Where to draw the line? Hong Kong satire from cartoons to internet memes
Hong Kong’s satire today takes the shape of internet memes, cartoons, protest props, chants of clever word plays, and derivative works to express opposition.
Comedy and caricature are in Harry Harrison’s view, a balm for the pain of reality.
“There is a saying that many a true word is spoken in jest, which I find often holds up. And in many cases, especially now in Hong Kong, you have to laugh, or you will cry,” the award-winning political cartoonist said, summing up the role of satirical works in helping residents cope with the recent volatile years.
For 21 years, Hong Kong-based Harrison has been channelling people’s frustrations into satirical cartoons for the Post in his Harry’s View sketches, which encourage readers to laugh along with his lighthearted thoughts on the city’s news.