preoccupied

The political cartoon I chose for this week was drawn by Joel Pett. It depicts three scenes: the Occupy Wall Street movement, "unoccupied" storefronts, and the "preoccupied" Congress. This cartoon is an interesting way to depict three important elements of the American political climate by using different versions of the same word. Through this cartoon, we can see the Occupy Wall Street protests, which are continuing to hold out despite arrests and shutdowns; the poor state of the economy as represented by the unoccupied buildings; and the distracted, out-of-touch way in which Congress deals with these and other problems. Though Pett refrains from using any outrightly scathing techniques or devices, by captioning the image of Congress with the word "preoccupied" we are presented with a critical view of the government and its efforts. The cartoonist's point of view is similar to any American's; he simply sees the tumultuous state of the economy and of society juxtaposed with the inaction and distracted nature of Congress.