Is this poster racist?

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by Professor S

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)

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"

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by TheGame

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"

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.

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by Professor S

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

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.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by TheGame

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.

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.

[Typhoid]

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.

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by Professor S

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.

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?

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by TheGame

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.

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.

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

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.

[Bond]

Originally Posted by Professor S

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.

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

[Professor S]

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?

[Typhoid]

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?

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by Professor S

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.

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.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Typhoid

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?

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.

[Typhoid]

Originally Posted by Professor S

Thats part of it, but the overall use of strong lines 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.

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.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by TheGame

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.

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/

[Typhoid]

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.