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Who Was That Masked Obama/Joker Artist?
The L.A. Times tracked down the guy who first put Joker paint on Obama's face (though not the word "Socialism"), and discovered ... a 20-year-old college student from Chicago.
Bored during his winter school break, Firas Alkhateeb, a senior history major at the University of Illinois, crafted the picture of Obama with the recognizable clown makeup using Adobe's Photoshop software. [...]
On Jan. 18, Alkhateeb uploaded the image to photo-sharing site Flickr (shown at right). Over the next two months, he amassed just a couple thousand hits, he said.
Then the counter exploded after a still-anonymous rogue famously found his image, digitally removed the references to Time Magazine, captioned the picture with the word "socialism" and hung printed copies around L.A., making headlines. [...]
"After Obama was elected, you had all of these people who basically saw him as the second coming of Christ," Alkhateeb said. "From my perspective, there wasn't much substance to him."
"I abstained from voting in November," he wrote in an e-mail. "Living in Illinois, my vote means close to nothing as there was no chance Obama would not win the state." If he had to choose a politician to support, Alkhateeb said, it would be Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
Patrick Courrielche wrote about "The Artist Formerly Known as Dissident" 10 days ago.
Kyle Jordan|8.18.09 @ 8:41AM|#
Oh the poor left. They don't get to have a villain in this story
just quite yet.
This is actually very funny to me. Awesome too.
WWJGD|8.18.09 @ 8:46AM|#
"He made a picture of Bush as a vampire," Alkhateeb said
about Fairey. "That's kind of speaking with two faces."
I like him. Except that Kucinich part.
Tomcat1066|8.18.09 @ 8:47AM|#
Honestly, the funniest thing is that this guy was a Kucinich fan. So much for it being an evil conspiracy by the forces of Team Red, huh?
FrBunny|8.18.09 @ 8:50AM|#
A non-anglo, politically-involved, semi-artistic college student
who self-identifies with a progressive Democrat and
doesn't like Obama?
The mind wobbles.
Xeones|8.18.09 @ 8:53AM|#
I spoke too soon...
Hey, some of my closest associates are self-described socialists.
It's fun to drink with them because in the course of four or five
good beers i can usually get them 9/10 of the way to
libertarianism.
Xeones|8.18.09 @ 8:54AM|#
Bunny, according to our progressively-more-unhinged pal Tony, all the LEGITIMATE criticism of the Big O is coming from folks like that.
Fist of Etiquette|8.18.09 @ 9:01AM|#
"He made a picture of Bush as a vampire," Alkhateeb said
about Fairey. "That's kind of speaking with two faces."
The Joker, Two-Face... Someone get this young man a Marvel
Comic!
Kyle Jordan|8.18.09 @ 9:07AM|#
"The Joker, Two-Face... Someone get this young man a Marvel
Comic!"
Hell no! Marvel sucks.
|8.18.09 @ 9:09AM|#
Slight threadjack: Is anyone else watching "The Colony" on Discovery TV? I am just loving the small-scale libertarianism.
FrBunny|8.18.09 @ 9:09AM|#
Someone get this young man a Marvel
Comic!
Hell no! Marvel sucks.
[Quietly steps out of the room before things get ugly]
Kyle Jordan|8.18.09 @ 9:11AM|#
"Slight threadjack: Is anyone else watching "The Colony" on
Discovery TV? I am just loving the small-scale
libertarianism."
Really? I watched the first show in passing but didn't notice too
much of what was going on.
Mike in PA|8.18.09 @ 9:19AM|#
Whoa! You know it's bad when a Kucinich fan thinks you're too far left.
FrBunny|8.18.09 @ 9:23AM|#
Jim: By any chance did you see Battlestar Galactica?
Andy: No I did not. Was that any good?
Jim: Actually not. It was really so-so. I mean I like all the crazy
monsters and stuff, you know like Klingons and Wookies and all that
but-- Sorry was, there something you wanted to add Dwight?
Andy: Is that anything like the original Battlestar
Galactica?
Jim: You know what's weird? It's practically a shot for shot
remake.
Andy: Really? Huh. Cool.
Jim: The story's kind of bland. It's about this guy named
Dumbledore Calrissian and he has to return the ring back to
Mordor.
Andy: [pause] That doesn't sound right...
Fist of Etiquette|8.18.09 @ 9:23AM|#
Slight threadjack...
How dare you threadjack my thread derailment!
|8.18.09 @ 9:26AM|#
Hey, some of my closest associates are self-described
socialists.
When someone told me this in college, I'd steal their backpack.
When they objected, I'd ask them why they suddenly believed in
private property.
When dealing with socialists, always remember that you are dealing
with thieves. Trust a socialist only as far as you'd trust a mugger
who just got through robbing you.
|8.18.09 @ 9:27AM|#
The dude is a Palistinian American. Liberal heads are exploding all over America right now. I love it.
Tomcat1066|8.18.09 @ 9:29AM|#
"Slight threadjack: Is anyone else watching "The Colony" on
Discovery TV? I am just loving the small-scale
libertarianism."
I watched a couple of episodes last night. Didn't notice a lot of
libertarianism so much as that Mike guy being a know-it-all
tool.
|8.18.09 @ 9:31AM|#
On Jan. 18, Alkhateeb uploaded the image to photo-sharing
site Flickr (shown at right).
Huh. Joker Obama looks just like Drew Carey
|8.18.09 @ 9:32AM|#
The anonymity bot isn't going to know what's up when it sees Palestinian, love, and heads are exploding in the same comment.
Meta4|8.18.09 @ 9:34AM|#
"Whoa! You know it's bad when a Kucinich fan thinks you're too
far left."
I don't know. I'm a big L Libertarian and I took a quiz to see
which candidate's platform most matched mine. Came up Kucinich.
Xeones|8.18.09 @ 9:34AM|#
When someone told me this in college, I'd steal their
backpack.
Yeah, the first step in the 9/10 conversion process is usually
something like, "Surely you have no objection to paying for all
this beer."
someone|8.18.09 @ 9:35AM|#
When someone told me this in college, I'd steal their
backpack. When they objected, I'd ask them why they suddenly
believed in private property.
Dude, you knew what I meant.
Joe M|8.18.09 @ 9:38AM|#
Awesome, a liberal made it. Hilarious. This is analogous to the fact that the whole birther thing was started by Hillary Clinton supporters.
Meta4|8.18.09 @ 9:39AM|#
" This is analogous to the fact that the whole birther thing was
started by Hillary Clinton supporters."
Proof?
|8.18.09 @ 9:42AM|#
@Meta4:
So the whole birther thing was started by the vast right-wing
conspiracy?
*proof?*
Art-P.O.G.|8.18.09 @ 9:42AM|#
Hell no! Marvel sucks.
Shakes head slowly.
And I'm no Marvel Fanboy (DC/Vertigo is the best imprint evar), but
dude...horrible opinion.
Make Mine Marvel!
Ska|8.18.09 @ 9:42AM|#
Good story.
"Slight threadjack: Is anyone else watching "The Colony" on
Discovery TV? I am just loving the small-scale
libertarianism."
I watched a couple of episodes last night. Didn't notice a lot of
libertarianism so much as that Mike guy being a know-it-all
tool.
I haven't watched it, but the commercial reminded me of Fallout
without violence and super mutants. Which would make me very
sad.
|8.18.09 @ 9:49AM|#
You have to look for it, but it's there. Although with a small
group of 10 under threat from the outside, there's a predictable
amount of tribalism; the interpersonal dynamics tend to be a lot
less socialist than I imagined they would be.
Several obvious lefties in the group are starting to understand
that their only value is what they can bring to the table.
You also have a declared pacifist making a flame-thrower to ward
off the bogies.
Joe M|8.18.09 @ 9:50AM|#
Meta4: Proof?
Are you kidding? I thought this was common knowledge. You can
google it and find tons of hits, but here's a news article from
last year:
Clinton Supporters Claim Obama Not a Natural Born Citizen
Art-P.O.G.|8.18.09 @ 9:50AM|#
Hey, notice that Sugarfree never said he gave them their
backpacks back.
"Matter fact, run them chains and them watches, too G." ;)
|8.18.09 @ 9:52AM|#
I don't proselytize to my student workers, but I also don't hide
my beliefs. If one of them is ever curious, I have a simple
invalidation for the basic premises of redistributionism.
I pull out a dollar. I tell them they can have the dollar if they
get something for me of of my car. I tell them they can have the
dollar if they don't get me something out of my car. They all take
the dollar and don't fetch. Then I cut it to fifty cents, then a
quarter, then a penny. Everyone takes the "free" penny instead of
the earned dollar.
You tell someone they don't have to work, and they won't. It's the
rational choice. Simple human laziness and a perverse incentive
keeps all forms of redistributionism from working in the long
run.
|8.18.09 @ 9:56AM|#
Hey, notice that Sugarfree never said he gave them their
backpacks back.
I'd give it back after I made my point. Of the four or five times I
did this, only once did the guy try and out-logic me by saying I
could have it. I walked away and dropped it in a trash barrel. He
slinked over and got it out.
Between a creative writing major and a philosophy minor, I got my
fill of daddy-supported junior redistributionalists.
|8.18.09 @ 9:59AM|#
Is the lesson ever worth the $1.76, though,
Sweet'n'Low?
Yes. I don't hire idiots. (I pull from a giant pool of applicants
and I have a desirable job.) Most of them can't shake it totally,
but I've made my share of libertarians. Or at least convinced some
future leftists that libertarians aren't the caricatures they are
made out to be.
The Libertarian Guy|8.18.09 @ 10:05AM|#
"If he had to choose a politician to support, Alkhateeb said, it
would be Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich."
Yikes. And here I respected this guy for creating the Obama/Joker
image.
Tomcat1066|8.18.09 @ 10:11AM|#
You have to look for it, but it's there. Although with a
small group of 10 under threat from the outside, there's a
predictable amount of tribalism; the interpersonal dynamics tend to
be a lot less socialist than I imagined they would be.
Several obvious lefties in the group are starting to understand
that their only value is what they can bring to the table.
You also have a declared pacifist making a flame-thrower to ward
off the bogies.
Something to look forward to then, since I only watched the first
couple of episodes that were being rerun. I wouldn't mind seeing
more now though ;)
|8.18.09 @ 10:24AM|#
Hey, notice that Sugarfree never said he gave them their backpacks back.
I'd give it back after I made my point...
He forgot to mention that he made his point by STILL keeping all of
their candy bars,joints, and loose change.
|8.18.09 @ 10:27AM|#
I only ate their candy bar up to a marginal rate of 50%. Because they could afford it.
highnumber|8.18.09 @ 10:31AM|#
Whoa! You know it's bad when a Kucinich fan thinks you're
too far left.
He did not say Obama was too far left. In fact, he said "To accuse
him of being a socialist is really ... immature. First of all, who
said being a socialist is evil?"
Tomcat1066|8.18.09 @ 10:42AM|#
"First of all, who said being a socialist is evil?"
Um...well...me, for one. I somehow doubt I'm alone on that one
though ;)
roy|8.18.09 @ 10:46AM|#
He did not say Obama was too far left. In fact, he said "To accuse him of being a socialist is really ... immature. First of all, who said being a socialist is evil?"
which makes it even funnier...
rand|8.18.09 @ 10:48AM|#
honest, smart, socialist...
you can pick two of these attributes for your president.
Rob D|8.18.09 @ 10:52AM|#
What i loved about this is that all the liberal media that covered this story made the artist out to be some white/racist guy when it had nothing to do with racism...and low and behold, the original artist was a guy named Alkhateeb. That's great.
JB|8.18.09 @ 11:07AM|#
honest, smart, socialist...
you can pick two of these attributes for your president.
Considering Mr. Non-Transparency hasn't released his test scores,
we only get one: socialist.
Hilarious that he was a Kookiness supporter. How does that equate
with "he prefers Republican ideals on domestic issues"?
JB|8.18.09 @ 11:13AM|#
Off-topic, but my weekend trip to Whole Foods resulted in
picking up some Old Chub from Oskar Blues:
http://www.oskarblues.com/brew/
Amazing beer and it comes in a can!
reedit|8.18.09 @ 11:31AM|#
honest, smart, socialist...
you can pick two of these attributes for your president.
Considering Mr. Non-Transparency hasn't released his test scores, we only get one: socialist.
you have to pick TWO, otherwise it ain't as funny...
highnumber|8.18.09 @ 11:38AM|#
...all the liberal media that covered this story made the
artist out to be some white/racist guy...
If I do a google news search for obama+joker+racist, almost every
hit is from either a conservative media outlet that says the
liberal media labeled it racist or from a liberal media outlet that
mentions the poster and racism in the same article, but never ties
the two together.
someone|8.18.09 @ 11:50AM|#
I walked away and dropped it in a trash barrel. He slinked
over and got it out.
Just to get the rest of my candy. Then I dropped it back in. So the
joke's on you, Dude!
JB|8.18.09 @ 12:53PM|#
I couldn't resist:
http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/entries/1358644-racist.html
jtuf|8.18.09 @ 2:10PM|#
Firas Alkhateeb's ethnicity debunks the liberal assumption that a European-American was behind the picture. His left wing leanings debunk the myth that the picture was a Republican conspiracy. The picture itself is not that newsworthy. However, the assumptions pondints made about the artist do serve to highlight those pondints' prejudices.
|8.18.09 @ 2:14PM|#
Off-topic, but my weekend trip to Whole Foods resulted in
picking up some Old Chub from Oskar Blues...
Old Chub and Dark Horse Scotty Karate are constantly fighting for
the title of ClubMedSux's favorite American-brewed beer.
Hops|8.18.09 @ 2:36PM|#
"Old Chub and Dark Horse Scotty Karate are constantly fighting
for the title of ClubMedSux's favorite American-brewed beer."
Ever had a Surly?
www.surlybrewing.com
|8.18.09 @ 3:14PM|#
So lets get this straight. A guy making a Photoshop app that
jokerizes faces chooses the most popular face in America to
jokerize to test his app....
Definitely a racist.
Lou Grant|8.18.09 @ 3:38PM|#
This website had the guys name some time before the LA Times
"uncovered" it.
http://bedlammagazine.com/06news/mystery-obamajoker-poster-appears-la
Jim Treacher|8.18.09 @ 3:42PM|#
BREAKING: Palestinian-American Kucinich Supporter Forgets to Add Noose
|8.18.09 @ 4:18PM|#
Ever had a Surly?
Yeah, but as you might have guessed (seeing that my two favorite
American beers are Scottish ales) I'm not much of a hophead. I once
tried Surly's Smoke aged on cedar and THAT was incredible...
|8.19.09 @ 10:07AM|#
well he said he didn't even vote so he should shut the $#@! up with his 20 yrs of living and all his experience!! While he was not voting in Nov I was deployed fighting for his right to be an idiot.
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