What would Mafalda say to Trump?

That's about to change. This week, a five-volume English-language collection of Mafalda
It's a timely collection, for Mafalda's blend of satire, playful humor, and layered meanings appeals to both children and adults. The strip, which ran from 1964 to 1973, is mostly known by its overt political engagement and uses Mafalda and her friends to reflect the social and ideological currents of that time in Argentina, including traditionalism, capitalism, and bureaucracy, embodied by characters like Susanita, Manolito, and Mafalda's sluggish pet turtle, Burocracia.
I'm someone who's always getting rid of stuff. I don't hoard. I have little attachment to clothes, furniture, or personal belongings. But through all my moves — across neighborhoods, apartments, and stages of life — one thing has always made the cut: my collection of Mafalda comic books.
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As a kid, I was attracted to Mafalda's wise-beyond-her-years humor and her innocent but sharp curiosity. She's an opinionated child who hates soup and loves democracy and the Beatles — '¡
I learned about the world through Mafalda's commentary on geopolitical issues. One of my favorite subgenres of Mafalda strips is when she reacts to newspaper headlines.
Or when she's irreverent and rebellious to her parents. That's another trademark trait of Mafalda: She was not shy about questioning the adults in her life, who were often overwhelmed by what they probably saw as her inane questions, a dynamic that underscores the comic's deeper critique of adult complacency.
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For many immigrants like me, Mafalda is more than a cartoon character. She's a core memory, a mindset, a Latin American cultural icon. And in a country once again led by a president allergic to dissent, nuance, and the truth, what would Mafalda say to Trump? Whatever it might be, it would be sharp and right on time.
The author's Mafalda collection.
Marcela García
This is an excerpt from
, a Globe Opinion newsletter from columnist Marcela García.
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Marcela García is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at

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A woman tried to call her mom in Iran. A robotic voice answered the phone

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The voice messages trying to calm people 'fit the pattern of the Iranian government and how in the past it handled emergency situations,' said Rashidi, the director of Texas-based Miaan, a group that reports on digital rights in the Middle East. Mobile phones and landlines ultimately are overseen by Iran's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. But the country's intelligence services have long been believed to be monitoring conversations. 'It would be hard for anybody else to hack. Of course, it is possible it is Israeli. But I don't think they have an incentive to do this,' said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a tech entrepreneur and internet freedom activist. Marwa Fatafta, Berlin-based policy and advocacy director for digital rights group Access Now, suggested it could be 'a form of psychological warfare by the Israelis.' She said it fits a past pattern by Israel of using extensive direct messaging to Lebanese and Palestinians during campaigns in Gaza and against Hezbollah. 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Business Insider

8 hours ago

• Business Insider

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9 hours ago

• Boston Globe

Former mayor from Haiti sentenced to nine years for visa fraud

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