Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

For centuries, cartoonists and masters of caricature have successfully satirized and skewed the rich, famous, and politically powerful. This paper identifies examples of such work that decidedly affected and molded public opinion and policy. Our research indicates that these traditional modes of protest are failing to effect noteworthy changes in attitude toward Donald Trump’s ambiguous yet forceful agendas—especially in certain segments of the U.S. population. We propose that an alternative photography-based approach may have the potential to elicit more significantly effective responses to the present administration–an approach that is less abrasive, fairer, and less passionate but is, at the same time, subtly and deeply satirical.