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Satired
By Jeff Fecke | July 13, 2008
Look, I think the New Yorker meant this to be funny, a satirical look at the way the right and/or Larry Johnson have painted the Obamas. But the fact is that this image, absent context, is abysmal. And while I think most New Yorker readers will get the joke, most people seeing the image will not.
That doesn’t mean, as Andrew Sullivan suggests, that I believe Americans are too dumb to figure out satire. They aren’t, save for the ratfuckers at No Quarter. (More on them in a minute.) But the image sits on the cover of the New Yorker with not a word for context, not a single symbol indicating that it is anything but in earnest. Only its over-the-top characterization and its reputation as a moderate-left magazine are there to tell us that it isn’t meant as serious commentary.
And of course, that’s the problem. Had this image appeared in The Onion, everyone would have got the joke immediately. Had it appeared as artwork for the story, it would be easy to see that it was meant to lampoon. Indeed, had it even borne a title, it might have been clearly identified as such.
But it did none of those, and instead, as Jake Tapper notes, “It’s a recruitment poster for the right-wing.”
As if on cue, the faux-Democrats and racists at No Quarter are cheering the image. Commenter Seattle Moss says, “We all have been talking at length about everything in that picture. Now the picture can speak a thousand words for us.” Commenter WildChild adds, “That picture says it all. LOL and there’s no pulling it back now.” And a commenter truly concerned about misogyny, Michelle “Ho” Obama, says, “An African-American woman who is a radical aligned with a Muslim: this seems accurate. This also explains the palpable rage of Michelle Obama and the violence of the cult that follows her and her husband.”
And that’s just No Quarter, home of the Clinton “Democrats.” I don’t have the will to see what Little Green Footballs or Free Republic is saying.
So yeah, I don’t think that the troglodytes are going to see this as satire. I think they’re going to see it as confirming what they’ve always known — that Barack Obama’s a secret Muslim, that Michelle Obama’s a secret Black Panther, that Osama bin Laden will be conducting state visits, all with the American flag burning in the fireplace. And worst of all, a scary black man is going to be in charge of us white folk. It’s going to be a long four months.
No related posts.
Topics: Barack Obama, Race | 15 Comments »
July 13th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Re: “And worst of all, a scary black man is going to be in charge of us white folk…”
You changed the whole point of the story right at the end. Is it about people not understanding the terrorism-themed anti-American satire or is it about racism?
July 14th, 2008 at 12:01 am
You changed the whole point of the story right at the end. Is it about people not understanding the terrorism-themed anti-American satire or is it about racism?
Yes.
July 14th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Jeff
You might want to publish my complete post
‘Caricature’s have a habit of becoming the real deal in a country so obsessed with visuals.
We all have been talking at length about everything in that picture.
Now the picture can speak a thousand words for us.’
Why does Obama hate America?
Why didn’t Obama stand and cheer the surge and our troops success at the state of the union?
Why does Obama and his minions wish defeat and retreat from Iraq?
I have been a hard core democrat for 24 years but after the totalitarian socialist tactics done by the democrats this year in order to get the fixed selection I’m going elsewhere.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:19 am
[...] Doug Ross, The Strata-Sphere, The Volokh Conspiracy, Moonbattery, The Daily Dish, Blog of the Moderate Left, AMERICAblog News, Feministe, Wake up America, Pensito Review, The Raw Story, Michelle Obama Watch, [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 6:19 am
[...] disagree with virtually every person I respect in the political blogosphere. Which certainly makes me realize that I could be mistaken on [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 6:41 am
[...] hard time keeping up with reality? July 14, 2008 Posted by casualt in Teh StOOpid. trackback Because people are stupid. And I’m not sure it’s worth it for a magazine (or anyone) to worry so much about how [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Why does Obama hate America?
Why didn’t Obama stand and cheer the surge and our troops success at the state of the union?
Why does Obama and his minions wish defeat and retreat from Iraq?
Nothing you could write could prove more clearly that you’re a Republican ratfucker. You’re as much a lifelong Democrat as George W. Bush. Go away.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:16 am
We are..
The FDR/Reagan/Clinton/McCain Democrats
We decide all elections in modern times!!
Your selection doesn’t meet the min requirements for the job.
Go back to your DNC employment agency and tell them they should withdraw their flip flopping affirmative action candidate.
July 14th, 2008 at 9:28 am
The FDR/Reagan/Clinton/McCain Democrats
Ah yes…Republicans.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:10 am
[...] Cobb, Jammie Wearing Fool, The Glittering Eye, Horses Ass.org, Viking Pundit, Illinois Review, The Blog of the Moderate Left, Tbogg, Times OnLine, The Sundries Shack, The Raw Story, Extreme Mortman, Stop the ACLU, [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 11:16 am
[...] Blog of the Moderate Left [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 11:22 am
And that is all you need. There is nothing wrong with expecting a little critical thinking from your readership. And while there will be people unfamiliar with the NYer who might see this cover at their local supermarket and get offended, a little bit of inquiry in the matter solves the problem. As I have said at another blog, in what universe is the NYer a right wing rag? The Onion is not the only Officially Sanctioned Outlet of Mainstream Satire.
July 14th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
[...] I was a little speechless, but the blogosphere, not so much…a few reactions: Satired via Moderate Left Look, I think the New Yorker meant this to be funny, a satirical look at the way the right and/or [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
understand that there’s a lot at stake in this upcoming election but to ascribe nefarious motives to Barry Blitt for what is clearly a satirical sketch is missing the point. When Obama became a serious contender for the presidency it was easy to foresee racism eventually rearing its ugly head but who could have figured on the insidious and ridiculous series of incidents: the lapel pin, the misquotes (whitey??, ashamed to be American??etc.), the photo of Barack in Muslim-ish garb, his name lovingly inflected by so many talk radio hosts; Barack HUSSEIN Obama, a “terrorist” fist bump. This crap has been going on for months now but this drawing has succeeded in raising the ire that those other examples failed to do.
This is satire and it speaks to a truth that is the baseless insinuations raised by those opposed to Obama. It’s so much easier to focus on this meaningless surface stuff than the real issues as though this drawing will change peoples minds when push comes to shove.
All the racist assertions Blitt has depicted are already out there, even in mainstream media pulpits, and the cover merely groups them together as if to shine a bright light on the lunacy that too often goes unnoticed.
I’m sure Obama gets this as do those responsible for the website he set up to fight such underhanded attacks.
Blitt was defending the Obamas and mature political discourse. Everybody should ease up on the vitriol and start focusing on the important matters that concern us all.
July 18th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Speaking as an artist and especially as one who deals with social issues, it is incredibly hard to use images you are trying to subvert without seeming like you’re supporting those images. This is a failed piece of illustration. I agree with Jeff. If there had only been a counter image/text to give the reader a stronger cue then the NYer reputation alone, this image would have been a lot stronger. And it’s not about beating you audience over the head with an idea (although I’m not sure why anyone is worried about that, since this doesn’t exactly seem subtle), it’s just illustrating the correct point.