I Don't Get It

[Bert45]

There was a Matt cartoon in the Daily Telegraph yesterday or the day before. Two men are in a jail cell. One says, "You're in for Morocco? I'm doing ten years for a holiday in Cape Town."
I don't get the reference to Morocco. Can anybody explain?

[Jackdaw33]

It could have been anywhere. The point is two blokes in jail for holidaying abroad.

[emmie]

the South African varient perhaps.... no idea other than that

[donny48]

Drug smuggling from Morocco ?

[New Judge]

The government has proposed that people who provide false information on their "passenger locator form" (needed when you enter the UK) may be subject to up to ten years in prison:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56007798

[emmie]

i think we got that bit NJ, its the Morocco bit that the poster doesn't get.

[Bert45]

Exactly, Emmie. I don't think you've got it either, jackdaw. There has to be a contrast between the one sitting down (the one in for Morocco) and the one standing up and speaking. Even the terminology is odd: to be in jail *for* Morocco. What does that even mean? Matt is on Twitter, but I'm not and I don't want to be. If you are on Twitter, perhaps you could ask him?

[aelmpvw]

i thought 'morocco' might be some sort of drug slang but google comes up with nothing

[New Judge]

I saw the cartoon when it was published. As far as I can see the joke was that a person can now end up in jail (possibly for up to ten years) when returning from abroad if his "papers" are not in order (and that's joke enough in itself when one can arrive in a rubber boat without any papers whatsoever and immediately be found accommodation). I don't think there is any significance in the countries mentioned.

[emmie]

nope nothing comes to mind...

[Paigntonian]

Think Morocco is a random choice of country to illustrate the bizarre possibility of going to jail for having a holiday. You may be over-thinking.

[barry1010]

I agree with Paignton

[Prudie]

^ Agree, could just as easily have been you're in for Spain I'm in for the Algarve

[barry1010]

Like two cell mates saying 2 years for theft and the other 5 years for assault

[Bert45]

Well, if there's no contrast it's just not funny! The speaker seems (to me) to be saying, "I'm in jail for ten years for something as trivial as taking a holiday in South Africa [and presumably lying about it] whereas [contrast] you are in jail for something serious."

[ladybirder]

And is that supposed to be funny?

[Jackdaw33]

Cartoons are not meant to be funny. They are a satirical comment on current affairs, in this case the ridiculous notion that one could spend ten years in jail for going on holiday.

[Buenchico]

People often don't understand cartoons ;-)

[Bert45]

I disagree, jackdaw. Political cartoons may be making a political point, but they are also (almost always) trying to make that point in a humorous way. The way that the cartoon in question has been drawn indicates to me that it is intended to be humorous – maybe not LOL funny, but funnier than "We're both in jail for taking a holiday."

[Jackdaw33]

There are plenty of cartoons published in the wake of great tragedies which are not meant to be funny, rather to draw attention.

[New Judge]

Believe me Bert, Matt was simply making the point that you could now end up in the Chokey because your papers were not in order when you returned from holiday. That's all. And that's quite enough because the notion is outrageous. I think it was the outrageousness (and the stupidity) that Matt was commenting on.

Today his cartoon shows a chap sitting at his computer, and saying to his wife "I'm going to refuse to have the vaccine passport. Some people on the internet say it gives you a very nasty papercut." Another comment on stupidity.