Funny NATO

NATO 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 NATO member should be 'The Perfect NATO member should be' (1988) is a sarcastic depiction of the then 16 members of the NATO. It portrays Canadians as short-tempered, Americans as law-obsessed, Dutchmen as thrifty, Norwegians as alcoholics (alcohol is so expensive there that locals tend to import more of it than necessary), Danes as open-minded about sex (in reference to the fact that they were the first country to legalize porn), Italians as overly excited, Britons as unwilling to express what they really think, Spaniards as lazy, Greeks as disorganized, Turks as stuck-up and formal, Luxembourgers as easily overlooked (due to the country's tiny size), Icelanders as incomprehensible, Frenchmen as arrogant, Portuguese as primitive (in reference to the fact that during the 1930-1974 military junta the country didn't really evolve with modern times and even long after its return to democracy still had a lot to catch up with), Belgians as people who take every opportunity to take a holiday and Germans as deadly serious bureaucrats.

The cartoon was made into a greeting card and even sold in the foyer of the NATO headquarters in Brussels. During a conference held on 29 May 1989 it was used as a table mat during an official NATO dinner. Hughes-Wilson took the precaution to write underneath his drawing: "Dedicated with good humour to all members of the NATO Alliance". Yet there were still people who didn't see the joke. One U.S. officer felt that "national stereotypes were wrong". On the other hand, N.A.T.O. secretary general Manfred Wörner defended Hughes-Wilson and felt that "anyone who could not laugh at the cartoons could not be a good member of the alliance." Amusingly enough Wörner was German, therefore debunking the stereotype that people from his country lack a sense of humour. Since 1999 more countries have joined the NATO, but nevertheless Hugh-Wilson never updated his cartoon.

^ This is pretty funny. ^

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