The Art of the Insult?

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By Radical Rhymes

I’ve been on Twitter for a little while now, and one of the things I’ve noticed is the careless, casual rudeness that can rear its ugly head. Complete strangers with no prior knowledge of the recipient will launch the most disgusting and uncalled for attacks, seemingly without a moment’s thought.

I get it predominantly from MAGA supporters, people so far down the Trump rabbit hole that they can barely see daylight.

For example, yesterday I drew Tucker Carlson looking bewildered and angry after the disappearance of key documents proving the illegal dealings of Hunter Biden. The drawing was designed to show how foolish Tucker is, and for me that is warranted.

There were no documents in my view. No-one, not a person with a functioning brain would send such vital information through snail mail. Not without making copies. It was fake news. A hoax. So, not only was it foolish but a political scam. That deserves highlighting and ridicule.

Having put that put there in cyberspace you then have to take whatever barbs and arrows come your way. I am okay with that. Maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps it all happened just the way Tucker said…

Therefore, if people disagree, have a different perspective fine. But what you get is vicious insults by people you’ve never met or had any involvement with, I believe they are called ‘keyboard warriors?’

One guy, whose bio suggested he has an advanced science degree, started a response with ‘hey, mouthbreather’. Only after hurling the vile insult did this guy bother to engage with the blood and guts of my accusations. His justification? Partly that there were date stamps for the mailing… date stamps. Could they be faked? Apparently not.

Now, I have caricatured many key right wing politicians, right wing media ‘personalities’, and of course, the Trumps, who, as far as I can see, have no political affiliations beyond their own interests. They are primally driven to enrich themselves and promote their own glories (what those are, god only knows, unless you count living the high life on credit).

But, and this is important, I insult them because I know them, or at least I know enough about them, given their public dealings, attitudes and behaviours. I have also disparaged MAGA as a movement, largely because I see it as a cult.

What I haven’t done is single out individuals within that movement, unknown individuals, for personal ridicule. I don’t know them. They have their reasons for believing in Trump, seeing him as the saviour that will destroy the deep state. I do get it, it is just that in reality he is a faded reality star who sold himself to a foreign country because of debts and blackmail.

The sad thing is, that we cannot have a genuine discussion, not once that insult has been fired. As a human being my defensive side comes into play and an insult fires straight back. That’s sad. Neither one of us are public figures, simply two people who disagree.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could dispense with the vitriol aimed at complete strangers? Yeah, I think so too…

Radical Rhymes is a professional artist working with a range of media – predominantly animal/human portraits and landscapes – including, most recently, hand painted furniture. You can see his work on Instagram Radicalrhymes1969 or on Twitter @RhymesRadical.

For commissions, please contact him on Twitter via Direct Message or by email at: radicalrhymes@outlook.com His work is also available to buy on Etsy

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