What does this Meme mean To YOU?

2/2/2009

This meme is really interesting, but I wanted to explore it through questions rather than through my own expressed thoughts. The premise is to make your own photo like one of the artist inspired works regarding President Obama. But the result is that I've seen people who voted for Obama and people who voted against him creating these little things.

SO:

Does making your own Obamicon mean that you support him?
   -or-
Does it mean that you just like the style of his campaign poster?
       -or-
Does is mean that you merely want to follow the latest internet trend?
       -or-
Does it mean you want to capitalize on something cool / trendy?
    -or-
Does it mean that you simply have too much time on your hands?

Anyone want to take a stab at what you think this meme is all about? Why do YOU think so many people are creating these?

John Kepler Lewis link

2/2/2009 10:50:18 am

I don't believe that any of your options are entirely accurate. A more precise take on the situation is the blind enamor of celebrity that this figure incurs. In other words, it seems to me that this is celebrity worship, plain and simple.

The works themselves are stylistic pieces, with no real meaning, or subtext. Ayn Rand made fun of ... Read Morephilosophers by saying that (and I'm paraphrasing here, because the 1000 pages of Atlas Shrugged are far too much to index through for one quote) "Philosophy is the science of understanding that no one is complex enough to understand thought."

That being said, I'm not a pro like you homie! Hope all is well.

Chris link

2/2/2009 11:28:54 pm

so Shephard Fairey made the "Andre Has a Posse" and "Obey" underground posters back in the day. I think part of the deal was to deconstruct propaganda, or maybe it was just to sort of have some fun with it. 20 years later, he makes the Obama poster which is, aesthetically, very similar. Awesome graphic, one-word phrase, instantly evocative. Your question about the meme could really also be posed to the original: at the very least there's something ironic about all of this, and maybe that's part of the point.

Then again, perhaps it's an example of the eventual evolution of deconstruction toward construction. That's a trend you see repeated constantly in history.

Back to the irony for a second: it could also be that it's meant to be ironic in a poetic way...in the way, say, many Christians view the manger birth or the "foolish wisdom." Perhaps it's a reversal signifying a seismic shift: in Obama, we have a president that even many people typically distrustful of authority support.

As for making your own icon, the reasons certainly vary. Some do it to deconstruct, either Obama or the form, some do it to honor one of those or both.

Nathan link

2/2/2009 11:42:37 pm

Great thoughts, both!

@ John: If, in fact, most of those who are making these little Obamicons are doing so because they are enamored with Obama and want to symbolically emulate his style, then I think you're right on that this is a form of celebrity worship.

@ Chris: I loved your set of LOST Obamicons. Your creations are definitely a deconstruction of the form, and a good one at that.

Chris link

2/4/2009 03:44:52 am

thanks. Check this out, at Fairey's site:

http://obeygiant.com/headlines/adopt-a-petcom

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What does this Meme mean To YOU?

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