The next political caricature was published on November 28, 2016 in the NEW YORKER (Appendix 1, Fig. 6). It is named "Counting", and was created by Barry Blitt (Fig. 6). It shows a single figure in front of a light brown colored wall (Fig. 6). This wall is decorated with a framed image, and framed on one side by half of a shelf, and what may be a brown curtain and a limply hanging American flag to the other side (Fig. 6). In the middle, at the back, stands a light brown cupboard (Fig. 6). There is a male figure in the foreground, sitting on a black chair behind a brown desk (Fig. 6). On top of the desk is a glass and a few pages of white paper (Fig. 6). The brown skinned figure itself is dressed in a black suit, and wears a blue tie over a …show more content…
This scenario implies that the main character, President Barack Obama, is counting the days towards a certain point in his future. Judging by the publication date between election, on November 8, 2016, and inauguration, traditionally set to be on the following January 20, the date Obama may be counting towards is the inauguration of the next president in January (Levine "Here Are All The Dates You Need To Know For Election 2016.", Williams "Presidents change, Inauguration Day stays the same."). This has two possible implications: for one, President Obama counts the days he has left until January 20, much like someone counting the days of a confinement, or secondly, that he is counting the days until the inauguration as something that might be negative at the end (Fig. 6). The commentary that has been published together with the digital announcement of the title caricature, on November 21, 2016, implies a more negative connotation. The comment compares Thrump, a character marked by "a cotton-candy combover", to Obama as "someone with a little character and decency", but also adds optimistically, in something close to satire, that "maybe everything will work out just great!" (Mouly 6 "Cover Story: Barry Blitt's "Counting""). When this comment is taken into account, it becomes clear that the meaning is negative; Obama counts towards a uncertain future in which someone who is more famous for his hairdo than his political agenda will take