2083 Graphics — a couple of details

July 26th, 2011 by Charles Cameron

[ by Charles Cameron – graphic from 2038 manifesto compared with UBL martyr graphic & US “hunting permit” ]

.

I should say first off that I am grateful to Chris Anzalone aka Ibn Siqilli for his “In Pictures” series of posts of Islamist and related graphics, and especially his “martyrs” series, all which inspired my own first post on 2038 graphics a couple of days back.

It was his post on “Usama bin Laden, the Martyr, As Seen in Jihadi-Takfiri Artwork” today that gave me the idea for this post, when I noticed something familiar-but-different in one of the bin Laden graphics, and went back to check the portraits of Anders Breivik at the end of the 2083 manifesto.

Let’s call this pair of images Symbolic Analogy:

dq-symbolic-analogy.jpg

Once you start looking at the details, of course, other things pop out…

Like these two Hunting Permits:

dq-hunting-permits.jpg

As they say on this eHow page on How To Identify Military Insignia:

Military insignia make for good collector’s items because there are a variety of patches and badges, many with interesting, funny or bizarre imagery. If you happen to inherit some insignia, or a patch at a flea market or antique store catches your eye, identifying your treasure could take some work. Before you take your insignia for a professional appraisal, see if you can figure out what it is on your own. …

Examine your military insignia and note every detail. Figure out what the imagery is, whether you are looking at a pirate or unicorn, and whether it is a fabric patch or metal badge. Take special notice of any text or numbers on your insignia, even if you can’t understand them.

Posted in analogy, analytic, art, blogosphere, Charles Cameron, Doublequotes, Hipbone Analysis, humor, propaganda, psychology, Uncategorized | 7 comments

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  1. Lexington Green:

    July 27th, 2011 at 4:08 am

    The difference is that the liberal hunting permit is that it is a joke, and is meant to be a joke, and is acted on as a joke.  So it is a false analogy.  

  2. Charles Cameron:

    July 27th, 2011 at 4:57 am

    Hi Lex:
    .
    I called the first DoubleQuote "Symbolic Analogy" because there seemed to me to be an analogy between the two treatments of the skull (and their respective proponents), but the second DQ I specifically called "Hunting Permits" because I didn’t (and don’t) think there was an analogical relationship, but a borrowing and repurposing.
    .
    I imagine Breivik must have seen the joke version and taken it a bit too literally.
    .
    I now have further information on the Breivik skull imagery in a follow up post.

  3. Mithras:

    July 27th, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    "the liberal hunting permit is … a joke, and is meant to be a joke, and is acted on as a joke"

    I guess I lack a sense of humor. Can you explain what makes this funny?

  4. Charles Cameron:

    July 27th, 2011 at 7:17 pm

    Hi, Mithras:
    .
    Mark Twain is supposed to have said:

    Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process.

    Okay, here’s another "hunter" joke:

    Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says "OK, now what?"

    Maybe you’ll like that one better!
    .
    That one was voted "funniest joke in the world" out of 40,000 entries by 100,000 participants in a research experiment – and later found to be the work of British comedian Spike Milligan of the Goons.
    .
    And — staying British for a moment — the writer George Mikes is quoted as saying:

    Jokes are better than war. Even the most aggressive jokes are better than the least aggressive wars. Even the longest jokes are better than the shortest wars.

  5. Mithras:

    July 27th, 2011 at 8:15 pm

    Charles Cameron-
    I do like the hunter joke better, but that’s because it is a joke. It’s funny because the phrase, "Make sure he’s dead" does have two meanings, and we don’t expect the guy in the joke to take it the wrong way. Like any good joke, it plays with our expectation.

    Explaining it doesn’t make it funnier, you’re right. But you can explain it because, as I said, it is actually a joke. The "liberal hunting permit" is not a joke. It’s the expression of a wish. Some people may find it amusing because they have the same wish. And when you call them on it, they say, "Oh, it’s just a joke!"

  6. Charles Cameron:

    July 27th, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    The hunter’s permit plays with our expectations, too: we expect it to say it’s okay to kill x deer between months y and z, and then we find out it’s about targeting "liberals" anytime. 
    .
    I guess what I’m saying is that it’s about disliking — and perhaps offending — liberals, not about killing them.
    .
    Apparently, Breivik thought it was such a good joke / idea that he took it literally / acted on it.

  7. Mithras:

    July 28th, 2011 at 12:49 am

    I see what you’re saying. It’s plausibly a joke. It’s also a threat, but I suppose those two things are not mutually exclusive.