Funny European

European Should Be…

J.N. Hughes-Wilson is a British cartoonist, best known for three cartoons he made in the late 1980s and early 1990s, all with the same title: 'The Perfect ... Should Be...'. They all poke fun at stereotypical images of certain countries, among them the NATO members ('The Perfect NATO member should be', 1988), the European Union ('The Perfect European Should Be', 1991/1995) and the artist's own fatherland ('The Perfect Brit Should Be', 1992). Because of the enduring stereotypical images and gentle comedy the cartoons are still sold to tourists in Europe today.

The Perfect European should be Hughes-Wilson made another card in 1991, 'The Perfect European should be', which lampooned all then 12 members of the European Union. Since some are NATO members too, he reused some gags he'd used before on his previous card 'The Perfect NATO member should be' (1988). In case of the Belgians, Germans, Portuguese, Italians, Dutchmen, Greek, Luxembourgers, Danes the stereotypes are the same. Other nationalities received other stereotypes. The Britons are ridiculed for their awful cuisine, which arguably is a far more widespread notion than their unwillingness to be straightforward. Hughes-Wilson dropped the gag about the "humble" French and used it for the Spaniards instead, who are often stereotyped as being proud to the point of idleness. As a replacement he ridiculed the French as aggressive and foul-mouthed drivers. To conclude he recycled the  stereotypical depiction of Norwegians as alcoholics for the Irish, who are also often depicted as being drunks. The postcard was distributed in anticipation of the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht. It became a popular tourist gift.

In 1995 three new countries joined the European Union and Hughes-Wilson therefore added three extra stereotypical representations. The Finns are portrayed as being shy and quiet, Austrians as impatient and Swedes as inflexible. By 2004 'The Perfect European Should Be...' became dated, because Malta, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary joined in, followed by Bulgaria and Romania in 2007 and Croatia in 2013. In 2016 the United Kingdom voted to leave the E.U. in a referendum, which led to a nearly four year-long 'Brexit' crisis. Since 2020 the U.K. has officially left. Nevertheless Hughes-Wilson never updated his postcard again. Though arguably, depicting 27 countries on one tiny postcard is a bit complex.

^ He is good at catching the funny aspects. ^

https://www.lambiek.net/artists/h/hughes-wilson_jn.htm?fbclid=IwAR021wBI2t7vGZWooD90ednC29IK6jkperQwZPQ26nk_jYkzPhiij6VNklw