Hard-to-Parse Political Images

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Today I stopped in at a convenience store in Hyde Park, Chicago.

Over the counter was a printout of a Photoshopped image featuring George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein. They're both wearing preppy sweater-vests and smiling. Bush has Hussein in a headlock and is giving him a friendly noogie. Bush's expression is very goofy and "fun" -- Saddam is sort of chuckling.

Here come the hardcore semiotics: I can think of many, many ways to interpret this image. What do you think? Ponder it for a second before reading the next post, in which I will reveal a piece of information that you may or may not find relevant to your analysis.

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:04 (twenty-two years ago)

That's been posted on the board, I think. Hm. The cackling of the leaders as they send us to our doom?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I love that photo. Glad to see that Hyde Park hasn't gotten all hardcore righty since the war started.

― hstencil, Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Damn you, you beat me to my bit of further information which is that the convenience store is owned and operated by a group of guys I think are Lebanese (though they could just as well be Palestinian, Syrian, or Jordanian).

I was also going to note that the results of a google image search for "noogie" are heartwarming and strange.

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah, I posted that somewhere.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Stencil, Hyde Park seems very generally anti-war, not only among the academic community but all around. Polls keep showing that black Americans have a much lower level of support for the war, and that's certainly true here -- but I was surprised to find that e.g. these sort of conservative elevator repair guys who eat at the same diner I do are skeptical about things as well. The longtime Hyde Parkers -- and there are a lot of older people who have lived in the neighborhood forever -- seem very against it as well.

Anyway: out of context the image provoked a lot of interpretations -- I know this is the equivalent of trying to explain why a joke is funny, but can anyone tell me how they "read" it?

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:12 (twenty-two years ago)

http://rarara.v21hosting.co.uk/photos/pic23397.jpg

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:12 (twenty-two years ago)

It was sent to me on an email headed 'War off - Bush and Saddam were just goofin around'

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:13 (twenty-two years ago)

...Lebanese (though they could just as well be Palestinian, Syrian, or Jordanian).

Ah what the heck, they all look alike...? ; )

― hstencil, Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow - what the hell is going on with http://www.1111.cjb.net/ (the url in the photo)?

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, that header certainly completes the context!

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I immediatley assumed it means "Bush and Saddam are both very silly men and should stop behaving like children; I want nothing to do with either of them". What other interpretations are there? If it were a Pro-Bush (or Anti-Bush, for that matter) thing surely Saddam wouldn't be smiling?

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

(I don't know how widespread that email header was though - it could have just come from my friend's friend or whatever)

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Despite the winky, Stencil, I have to explain: they look Lebanese to me, but I'm willing to admit I'm not a nationality-guessing authority! I mean, I'm 99% certain they're from that particular region, but hell, I can't even pick up on Eritreans vs. Ethiopians half of the time.

One other reading that crossed my mind, Daniel: "imagine friendship instead of conflict here." I agree with you about their expressions sort of blocking a pro-war reading, but that wouldn't stop some people.

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:20 (twenty-two years ago)

nabisco, don't worry, I wasn't trying to call you out or anything.

― hstencil, Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:21 (twenty-two years ago)

The "they are very silly" thing is also sort of blocked by their expressions, because they both appear to be having fun! George seems to be saying "Aww, Saddam -- everybody, get a load of my buddy Saddam!" And Saddam seems to be saying "Aww, shucks, George, you're so crazy."

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:22 (twenty-two years ago)

(www.1111.cjb.net seems to be an a placeholder for an Arabic yahoo group)

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:23 (twenty-two years ago)

(I think there might just be a provocative Dada impulse at the heart of it. It could also be more of a joke than a "statement.")

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

(If "Dada impulse" it's remarkably effective thought-provocation, cause I had to turn to a message board to overanalyze it!)

― nabisco (nabisco), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:25 (twenty-two years ago)

It makes me laugh at first, and then if I think about it more, I think about Saddam and GW secretly being friends and they're really playing a joke on all of us.

― teeny (teeny), Saturday, 5 April 2003 00:51 (twenty-two years ago)

One of my co-workers said he received it with the header "In Happier Times". Probably a reference to the "hey he hates Iran so he's fine with us" attitude towards Saddam in the '80s.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Saturday, 5 April 2003 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

http://accel16.mettre-put-idata.over-blog.com/0/06/84/12/binladen-bush-noogie.jpg

― and what, Thursday, 24 January 2008 13:33 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.vanillaice.com/gallery/photos/fans/johnson_dustin01.jpg

― and what, Thursday, 24 January 2008 13:37 (seventeen years ago)

That's not very hard to parse.

― Tuomas, Thursday, 24 January 2008 13:37 (seventeen years ago)

v-ice taking a very bold anti-osama stance

― J0hn D., Thursday, 24 January 2008 15:01 (seventeen years ago)

Even bolder beard-bead-braiding stance

― nabisco, Thursday, 24 January 2008 16:17 (seventeen years ago)

I have to admit, I really like that Bin Laden shirt!

― Hurting 2, Thursday, 24 January 2008 16:24 (seventeen years ago)

so gonna happen

― Savannah Smiles, Thursday, 24 January 2008 18:13 (seventeen years ago)

that kid looks embarassed

― n/a, Thursday, 24 January 2008 18:17 (seventeen years ago)

tell you what's hard to parse: attractive young female holding a ron paul 08 sign, sitting with two guys in "stop the NAU" shirts. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 24 January 2008 18:25 (seventeen years ago)

My problem with the Bin Laden shirt: does it really need the explanatory legend "Osama Bin Laden" at the bottom?

― nabisco, Thursday, 24 January 2008 18:26 (seventeen years ago)

start the wau

― and what, Thursday, 24 January 2008 18:27 (seventeen years ago)

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