Davos 2019: Has The World Become A Tougher Place For Cartoonists? Here’s Patrick Chappatte’s Take
Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte talks to BloombergQuint on the importance of freedom of expression through humour.
The world has become a tougher place for cartoonists, according to Patrick Chappatte, the editorial cartoonist at The New York Times. This, he said, is because cartoonists have been at the centre of attention, as seen in the Charlie Hebdo killings and the Danish cartoon controversy.
Right now, it’s more important than ever, to defend our fundamental freedom for humour. We need humour as much as we need the air to stay alive.
“It’s no easy task, given that a lot of governments around the world are dismissive of the media,” he said, adding that there’s a rising fervour among nation states.
It’s a crazy world right now, and you can see that reflected in the World Economic Forum. The elite are lost by what’s going on. All the turmoil, nationalism.Patrick Chappatte, cartoonist
Chappatte, whose works are on display at the WEF, finds himself in a peculiar position since he studies people in power very closely, and this places him in a better position to create satire. Some of his works are about panel discussions on poverty and hunger, and fighting climate change with the rich and elite coming in their private jets.
He talked about how we have to find a way to have patience with each other. “If not tolerance, I want to argue for indifference.”
