WHY SO SERIOUS?
06.08.09
This image has been popping up on a lot of news sites lately. It’s being reported as if it represents some kind of movement, and is drawing constant comparison to Shepard Fairey’s now historical election poster. Many ideas are floating around as to what it actually means, but liberals claiming racism and violence toward the President seem to be the loudest of voices. While I share their disgust of the belligerent red-faced “birthers” waiving their guns around, I think it’s completely unfair and hypocritical to attack this image. Here’s why:
The poster is an attempt to link Obama to the right’s completely paranoid charges of extremism, wildly erratic behavior, and robbery by taxation. I don’t believe it is racist or violent, only implying the unintelligible argument that our president is a loose cannon hell bent on destroying the country. It doesn’t represent a movement whatsoever, as street art has been hijacked by advertising nerds and is just a gimmick to sell clients on phony street cred. Sounds like Michael Steele’s M.O. to me.
My hunch is that the image was just made by some graphic designer trying to make a name for himself. He did a few little wheat pastes, took a few pictures, and now everyone’s talking about this like it’s some kind of underground political movement. I find it silly that the image has received the amount of press that it has, considering the way “guerilla” ad campaigns and “grass roots demonstrations” are easily purchased and staged these days. Not to mention the image has been done before.
I like to consider that the poster might even be satirical in nature, taking a stab at the foam-mouthed paranoia that currently dominates our political discourse. In this context I actually like the image very much. But then again, I do have a soft spot for comic book villains. Everybody calm down, you can’t cry foul every time someone takes a shot at YOUR guy. It’s actually sort of… funny.
Tags: Barack Obama, poster, socialism, street art, wheat paste
Category: Art, Design, Politics
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This is great, there is no question what this implies, it says it at the bottom SOCIALISM!!!!!
August 6, 10:19 am KeithGreat thoughts Josh. Nice perspective. Much appreciated.
August 6, 10:32 am Todd Berger“Not to mention the image has been done before.” Where, and what?
August 6, 11:03 am BJJust google “obama joker”. There were a dozen iterations of this image already existing. Now google “bush joker”. See what I mean? You can google any world leader living or dead and probably find this same idea already done many times over.
August 6, 11:30 am Josh HollandHAH!
August 6, 1:13 pm JudeMade me smile.
I dont know man.. I think its less than news worthy as art and most definitely as a political piece. Im not sure where people come from on this whole Obama Socialist tip anyway.
I think that what happened is that you have “a guy” who grabbed the attention of not only, a bunch of dedicated and driven young people, but an equal amount of lazy, unoriginal apathetic loners, who seem to get joy from silly representations of sociopolitical messaging and borrowing an aesthetic. These people got what they wanted and are experiencing success, now they are bored. They’re ready for their next fix and their next lead… This is the outcome. Tasteless interpretations of their leaders of yesteryear. This “guy” isn’t keeping people on a tight enough leash and people are searching for a muse.
Fuck the lemmings, the populous and most definitely those that lack the foresight of the great nation that those battlecats founded for us all, hundreds of years ago.
PERFECT, DESTROY, REBUILD
August 6, 7:08 pm Lifter BaronThanks for the commentary Rob. Good stuff.
Oscar Woodruff sent me this article:
http://reason.com/news/show/135293.html
Good viewpoints on this matter as well. To quote Bill Maher, “I know you like the President, but let’s not make a religion out of it.”
August 8, 1:04 pm Josh HollandThose rat bastards!, they have desecrated an image of our beloved God! The degenerate swine! Supreme leader [Obama] please forgive us our transgressions, our souls are of men…and we know not what we do.
August 12, 8:02 pm eraserheadPERFECT,DESTROY,REBUILD
because perfection merely isn’t enough…you must destroy it, then rebuild it!
August 12, 8:07 pm eraserheadand have the Mexicans do it…
Looks like the image maker is a college student, a Dennis Kucinich supporter with no political statement or artistic ambitions. The ’socialism’ tag was photoshopped in by someone else. My money’s still on Michael Steele.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/08/obama-joker-artist.html
August 18, 8:26 am Josh Holland