Tuesday, November 11, 2008







Heartfield created some propaganda of his own and many people still do. This practice began with the Romans and maybe even with cave paintings. The Romans perfected it with the arches and other things like Trajan's column. Stone, steady structures bragging about the great deeds the emperors performed. Today in many ways a lot of propaganda still does that but then again and always, a especially by upset artists, these forms of persuasive art make fun of the governing officials and who better to make fun of. It is because of this same scenario that I will miss George Bush so much. Of course we will always find something wrong with the next guy in line, but I don't think it will ever be as genuine. Art that supported movements such as the Nazis always seem very frightening and big brotherish to me. Propaganda on the allies side in the war and for many of the democratic countries (U.S.A.) seem to be too wholesome for me. So, either I need a balance between the two of these extremes or something funny. A lot of the art today that is designed to set my mood politically is more settle in it's means to persuade me and it is not until someone points out to me the slight changes or filters or air bush that I am able to see how that slight change in skin color or age might effect my opinion on the person whose picture is being manipulated. But the art I enjoy the most that effects my opinion is really the funny stuff. This way if I can take a joke about my favorite party member (which I can because I have none) I will not be offended and if it is about a party member I dislike then I can enjoy a good laugh at their expense. Most propaganda these days I believe falls into these categories. There are some war on drugs campaigns that I think may scare me just as much as the Nazi ones but they are few mostly because I don't pay attention and I already know what is true for myself and what is not. But the 'political' is a little different for me. It is harder for me to know what is true and what is not. I've never worked in politics. And a lot of people are like that. This may be the reason propaganda works on people like me because I catch my political information on the fly. I am too busy with so many other daily things to get the truth and do the truly involved detective work to get it. I have to go by what I've seen and heard. And I find that the things I trust more are the things that make me laugh and that is why for me the above pictures catch my attention more and work the most on me in the propaganda department to sway my political interests if I had any.

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