Summary Of Liza Donnelly Abuse Playbook

Through outdated stereotypes and normalized misogyny, sexism has been present in the judicial system for a long time. Although judicial figures are supposed to be unbiased, victims often receive unjust treatment based on their gender. The justice system consists of government laws and institutions that are created to protect society and maintain civil rights, while also punishing those who defy the rules. However, in a society filled with gender norms and political discord, it is not surprising for misogyny and sexism to get mixed into this supposedly neutral system. Liza Donnelly’s famous editorial cartoons have recently shed light on the topic and brought national attention to the injustice. Many of her illustrations became renowned for their

Through the cartoons Abuse Playbook, When I Grow Up: Rape Allegations, and Victim Questioning, Donnelly’s illustration of symbolism, irony and diction exposes how the current justice system allows misogyny and sexism to flourish.

In order to highlight the absurdity that is misogynistic injustice and make the situation more impactful, Donnelly often uses irony in her editorial cartoons. In the illustration Abuse Playbook, Donnelly depicts a judge asking for a football player's autograph and completely disregarding the battered girlfriend of said player. Her depiction accuses the judge of caring more about the celebrity status of the defendant rather than the current state of the woman. While the standard expected of government judges is to be unbiased and neutral, it is ironic that one is depicted as favoring the male sex when it comes to female abuse and treatment. It is because of these sexist outlooks that even supposedly impartial figures are susceptible to bias and misogyny in their career. Another example of irony is shown in the illustration When I Grow Up: Rape Allegations, where it depicts a scene of children

When looking at the illustration Abuse Playbook, the top panel shows 3 different women, however they are all in the same situation. Each woman exclaims a phrase similar to “He didn't mean it.”, “I love him.”, etc, all the while sporting multiple dark bruises on their faces and bodies. Compare this to the bottom panel with the football player and judge, where the also bruised girlfriend of said player says “It’ll never happen again.” (Donnelly). Because of the judges decision of not incarcerating the abuser, she convinces herself that he won't do it again, thus beginning the new cycle of abuse. This use of diction is strong because of its underlying meaning of true manipulation and gaslighting the women have faced in order for them to convey these words. It effectively shows the circle of abuse that women face in toxic relationships and how one can truly be forced to think something painful translates into love. The judge, blatantly ignoring the clear signs of abuse goes into deep rooted misogyny in men and how political power creates the expectation of righteousness, but is still clouded by sexism and misogyny. This unfair ruling only further fuels sexism and the cycle of abuse, allowing the male who was not convicted to later repeat his actions. Another cartoon containing diction pertaining to the effects of misogyny is Victim