Cartooning a black presidential candidate in 2008

Nick Anderson, The Houston Chronicle:

Editorial cartoons are powerful in shaping public opinion and inciting powerful reactions (just ask bin Laden). America has shamelessly rendered every minority in offensive caricatures and as a result skewing representation and often times perpetuating prejudice. This year the Democrats have the rare opportunity to choose between two historic presidencies, an African-American man or a woman. It looks as if the race will continue for a while and the contenders, Obama and Clinton, will be appearing regularly in editorial cartoons. A question in the back of my mind:

How does one draw an editorially powerful cartoon without ascribing to racist or sexist characteristics?

Thankfully this question has already been posed and answered by Pam Platt from Courier Journal and touched on by NPR.

Here are some quotes from cartoonists in Platt's article:

Jeff Parker, Florida Today in Melbourne, Fla.: "I think a cartoonist can more easily get away with exaggerating gender than they can exaggerating race. We've all seen some particularly wicked cartoons of Sen. Clinton over the years. Is there a double standard? Perhaps. That's where the cartoonist's personal, inner voice needs to kick in. Editorial cartoons are supposed to ridicule and exaggerate, and there'll always be people who'll be offended by them. I prefer to make sure that I get complaints for my stand on a particular issue and not the way I drew a candidate's lips or fanny."

Ann Telnaes, Washington, D.C.-based syndicated cartoonist: "I believe it's much more problematic with race. In this day and age, we're much more aware of racial bias than gender because gender bias can be so much more subtle, and has been a part of our culture for so long. During the 1992 election, I remember very well the depictions of Hillary Clinton in editorial cartoons and in the media as a whole. While I have no problem with ed cartoons attacking Hillary for her policy stance or political tactics (which I have done and will continue to do), a majority of them only made the point that she was an aggressive type of woman, a witch and a bitch . . . "

The last question from Platt:
"A number of cartoonists have drawn President Bush with ape-like physical attributes, and this newspaper has printed a number of those cartoons. Why is it OK for Bush, but not for a candidate of color?"

Nick Anderson, The Houston Chronicle: "A little girl once asked me why I made George Bush look like a monkey. I said, 'I didn't make him look like a monkey, God made him look like a monkey.' I can say that, with tongue in cheek, and I can draw him that way, because we don't have a pernicious, racist history of depicting rich, powerful white guys as monkeys. If we did, well, I'd have to reconsider."

Telnaes: "In editorial cartooning, while you want to make a strong point you also have to make sure the point is actually the one you intended to make. The problem with depicting an African-American candidate the same way (even if your criticisms are the same as you have of Bush) is that all the historical baggage comes with it; the point you're intending to make will be overshadowed. That's where your skills as an editorial cartoonist have to come in -- you must make conscious decisions about what visual metaphor you're going to use in order to get the point you want to make come across."

Diana Jou

Shepard Fairey a Plagiarist?

Shepard Fairey, left, with Derick Swinfard of Monster Media Inc. Who donated the billboard printing
image via obey website

Shepard Fairey a plagiarist? It breaks my heart to think that Fairey, the mind behind the bold expropriations of revolutionary posters also known as the "Obey" campaign, is nothing more than a copy cat. Fairey has earned the respect from both graffiti artists and museum curators. He recently extended his reach with the popular Obama "Hope" posters which has put him directly in the heat of the Democratic presidential bid. Art for a Change run by Mark Vallen, makes an angry argument that Fairey is a low-life, no-life plagiarist but provides side-by-side comparisons of unmistakable similarities. (below are a select few)

My graphic designer friend defends him by saying that Fairey's critique of propaganda is making iconic images ironic. I can understand that the "Guns and Roses" poster changes the message of the Chinese revolutionary poster to play upon the idea of peaceful rebellion. But the direct copy of Ver Sacrum, the front cover illustration for Vienna Secession magazine, for a Obey poster is much harder to justify. My friend further argues that remixes and hip hop samples are no different than what Shepard Fairey is doing with the posters. I have to say when I found out that my favorite DJ Shadow sets or RJD2 tracks have used famous old jazz and funk samples not always giving the original artist credit, I felt a little bit betrayed by their talents. Then again they are the ones that inject new life into old classics allowing more people to appreciate the music. My friend also points out that in rap it is common that people use other people's music and lyrics. In this case Fairey has not only cultivated a love and appreciation for vintage posters and critical thought, but has also built a brand identity that is now a successful business. It is the responsibility of the artist to credit their sources in their published books, even more so for Fairey if he wants to teach his fans to respect the history and the gains of revolutionary arts.

I can't imagine a world where intellectual property is so rigid and everyone sues each each other for not coming up with an original idea. Plus it would hurt the people it intends to protect the most, which are young artists and designers. Not only would it be very hard to define what is original but also to regulate. Is is copying or improving? Borrowing or plagiarism? If we understand hip-hop's steal n' borrow culture as a creative process, which isn't much different from fashion, can we view the Obey campaign as a reflection of its street roots and culture?



left: One Big Union - Ralph "Bingo" Chaplin. 1917. Artwork created for the Industrial Workers of the World. Right Obey T-shirt

Left:Untitled Silk-screen poster - Rene Mederos, Cuba, 1972. This double portrait by one of Cuba’s most famous poster artists depicts the revolutionaries Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. Right: Obey T-shirt

Ver Sacrum - Koloman Moser 1901. Front cover illustration for the Vienna Secession magazine, Ver Sacrum, overlay on the Obey poster

Left: Still from director Michael Anderson’s 1956 film adaptation of George Orwell’s cautionary story of a dystopic future, 1984. Right: Obey Poster

Left:Political power comes from the barrel of a gun - Artist unknown. 1968. Chinese poster from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution period. Right: Obey poster

Right: Obey poster, Greetings from Iraq, printed in 2005. Right: Ranger Naturalist Service: Yellowstone National Park - Artist unknown. Silkscreen. Circa late 1930s

Left: Liberate Puerto Rico Now! - Young Lords Party. Silkscreen poster. 1971. Right: Obey poster

Diana Jou

LOL Campaigns

Here are some underground campaigns that humorously glorifies or denounces one of our presidential candidates.

Barack Obama is your new bicycle

http://barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com/

Barack Obama saved his dessert for you

After ten minutes of clicking i've concluded it is a bit lovey-dovey.
But it sparks of youth-speak through references of funwall, add friend, ringtone, blog, mp3 and speeding tickets.
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Hillary Clinton is your new HD DVD player
http://hillaryclintonisyournewhddvdplayer.com/
Hillary Clinton will have you know she doesn't do dual-format

my conclusion: Besides this dual-format comment, the others are a bit techy and hard to make a direct connection to her campaign. (she dumped toshiba..what?)

John McCain is your new bicycle
http://johnmccainisyournewbicycle.com/
No samples, you'll just have to click and see

Ron Paul is your new bicycle
http://ronpaulisyournewbicycle.com/
Ron Paul wants to sell you gold.
my conclusion: He's weird and this site reflects it.

Sadly, the most humorous one is the campaign against Hillary.

Hillary is Mom Jeans
http://hillaryismomjeans.com/
Hillary writes everything in Comic Sans
Hillary scratched your new iphone
Hillary asks if you are working hard or hardly working

my conclusion: Finally, all my pet peeves articulated! Sadly, for the purpose of Hillary bashing.

via Boing Boing

Diana Jou

My Grandmother, My Vibrator, and Me

Wacker M 3000 Concrete Vibrator...wait wrong tool

Little Chroma by Jimmy Jane

My Grandmother, My Vibrator, and Me
For $24.99 you can sleep like a baby, moan like a porn star and obtain happiness.

Writing an article on the power of vibrators isn't easy. There is a lot of research that goes into each article in Jaded. I can honestly tell you, this article is well researched. Let's start with the "history of" from our friends at Wikipedia.

“Western doctors invented vibrators in the late 1800s to help cure women of a Victorian-era condition known as “hysteria.” This condition was believed to encompass a variety of symptoms including irritability, lack of appetite for sex or food, nervousness, faintness, and even a “tendency to cause trouble.” Doctors would physically massage their genitals until they had an orgasm.”

While I am mainly interested in first hand sources, the above background from Wiki tells me two things; that we live in a sexist society [ ] gendering “unwomanly” traits as diseases and that women can outsmart a professional group of men to massage their clitoris. Though it is nice to have a professional do all the work for you, there is little privacy in sitting in an uncomfortable chair under harsh lighting and having a stranger touch you “down there”. A vibrator offers intimacy, but more important it provides an opportunity for self-discovery and independence.

It takes a courageous and curious woman to dive in the deep sea of orgasmic pleasures. And I was not that woman. Not only was I not curious, I was actually fearful of all the dark complicated areas down there. I went through half a box of tampons before deciding it was safe to put it all the way in and leave it there.

I finally decided to give the vibrator a try after finding some shocking discoveries about my grandmother. Two summers ago, when I visited her in her small town Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and she eagerly showed me her stash of porn, highlighting one magazine with all its models over 50 years old. I found out later she secretly gave my female cousin a dildo as a gift. After the shock and embarrassment subsided, I realized what she was doing was empowering herself as a woman. She was interested in seeing women of her age represented sexually and explicitly in magazines. When my grandmother gave my cousin a rubbery penis, she was giving her granddaughter a chance to explore her own sexuality. It was a present from a woman to another woman. Her committed to her sexual health even the age of 64 is something rare and inspiring.

Once I understood how masturbation is gendered to congratulate male sexuality and stigmatize female sexuality, I saw the vibrator as a tool of empowerment. Men are thought of as sexual beings; we always understand their need to masturbate. He comes every time during intercourse. On the other hand, she can have sex without reaching orgasm. In the public discourse there are more room for negative names like “slut” and “whore” than positive images of women exploring sexuality. It is powerful to know your own body and what turns you on, and be able to come at a moment's notice with the whir of a switch. The process of finding orgasm with a vibrator is daunting but well worth the search. And after that, you’ll be able to sleep like a baby.

One thing I learned from my grandmother was that it is important share. Since I have a healthy relationship to my vibrator, I’ve introduced it to the women in my life. To share pleasure from a woman to a young lady is a generous act womanly-love and self-love.

If hole-in-the-wall porn shops aren't your thing, check out these bourgeois sex shops, complete with jazz music, smiling employees dressed in matching polos, and corporate slogans.
Spankys- "Adult Emporium Since 1968" Also home of the world famous Monkey Spanker, Chicken Choker, Rocket Polisher and Strong Arm character tee shirts. Store located in Santa Ana. http://www.spankysxxx.com/
Good Vibrations - "Promoting sexual health and pleasure since 1977" They also have a weekly online magazine and information sessions called "Pleasure Parties" Stores are located in San Francisco http://www.goodvibes.com/
Babeland - "Sex Toys for a Passion World." Locations in Los Angeles and New York. http://www.babeland.com/
ConRev – "World's finest Erotic Gift Shop." Shops in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach http://www.conrev.com/

-- Diana Jou

A little post-valentine's day article from the Jaded mag archives, Red Issue 2007

"The Hardest Working Presidential Candidate Logo"

This is a repost from Speak Up, who does a careful analysis of Obama's logo design. If you want to hear some good design talk click here.
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The New York Times , "Reading Tea Leaves and Campaign Logos"
Ward Sutton makes some observant design notes on everything from typeface to color to spacing.

--

Hillary has one logo and a couple unappealing on-the-road photo montage banners for her website
--
Obama is giving everyone their own logo. A clean, slightly misty, banner. I smell re-post and website decorating opportunities.

Each design tries to connect to the group it is representing, it does so with sensitivity and respect. Never undermine the power of typography. It speaks tons.

Speak up says:
"This kind of playful flexibility is typically reserved for the likes of MTV, VH1 or Nickelodeon and the breadth of this kind of brand architecture for global corporations with endless divisions." ouch!

I hope Obama will redesign the White House stationary and make it look more modern, but classy of course. Shoot, he should redeocrate the White House itself. Add some color, make it fun.

And if you must, you can put a 5 second video of his logo (it doesnt do much) on your ipod via
mo/de the masterminds behind the logo.

- Diana Jou

Pregos Films; What Does It Mean For The Fetus Debate?

I saw both Juno and 4 months 3 weeks & 2 days last week. Juno is the indie superstar with four big nominations from the Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actress, Director and Original Screenplay. Juno tells the story of a witty and slightly tomboyish high school girl that is suddenly bore with the burden of an unexpected pregnancy. Most films at this point turn into a drama, but Juno is a comedy. We follow her as she as she decides between an abortion or an adoption but ultimately decides to give her baby up for adoption to a wealthy and desperate mommy wannabe. Anyone that can turn unplanned pregnancies into an enjoyable and heart-warming entertainment piece deserves at least one naked gold man. I came out of the movie announcing confidently, "I like that movie." What is there not to like? Juno is courageous, responsible, intelligent, rebellious, and knows a crap load about punk music. But a true task would be to make a humorous teen pregnancy film about a girl that is, let's say, a person of color. Or maybe in an urban environment? Or poor?

Okay, okay the purpose of Juno is to entertain the mind with happy fantasies and not smash you in the brains with unflattering realities that most young women have to face. That is the job of the Romanian film, 4 months 3 weeks, & 2 days. It received international acclaim by the International Federation of Film Critics and the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival but no mention from the coveted Academy. 4 months tells a story of two college students living in communist Romanian in 1987 and their experience as they arrange an illegal abortion. Gabita, the pregnant roommate, nervous and slightly absentminded (who can blame her) is helped by her resourceful and pragmatic roommate, Otilia. The abortion comes at political, physical sexual cost that the women have to bare. There is not much action, the shots are long and dialogs are short. The chilling factor lies in the creepy Dr. Bebe and his description of the painful realities of an abortion. The experience is so raw and ugly, it felt like a warning to all the kids out there, "abortion, too scary to try!" It is hard to decide which political camp it belongs to because it can be used by pro-lifers as the dangers of abortion and pro-choicers as the danger of illegal abortion. What makes this film a winner is that the true fright stems from anticipation and uncertainty of the women's decision. The uncertainty of whether the young and scared women are making the right decision is what transcends the film from being "pro-life" or "pro-choice" to being complicated and humane. I don't think women always know if an abortion is good or bad, right or wrong despite its legal status. It is invasive, emotionally and physically draining, but when given no choice they become desperate and vulnerable, specifically to men.

Juno and 4 months should be a double feature, people should watch both, one right after another. It is might be a path to enlightenment, if not serving to stretch our imagination by playing out two opposing scenarios of unplanned pregnancies from a women's perspective. After watching 4 months I was able to understand why I liked Juno, how it might hurt romantic young girls, and how it perfectly reflects a moderate American perspective. I liked Juno because it is a sweet love story even though there were Christian undertones of "God wants you to have a baby" and "gift of life" J. Hoberman from the Village Voice made an excellent point, it is a Christmas movie about charity and giving, except the philanthropic act is about going through with an unplanned teen pregnancy and letting an unbelievably loving and beautiful woman adopt the child. It gives me hope, and it even makes me welcome the unexpected. But I hope teeny bopper hipsters that are humming to Juno's theme song or more accurately a lullaby are more educated on the realities of producing a person and not be romantic fools that believe in the power of the Pennysaver classifieds. Juno is edgy because it openly tells a story of a prego teen, without shame and with humor while still reflecting American values of faith, independence, conviction, and altruism. No wonder the all-American teen prego film got 4 yes'ums from Hollywood, while our more liberal European friends applaud 4 months' depressing honesty.

Is this the showing of conservative American media? In school, the only type of sex education that is relayed to our children is abstinence. (My German friends tell me they have young children's sex ed books with titles like "one plus one equals three." with pictures of mommy and daddy have sex but not without talking about a condom first!) Teens are taught how to use a condom but are required to buy condoms behind locked glass cases at CVS (I tried and it took me 20 mins to track down a store employee, how embarrassing). Though Juno is considered "alternative" (she has a punk attitude) the picture is a traditional pro-life tale; you should keep the fetus, it is a gift from god, hope and love will be embodied in the sea of affluent and desperate infertile couples. This is an acceptable film, if not a beautiful one but it is not the only conversation I want to have with young sexually active people. I love the movie, but by denying a nomination for 4months, an exceptional film of the same topic with a different view, you really limit the cultural and political discussions around unexpected babies.
Where does this lead us in abortion and baby debate? A little place not far from the circle of the usual arguments.

you may sing along, but dont get addicted.

- Diana Jou

"Obamamanias make me cry, sometimes."

The power of Barack Obama's words is evident in his ability to inspire a cast of Hollywood hitters to make an online music video, made completely independent of his campaign, based solely on the words from his speech after the New Hampshire primary. Supporters often compare his speeches to lyrical poetry, but never before had people actually turned presidential speeches into songs. Plus it wasn't even a presidential speech, it was an address he made after he lost the New Hampshire primary.

"Yes We Can" music video is directed by Jesse Dylan, Bob Dylan's son, and produced by Black Eye Peas' will.i.am. It features Common, Scarlett Johansson, Tatyana Ali, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adam Rodriquez, Kelly Hu, Adam Rodriquez, Amber Valetta, Eric Balfour, Aisha Tyler, Nicole Scherzinger and Nick Cannon. To gather all these people and figure out a sweet tune is not an easy task to do in three weeks. Since the video was release on Feb 2, it was viewed over a million times and favorited over 6,000 times.

Youtube is known for its treasure trove of weird and funny videos posted by tech savy folks, young and restless teens, and dissenting critics. Naturally there are of hundreds of mockumentries and video mash-ups against G. Bush. Beyond amateur videos, free services like Youtube makes it possible for people to participate in public discourse through publishing evidence of injustices or political support without having to maneuver the expensive political media machine. What's more is that there is an audience on the other side of the computer screen interested in what alternative media have to present.

A simple search on Youtube of this year's presidential candidates will reveal Obama's strong internet presence over his contenders. There is a strong supply of speeches posted by the Obama campaign and by individual users. While other candidates not only lack in supportive propaganda, but have an abundance of bad publicity. Poor Hillary's top searches include Ann Coulter vowing to campaign for her if McCain wins the nomination, a mash-up of an old superbowl Apple Mac ad referencing Orwell's 1984, with Hillary representing Ingsoc, the totalitarian government, and the closest she got to a music video is Hillary herself singing the National Anthem last year in Iowa. Obama on the other hand inspired two musical collaborations, "Yes We Can" and "Fired up, Ready to Go." "Fired up, Ready to Go" (see video below) involves Reverend Pat Wright and her renowned gospel choir, drummer Matt Cameron from Pearl Jam, lead singer Jake Bergevin, other top studio professionals, all decided to do this for free and independent of Obama's campaign. Just a couple dozen of folks making music to Obama's speeches on their time off.



Recently Obey's Shepard Fairey, a graffiti artist known for his criticism of political propaganda, independently made street bills promoting Obama as a political candidate. Obama's overwhelming support from young people is hardly any news, but what is unique here is that his words are moving people to do something creative and independent. People are actively trying to sway debate, from posting a music video of his speech to postering on the streets. Can't say I witnessed the same enthusiasm for the last election, unless you count P. Dilly and Paris Hilton as voting advocates with their "Vote or Die" shirts. Which ever way you vote, this year is going down in history.

referencing, Andre the Giant.

More music!
Electro Hip-hop for Obama:
FMB (Fire Magic Blood), which consists of Daedelus and Taz Arnold & Shafiq Husayn from Sa-Ra.

FMB - Vote Obama (mp3)
via Keepin It Right Radio


- Diana Jou

the state of affairs

it may be a somber week for blogging, but blog we must.

at least 158 people died in baghdad in bombings today. across iraq, the death toll is upwards of 230. some 58 bullet-ridden bodies were found dumped. i do realize the gravity of the tragedy in virginia, but it's more sickening to think about all the people who were murdered today in one single country who didn't get any space on the front page, or whose bodies will never be found, identified, or properly mourned in a nationally broadcast candlelight vigil. where is the justice in that? and i know exactly why that is, and the reasons behind it are the most damn depressing aspect of our situation in general. so for a few weeks, there will be gun law debates and racial diatribes that will pass off as "discussions" on airhead talkshows. and we will continue to ignore everyday massacres and routine tragedies.

just a thought, because after shit like this goes down in america, i think people tend to really lose perspective. not that we as americans had any to begin with.

-kayleigh

My Perfect Day

My Perfect Day happened over the summer. It was a typical warm day of 85 degrees (perfect temperature) in June and I had just gotten out of school a few weeks earlier. So the fact that summer was starting and school was done, I was overwhelmed with excitement with what to do at home. Looking back at this day, I didn't realize it was perfect until later when my friend had asked me how I would describe my perfect day. What first set off the perfection of this day, was the big breakfast my father had whipped up in the kitchen. The smell of hot pancakes, crackling bacon, and fluffy eggs found its way into my room to awake me from a deep slumber. As I was aroused and drawn to the smell, I admired my favorite scene of my family before scarfing down the meal. My dad was cooking, mom was reading the paper, and my sister was flipping through the Target ads. After I had satisfied my stomach, I got one of my favorite books "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, and bathed in the sun reading. In my pj's I escaped into the world written on the pages as the warmth beat down and casted a sleepy spell upon me. My delightful doze was suddenly shooken awake by a cool breeze and my sister pulled my arm and looked at me with that puppy-begging look of hers. I knew what that meant and was only too happy to abide her request. We immediately set up the cones for goal posts in our jungle-like backyard and threw the soccer ball on the roof to start the game. After a couple hours of sweat, bruises, and my sister complaining I was playing unfair with the absence of a referree to call my "uncalled-for pushing," I settled for swimming in our lake-temperature pool. Though the water was freezing as usual, it felt like i was dunkening a mango ice down my throat. The instant refreshing cooldown was ever so satisfying and perfect. To top that off, I peered up from the water to find my dad starting the barbeque for our favorite gardenburger and cheeseburger dinner accompanied with barbequed corn and Cosco-baked french fries. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into my organic composed beef substitute. After helping out with the dishes, the sun set to a perfect radiant hot pink and blazing orange-blue that swooned me to pull out my book once again to finish the day. Sitting on my porch and occasionally starring off into space, watching my dog bark at squirrels, and feel the warm Sacramento river breeze brush against my face was a relaxing joy. The twinkle lights lighted up the enclosing night sky and highlighted the words in my book. The feeling of content was perfect. That day had been perfect.

-Maddy