Seriousness Merges With Satire in Iconographic Obama News Coverage

NewsBusters ^ | July 27, 2008 | P.J. Gladnick

[PJ-Comix]

Brent Baker posted excerpts of the hilarious satire on Friday written by Gerard Baker of the Times of London making fun of the iconographic coverage Barack Obama has been getting on his world tour. However, what makes Baker's satire especially funny is that it was published almost simultaneously with a supposedly non-satirical article written by Euan Ferguson of the UK Observer. One story was meant to be funny and the other wasn't yet both sound like satire. Even the titles of both articles were eerily similar. Baker's satire was titled, "He ventured forth to bring light to the world," while Ferguson's story title which also sounds like satire was titled, "He came, he saw, he sprinkled us with stardust."

The really fun part of reading both stories is in seeing how the "serious" story by Ferguson reads so much like Baker's satire. Let us compare the two stories. Below are excerpts from Ferguson's story followed by portions of Baker's satire in italics. It is hard to distinguish the two as you shall see:

He has a devilish, wicked, lopsided little half-smile, does Mr Barack Obama, and the instincts in his face want him to use it. Just as well, really, because it pulls him back into the realm of humanity, and without it we might be in danger of trading hallelujahs and tugging his frayed hem.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

...Because there was something utterly messianic about the visit yesterday to London of what polls increasingly have down as the United States' next President. Not least the presence of mortals gathering to be sprinkled with stardust, PMs and PMs-in-waiting among them.

Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.

But, mainly, he simply appeared, and sprinkled that stardust. Gordon Brown could be seen beaming. In the dark. The dark of the hall of 10 Downing Street. Obama wasn't allowed, through protocol, to grasp Mr B's hand outside for the cameras, as he is only a presidential candidate, and it wasn't done for John McCain's visit. But there was an Obama arm swiftly around Gordon's shoulders, and a (rather fluid) returning lower-back pat, before the door shut.

...Back in the garden, Gordon waved his right hand to show him various trees. Nobody quite knows why. Nor what he was saying. The crueller watchers had it down pat. 'That tree's going to vote for me ... that one's dithering.' That was possibly a little too cynical, because our Prime Minister did indeed seem to be genuinely, sunnily, smiling. Twenty minutes later, Obama met David Cameron in the grounds of the Commons, and Cameron did the same.

On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.

There were tears, really. Crying. Logos. Slogans. Hope. The woman on the Clapham omnibus quite literally rose to her feet.

As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.

And now Mr O, with his wickedly easy smile, has been flying, home, and very possibly listening to Leonard Cohen, and smiling. First we take Manhattan. Then we take Berlin.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

Yes, one article was serious and the other was satire and yet both absolutely hilarious due to their uncanny similarities.

[PJ-Comix]

Which is serious and which is satire? Real or Memorex? It all reads about the same.

[the invisib1e hand]

this is just getting too effing weird for me.

Can Toto and I go back to Kansas now?

Maybe it's about time I read Alice in Wonderland, for guidance.

[skr]

The serious author has some serious mental and, more importantly, spiritual issues.

[Paved Paradise]

The satire is LOL funny. Thanks for posting both.

[Old Sarge]

Oz, Wonderland, or Bizarro World?

[ETL]

This one is FOR REAL...

From Barack Obama's official website:

“I wanted to make an art piece of Barack Obama because I thought an iconic portrait of him could symbolize and amplify the importance of his mission. I believe Obama will guide this country to a future where everyone can thrive and I should support him vigorously for the sake of my two young daughters. I have made art opposing the Iraq war for several years, and making art of Obama, who opposed the war from the start, is like making art for peace. I know I have an audience of young art fans and I’m delighted if I can encourage them to see the merits of Barack Obama.”

-Shepard Fairey
http://store.barackobama.com/product_p/po26951.htm

See? It's all about "peace, love, togetherness" and "change".

Here are some of Fairey's other masterpieces. No joke. Most of his works are along these same lines. Check the link.

Source:
http://jonathanlevinegallery.com/?method=Artist.ArtistDetail&ArtistID=F65EBB86-3048-28EB-92D55AA4FC996E31&GalleryID=82C33C59-3048-28EB-92DB386C8C733405

From a 'Thank you' letter from Barack Obama to Shepard Fairey:
"Dear Shepard, I would like to thank you for using your talent in support of my campaign. The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe they can help change the status quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign.'"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/16/AR2008051601017.html

[AnalogReigns]

The Obamessiah's most interesting art icon is his main symbol in and of itself:

Notice the blurry BLUE arch over and above the RED stripes, which appear to be laying on the ground. Whether unconsciously or not, the artist put the blue states over and above the red....AND shows our flag as laying on the ground (a desecration).

I don't recall either a candidate whose main symbol, the big "O," was a modification of his own first name (and is that a crescent moon rising....?).

I take that back partly, as I do remember the G for Goldwater....but since then, have the initials of the candidate been used as their campaign symbol?

This, combined with the pseudo presidential seal he used to use:

convinces me we are dealing with a serious megalomaniac. Not a good thing in the leader of the free world....

VERY INTERESTING IMHO.

[AnalogReigns]

Correction: Of course the “O” is for his last, not first name. Still...doesn’t detract from it’s arrogance.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Hope and Change

[ETL]

That’s good, and not too far off track. However, the problem with all these cartoon and other creations is that many people then have trouble believing the REAL stuff. Very problematic for those of us trying to get the truth out about Obama. Still, many are pretty funny.

[ETL]

and above the RED stripes, which appear to be laying on the ground.

Similar red stripes are also seen in many of Shepard Fairey's pieces. See, for example...

Source: The Jonathan Levine Gallery:
http://jonathanlevinegallery.com/?method=Artist.ArtistDetail&ArtistID=F65EBB86-3048-28EB-92D55AA4FC996E31&GalleryID=82C33C59-3048-28EB-92DB386C8C733405