel dumb for supporting it. Maybe some kind of idea about how all the republicans go around chanting "Support the Troops" like zombies.

Hey, maybe that is an idea? Any thoughts?

[hugolp]

How about something to show why prices are going up?

Like a shop or some shops with prices going up (with signs or something) and the people asking Bernanke why are prices going up. Then behind Bernanke the printing presses running at full speed and spreading dollars all over the market (or similar) and Bernanke saying: "Prices are going up? I really dont know why."

You get the idea.

EDIT: Bernanke could have a hand controlling a lever that controls the speed of the printing press to make it more obvious.

[specsaregood]

Keep the ideas coming and I'll keep pumping out the cartoons. I wouldn't mind some more educational type of cartoons that could convince some republicans how dumb the war is. Or some ideas that simply delegitimize the war to make people feel dumb for supporting it. Maybe some kind of idea about how all the republicans go around chanting "Support the Troops" like zombies.

Hey, maybe that is an idea? Any thoughts?

Perhaps a renown gop person holding a pro-life sign while cheering bombs being dropped overtop of innocent children in iraq/afghanistan?

[Kylie]

Here ya go man. I didn't change the tank size to save time, but I think the point is still made. Obama is continuing the war he said he would end.

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/CHANGE.jpg

High resolution image for printing it here (http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/CHANGE_hires.jpg). Also posted this on my deviantart page.




You could also use this one as one of those "Tell the differences between the pics" kind of joke. You know, since there's no real change.



I really like the idea of the kids around a fishbowl and flushing it. This is something that could have some momentum going into the November elections. We can post the sucker all over the internet.

Good work, cademan. I can't do what you do, but I sure can appreciate it.

[cademan]

Perhaps a renown gop person holding a pro-life sign while cheering bombs being dropped overtop of innocent children in iraq/afghanistan?

Did this one up quick. Not exactly the same but the message is there - how can you be pro-life and pro-war?

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/rightwingchristian.jpg

High resolution for printing is here (http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/rightwingchristian_hires.jpg). These aren't my best artistically but the message comes through.

[Krugerrand]

Keep the ideas coming and I'll keep pumping out the cartoons. I wouldn't mind some more educational type of cartoons that could convince some republicans how dumb the war is. Or some ideas that simply delegitimize the war to make people feel dumb for supporting it. Maybe some kind of idea about how all the republicans go around chanting "Support the Troops" like zombies.

Hey, maybe that is an idea? Any thoughts?

While perhaps accurate, I doubt the zombie idea will win hearts.

Something that has us borrowing money from the Chinese to fund the wars will be far more effective. Perhaps we can borrow the money to buy computer parts from the South Koreans so that we can protect the Europeans from the ... whoever it is we protect them from.

[Romulus]

great job cademan.

[tremendoustie]

How about one showing the irony of deficit spending as a way to prosperity?

Perhaps uncle sam with a bunch of maxed out credit cards using that line above -- "If we just go into enough debt to buy stuff from China, we'll be rich -- Keynes said so!" Perhaps you can think of a better phrasing.

[specsaregood]

Did this one up quick. Not exactly the same but the message is there - how can you be pro-life and pro-war?


I like it. Personally I would have left the "christian" part off of it. As we don't want to immediately turn people off do we? We want them to look at it and think. But other than that, excellent work.

[cademan]

How about something to show why prices are going up?

Like a shop or some shops with prices going up (with signs or something) and the people asking Bernanke why are prices going up. Then behind Bernanke the printing presses running at full speed and spreading dollars all over the market (or similar) and Bernanke saying: "Prices are going up? I really dont know why."

You get the idea.

EDIT: Bernanke could have a hand controlling a lever that controls the speed of the printing press to make it more obvious.

Changed the idea a little, but has Ben with a printing press and speed dial. Does anyone remember the movie "Little Shop of Horrors"?

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/shopofhorrors.jpg

High resolution one for printing is here (http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/shopofhorrors_hires.jpg)

[Captain Shays]

The government can do no wrong crowd doesn't trust individuals or corporations but they do trust government. While they say that people are stingy, heartless, cruel, stupid and don't care about their fellow man, they seem to ignore the fact that the people they want to entrust at the government level are the very same people who they detest. What makes them all of a sudden benevolent just because they got elected or took on a government job?

If you can point out the silliness of that mentality, in a cartoon you would be a genius.

They always point out the ills of "corporations" and fight for more and more government control over every element of our lives yet every day each of us has a choice whether or not to buy a product from a corporation or business but we only have one choice about government and its either obey them or go to jail. No corporation can force anyone to buy their products but the government can and does force us every day to do their will.

If you can point out that silliness you would be a double genius.



Foreign policy.

If you could show the name of the war and the Democrat president who was in power during the start of that war starting from the Civil War, then going to the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, Somolia, Serbia, Kosovo (ALL Democrats) and the number of people killed (both sides) including the 8 years Clinton kept us in Iraq and the 1,000 dead Iraqi's (not to mention the sanctions) and those poor indians killed in the Columbian rain forest (google U'wa tribe-Al Gore) then show the Dems shouting
Bush lied and people died" it would really cut the stupid liberals to the quick.

Not that I am some kind of Bush supporter or a supporter of the war in Iraq but I thought it was really stupid for Dems to portray Republicans was war mongers when their's was the party in power during most of the wars and most of the bloodshed.

Not only that but it could show how stupid the Republicans and Christians are who buy into the Democrat line of policing the world under the guise of "
being strong on defense" and how they are hoodwinked by the neo-conservsative globalists and militarists of the Republican party.

Just a few of my ideas. Hope you can pull it off.

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

Take the Voltarian approach.

Show an individual murdering a person, then show 10,000 solders murdering innocent Iraqi's w/ trumpets at home. Under the first, write "Wrong", and the second "Right". To those who champion wars, murdering one is wrong, but murdering thousands is ok.

Something to that effect.

[Ekrub]

Take the Voltarian approach.

Show an individual murdering a person, then show 10,000 solders murdering innocent Iraqi's w/ trumpets at home. Under the first, write "Wrong", and the second "Right". To those who champion wars, murdering one is wrong, but murdering thousands is ok.

Something to that effect.

Under the first write "Tragedy" under the second write "Statistic"

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

Under the first write "Tragedy" under the second write "Statistic"

Something to the effect.

[cademan]

The government can do no wrong crowd doesn't trust individuals or corporations but they do trust government. While they say that people are stingy, heartless, cruel, stupid and don't care about their fellow man, they seem to ignore the fact that the people they want to entrust at the government level are the very same people who they detest. What makes them all of a sudden benevolent just because they got elected or took on a government job?

If you can point out the silliness of that mentality, in a cartoon you would be a genius.

They always point out the ills of "corporations" and fight for more and more government control over every element of our lives yet every day each of us has a choice whether or not to buy a product from a corporation or business but we only have one choice about government and its either obey them or go to jail. No corporation can force anyone to buy their products but the government can and does force us every day to do their will.

If you can point out that silliness you would be a double genius.



Foreign policy.

If you could show the name of the war and the Democrat president who was in power during the start of that war starting from the Civil War, then going to the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, Somolia, Serbia, Kosovo (ALL Democrats) and the number of people killed (both sides) including the 8 years Clinton kept us in Iraq and the 1,000 dead Iraqi's (not to mention the sanctions) and those poor indians killed in the Columbian rain forest (google U'wa tribe-Al Gore) then show the Dems shouting
Bush lied and people died" it would really cut the stupid liberals to the quick.

Not that I am some kind of Bush supporter or a supporter of the war in Iraq but I thought it was really stupid for Dems to portray Republicans was war mongers when their's was the party in power during most of the wars and most of the bloodshed.

Not only that but it could show how stupid the Republicans and Christians are who buy into the Democrat line of policing the world under the guise of "
being strong on defense" and how they are hoodwinked by the neo-conservsative globalists and militarists of the Republican party.

Just a few of my ideas. Hope you can pull it off.

Here is a quick and dirty one off the top of my head. I'm sure there are some better ideas.

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/corps.jpg

High resolution one is here (http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/corps_hires.jpg).

[ClayTrainor]

Dang, that's perfect! You're a true asset to this forum, mr. Cademan. :)

[cademan]

Wanted to do one making fun of the "Support the Troops" mantra. I like this one because the answer has a double meaning. He is telling the kid to stop asking questions while also answering his question. The kid could also be asking, "What's patriotism?" or any number of things. Maybe I should do a donkey one too, but have no idea what they would be saying.

I also like it because it so freakin true.

http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/howtosupport.jpg

High resolution version for printing is here (http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/howtosupport_hires.jpg)

[Romulus]

I like it, but maybe if it was a 2 headed, donkey and elephant head. Supports the concept they are one in the same... especially nowadays, with the wars.

[Captain Shays]

Show us a coin with Dems on one side, Reps on the other and the mainstream media on the edge--giving them the edge over anyone who opposes them.

[fisharmor]

Couple ideas I've been toying with:

-College student scratching his head and saying "Wait a second... if freedom isn't free, why do you keep calling it freedom?" and then a government suit with the shades and earpiece pointing and screaming "ENEMY COMBATANT! WATERBOARD HIM!"

-There's got to be some way to have BHO pontificating about how the most important thing is to stabilize Afghanistan, while standing in ankle-deep oil, and maybe have him standing in front of a bunch of houses with forclosure signs on them

[Krugerrand]

couple ideas i've been toying with:

-college student scratching his head and saying "wait a second... If freedom isn't free, why do you keep calling it freedom?" and then a government suit with the shades and earpiece pointing and screaming "enemy combatant! Waterboard him!"

-there's got to be some way to have bho pontificating about how the most important thing is to stabilize afghanistan, while standing in ankle-deep oil, and maybe have him standing in front of a bunch of houses with foreclosure signs on them

nice! :D

[Romulus]

agreed... have him standing deep in oil, foreclosed houses behind him, and more soldiers going off to war, while he is saying 'recovery'!

[Wesker1982]

Great work! Keep going!

[osan]

I had the idea of two kids looking at a fish bowl with the capital building in it upside down. One says to the other, "I guess we flush it down the toilet".

I like the idea of "dead government" and "it's not working so we need to flush it" but not sure of what imagery to use. Any ideas?

Found my Betta doing just that this morning. Perhaps it's a message from god.

[osan]

While perhaps accurate, I doubt the zombie idea will win hearts.

Something that has us borrowing money from the Chinese to fund the wars will be far more effective. Perhaps we can borrow the money to buy computer parts from the South Koreans so that we can protect the Europeans from the ... whoever it is we protect them from.

How about one where we're buying shovels from China to dig our own graves?

[osan]

Here is a quick and dirty one off the top of my head. I'm sure there are some better ideas.



High resolution one is here (http://www.cadeh.com/fightback/corps_hires.jpg).

Guy's T-shirt should say "I <heart> government" or some such

[osan]

How about one showing the irony of deficit spending as a way to prosperity?

Perhaps uncle sam with a bunch of maxed out credit cards using that line above -- "If we just go into enough debt to buy stuff from China, we'll be rich -- Keynes said so!" Perhaps you can think of a better phrasing.

How about one with Uncle Sam and the Devil where the latter is taking possession of the former's soul. Sam has a smug expression on his puss and the caption reads "I wasn't using it, anyway"