Is this poster racist?
 

The above poster has appeared in LA over the past few weeks. Many commentators believe it to be a racist attack against the president, but are its intentions really racial in nature? Or, rather, are they an attack against Mr. Obama's policies?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I don't see how its racist, other than if they are intending it to be white face, and not just a play on The Joker.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

How do they make the connection of the Joker and socialism tho?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

That's the main issue many people have pointed out. As we know, at his heart, the Joker is clearly an anarchist, not a socialist. I believe the artist is making more of a superficial connection between Obama and the Joker, as in Obama is a joke, his policies were socialist all along.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I don't immediately consider it racist, but as mentioned it's just lazy and stupid. If I could somehow connect the Joker with socialism, then maybe I could construe it as clever, but as it stands it's just boring. Plus, the "socialist" cry is getting so old. The guy thinks a little bit different than you, you lost the election, get over it.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Speaking of racist, anybody find this trailer racist?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

It's not racist, it's obviously comparing how Obama is trying to destroy society and replace it with socialism, just like the Joker tried to do in Gotham.

Actually I think I missed that comic.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I don't think it's racist.
I do however find it to be incredibly stupid - in the same vein as the Bush/Monkey pictures people made.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I thought I was the only one.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I really fail to see how in the world the trailer for the movie is racist.... i think you guys are way too fucking sensitive.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

The trailer plays upon racial stereotypes, which isn't exactly new territory for Disney. I'm not so sure if that qualifies the trailer as racist, but I am also not sure if it is very productive either.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I honestly don't care if the trailer is racist, I just get the feeling Disney is going to inadvertently offend some people with the stereotypes in the film.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I don't think the original poster is racist.. however I think its stupid, and the graphic alteration of his picture makes no sense.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

It's pretty dumb. The author obviously doesn't understand the difference between socialism and anarchy. Propoganda, at the very least, should to accurate to the point you're attempting to convey.

Now if they had spread around posters like these...



Because they look so much like this...



Then it would have been more accurate.

...

What? The Obama campaign made those posters? Really? And the media didn't pick up on it?
Wow.

(and for the record, I don't think the similarity proves anything about his stance on policy, only that his campaign used a LOT of old school propoganda techniques, including Nazi IMO, in their campaign)

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

It's a tough call. Disney is obviously trying to appeal to a minority audience with this movie, but when does targeting become racism? I mean, are Tyler Perry movis racist? Are Shawn and Marlon Wayans? Flava Flav for God's sake??? (the man is a walking minstrel show)

Maybe it's that we assume the creative group is white, and therefore interpret the trailer as racist. In the end, should that even matter?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Haha just like the media..

"I'm not saying he's hitler, or he's a nazi.. he's just exactly like hitler and nazis... but I'm not saying he is one"

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

You can't really deny the similarities in the ads, and the ads have nothign to do with his policy. And I even went out of my way to point out this has nothing to do with his policies, just his campaign ads' use of old school propogands techniques, because I knew someone would try and twist it into something it's not.





I think these posters use the same techniques, but I guess I'm accusing Mickey Mouse and Andre the Giant of being just like Hitler and the Nazis...

Thanks for not letting me down, Game. Congratulations... you're typical.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

:lol:

In my opinnion, those posters have no link to each other. Other then you're two Obey ones, since they both say.. Obey... I'm just not a fan of the retarded fantasies that your friend Glen Beck has been spreading.

You can call it being typical all you want, I just call it being sane.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I must be gifted with the unique ability to see the obvious, then. If you can't see the similarity, you choose not to see it, or you need more ginko biloba or ginseng.

None of that came from Glenn Beck. I found it online with a short Google Images search that took all of 10 seconds. Glenn would have made an argument that the posters reflected political intent, and I don't believe they do. Personally, I think the themes were chosen to give the Obama campaign a general "revolutionary" type of feel, not necessarily communist of fascist (to intend do so would be political suicide), and that falls right in line with his campaign based on Hope and Change.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Prof, I don't understand your last post of the "Obey" comparison.
The Mickey Mouse picture is fan art that someone made after seeing this picture:





I mean, you went from Obama on one comparison post, then just random google images on the next.



Also: About the previous comparison, I just think it's fluke. The Obama posters all use the American colours, clearly being Red, White and Blue. If you look hard enough at anything, you can twist something into whatever it's not.

Did Plato really foresee the Iraq war going on, or are people just adding meanings to the words he wrote in order for them to make sense. That type of thing.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I see the somewhat similar colors, but I don't see how it can be used as a reference to how "his campaign used a LOT of old school propoganda techniques". To me they're just two different pictures, that share no greater meaning with each other.

Do you really think people who ran the Obama campaign actually looked back at what made hitler so popular and stole his ideas directly?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

You are correct, they don't share a meaning, they share a feeling. It's about imagery, not message. It is meant to inspire confidence and strength, not ideology.

Not Hitler, but propaganda is general. It just so happens fascist and communist propaganda is considered the most effective. Leni Reifenstahl (Hitler's filmmaker/propagandist) was part of my film classes in college because of her effectiveness and revolutionary techniques.

And Typhoid, the photo has nothing to do with the propaganda, it's what the artist did with the photo is what makes it an example/satire of propaganda.

EDIT: Anyway, my whole point was that if I were to create a propaganda piece to make Obama LOOK like a socialist, it wouldn't be by painting him up with an anarchist, but would be more like the style the campaign actually used because they resemble Lenin propaganda posters of the time. Somehow that point has turned into a complete mess because of people wanting to see more in my comments than I clearly intended. I am not Glenn Beck, but for some reason you people think I do nothing but carry his and Rush Limbaugh's water all day long. I'd appreciate it if people would argue my points, and not what you assume they are due to my party affiliation.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Admittedly off-topic: Speaking of Hitler's propagandists, there was none greater than the masterful Albert Speer:

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

For the record, his people also used Bauhaus style on his trip the Germany. Bauhaus was also used in a lot of political posters during it's time. Pres. Obama's campaign graphics department always showed itself themselves to be knowledgeable and on point.



Now because I see this connection, does that mean I think Obama is a German artist?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

What's the connection?
That all the words happen to be on an upwards slanted angle, just as one of the sentences in the other poster is?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

YOU PEOPLE?! WHAT YOU MEAN YOU PEOPLE?!!?

(kidding)

Honestly I think that you generally make good arguements, and I know you don't play exactly to the republican playbook.. however, I think what you have brought up in this topic was right out of the limbaugh/beck playbook. Just verifying more paranoia about Obama.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Thats part of it, but the overall use of strong lines and angles juxtaposed with very open curves with the O's and U's etc. and even the fonts are inspired by bauhaus. It's hard to explain unless you've seen a lot of it. I happen to love Bauhaus and Art Deco. Art Nouveau is pretty hot too. :D

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Well then the comparison you made is pretty weak.

I think if the only basis of "THis is like that" is "One sentance is on an angle" and "They both have lines", then that's a pretty weak comparison.

As I said before, a lot of comparisons of things like this are people looking for them, rather than seeing them.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

And I've shown how you are wrong about that, and even went out of my way to do so. Don't know what else I can do to help you with that. It is possible to see the similarities between those posters without applying political motive.

Typhoid, I won't argue with you, but it was Obama defenders who first made the connection.

http://meaningfuldistractions.wordpr...german-design/

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

So I have used the mighty MS Paint to try figure out what comparisons there could possibly be.

So, let's try follow the colour coding.

So from what I can tell, that black lump on the right is represented by the black president, Obama.

The Obama logo on the top right, is a copy of the seal of the poster company/person who made it/minor details on the top right of the other.

The red lump on the right of Obama's black lump is Berlin. Berlin is the red lump because it is signifying how Obama is a fan of socialism and the ways of old Germany.

The line on the right that is slightly going upwards is mimmicked by all the lines on the Obama poster going also slightly upwards. Possibly some type of Commie code, yet to be broken?

However the one line going down on the poster on the right isn't copied at all. Possibly the creators of the Obama poster used invisible ink in order to hide valuable socialist notes that people cannot pick up unless under a blacklight.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

No, you haven't. What you posted was what you posted, you tried to kill the point of why you posted it to begin with... but you still posted it. And what you posted adds to paranoia about Obama and his methods.

You're just like Rush or Beck saying.. "I don't thin Obama is like Hitler... but let me tell you about ways that Obama is like Hitler.. or but just so you get this clear I don't think Obama is hitler... but look at these examples of how he is like him! Obama! Hitler! Socialism! Obama! Marxist! Socialism! Obama! Hitler! Idealist!... Did I mention Obama?"

Especially when you consider the nature of how some nutcases are reacting to Obama, why would you waste your time posting something like that?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

*sigh*

I'm going to go play TF2.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

You got a problem with Hitler and Nazis?

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

At least you know how to divert the anger

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

My last word will be this:

When have any of you known me to be shy about expressing my real opinions? The idea that I would suddenly resort to double talk to hide my true feelings is a bit silly. If there is one motto I live by, it's this: Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Back on topic as much as possible....Some quotes from the artist himself. Interesting to note that he claims he didn't add the "socialism" part.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/...ml?sc=fb&cc=fp

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Just skimmed thread. The Hope picture was made independently by the artist Shepard Fairy (a lot of his paintings have the sort of imagery), not by or for the Obama campaign team.

http://obeygiant.com/fine-art


What really bothers me about that Joker pic is it's not centered.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

I have some video of him doing one of those pieces in Austin, TX on a huge mural wall when we were at SXSW. It was very cool watching him do his work knowing he did the Obama picture.

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

Interesting. Maybe I am confusing some pop art with official campaign posters. I still believe the two posters share striking resemblances and the HOPE poster in question was inspired by propaganda, but I'll remove my claim that the Obama campaign itself used communist and Nazi-style propaganda techniques because at this point I can't confidently determine what is official and what was an artist's tribute.

I still stand by my belief that they did, in fact, use Bauhaus inspiration for the German poster, as evil/racist/biased as that may make me :D

Re: Is this poster racist?
 

McCain version with HERO instead of HOPE.

http://djsoundwav.deviantart.com/art...ster-100878175

Whatever you may think of him and who you may have voted for, I agree that McCain is an American Hero.

--

On topic, no I don't think it's racist. Good to hear the story from the artist's point of view, especially that he thinks the addition of "socialist" is pretty stupid.