Horsey Overpopulation Cartoon

Horsey’s cartoon is a representation of the narrow-mindedness of various groups towards major problems in society.

In order to understand how narrow-mindedness of various groups towards major problems in society only furthers the problem, one must first examine what the problem appears to be. There are many major global problems today including crime, racial injustice, war…(more) Through the largest caricature centered in the cartoon, Horsey depicts the major problem of overpopulation. Because the figure is curled in what seems to be the fetal position, we may conclude that it is a representation of an infant. Contrast to the common perception of a baby being a small, this figure is large suggesting the magnitude of the problem it seems to represent. There is a sequence of letters stretched across the figure’s stomach that reads “OVERPOPULATION,” proposing that it a representation of ….The bony and hollowed framework of the baby’s head is shaped like a skull and the extremities appear thin and fragile.

In this particular cartoon, Horsey focuses on the hypocrisy of the debate that rages on over methods of controlling the worlds’ population.. Every minute of every day, 21 children die of malnutrition and preventable diseases somewhere in the world.

After examining what constitutes a major problem and how Horsey depicts this through his cartoon, one must understand why certain groups may narrow-mindedly blind themselves to the inconvenient truths of them. There are many morals that drive certain groups to intentionally blind themselves to problems in society. Horsey represents three of these groups through figures that appear to be wearing dark glasses that one may assume cannot be seen through and are each holding a cane extended towards the central figure. Because blind people often use canes in a similar manner to feel what is in front of them, we may come to the assumption that the figures are blind. Various religious groups tend to generally be narrow-minded in their stance on the urgency and reality of overpopulation and Horsey depicts this religious viewpoint through a figure that is wearing a high-banded collar and is dressed in all black, which can be identified as clerical clothing. This caricature appears to hold on blindly to the doctrine of his religion, which dictates that all life results from the divine intervention of God and, that God will (or won’t) provide for the lives He creates as a part of His plan. There is a speech bubble above the figure’s head that reads, “…A MANIFESTATION OF DIVINE PURPOSE!” This quotation directly supports the religious belief that there should be no interference, such as birth control or abortion, of God’s divine plan. The hypocrisy in this belief that contraceptives and abortion is morally wrong, though, is evident in the portrayal of the negative effects of the world’s growing population through the central figure. Although it may be considered wrong to prevent or abort a child’s birth, one must consider if it is morally better to let “God’s children” starve to death due to malnutrition and famine. The slow death by starvation seemingly inflicted on the central figure does not express the divine purpose one may assume this religious figure is speaking of. This blind hypocrisy only furthers the growing catastrophe overpopulation inflicts on the world.

Another group that tends to blindly pursue their own interests while sacrificing the general welfare of society are politicians. In this cartoon, narrow-mindedness of politicians is represented by the figure to the very right wearing what appears to be a suit and tie. It is sporting what appears to be dark sunglasses and a cane indicating that it is also blind to the central figure. Because