Point the Finger
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| "Point the Finger" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of Hup issue #3 | |
| Story | Robert Crumb |
| Ink | Robert Crumb |
| Date | November 1989 |
| Pages | 6[1] |
"Point the Finger" is a 1989 comic book story written and illustrated by American cartoonist Robert Crumb for Last Gasp. The story appeared in the third of the four issue series of his solo title Hup. In the story, Crumb goes after then real estate businessman Donald Trump and imagines having an argument with him. Two possible endings are shown to the reader. In one, Crumb is arrested by the police for having wasted Trump's time; in the second ending, two women give Trump a swirlie in the toilet. Critics described the story as both sexist and prescient. The comic received additional attention in 2016, when Trump was elected president of the United States.
In the 1980s, American cartoonist Robert Crumb often satirized the culture of the United States in his work. He refined his underground art style by drawing inspiration from older works, such as those of 16th century Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder.[2] At the time, the Crumbs were living in Winters, California, but they became increasingly unhappy with the changing culture in the United States. Ronald Reagan's presidency led to the resurgence of the Christian right, who were now attacking Crumb for his art. Reagan's budget cuts, particularly to education, also eliminated art and music programs at their daughter's school. The Crumbs volunteered to teach drawing classes, but participation dwindled after a local minister accused them of being "agents of the devil."[3] Unsatisfied with the transformation the United States had undergone from the counterculture of the 1960s to the culture of the 1980s, the Crumb family left California two years after the publication of "Point the Finger" and moved to a village in Southern France.[4]
Development
In 1987, Donald Trump's book Trump: The Art of the Deal, ghostwritten by a subsequently remorseful Tony Schwartz, became a bestseller. American cartoonist Robert Crumb read Trump's book and disliked it. He thought Trump came off as an "arrogant, reprehensible, total dick"; this inspired him to develop the story for "Point the Finger".[5] Crumb created the story during the late 1980s, when Trump was known for his real estate business ventures, not his politics; the story is therefore not, as Romain Becker of the Ecole Normale Supérieure notes, about the politics of the United States, but rather a commentary on its financial system.[1] Years later, Crumb rethought the framing of the original story, thinking that he gave "too much credit [to Trump] for possessing a bit of class and sophistication"; Crumb came to believe Trump was more of a thug instead.[6]
Crumb uses his typical monochromatic, crosshatched, pen-and-ink style.[α] Five of the six pages in the comic use six square panels per page, while the sequence on page three uses seven panels.[8]
Plot
Crumb addresses the reader to explain that he is "going to point that merciless finger at one of the more visible of the big-time predators who feed on this society..one of the most evil men alive...real estate tycoon Donald Trump".[9] Trump is brought into the panel by two women, Tracy and Marny, while Trump and Crumb trade barbs. Crumb brings up Trump's history of controversial evictions, while Trump defends himself by claiming he donated millions to the homeless. Crumb loses to Trump, as the then 42-year-old real estate developer uses his wiles and charisma to attract the two women into his orbit and invites them to a party at Mar-a-Lago. Crumb suddenly realizes that Trump is the living, modern-day embodiment of Trimalchio, a character from the Roman work of fiction Satyricon by Petronius (c. AD 27 – 66). The women happily leave with Trump just as the police arrive to arrest Crumb, guns drawn, leaving the reader with a sad quote from Laozi about the difference between the ways of nature and man. But just as the story has finished, Stan-the-Man Shnooter (a metafictional character parody of comic book editors Stan Lee and Jim Shooter) appears, encouraging Crumb to change the ending. The reader demands, Shnooter tells Crumb, "justice, retribution, [and] blood". Crumb gives in to his editor and a new ending is shown; this time, Crumb wins, as Trump is escorted to the restroom by the two women and given a swirlie in the toilet.[10][9]
