Following the publishing of Barry Blitt’s 2008 caricature The Politics of Fear, The New Yorker faced immediate backlash in the midst of a presidential election. The officials of Obama’s 2008 campaign denounced this illustration as “tasteless and offensive”; an attempt to separate their candidate and his spouse from the prevailing image of an extremist, pro-war, and anti-American couple that sought to support insurrectionist forces in the Middle East. This image stems directly from controversies beginning with Obama’s skin color. Both right-wing embrace and left-wing denouncement not only thrust Blitt’s image into the media spotlight, but also completely missed the true meaning behind it. From an artist commonly known for his usage of satire,
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Following the attacks of September 11th and in the midst of armed conflict in the Middle East, superstitions presumed that a Muslim president would sympathize closely with religious extremists. Blitt unequivocally addresses this, illustrating Obama in a turban and white robe under a similarly dressed Osama Bin Laden in the painting above, a commonly known terrorist figure. The presence of both in the Oval Office suggests a working relationship between the President and a religious extremist. After Obama’s confirmation of his religion as a Christian, these theories become unimaginable, yet Blitt depicts this image as a reality in order to communicate the absurdity of a presidential candidate collaborating with a nationally recognized enemy. The illustration of Obama’s Muslim faith, characterized by a turban and white robe, directly contradicts the Obama campaign’s efforts to materialize his involvement in the Christian church. Further, Blitt implies the inability of Obama’s critics to provide legitimate criticism, as he extends a theory from falsified …show more content…
The Politics of Fear includes Michelle fist bumping with Barack, building camaraderie while donning an afro, combat pants, and an assault rifle. The clothing between the two forms a discrepancy; Michelle’s pro-combat attire contrasts with Barack’s supposed sympathy with religious extremists. Blitt’s choice to include Michelle’s afro presents another racial stereotype; the afro stands as a symbol of African heritage, commonly used in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s in an effort to end racial segregation. Further, Michelle’s combat attire suggests affiliation with the Black Panther Party, a black empowerment group founded during the Civil Rights movement that resorted to arming their members as a means of self defense. Many critics of this group viewed this as a catalyst to violence, and Blitt relates Michelle’s clothing and AK-47 to the pro-armament Black Panthers. While Barack’s Middle Eastern clothing represent foreign terrorism, Michelle’s represents the domestic terrorism commonly associated with the Panthers. The placement of this image hints that observers of the Obama couple view them primarily through their ethnicity, placing presumptive racial stereotypes against them. Blitt mocks the racial stereotypes placed against the Obamas by depicting a situation in which their skin tone places an
Following the attacks of September 11th and in the midst of armed conflict in the Middle East, superstitions presumed that a Muslim president would sympathize closely with religious extremists. Blitt unequivocally addresses this, illustrating Obama in a turban and white robe under a similarly dressed Osama Bin Laden in the painting above, a commonly known terrorist figure. The presence of both in the Oval Office suggests a working relationship between the President and a religious extremist. After Obama’s confirmation of his religion as a Christian, these theories become unimaginable, yet Blitt depicts this image as a reality in order to communicate the absurdity of a presidential candidate collaborating with a nationally recognized enemy. The illustration of Obama’s Muslim faith, characterized by a turban and white robe, directly contradicts the Obama campaign’s efforts to materialize his involvement in the Christian church. Further, Blitt implies the inability of Obama’s critics to provide legitimate criticism, as he extends a theory from falsified …show more content…
The Politics of Fear includes Michelle fist bumping with Barack, building camaraderie while donning an afro, combat pants, and an assault rifle. The clothing between the two forms a discrepancy; Michelle’s pro-combat attire contrasts with Barack’s supposed sympathy with religious extremists. Blitt’s choice to include Michelle’s afro presents another racial stereotype; the afro stands as a symbol of African heritage, commonly used in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s in an effort to end racial segregation. Further, Michelle’s combat attire suggests affiliation with the Black Panther Party, a black empowerment group founded during the Civil Rights movement that resorted to arming their members as a means of self defense. Many critics of this group viewed this as a catalyst to violence, and Blitt relates Michelle’s clothing and AK-47 to the pro-armament Black Panthers. While Barack’s Middle Eastern clothing represent foreign terrorism, Michelle’s represents the domestic terrorism commonly associated with the Panthers. The placement of this image hints that observers of the Obama couple view them primarily through their ethnicity, placing presumptive racial stereotypes against them. Blitt mocks the racial stereotypes placed against the Obamas by depicting a situation in which their skin tone places an