I guess the fact that I said that I was “whining” in an earlier entry, resonated with at least some readers of the Newburyport Blog.

On one of my “walks” last week, someone asked me if I was “whining.”

Sigh.

One cannot “whine” about a 43.7% rate hike on one’s health insurance. One’s blood pressure can go through the roof (making one need health insurance more) and one can feel outraged, betrayed, terrified, etc., etc., etc., but “whining”–no.

This is called “irony.” Irony is “using words to suggest the opposite of their literal meaning.” (Thesaurus, Microsoft Word)

For the record, I’m one of the least “whiny” people I know.

Being from New York, I’ve always been very big on “irony.” “Irony” in the last 6 years or so, seems to have gone out of fashion.

Sigh.

I like “irony” a lot.

It was one of the reasons that after I Googled the political cartoonist I met (see previous post), and eventually stopped feeling like a “dope,” that I found myself just downright fascinated, because I like the “edgy” political cartoons that I have found so far.

I have a feeling that I (and the readers of the Newburyport Blog, who feel like it) might now learn a whole lot more about political cartoons. (Another major learning curve for moi.)

This is from “The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists” (AAEC) on the Herblock Prize (see previous post).

(Already I’m feeling “enlightened” throwing around stuff like “AAEC.”)

“The Herblock Prize was created by the Herb Block Foundation to encourage editorial cartooning as an essential journalistic tool in preserving the rights of the American people.

Or, as Herb Block himself once put it: ‘Cartooning is an irreverent form of expression, and one particularly suited to scoffing at the high and mighty. If the prime role of a free press is to serve as critic of government, cartooning is often the cutting edge of that criticism.’ ”

“…the judges selected Auth’s work because his cartoons ‘not only pointed out the flaws, ironies and injustices in the system and its leaders, but simultaneously offered a playful sense of hope. This was truly a ‘Herblokian’ collection of work.’ ” (The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, May 10, 2005)

See, there is that delightful word, “irony.”

In my complete brazen, chattering to Mr. Auth, I actually had the very true audacity to suggest that blogging has something in common with political cartoons. (I can hardly believe I said that. Geesh.)

Because, in part, gently, sometimes, the Newburyport Blog does try and point out the ironies and silliness and flaws of civics and government, and also (one tries) to suggest the possibility that there might be a slight chance that things could get better.

(And don’t forget, I have a political consultant called “George”. It’s just not the “other” George.)

I am really fascinated by Tony Auth’s political cartoons, the ones so far that I have discovered (although I realize that not all the readers of the Newburyport Blog might be as “fascinated” as I am… they might even be offended…). And this is a whole new medium that I know absolutely nothing about, and I’m looking forward to learning a whole lot more about it.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport