The Pencilsword, #10. On a plate

The tenth Pencilsword cartoon, with the heading 'On a Plate: a short story about privilege'. The story follows Richard and Paula, noting their different opportunities in life: Richard's parents are doing okay and his house is warm and dry and he has books and food; Paula's parents are not doing okay and her house is full of people and damp and she keeps getting sick. 'Richard's parents will do anything for their baby', but the cartoonist also notes that 'so will Paula's. That's why they're working two jobs.' Richard's school is well-resourced, while Paula's school is underfunded with large class sizes and stressed teachers. The cartoonist notes that there are different expectations set for each of them, which over the years start to add up. Richard's parents pay for University while Paula works to pay for Polytech. Richard's dad gets him and internship while Paula has to look after her sick dad. Richard's bank loan is approved, Paula gets sent to 'Eazee Finance'. The cartoonist writes 'Then maybe Richard starts to believe that he deserves to be on top. That he did it all himself' while 'maybe Paula starts to settle'. Learns to 'know her place'. But the cartoonist hopes this is not true. In the final two panels, Richard is asked the secret to his success while Paula hands him a plate of oysters, and he says "Less whinging, more hard work I say. I'm sick of people asking for handouts. No one ever handed me anything on a plate."

This cartoon went 'viral', including postings on the Huffington Post and Boing boing. It was translated into other languages and widely shared on social media, including Facebook.

An archived version is available at: http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/content-aggregator/getIEs?system=ilsdb&id=1648495

Available for viewing at: http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/the-pencilsword-on-a-plate