26 editorial cartoons that best summarize the year that was

When it comes to politics and world events, I can be a pretty quiet, but serious guy. Writing every week for close to five years on the ills (and triumphs) of society has provided me with an outlet in which to vent my frustrations, anger and contempt with those I share the world. Unfortunately, this is the only side of me most of you get to see.

So every New Year’s Day I’ve made it a tradition to show off my humorous side by taking a look back at the year that was in the form of editorial cartoons. As Stewart, Colbert, Oliver, Maher and others have proven, humor is a great form of communication. If it’s worth talking about, it’s equally worth joking about.

Like any year, 2014 had many ups and downs… mostly downs, but still, it was a great year for comedy. That’s what I like about editorial cartoons, you can paint a picture of the most tragic of events and still wind up smiling at the end of it. Call it escapism if you want, we all need it now and then.

2014 was filled with racism and hate, more than any year I can remember, at least in the media. Whether it was the hate filled aggression of ISIS, the racism at the heart of police violence, the racism in sports or a Nevada cattle rancher, it was upfront and personal. That doesn’t mean we can’t step back and laugh at it.

Politics was filled with more Republican obstructionism, a midterm election, fake scandals and real ones, more climate change denial, Ebola, the Keystone XL pipeline, the war on the Islamic State, etc. etc. In fact, all this was covered in the same week. But that doesn’t mean we can’t step back and laugh at it.

Regrettably, 2014 was also filled with the tragic deaths of some of our more famous public figures like Robin Williams, Joan Rivers, Maya Angelou, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Fred Phelps (some are less tragic than others.) Still, I’m sure some of them would want us to step back and laugh.

Have a great 2015 everyone, enjoy!

Best Editorial Cartoons 2014: In Memoriam