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Cognitive Dissonance

November 17, 2024 | 5:35 AM - Updated on November 18, 2024 | 9:37 AM
in ART, COLUMNS
30

Editor’s note: The caption for the above cartoon was adapted from a cartoon by David Sipress, who tells the story of the line — HERE.

By Gary Martin

Perhaps you’re a bit like me and have trouble holding two opposing — but I think, rational — thoughts in your head at the same time. They change from time to time. Here’s my current cognitive dissonance.

Gary B. Martin is an illustrator and animator who has lived on the Upper West Side for more than three decades. His Sunday illustrations for West Side Rag chronicle life in the neighborhood, New York City, and the Universe.

Watch for Gary’s illustrations on Sundays in the Rag and see them all here. For a broader range of Gary’s work, including animations and other motion graphics, please visit www.martoons.com

Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And check out the Support button below.

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Please limit comments to 150 words and keep them civil and relevant to the article at hand. Comments are closed after six days. Our primary goal is to create a safe and respectful space where a broad spectrum of voices can be heard. We welcome diverse viewpoints and encourage readers to engage critically with one another’s ideas, but never at the expense of civility. Disagreement is expected—even encouraged—but it must be expressed with care and consideration. Comments that take cheap shots, escalate conflict, or veer into ideological warfare detract from the constructive spirit we aim to cultivate. A detailed statement on comments and WSR policy can be read here.

Comments 30

  1. Nancy says:
    1 year ago

    Exactly my feelings! Nice blend of whimsy and pathos. Cognitive dissonance!

    Reply
  2. Judy Orich says:
    1 year ago

    My sentiments exactly. Spot on Gary ! Not ready to take my head out of the sand…..

    Reply
  3. Neal Leibowitz says:
    1 year ago

    I have lost BOTH battles.

    Reply
  4. Laurie K says:
    1 year ago

    It’s as though you interviewed me and then created this week’s illustration!

    Reply
  5. Steve says:
    1 year ago

    Understand totally. I am boycotting all news programs. At some point, my head will come out of the sand.

    Reply
  6. Andy says:
    1 year ago

    Just put me in the ground and dig me up in a few years.

    Reply
    • gmartin says:
      1 year ago

      it’ll take longer than that.

      Reply
  7. Joanna says:
    1 year ago

    Nailed it, Gary. As usual.

    Reply
  8. Paul P says:
    1 year ago

    You and me both, Gary.

    Reply
  9. OPOD says:
    1 year ago

    I am extremely optimistic about the future of our country.

    Reply
    • Emma says:
      1 year ago

      What, precisely, are you possibly optimistic about?

      Reply
    • ecm says:
      1 year ago

      Yes, as Leibniz, Voltaire, and Eleanor Porter remind us, it just doesn’t get any better than this. (Unless of course, pace Émile Coué, the situation is getting even better still.) Lucky us!

      Reply
  10. Don says:
    1 year ago

    Thanks, Gary!!!
    You read my mind…

    Reply
  11. Anne Watkins says:
    1 year ago

    We gotta pace ourselves for the long haul. Thanks for staying in touch with all of us, Gary! You are using your platforms well.

    Reply
  12. David says:
    1 year ago

    Reading the NY Times each morning is a need and a dread.

    Reply
  13. Jess says:
    1 year ago

    It’s less painful to read the newspapers than watch the news on TV.

    Reply
  14. Best side? says:
    1 year ago

    Some of us don’t have that luxury. We have jobs directly tied to US current events and foreign policy, so keeping pace with the news is essential. We’re taught to set our feelings aside early in our careers in order focus on critical tasks. Maybe try a bit of that, stop moping and think about next steps

    Reply
  15. Mia says:
    1 year ago

    Ha! I can relate. I just started reading the paper again after a ten day hiatus.

    Reply
  16. David says:
    1 year ago

    This really sums up my reaction to the election. I’m opting for sanity.

    Reply
  17. Stacey says:
    1 year ago

    I look forward to Gary’s take on the world each week. He always knows just how I feel.

    Reply
  18. Joe Chiplock says:
    1 year ago

    We’ll bring them both back into alignment…it may just take a while…

    Reply
    • UWS Dad says:
      1 year ago

      Probably will only take four years until swing voters realize what they’ve done… then they’ll forget again four years later and we’ll be right back in this mess.

      Reply
  19. lucky reade says:
    1 year ago

    Yup.

    Reply
  20. RCP says:
    1 year ago

    As the old saying goes: “Ignorance is bliss . . . until reality smacks you in the face.”

    Reply
    • ecm says:
      1 year ago

      And as I say, “Bliss is highly overrated.”

      Reply
  21. ecm says:
    1 year ago

    • “A well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.”
    • “Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”
    • “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

    One has to wonder why Thomas Jefferson was so worked up over this! I mean, even without an informed citizenry, America is getting along just great now, right? (And if weren’t, we could always remain serene in our unknowing.)

    Reply
  22. Kathy says:
    1 year ago

    Highly relatable!

    Reply
  23. OPOD says:
    1 year ago

    Over the next 4 years our Country will undergo fundamental changes. The Washington swamp will be drained, and the Government will be run efficiently. Our food will be healthier our country will be stronger.

    Reply
    • ecm says:
      1 year ago

      Well, it’s a big multiverse, isn’t it?

      Reply
  24. Kathi says:
    1 year ago

    I want this cartoon on a Tee shirt, immediately!

    Reply

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