Political Metaphor

This cartoon represents a satirical view of the current financial crisis in the United States, and our government's reaction to this crisis. It depicts the government as a lifeguard, who is supposed to watch over us and save us in our time of greatest need. It also shows many people in the tumultuous waters struggling to stay afloat. This is a representation of many American people's financial woes which they struggle to overcome in a time of economical depression. Instead of being saved by the lifeguard, representing the government which they expected to rescue them from these struggles, they are left to drown in their troubles. The lifeguard instead rescues the a shark from the churning waters. This shark is a metaphorical representation of the lenders whom the government bailed out instead of supporting its citizens in need. The lenders are depicted as a shark because they too are essentially another enemy of the people, for they are the ones responsible for getting those people into debt in the first place by giving them loans which they could not pay back and are now drowning in a sea of foreclosure.