Make Way: 200 Years of American Women in Cartoons

Rating:
Summary: A historical record of absurd arguments against equality
Review: Cartoons are used for many things, from humor to ridicule, and in some cases the artist attempts to do both, which was the point of many of the cartoons in this book. The collection demonstrates a constant in the American political process. When a significant social change is proposed, those on both sides of the debate tend to use extremes in their arguments. Those opposed tend to be the worst, and their opposition generally begins with: "This is the first step to {fill in an outrageous/illogical consequence here}, so it must be prevented."
This approach can be seen in this collection of cartoons, where the expansion of woman's rights is depicted as the first step to a society where the males are pathetically subservient to the females. One cartoon has an all-female jury acquitting a male defendant "on account of his good looks." Of course, none of the dire consequences have happened, although it is very interesting to see the historical record of how cartoonists viewed the glacial political and social process that finally led to women getting the right to vote followed by full legal rights.
It is one of the greatest ironies that the bloodiest conflicts in the history of the human race provided the impetus for woman to achieve equal rights. When the men were off fighting world wars I & II, women entered the work force in massive numbers and proved that they could do the jobs previously thought too difficult for the "weaker sex." Once the wars were over, many women did not easily abandon their newfound freedoms.
The cartoons in this book are a history lesson in how absurd arguments were used for many years to deny women their natural rights and in that respect it is interesting. However, the absurd nature of the cartoons means that they are interesting in the historical sense, but in no way are they funny.