03/24/2008 (2:15 pm)
A Disturbing Comparison
One of my readers picked this up from a blog called “Man Sized Target.” The author, who calls himself Mr. Roach, observes that he’s never seen a political poster in the US like this one for Obama. I’m searching my memory and can’t think of one either.
Interesting poster, no? Mr. Roach observes that it reminds him of the way totalitarian regimes display huge images of The Leader in public parades, like this one of Kim Jong-Il in North Korea:
This is a tough one. Alone, this comparison would bear no weight at all, but given what we already know about the Marxist influences in Obama’s background, the similarity of this approach is spooky and a bit alarming. Is there a connection? What is the mechanism by which potential totalitarian dictators choose similar sorts of portrayals for their public images? Is this a reflection of ego? A common resort to tactics for maintaining a personality cult? Something spiritual that we don’t understand? Or am I just allowing a specious comparison more air time than it deserves?
The ad was produced by a hard-left advertising company calling itself “Obey Giant,” not exactly a soothing name. Check out their web site. I think just about everything they do is a little alarming.
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6 Comments »
Comment by reality bite
When I was in college he was an art student sticking the giant face all over town as an amusing project and artistic statement. Providence, RI, not too far from you. That was back when Andre the Giant was still the big man in the WWF. It was sometimes hilarious to see where it would turn up. It’s great to see that he’s gone global. No commies or Marxist’s under the bed here Phil, just artistic free expression and good ol capitalism. Get used to it.
Comment by smarter than wang art
Or am I just allowing a specious comparison more air time than it deserves?
Yes.
Comment by Phil
Yeah, could be. Apparently the artist’s name is Shepard Fairey. Keep in mind that I’m brand new to Cape Cod, I’ve only been here since last September. I most recently lived in Pittsburgh for a year, Philadelphia for about 13 years before that, and Mobile, AL for about 11 years before that. So if he’s been around the coast here, I wouldn’t have seem his work.
However, I’m not sure that the fact that the artist’s into faces exactly answers the question. Face art is pretty doggone unusual for a political ad, wouldn’t you say? And the Obama campaign paid for it. They could have said “no.”
Seriously, I’d have snorted and moved along if I didn’t already have a neo-Marxist connection brewing in the background. I thought the connection was interesting. Don’t worry, I’m not drawing any conclusions based on this, it’s just a curiosity…
Comment by smarter than wang art
http://americanhistory.si.edu/Brown/history/1-segregated/images/thurmond-poster-l.jpg
http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/roosevelt%20election%20poster.jpeg
http://www.posters57.com/images/categories/1980_Reagan.jpg
http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/1805376.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=DF96DB48C96E4277F1BE21B70D701A23A55A1E4F32AD3138
Comment by Phil
Thanks for the links. Very interesting.
Comment by labrialumn
It certainly resembles Old Soviet and National Socialist poster styles. Chillingly so. Is it really from the campaign?
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