PUBLICIZING, POLITICIZING, AND NEUTRALIZING HOMELESSNESS - COMIC-STRIPS

Comparing newspaper comic strips to editorial cartoons can uncover dif ferences between public opinion manifested in popular culture and view s held by local and national power groups. This study analyzes 231 com ic strips and 126 editorial cartoons featuring homelessness published in two major San Francisco newspapers from April 1, 1989, to March 31, 1992. Using theoretical categories based on Peter Marcuse's policy re sponses to homelessness (publicizing, politicizing, and neutralizing), the authors found that 57% of comic strips and 30% of editorial carto ons are neutralizing, either by using the homeless as ''props'' for ot her stories or issues or by belittling their plight. All but one of th e strips are nationally syndicated. Thus these data are probably repre sentative of U.S. public opinion; however, editorial cartoons are sele cted by newspaper editors and may not be generalizable to other commun ities.