Feminine Riles: Cartoons to Promote Thought

Feminine Riles is a gorgeously illustrated, witty, and original look at patriarchy. It is a fascinating meditation on the system which underlies modern reality; a system which has dominated human history for about 4 millennia, siring slavery, feudalism, mercantilism, colonialism, capitalism, communism, authoritarianism … you name the ism, you will probably find patriarchal genes lurking within its DNA.

Patriarchy is a human artefact. It is neither god-given nor natural – instead, it is a particularly ugly man-made relic which lies at the foundation of so many dysfunctional social systems. A relic built on the concepts of male superiority, misogyny and militarism; the dominance of a few, the enslavement and expendability of the many; the worship of fleeting physical wealth and lining the pockets of the “superior”, regardless of the pain, misery or destruction that may cause; the ruthless exploitation of everything (animal, vegetable, mineral) the dominant can get their greedy hands upon, even if that should destroy the future for our descendants; the objectification of “the other”, including our Mother the Earth; and the hatred of anyone not of our tribe, as well as those of the tribe who do not slavishly and mindlessly follow its rules for behaviour.

It is this book’s cri de cœur that it is past time to topple this oppressive and destructive system.

Cartoons are about using satire to expose lies, to illuminate wrongs, to skewer the powerful, to expose hypocrisy and stupidity, to reveal the ugly truths so often concealed behind the accepted and the conventional.

They are extraordinarily powerful because of their ability to penetrate hearts and minds.

A good cartoon will make you think deeply about what you thought you understood about the world; it may make you change your mind about the issues. A brilliant cartoon provides an insight which is incendiary, provoking your anger, even while you laugh.

This book delivers cartoons which are not just good, but brilliant.