Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes has been defending her depiction of Sen. Ted Cruz’s two daughters as monkeys on the basis that the children were fair game because Cruz had put them in a political ad.
But ironically, Telnaes’ own controversial cartoon inadvertently shows why kids should be off limits.
In her cartoon, Telnaes portrays Cruz’s children as monkeys and Cruz as the organ grinder. The point she was trying to convey was that Cruz was exploiting his children to advance his political ambitions.
If Telnaes’ point is an accurate one, then it means that Cruz’s children didn’t choose to be in a political ad, and have no agency. They appeared in the ad at the behest of their father.
This is why children are especially out of bounds for attacks. Though there’s a general level of deference for family members, at least when it comes to political spouses, there’s an argument that they’re adults who can make their own decisions. They probably knew they were marrying somebody with political ambitions, could voice objections, could choose not to be as active a participant in the campaign, could even exit the marriage if it came to that.
But children have no such choices. They’re born into a family with a political parent and don’t have the autonomy of a political spouse.
Saying that Cruz’s children are fair game because he thrust them into the spotlight would mean punishing innocent kids for the actions of their father.
So, if you accept Telnaes argument, the case against the cartoon becomes even stronger.
