'The Perfect NATO Member Should Be', 1988.
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 different nationalities, among them the NATO (“North Atlantic Treaty Organization”) members ('The Perfect NATO Member Should be', 1988), the European Union ('The Perfect European Should Be', 1991/1995) and the artist's own homeland ('The Perfect Brit Should Be', 1992). Because of the enduring stereotypical images and gentle comedy, the cartoons became popular gift cards for tourists.
The Perfect NATO member Should Be
'The Perfect NATO Member Should Be' (1988) is a sarcastic depiction of the then 16 members of 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 pornography), 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 humorless.
The cartoon was made into a greeting card and 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 appreciate the joke. One U.S. officer felt that "national stereotypes were wrong". On the other hand, NATO 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, debunking the stereotype that people from his country lack a sense of humor. Since 1999, more countries have joined the NATO, but Hugh-Wilson has never updated his cartoon.
'The Perfect European Should Be', 1991.
The Perfect European Should Be
In 1991, Hughes-Wilson made another card, '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 the 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 then 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 the Union, 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 before officially leaving in 2020. Nevertheless, Hughes-Wilson never updated his postcard again. Though arguably, depicting 27 countries on one tiny postcard would be a daunting challenge.
The Perfect Brit Should Be
Hughes-Wilson's two previous post cards already showed that he didn't mind poking fun at his own people. In 1992, he expanded his self-mockery with another postcard: 'The Perfect Brit Should Be...'. Among his targets are the decadence of the Royal Family, the rainy and foggy weather, the abrasive and non-conformist punk movement, once again the terrible cuisine, drunk judges, stiff Royal Guardsmen, thrifty Scots and unintelligible Welshmen (in reference to the odd spelling of many words in Welsh dialect). The card is available in most English tourist shops. However, much like 'The Perfect European Should Be..', is it also threatened with becoming outdated, because Scotland is seriously considering leaving the United Kingdom as a result of the Brexit crisis. Another British cartoonist who made humorous postcards and cartoons about British stereotypes is Martyn Ford.
'The Perfect Brit Should Be', 1992.