Comments on: My History with Propaganda http://livinguptomyname.com/2010/06/03/my-history-with-propaganda/ or how I started living my values Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:22:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Jason McLaughlin http://livinguptomyname.com/2010/06/03/my-history-with-propaganda/comment-page-1/#comment-734 Jason McLaughlin Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:43:52 +0000 http://livinguptomyname.com/?p=404#comment-734 Since watching the Banksy film "Exit Through the Gift Shop," I've been intensely interested in street art and homebrewed propaganda. I had noticed Fairey's Obey Giant many times in the past, but didn't realize it was present worldwide until I saw the film. Over the last week, I've gone around town in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, and found tons of graffiti and street art. Most of it is meaningless (like nearly illegible names or tags) or overtly socialistic (like the fake copy of "Atlas Sharted" I found), but some of it is pretty cool, and downright beautiful. I feel a very strong draw to start stickering public properties with short, coherent philosophical lessons. Your comments about propaganda being used in unintentional ways is certainly something for me to think about. A note about Shepard Fairey's image of Obama: he isn't against propaganda as a tool. I read an article where he said it's been used for good, for bad, and a mix of the two depending on your personal subjective interpretation. He adores Che Guevara, for instance. I really wish there were more artists (especially "artists of the people") who were willing to take a stand on true and false and right and wrong. Since watching the Banksy film “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” I’ve been intensely interested in street art and homebrewed propaganda. I had noticed Fairey’s Obey Giant many times in the past, but didn’t realize it was present worldwide until I saw the film. Over the last week, I’ve gone around town in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, and found tons of graffiti and street art. Most of it is meaningless (like nearly illegible names or tags) or overtly socialistic (like the fake copy of “Atlas Sharted” I found), but some of it is pretty cool, and downright beautiful.

I feel a very strong draw to start stickering public properties with short, coherent philosophical lessons. Your comments about propaganda being used in unintentional ways is certainly something for me to think about.

A note about Shepard Fairey’s image of Obama: he isn’t against propaganda as a tool. I read an article where he said it’s been used for good, for bad, and a mix of the two depending on your personal subjective interpretation. He adores Che Guevara, for instance. I really wish there were more artists (especially “artists of the people”) who were willing to take a stand on true and false and right and wrong.

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