Analysis Of Robert Ariail's Role-Swapped Characters

Robert Ariail’s role-swapped characters depict the fallacies of social security and medicare as the baby is the one who must accept two new mouths to feed while the grandparents are the ones who are helpless to feed themselves. The grandparents lie in one basket each, labeled “Social Security” and “Medicare,” and wail on the doorstep of the baby. This may appear satirical at first, but it is actually sad and people will empathize with the baby if they view the cartoon logically. The artist’s point lies in his usage of logos: the grandparents must take care of the baby; however, in the comic, the baby, who can hardly take care of himself, must also accept responsibility for the grandparents. This swapping of roles is ironic. If the grandparents