“NOT EVEN-HANDED JUSTICE: Crushing the scorpion of anarchy but sparing the octopus of monopoly”, Artist William A. Rogers, published in Harper’s Weekly, January 21, 1888.

(Snark: Seems kind of apt, given the Occupy movement and response to it. Some things don’t change.)

Image source: Railroad Cartoons Home, http://sophia.smith.edu/~maldrich/topics/political_influence/1888harpersjan21.htm (accessed 12-11-2011)

oliviawaite has a question.

Not so much a metaphor, but I am ever bemused that in political cartoons & propaganda - and metaphor in general - that the number of legs an octopus has … is well, only a matter of convenience.

“Union-busting, 1950s (or early 1960s)”

[VA: I have no words]

[VA: I’ve lost who submitted this, I thought the information would be ‘stuck’ to the post, but apparently I was wrong. If it was you, and you want your name/website associated, please contact me via “Ask” button.]

Know your communist enemy

“I was amazed when I discovered your website because it reminded me of a picture that I found campy—but still evocative—even when I was in high school.  It is something that /should/ be shared with the world, and where better than a website devoted to octopodes in politics.”  

[VA: …snip…]

[Submitted by: Kevin Deegan-Krause (http://www.pozorblog.com)]

[VA: Source is “Know Your Communist Enemy” p.3 in Robert B. Watts (1977), “Our Freedom Documents”, The Supreme Council, Washington]

“Shanghai Trader”

“Found this an old issue of Dragon Magazine (#136, August 1988). Don’t know anything about the actual game, alas.”

Submitted by: Richard Pilbeam 

[VA: see The Mongolian Octopus - Phil May and “Yellow Peril”]

Submissions

A quick note: purely by chance I’ve found submissions are being made to Vulgar Army that I’ve received no notification of *insert sad confused face*. I will look over these when I get back home in a few days. Lots of tentacled goodness to come.