. . . is to attack his or her appearance.

There are plenty of valid, substantive arguments available to attack May on policy issues. Given that the underlying goal is to sway readers or listeners on policy issues, why risk losing a reader or listener who identifies or empathizes with someone who is attacked for his/her appearance?

I don't think it was the cartoonist (Rob Moran) purpose.

Here is his comment about the draw :

It is a play on words, more like.

I agree, without his explanation, it is not very obvious.

Last edited Sat Oct 7, 2017, 12:01 PM - Edit history (1)

. . . but after reading your follow-up note, and going back and forth a few times, I think it initially went over my head. Where Dorian Gray’s ugly deeds were reflected in his portrait (thus allowing him to remain youthful and handsome), Theresa May’s vile (and ugly?) deeds reflect who she actually is in a mirror. Thus, she and her reflection were depicted with hideous features, yes?

Thanks for the follow-up, syringis, and thanks for not taking the flame-on route.

Sean

I don't know this expression. I did not find a definition. In context, It means to me to get pissed of and react accordingly.

It I'm not wrong, why would I be flustered ? Your opinion isn't less valuable than mine or anyone else opinion. To the contrary, it is always interesting to get a different point of view. Whether I agree or not, it might bring possibilities to interpret the purpose differently. Maybe change completely the initial thought, partly or simply reinforce it.

Somehow, it is exactly what happened.

I mean, you pointed something I did not catch : indeed, the cartoon is not very clear and can be confusing without the cartoonist statement.

After this digression (Am I talkative ) I would add that there might be a matter of objectivity or subjectivity depending the way we look at it.

Rob Moran is Briton and probably as many Britons as well as many Europeans Pro-Europe (I'm one of them), is fuming to undergo this shining proof of cretinism in politic...

Short view, lack of anticipating, sticking to the power at all costs, tossing dices or playing poker instead of a proper political behavior, and on...

It is a personal opinion; I think Rob Moran has possibly been influenced and would explain his drawing.

I Hope it is understandable, I'm not a English native speaker and sometimes I take huge liberties with the language rules...

...as it is being used a fair bit following the Prime Minister's disastrous conference speech where everything went wrong. Plenty of people cannot help but sympathise with somebody in that situation, even if I cannot help but have as much sympathy for Theresa May as Conservatives have for anyone else having a hard time.

Having rivals within her own party like Boris Johnson and Grant Shapps may also make people more sympathetic to May in comparison to those clowns.

...I too, felt sorry for her. Not very much and not too long, but as you said, you cannot help yourself to have compassion for someone having a hard time.

What I did not understand, is why she took the position ? She was in favour to remain in EU.

To grab power of course! If she hadn't changed tack the loonies in her party would have never got behind her.

Also worth noting that Theresa May did not play a major role in the referendum, which meant that the "Stronger In" campaign were not able to make an issue of the European Arrest Warrant as we would have liked. She clearly saw the writing on the wall and decided to maneuver for power instead.

Ed Miliband ate a bacon sarnie ...