Bomb Throwing Pacifist
If you took that happy, smiling guy from the box of Quaker Oats, handed him a bottle of gin and a rifle, and pissed him off to a point where he decided he wasn't going to take it anymore, you'd get a little something like this.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Something Old, Something New
Today we are going to try something new here at BTP. Leftrants swears that he will be back and posting as soon as tax season ends, but ya know how things are till then in his line of work. Rest assured, come 4/15/06, the tomahawk will be unburied and Marc with a C and Leftrants will count plenty coup in the war against the Supreme Christian Theocracy of Wingnuttia.
However, until then, we do need something to pass the time. And, while making fun of Wingnuts and their colums is fun, it does tend to get old after a while. As such, today we are going to try our hand at something new: artistic interpretation. And thus while pyschology tells us that the impressions formed by images are largely the result of preset notions and beliefs shared by the observer or observers, let's just say that the range of emotions evoked by this particular ink blot test will cover the full spectrum frothing, bigotry, and nigh-incomprehensible rage. And so, Mr. Daguerre, bring on today's special wingnut image!
Okily dokily. Now that that's out of the way, let's see what the best way to tackle this is.
First of all, let's start with the text, since that is the most visible and imporant part of the advertisement. As you can see, it reads "Don't Ignore this Milestone." This is of course interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, why on earth did the advertisers choose to use white for the lettering? While there obviously are visibility considerations to take into account, white is a very symbolic colour, with most of the symbolism associated with it negative. White is after all the color of surrender and cowardice in the western world (wave the white flag, etc.). In Asia and much of the middle east, white is the color of mourning. While righties might argue that the white is important because it calls to mind the mourning and suffering of Saddam's victims, it should also be noted that the Iraqis might just as easily be mourning the overthrow of Sadam and the end of stability in the region. The only other positive connotation white can have in most contexts is the fact that it traditionally denotes purity, although in this dirty and extremely clouded, unclear war, the conflict is anything but pure (unless you call into account the supposed purity of the American motives).
Next, let's look at the montage. Located prominently in the forground is a monument to Sadam Hussein and his rule. The statue, however, is toppling. When these photos were first released it is interesting to note the captions which usually accompanied them. Often times these were compared to the liberation of Paris during WWII, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the famous V-J day photographs of the sailor kissing the nurse, and so on, it should be noted that there are far more implications than first meet the eye. Despite the fact that Sadam's statue, much like his rule and tyrrany, was literally falling down, it should be noted that there is a surprising lack of people in the photographs. Sure, we can see a ring of people far off to the edge of the park, but at this range it is impossible to ascertain how many people are in the crowd, or if indeed it is a crowd and not a group of idle onlookers. While apologists may respond that it is only logical that there are no people standing near the statue for the sake of safetey, it should be noted that under the circumstances, if this was the case, then the army was beign extraordinarily cautious for what should have been a relatively straightforward task.
However, until then, we do need something to pass the time. And, while making fun of Wingnuts and their colums is fun, it does tend to get old after a while. As such, today we are going to try our hand at something new: artistic interpretation. And thus while pyschology tells us that the impressions formed by images are largely the result of preset notions and beliefs shared by the observer or observers, let's just say that the range of emotions evoked by this particular ink blot test will cover the full spectrum frothing, bigotry, and nigh-incomprehensible rage. And so, Mr. Daguerre, bring on today's special wingnut image!
Okily dokily. Now that that's out of the way, let's see what the best way to tackle this is.
First of all, let's start with the text, since that is the most visible and imporant part of the advertisement. As you can see, it reads "Don't Ignore this Milestone." This is of course interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, why on earth did the advertisers choose to use white for the lettering? While there obviously are visibility considerations to take into account, white is a very symbolic colour, with most of the symbolism associated with it negative. White is after all the color of surrender and cowardice in the western world (wave the white flag, etc.). In Asia and much of the middle east, white is the color of mourning. While righties might argue that the white is important because it calls to mind the mourning and suffering of Saddam's victims, it should also be noted that the Iraqis might just as easily be mourning the overthrow of Sadam and the end of stability in the region. The only other positive connotation white can have in most contexts is the fact that it traditionally denotes purity, although in this dirty and extremely clouded, unclear war, the conflict is anything but pure (unless you call into account the supposed purity of the American motives).
Next, let's look at the montage. Located prominently in the forground is a monument to Sadam Hussein and his rule. The statue, however, is toppling. When these photos were first released it is interesting to note the captions which usually accompanied them. Often times these were compared to the liberation of Paris during WWII, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the famous V-J day photographs of the sailor kissing the nurse, and so on, it should be noted that there are far more implications than first meet the eye. Despite the fact that Sadam's statue, much like his rule and tyrrany, was literally falling down, it should be noted that there is a surprising lack of people in the photographs. Sure, we can see a ring of people far off to the edge of the park, but at this range it is impossible to ascertain how many people are in the crowd, or if indeed it is a crowd and not a group of idle onlookers. While apologists may respond that it is only logical that there are no people standing near the statue for the sake of safetey, it should be noted that under the circumstances, if this was the case, then the army was beign extraordinarily cautious for what should have been a relatively straightforward task.
The image has been reproduced here for your scrolling convenience
All in all, the lack of an obvious crowd is sufficient to call into question the authenticity of the picture, or at least the authenticity of the incident as described. It was if you recall, broadcast worldwide and genuinely advertised as the authentic product of a popular uprising against Sadam, a demonstration of true gratitude on the part of the Iraqis for their American liberators. However, as you can see from the following picture reproduced here, the long range shots tell a very different story.
Finally, another telling interpretation one can draw from this imagine is the background in question. As you can probably tell, Sadam's statue is being pulled down in the foreground and in the background one can clearly make out the done and minarettes of a mosque. Appropriately enough, this is an apt metaphore for what is happening in Iraq right now: the deposition of a secular tyrant and his subsequent replacement by an Islamic fundamentalist state in his place.
There ya go kids. Now wasn't that fun? Join me next time for another thrilling journey into the heart of wingnuttia as we analyze, and expose, the horrid, horrid peices of "art" deemed patriotic and pro-family enough to make the cut. Until next time!
Marc with a C, 3:14 PM
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