The New Yorker cover

2

Comments

  • MrBrian
    MrBrian Posts: 2,672
    Making a joke or going for some satire is fine. But when it involves Obama and the muslim thing....ooops. Can't touch that.
    ---

    But on that note, The cover was just weak. shouldve been much better. I mean you have probably one chance for this and all they can come up with is that?

    A better cover would be a cartoon Obama, standing at a podium giving a speech with all his Muslim family members (from kenya) dressed in normal kenyan garb sitting behind him. Then have a bubble coming out of obama reading "I am not a muslim, and I have never been one"

    ok, perhaps thats = bad
  • cincybearcat
    cincybearcat Posts: 16,962
    Are people just lookign for ways to get upset and offended anymore?
    hippiemom = goodness
  • JaneNY
    JaneNY Posts: 4,438
    It is totally satire. I agree with anotherclone's point that the Obama campaign could be worried about how some uninformed people might take it the wrong way:
    anotherclone wrote:
    You know what? Politically intelligent people realize this is satire. I would think the Obama campaign even realizes it is satire. I'm sure the fear of the campaign is the so-called "low information voters", who will take that picture and run with it in a completely different direction.
    but it is clear to me it is satire. Very edgy, but satire on what too many uninformed people are thinking, putting it out in the open like: 'there - is that how you think it is?'

    Remember, The New Yorker (I haven't received this issue yet, but I've subscribed for quite a few years) is the magazine that runs the Seymour Hersh articles, the latest of which is on Iran and US involvement there. He writes a lot of things that makes him persona non grata with the current administration.
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • catefrances
    catefrances Posts: 29,003
    so weve got michelle obama looking a little like angela davis and obama looking a little osama. hmmm lighten up i say. :D

    personally if i were michelle obama id be honoured to be depicted as someone similar to angela davis. though i do imagine it might suck during an election campaign. *shrugs*
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • DixieN
    DixieN Posts: 351
    I can see this both ways. It's trying to walk a fine line and succeeding with some and failing with others. It was just making fun of some people's idiocy, but it might just feed that same idiocy. Instead of dousing the flames, it could fan them. Many people seeing the cover won't read the article. What they'll be left with is an image with little context but pre-existing possible prejudices. It could, in fact, accomplish the exact opposite of what it hopes for...instilling racism rather than negating it. A lot of people just don't read. It's a very image-driven society we live in. I don't blame Obama for hitting back, since it could play as unintended swift boating.
  • FiveB247x
    FiveB247x Posts: 2,330
    Elections are public relations campaigns - more so than political conversations. Look around our nation - we should be used to seeing such rubbish by now... but the real sad part of such a thing, is that people buy into it and believe it. It helps formulate their notion of a person, candidate or party. George Carlin once did a bit on Barbara Bush, saying basically the Reading Is Fundamental campaign isn't a good idea. Any idiot can learn to read, but understanding, questioning and comprehending the material is really the important part. So think of that the next time you see an article, newspaper or any dumby saying they read such and such...
    CONservative governMENt

    Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
  • Anon
    Anon Posts: 11,175
    MrBrian wrote:
    Making a joke or going for some satire is fine. But when it involves Obama and the muslim thing....ooops. Can't touch that.
    ---

    But on that note, The cover was just weak. shouldve been much better. I mean you have probably one chance for this and all they can come up with is that?

    A better cover would be a cartoon Obama, standing at a podium giving a speech with all his Muslim family members (from kenya) dressed in normal kenyan garb sitting behind him. Then have a bubble coming out of obama reading "I am not a muslim, and I have never been one"

    ok, perhaps thats = bad

    and buses. let's not forget buses ;)

    zomg!!!! teh obamanation iz going to kill ur nice old white ladiez and frow dem under teh bus!!!!!

    lock up your mommas and grammas.
  • Im still here
    Im still here Posts: 826
    hahahahahahahaha

    that's some funny shit
    PEARL JAM~Lubbock, TX. 10~18~00
    PEARL JAM~San Antonio, TX. 4~5~03
    INCUBUS~Houston, TX. 1~19~07
    INCUBUS~Denver, CO. 2~8~07
    Lollapalooza~Chicago, IL. 8~5~07
    INCUBUS~Austin, TX. 9~3~07
    Bonnaroo~Manchester, TN 6~14~08
  • BrokenGlass
    BrokenGlass Posts: 298
    The New Yorker magazine covers are always titled, and the title is listed on the index page. This cover is entitled "The Politics of Fear". Make sense now?

    Obama's reaction to this is disappointing to me. His response about it being over the top and reinforcing lies that have circulated was really old-school politico-speak. I would have liked it a lot better if he would have said, "It's satire, it's not to be taken literally, it's The New Yorker, for God's sakes."
    Lighten up, Barack.
  • Anon
    Anon Posts: 11,175
    Of course it is satire, and if nothing else, it's meant to represent the absurdity of some of what Obama has been saddled with.

    More than anything I think this is a commentary on how far this country has fallen. You have to be concerned about this picture if you’re Obama because you know that some of the people in this country won’t actually READ the article and see that the cover is not meant as a serious portrayal of Obama.

    It's comical reading some of the comments that people left. There were many left by people who felt that the cartoon depicted the true obama and michelle.

    like this..

    If the shoe fits, where it.

    people actually believe it is true. god help us all.

    And seriously, the cartoon sucked anyway. I can't believe they didn't put Jeremiah Wright in there too. What were they thinking.
  • slightofjeff
    slightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    BrokenGlass wrote:
    The New Yorker magazine covers are always titled, and the title is listed on the index page. This cover is entitled "The Politics of Fear". Make sense now?

    Obama's reaction to this is disappointing to me. His response about it being over the top and reinforcing lies that have circulated was really old-school politico-speak. I would have liked it a lot better if he would have said, "It's satire, it's not to be taken literally, it's The New Yorker, for God's sakes."
    Lighten up, Barack.

    And we have a winner.

    Seriously, anyone who thinks this anything but a jab at the right wing and how THEY are trying to portray Obama ... it's time to start counting your chromosomes.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • CityMouse
    CityMouse Posts: 1,010
    I did not quite understand what the cover was getting at (only vaguely). can someone clue me in a little?
  • decides2dream
    decides2dream Posts: 14,977
    Pj_Gurl wrote:
    Of course it is satire, and if nothing else, it's meant to represent the absurdity of some of what Obama has been saddled with.

    More than anything I think this is a commentary on how far this country has fallen. You have to be concerned about this picture if you’re Obama because you know that some of the people in this country won’t actually READ the article and see that the cover is not meant as a serious portrayal of Obama.

    It's comical reading some of the comments that people left. There were many left by people who felt that the cartoon depicted the true obama and michelle.

    like this..

    If the shoe fits, where it.

    people actually believe it is true. god help us all.

    And seriously, the cartoon sucked anyway. I can't believe they didn't put Jeremiah Wright in there too. What were they thinking.



    that is priceless on oh so many levels. :D

    and yes...you're totally right. given the climate of our country i personally do think it was in poor taste. for all the reasons you list. satire just doesn't fly/register well for many.
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


  • DixieN
    DixieN Posts: 351
    FiveB247x wrote:
    Elections are public relations campaigns - more so than political conversations. Look around our nation - we should be used to seeing such rubbish by now... but the real sad part of such a thing, is that people buy into it and believe it. It helps formulate their notion of a person, candidate or party. George Carlin once did a bit on Barbara Bush, saying basically the Reading Is Fundamental campaign isn't a good idea. Any idiot can learn to read, but understanding, questioning and comprehending the material is really the important part. So think of that the next time you see an article, newspaper or any dumby saying they read such and such...

    Well, comprehension is the goal of reading. But, fundamentally, you can't comprehend something you can't read. There are a lot of people who can't read or who are so frustrated with reading they don't do it unless forced to a bayonet point. The first step to comprehension is being able to decode what you see. George Carlin was a comedian who liked to play with language. Why drive on a parkway and park in a driveway? It's amusing, but ultimately not terribly deep.
  • kenny olav
    kenny olav Posts: 3,319
    perhaps the New Yorker knew they could pass it off as satire, but their real agenda was to help cement negative images of Obama and his wife in the minds of voters? but that would also imply they support McCain.... hmm.... maybe not... but the mainstream TV media loves to report on it and show the cover image over and over again... which will certainly capture the fearful imaginations of McCain's racist, xenophobic, and all other kinds of ignorant supporters, and let's face it - that's a lot of votes. orrrrrrrrrr maybe it'll all backfire and work in Obama's favor.
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    America: The land of the Squeaky.
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    America: The land of the Spangly.
  • Anon
    Anon Posts: 11,175
    decides2dream wrote:
    that is priceless on oh so many levels. :D

    and yes...you're totally right. given the climate of our country i personally do think it was in poor taste. for all the reasons you list. satire just doesn't fly/register well for many.

    yep :) and the bit you highlighted absolutely cracked me up when i read it like that.
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    America: The land of the weeny.
  • Collin
    Collin Posts: 4,931
    It's a cartoon, it's satire.
    THANK YOU, LOSTDAWG!


    naděje umírá poslední

Categories