Within hours of the Tucson shootings we saw the emergence of the media-meme that Loughner was driven to shoot nineteen people by Sarah Palin's political rhetoric. In the following days, as details of Loughner's derangement came to light, commentators grew ever more Jesuitical in their defense of the assertion. After all, tone is more important than substance, and it was the Palin's vitriolic tone that pushed Loughner over the edge.
Sarah Palin devouring Arizonan babies
The way the media closed ranks to defend the smear reminded Suciô of an incident in the UK press in 2003. David Brown, the political cartoonist for the Independent newspaper, drew the Israeli Prime Minister as a monster eating Palestinian babies.
Ariel Sharon devouring Palestinian babies
(by David Brown of the Independent.)
(by David Brown of the Independent.)
There is of course a long European cultural tradition of depicting Jews eating babies: Brown and the Independent were immediately called out on the similarity of the cartoon to the blood libel. They responded that the image was a completely innocent classical reference - inspired by Goya's painting "Saturn devouring his son".
Saturn devouring his son
(by Goya - before he settled down in the canned food business.)
(by Goya - before he settled down in the canned food business.)
Clearly the image was "borrowed" from Goya. (Suciô's not averse to "borrowing" a little clip-art himself.) But, setting aside the execution of the picture, what possible explanation can there be for its conception? Why should Sharon be pictured eating babies? (St. Ignatius himself wasn't Jesuit enough to bend the Saturnian myth to fit Middle-eastern events.)
But the Independent, and much of the rest of the UK press, closed ranks and bluffed their way through. Members of the Political Cartoon Society and national newspaper cartoonists voted the piece the Political Cartoon of the Year for 2003.
Why should a group of well-educated, ostensibly liberally-minded professionals bestow their highest award on an unfunny and, at best, extremely distasteful cartoon?
Why does the US media continue to blame Loughner's actions on "right-wing vitriol"?
We're not here to defend Palin, or Israel. We do think it's important to be able to recognize the signs when behavior goes beyond the rational: whether it's a lone pot-head's schizophrenia, or the antisemitism of the UK press, or the Palinoia of the US media.
Stubborn defense of the indefensible is not rational behavior.
No small-print tutorial today. We'll maybe get on to a little Script-Fu tomorrow.
xD He fit it perfectly using Goya's vision
ReplyDeletelooks creepy
ReplyDeleteHonestly, as a liberal living in the gun-toting state of Arizona, I have to say that this guy was a nut job. What we know about mental illness is that it takes extremes. Schizo's think God talks to them, some think their right-wing conservative doctrines are the way to go to the extreme. Muslims can be extremists, Fundamentalist Christians can be extremists, Conservatives can be extremists, even liberals in the case of Green Peace nut jobs. Any doctrine can enhance the mental illness of any individual. As much as I want to blame this all on right-wing nut jobs, this was about mental illness enhanced by extreme ideals. I can't throw out a whole religion or political stance based on psychos who take it and run. I wouldn't blame rock n roll for creating creatures like Lady Gaga or Marilyn Manson. It's taking something you're focused on and OCD'ing on it. That being said, Sarah Palin is a douche bag and anyone who idolizes someone who is a blathering idiot is very misguided and that is what really terrifies me more than the single guy with psychosis. I hope we continue to pounce on her every word to show what a very troubled and mentally incapable person she is.
ReplyDeleteAutumnforest summed it up nicey!
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
I'll be back,
Jenny
Creepy stuff!
ReplyDeletehaha only thing i love more than clever edits is hating palin
ReplyDeleteIt's all about generating ratings-- tragedies sell more once every angle has been exaggerated and completely blown out of proportion.
ReplyDeleteI recently screen-captured all your tutorials and saved them for furute reference. they have been incredibly helpful, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI think Palin-hate is the same as Bieber-hate: It's the in thing. That's it. Also, lol, my autocorrectore tried to correct, "Palin" as "Plain".
almost mythical creatures you got there? HAH
ReplyDeleteGreat post as usual. On with the palin-hatin'
ReplyDeleteAs irrational as it may be, everyone should remain able to have their own opinion. To use that opinion to justify harming another, now thats a different story. I think we should celebrate the diversity and madness of man(or woman). THen lock them up and throw away the key :)
ReplyDeleteNever the less it's great artwork.
ReplyDeletefreaky freaky... interesting tho
ReplyDeleteI don't know. If i wrote a blog post, and put a bullseye over someone I didn't like, and then a short time later, someone shot them... I might not be directly responsible, but I would sure feel like a jackazz for doing it.
ReplyDeleteHelloooooooooo :)))
ReplyDeleteno no no, this is not a new hairstyle :)! i have so often :)))....
wow i love your post. i love such things...i´m really crazy :)... often you meet my taste :))))
Have a great time
xoxo
http://mar-iza.blogspot.com/
i see you've gotten all serious on me here... i don't do politics... never have
ReplyDeleteGreat post...makes me rather sad though, the entire political arena in the USA is one damn carnival.. what next?
ReplyDeleteAs I go eat my Goya black beans and rice ( for real)
I called Palin a terrorist in my facebook status and was immediately responded back by my major republican friend who had some fighting words for me.
ReplyDeletehm, interesting pics
ReplyDeletePalin is crazy... so messed up
ReplyDeleteVery enlightening, thanks.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to check and support often your local information hot-spot lifeformation.blogspot.com!
I understood nothing of what this post was about...
ReplyDeletegood post and analysis of the political cartoons. very insightful.
ReplyDeletepalin is good for absolutely nothing! lol well except for mindless entertainment on the same level as paris hiltons tv show. what was the name of that show again? anyways... good post dude!
ReplyDeletelmao your posts always crack me up dude, one of the best blogs I follow keep it up
ReplyDeleteI'm not one for politics but those pictures... Very disturbing.
ReplyDeleteThe media is just trying to show that Palin is either insensitive or outright dumb. Anti-semetic references like blood libe are equally damning as the N-word
ReplyDelete"the political cartoonist for the Independent newspaper, drew the Israeli Prime Minister as a monster eating Palestinian babies"
ReplyDeletethat's so true
To be honest, I think Palin is a dumb broad. I think much of Obama either, but this whole idea of blaming Palin for what this whackjob did is bullshit of strong vintage year.
ReplyDeletesarah pallin is really creepy...
ReplyDeletei dunno about politics and dont talk about it at all.
ReplyDeleteman that goya painting is gonna be my nightmare from now on.
sick man
ReplyDeletecool post
ReplyDeleteAll I know is the majority think she is a moron so I don't worry much about her ever actually getting elected to any political office again and the one she did win she quit so I don't see her getting very far beyond her speaking engagements to her followers (the few she really has)
ReplyDeletedidnt know that
ReplyDeletesubbed
franztime.blogspot.com
I'm with DesignAndLaugh ^^^
ReplyDelete