Open letter to the West from Islamic State. Read with a straight face

“Dear The West,” starts this spiffing cartoon in The Guardian, which manages to burn both ends of the candle simultaneously. Which is to say, send up Islamic State as well as the exaggerated fear narrative playing out in Western capitals.

“…seriously you make us sound like a military super tough guy power-house rather than an accidentally well-armed horde of thugs and butchers…”

That has to be about right, especially the bit about whipping up fear and getting “a bounce in the polls” while the “pliant” (mainly Western) media “gives us (ie IS) free publicity.”

The cartoon version of the greatest IS propaganda hit that never was, continues as follows: “Honestly, your media are awesome. Saudi Arabia beheads someone for sorcery, I mean that’s cold but no one bats an eyelid. We do it and everyone loses their shit.”

It was Moliere who said that comedy’s duty was to correct men by amusing them. So too, the greatest political cartoons, which are chilling mockery rather than comical.