This 1916 French political cartoon from La Baïonnette skewers the logic of authoritarian bureaucracy: “Sort every document… then destroy them.” Power demands obedience—even when the orders make no sense. The minister gets to declare “no more paperwork,” but only after generating mountains of it and commanding a pointless ritual of order followed by erasure.
A century later, the absurdity feels familiar. When systems protect themselves instead of the public, nonsense becomes policy.
This 1916 French political cartoon from La Baïonnette skewers the logic of authoritarian bureaucracy: “Sort every document… then destroy them.” Power demands obedience—even when the orders make no sense. The minister gets to declare “no more paperwork,” but only after generating mountains of it and commanding a pointless ritual of order followed by erasure.
A century later, the absurdity feels familiar. When systems protect themselves instead of the public, nonsense becomes policy.
