# Can anyone explain this cartoon to me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 25, 2014, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455 "2014-08-25T11:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/1 "2014-08-25T11:32:40Z")
I came across [this cartoon](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/cartoon/?cartoon=11054465&cc=11004880) more or less by chance, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what (if anything) it is saying. It has got The Beatles, Islamic extremists, British police (looking a bit ineffectual, a smartphone, a Volkswagen (but that is probably irrelevant)… I am not getting what the connection or analogy is supposed to be between any of these things, or what witty, or supposedly insightful - or even mildly amusing, or trite - point is being made. Can anyone figure it out? If you do not know, it may (or may not) be relevant that _The Telegraph_ is a conservative leaning, fairly upscale, British newspaper. I am fairly sure, however, that the paper and its reader base is not _so_ conservative as to think, in 2014, that The Beatles ever represented an evil on a par with armed Islamic militant jihadists.\* ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ \*Spellcheck does not like this word, and suggests “sadists” instead. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/2 "2014-08-25T12:00:22Z")
Islamist extremists are the new Beatles, for which everyone (the media, the police) must stop and watch. That’s my off-the-cuff, 30 second interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/3 "2014-08-25T12:06:29Z")
Militant Islamic factions have taken/are taking over England. England used to be the land of the Beatles, now it’s the land of militant Islamic immigrants. The police (representing civilized society) are ineffectual in stopping them. That’s my take, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/4 "2014-08-25T12:10:42Z")
I guess I’m an idiot, but where are the Beatles? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/5 "2014-08-25T12:16:25Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I guess I’m an idiot, but where are the Beatles? It’s the iconic Beatles Abbey Road album cover. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/6 "2014-08-25T12:19:10Z")
> **[British Isis militant in James Foley video 'guards foreign hostages in Syria'](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/20/isis-militant-islamic-state-james-foley-guards-british)** > > Exclusive: Former hostage says 'John' is one of three British Islamic State jihadists who guard western captives in Raqqa One former hostage, who was held for a year in Raqqa, told the Guardian the British executioner is intelligent, educated and a devout believer in radical Islamic teachings. The three UK-born militants were referred to as “the Beatles” by fellow hostages because of their nationality, the former captive added. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/7 "2014-08-25T13:33:48Z")
What’s with Ringo’s pot belly? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/8 "2014-08-25T13:40:01Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > What’s with Ringo’s pot belly? Vest bombs are not particularly flattering for the mature terrorist. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/9 "2014-08-25T13:46:40Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Militant Islamic factions have taken/are taking over England. England used to be the land of the Beatles, now it’s the land of militant Islamic immigrants. The police (representing civilized society) are ineffectual in stopping them. That’s my take, anyway. Those of us who live in England don’t really tend to think of it as the land of the Beatles; we like to think we have a few other things too. The Telegraph is conservative-leaning, but “now it’s the land of militant Islamic immigrants” would be a unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/10 "2014-08-25T13:51:47Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Those of us who live in England don’t really tend to think of it as the land of the Beatles; we like to think we have a few other things too. The Telegraph is conservative-leaning, but “now it’s the land of militant Islamic immigrants” would be a unlikely. Really, I know England isn’t the “Land of the Beatles”. My point was that the paper could use an iconic picture that is closely associated with something English and replace it with something repsresenting militant Islam to easily represent a perceived cultural shift. Obviously I see now that it represents a specific incident and not a general commentary. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/11 "2014-08-25T14:26:34Z")
People, I think that what **Shmendrik** said is what the cartoon is about. A former hostage nicknamed his captors as “The Beatles”, and it seems that they are the same who were involved in keeping Foley a prisoner. > [@Shmendrik](#): > > [British Isis militant in James Foley video 'guards foreign hostages in Syria' | Islamic State | The Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/20/isis-militant-islamic-state-james-foley-guards-british) > One former hostage, who was held for a year in Raqqa, told the Guardian the British executioner is intelligent, educated and a devout believer in radical Islamic teachings. The three UK-born militants were referred to as “the Beatles” by fellow hostages because of their nationality, the former captive added. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/12 "2014-08-25T15:14:25Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Really, I know England isn’t the “Land of the Beatles”. My point was that the paper could use an iconic picture that is closely associated with something English and replace it with something repsresenting militant Islam to easily represent a perceived cultural shift. Obviously I see now that it represents a specific incident and not a general commentary. I didn’t mean that you really thought that, just that the Beatles don’t really represent Englishness in England. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-cartoon-to-me/696455/13 "2014-08-25T17:13:07Z")
Yeah, the scuttlebut is that the 3 brit sounding captors were nicknamed John, Paul and Ringo by the hostages. I wonder whether Harrison would have felt offended or relieved.