I’m talking about the unfortunate but common perception of the cartoonist as a mere sex-object!
Cartooning is a serious art-form, concerned with the important issues of our time and the complex enigmas of Life. The heartbreaking isolation of the individual within human society as exemplified by the lonely cartoon character on the desert island or in the office cubicle, the imperfect attempts and occasional successes of the hunt for love between men and women, men and men, women and women, dogs and cats; The complexities of human politics, from the business office to the oval office, from the bathroom to the throne-room; The very evolution of our species, as we crawl from the dark, ancient seas toward the light of our giant TV screens!
And yet, there are those who insist on overlooking the cartoonist’s noble efforts in service to Humankind and see only the superficial attractiveness of our physical assets.
Granted, we cartoonists tend to be extremely good-looking individuals. In a way, I can’t blame the fawning masses for being aware of our exceptional beauty, but, damn it, I wish they would focus on our work and not our bodies! I’m sick of spending my time turning down offers of marriage or other indecent proposals which serve no purpose other than to distract me from my true calling, directing the light of humor into the dark recesses of our imperfect reality!
And another thing: These emails must stop. I don’t know where Rosey, Cuddles, Babycakes, and those other women have obtained my email address. They all seem very unoriginal, according to their messages, which always start out with a variation on the words, “Hello. I am very lonely tonight…”. I’m sorry ladies, but I never read any further and immediately send your missives to my junk-email folder, so you might as well give up.
Well, I’ve gone on long enough. The tanning-bed calls and I must go. Eventually, of course, I’ll get back to the drawing-board.
Hey, babycakes! Nice pen!