Rob Walker|Essays, Spawn of Gerrymander
October 17, 2014
Spawn of Gerrymander: Steve Brodner’s Pennsylvania 7th
Brodner responded to the shape of Pennsylvania’s Seventh Congressional District—or “ridiculous new Seventh Congressional District,” as Philly.com called it in 2011—with three visualizations. In “Raptor Town,” above, a dinosaur (fitting!) impales a woman one might imagine as an unsuspecting voter.
Below: “District Hold Up” depicts the districts as two entities, with a few suited thugs menacing the many. And “Bleeding Liberty” … well, what can I add?
It happens that this district is a product of what Real Clear Politics mused might be “the gerrymander of the decade.” But I think Brodner’s response speaks not just to one district, but to this project’s broader theme: More than 200 years after a famous political illustration drove home the absurdity and injustice mapmaking designed for politicians rather than voters, gerrymandering is alive and well. Maybe if we see that more clearly, we’ll do something about it.
That’s been our goal this week. Thanks for taking a look.
I hope you’ve been bothered by what you’ve seen.
Spawn of Gerrymander is a series in which some of our favorite illustrators use their talents to help us see the true shape of poltical mapmaking in the twenty-first century: introductory essay here; browse the whole series here. This project has been made possible in large part by a grant from The Awesome Foundation‘s Awesome Without Borders chapter.
Observed
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Observed
By Rob Walker