Hurricane Armadillos

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It may be hard to notice at first, but this political cartoon is actually about the risk of offshore drilling in Florida. To the right, there is a sign pointing attention to the fact that a lot of hurricanes go through this area, making it a “Hurricane Highway.” A Mac truck in the distance is labeled as “Katrina.” This is, of course, in reference to Hurricane Katrina which ripped apart the southeast coast of the United States in 2005 (“Hurricane…”). There are tire tracks coming from the truck which symbolize the path that Hurricane Katrina took as she went headed towards and into the United States. The armadillos symbolize the places and ideas that were already set into motion during the time that Katrina came through. The two armadillos that are on the street are labeled “Coastal Refineries and Pipelines” and “Offshore Oil Drilling Platforms.” To be clear, the refineries are industrial plants that are used to purify petroleum, and pipelines transport the oil. In this cartoon, these two armadillos were run over and killed by the truck. This display is telling the viewer that these coastal refineries, pipelines, and drilling platforms were totally destroyed by…show more content…
The blind armadillo is about to cross the highway, which is how it all ties together. Unable to see the dead and bloodied armadillos that had previously crossed the street, the blind armadillo could not see the danger in crossing the highway. He is ignorant to how unsafe it will be to cross it. The artist is telling his audience that the “push to open Florida waters to drilling” is not a good idea. He is saying that the people pushing for it are walking straight into a deathtrap; blind to the fact that everything before them was completely wiped out by the last Hurricane

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