---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think that what I'm doing…"
description: "\"I don't think that what I'm doing [political cartooning] is necessarily left versus right. What I'm addressing is top versus bottom. If I'm not spendin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/tom-tomorrow-48236_bottom_i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-politi_1704002.jpg"
---

#  I don't think that what I'm doing \[political cartooning\]…

![“I don't think that what I'm doing &#91;political cartooning&#93; is necessarily left versus right. What I'm addressing is top versus bottom. If I'm not spending a lot of time making fun of the more extreme elements of the Green Party, it's because what I do is to critique power.” quote by Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/tom-tomorrow-48236_bottom_i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-politi_1704002.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/tom-tomorrow-48236_bottom_i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-politi_1704002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/tom-tomorrow-48236_bottom_i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-politi_1704002.jpg)

> “I don't think that what I'm doing \[political cartooning\] is necessarily left versus right. What I'm addressing is top versus bottom. If I'm not spending a lot of time making fun of the more extreme elements of the Green Party, it's because what I do is to critique power.”

[Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The creator sees his work as a critique of power structures, not a partisan issue, focusing on hierarchy rather than left‑right politics.

**In simple terms:** Cartoons target power, not politics.

Key Takeaway

Focus on power dynamics.

Themes

politics art power hierarchy

Mood

reflective critical

Type

analytical commentary

When to use this quote

- media commentary
- political discourse
- activism
- education

Key Concepts

social critique satire

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you distinguish power critique from political bias?
- What hierarchies need most scrutiny?

A Different Perspective

Power critiques can be misread as partisan.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Critique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critique/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Green party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green-party/) [Making fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-fun/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [I love Vice President Biden, let's make this clear. But we do need somebody that is going to reconnect with the heart and soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/i-love-vice-president-biden-let-s-make-this-clear-but-we-do-need/)

[Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/)

> [I wasn't having any luck getting accepted anyway and it forced me to re-examine what it was that I really wanted to do. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-wasn-t-having-any-luck-getting-accepted-anyway-and-it-forced-me-to/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [I think the experience forced me to consider how interested I was in political cartooning. After I was fired, I applied to other papers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-think-the-experience-forced-me-to-consider-how-interested-i-was-in/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [Politics isn't about left versus right; it's about top versus bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/politics-isn-t-about-left-versus-right-it-s-about-top-versus-bottom/)

[Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/)

> [Most people assume the fights are going to be the left versus the right, but it always is the reasonable versus the jerks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/most-people-assume-the-fights-are-going-to-be-the-left-versus-the/)

[Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/)

> [The old division of Left versus Right is dead. In the Internet age, it's about citizens versus parliamentary relics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beppe-grillo/the-old-division-of-left-versus-right-is-dead-in-the-internet-age-it/)

[Beppe Grillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beppe-grillo/)

> [The classic one for me is one of my favorite images - left-versus-right political-spectrum image. I was trying to visualize the concepts on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccandless/the-classic-one-for-me-is-one-of-my-favorite-images-left-versus-right/)

[David Mccandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccandless/)

> [Doing political comedy you do feel guilty that you aren't trying to change problems, you are merely exploiting them for your own financial gain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nish-kumar/doing-political-comedy-you-do-feel-guilty-that-you-aren-t-trying-to/)

[Nish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nish-kumar/)

> [People always ask me 'do you think there should be more bands doing political music?' and I say 'absolutely not.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/people-always-ask-me-do-you-think-there-should-be-more-bands-doing/)

[Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/)

> [If you mention any ideological thing about shooting 'Last Tango in Paris,' I was thinking I was doing a political film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci/if-you-mention-any-ideological-thing-about-shooting-last-tango-in/)

[Bernardo Bertolucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernardo-bertolucci/)

> [I am an old, old friend of Aaron Sorkin's, who is the executive producer and writer. He had been talking about doing a political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-whitford/i-am-an-old-old-friend-of-aaron-sorkin-s-who-is-the-executive/)

[Bradley Whitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-whitford/)

> [The interesting artists I know are the ones doing political work. The most interesting people I know are the people who care about politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/the-interesting-artists-i-know-are-the-ones-doing-political-work-the/)

[Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/)

> [And we have a Fed that's doing political things. This Janet Yellen of the Fed. The Fed is doing political - by keeping the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/and-we-have-a-fed-that-s-doing-political-things-this-janet-yellen-of/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [I'm very wary of doing political stuff for a lot of reasons. One of the big ones is that the shelf-life for them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-heidecker/i-m-very-wary-of-doing-political-stuff-for-a-lot-of-reasons-one-of/)

[Tim Heidecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-heidecker/)

> [ \[Tyler Perry\] has the luxury of not doing the political stuff, which is really where I want to be as a company. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/tyler-perry-has-the-luxury-of-not-doing-the-political-stuff-which-is/)

[Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/)

## More by Tom Tomorrow

> [My biggest influence growing up was Mad magazine, which is a very text-heavy form of visual satire. I didn’t grow up wanting to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/my-biggest-influence-growing-up-was-mad-magazine-which-is-a-very-text/)

[Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

> [My cartoons appear in newspapers, which are full of words, but there's something about having it in this little box that confounds people's expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/my-cartoons-appear-in-newspapers-which-are-full-of-words-but-there-s/)

[Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

> [I don't think being a cynic is necessarily a negative thing. It's a matter of seeing the world with clear and open eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/i-don-t-think-being-a-cynic-is-necessarily-a-negative-thing-it-s-a/)

[Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

> [ To keep doing this job \[draw political cartoons\] week after week, I think you have to want to change the world, while understanding that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/to-keep-doing-this-job-draw-political-cartoons-week-after-week-i/)

[Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

> [Our basic civil liberties are in jeopardy, but we're going to be spending our time as a society arguing about whether or not schoolchildren…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/our-basic-civil-liberties-are-in-jeopardy-but-we-re-going-to-be/)

[Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

> [Politics, like advertising, is about people selling you things you didn't really want or need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/politics-like-advertising-is-about-people-selling-you-things-you-didn/)

[Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

> [Good satire is about attacking the powerful, and that tends to be more the purview of the left. Maybe there's something about the conservative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/good-satire-is-about-attacking-the-powerful-and-that-tends-to-be-more/)

[Tom Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

[Explore all 8 Tom Tomorrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/)

## More Bottom quotes

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/)

[James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/)

> [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/)

[Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/)

> [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/)

[Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/)

> [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/)

[John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/)

> [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/)

[Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/)

> [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/)

[Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/)

> [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/)

[Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/)

> [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/)

[Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/)

> [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [One thing you learned as a Cubs fan: when you bought you ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/one-thing-you-learned-as-a-cubs-fan-when-you-bought-you-ticket-you/)

[Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/)

> [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/)

[Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/)

Browse all 2,558 Bottom quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't think that what I'm doing [political cartooning] is necessarily left versus right. What I'm addressing is top versus bottom. If I'm not spending a lot of time making fun of the more extreme elements of the Green Party, it's because what I do is to critique power.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Tomorrow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-political-cartooning-is-necessarily/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bottom"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-political-cartooning-is-necessarily/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/tom-tomorrow-48236_bottom_i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-politi_1704002.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/tom-tomorrow-48236_bottom_i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-politi_1704002.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/tom-tomorrow-48236_bottom_i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-politi_1704002.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think that what I'm doing [political cartooning] is necessarily left versus right. What I'm…” — Tom Tomorrow",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Tom Tomorrow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tomorrow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think that what I'm...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-political-cartooning-is-necessarily/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tomorrow/i-don-t-think-that-what-i-m-doing-political-cartooning-is-necessarily/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
