As we all well know, the win for our new president elect was received with cheers and cries of joy, as well as hisses and jeers. It is to be expected, in a country in which the people chose the leader, there is obviously going to be a losing side and they may be sore ones at that. However, when it comes to a momentous election like that of 2008’s, we have to take a closer look at the people’s reactions.
I have to say, that there is money to be made with Obama merchandise. Pins, buttons, t-shirts and caps are popping up everywhere and on everyone. People show their support for the win by wearing these accessories but also feed into the whole wave of Obama-mania that is streaming through the nation.
Everywhere I go, whether I am on the train, and there are MTA problems, I hear, “Watch, Obama will fix this.” If we’re passing a business that is closing down, or someone is telling me about a bill increase, I hear, “Don’t worry. Obama will fix this economy.” Well, Mr. president elect so far you already have an incredibly long wish list to fulfill. I wish you luck.
Others who believe in Obama’s message of change and hope have used art to get their support across. One artist has used a humorous and racial perspective in his poster, by using the common line, “Once you go black…” but finishing it off with, “We’re outta Iraq.” It shows how a drastic change to the presidency was needed to get our soldiers out of the war zone and that Obama is here to get things done. It supports the route of change Obama represents. Another artist shows our new president looking forward, as if to the sky and painted in a mixture of red, white, and blue. The word “Hope “ resides at the forefront, while words representative of him and echoed in his campaign trail, “progress, change…” are in the background. It is symbolic of our vision of the new president, almost as our ray of “hope.”
But when does free speech go too far? There has been speculation that there has been a surge of hate crimes since the win, like that of the seven teenagers who killed the Ecuadorian. There has also ben an onset of hate related graffiti appearing across the country, some that I have come across myself, saying “Kill Blacks”, “Go back to Africa”, or outright threats, “Kill Obama.” There have even been reports of second and third graders in Idaho chanting “Assassinate Obama!”, in the school bus. Now, obviously a 7 or 8 year old does not pull a word like “assassinate” out of thin air. An adult told them to say that, and it makes me sick. Why corrupt a young child with a message of hate?
An artist in Seattle painted an image of Obama in military attire with the words Hussein beneath him. An onlooker came by and painted over it. The battle continues…
Its sad that hate still exists in this country after centuries of struggling to make it better. Obama’s win brought many together through, but it also brought the nations true colors out as well. Hope has lead to the creation of beautiful works of Obama art commemorating this historic event. Meanwhile, anger brought the ever-present prejudices that still lingers today’s society into more focus, and I hope that we can do more to address them instead of sitting back and taking it.
I have to say, that there is money to be made with Obama merchandise. Pins, buttons, t-shirts and caps are popping up everywhere and on everyone. People show their support for the win by wearing these accessories but also feed into the whole wave of Obama-mania that is streaming through the nation.
Everywhere I go, whether I am on the train, and there are MTA problems, I hear, “Watch, Obama will fix this.” If we’re passing a business that is closing down, or someone is telling me about a bill increase, I hear, “Don’t worry. Obama will fix this economy.” Well, Mr. president elect so far you already have an incredibly long wish list to fulfill. I wish you luck.
Others who believe in Obama’s message of change and hope have used art to get their support across. One artist has used a humorous and racial perspective in his poster, by using the common line, “Once you go black…” but finishing it off with, “We’re outta Iraq.” It shows how a drastic change to the presidency was needed to get our soldiers out of the war zone and that Obama is here to get things done. It supports the route of change Obama represents. Another artist shows our new president looking forward, as if to the sky and painted in a mixture of red, white, and blue. The word “Hope “ resides at the forefront, while words representative of him and echoed in his campaign trail, “progress, change…” are in the background. It is symbolic of our vision of the new president, almost as our ray of “hope.”
Canvas isn’t the only thing being stamped with the image of our forty-fourth president on it, or words of change. People are flocking to tattoo parlors to get Obama’s face, or even his inauguration date imprinted on their skin. Gilbert Arenas from the Washington Wizards basketball team got the words “Change we believe in” and the number “44” tattooed on his left hand. I guess, this historic event wants to be remembered by some in a far more permanent manner.
However, while some have created works to honor our new leader, others have gone out of their way to voice their disapproval of the win. There is even a site dedicated to “I Hate Obama” merchandise, which I think is horrible, but then again, there is a thing called free speech right?
But when does free speech go too far? There has been speculation that there has been a surge of hate crimes since the win, like that of the seven teenagers who killed the Ecuadorian. There has also ben an onset of hate related graffiti appearing across the country, some that I have come across myself, saying “Kill Blacks”, “Go back to Africa”, or outright threats, “Kill Obama.” There have even been reports of second and third graders in Idaho chanting “Assassinate Obama!”, in the school bus. Now, obviously a 7 or 8 year old does not pull a word like “assassinate” out of thin air. An adult told them to say that, and it makes me sick. Why corrupt a young child with a message of hate?
An artist in Seattle painted an image of Obama in military attire with the words Hussein beneath him. An onlooker came by and painted over it. The battle continues…
Another artist painted a portrait of Michelle and Sasha Obama at the Democratic Convention looking rather inattentive and disinterested. While one might interpret their body language as being tired like, a result of hectic scheduling, another perspective is that they are bored, unsupportive and anxious to leave. The original painter has not made any comments on his motives for the paintings, but I have to say that I don’t like it at all.
Its sad that hate still exists in this country after centuries of struggling to make it better. Obama’s win brought many together through, but it also brought the nations true colors out as well. Hope has lead to the creation of beautiful works of Obama art commemorating this historic event. Meanwhile, anger brought the ever-present prejudices that still lingers today’s society into more focus, and I hope that we can do more to address them instead of sitting back and taking it.
No comments:
Post a Comment