War Babies (extra)

 

Artwork done by John Robertson. This piece is about children being drafted for war around the world. We see more and more children working as spices, carrying supplies, used as human mine detectors and to carry out suicide missions in war. Over 200,00 children were serving in war conflicts during the past years and its very upsetting to think abut.

 

As you can see Robertson has placed this child in a target, because he is too small to defend himself. He is even too small to hold the machine gun. The fact that Robertson has made this child so small makes me feel like he has a strong disliking towards children soldiers.

 

The baby has a very sad/confusing look on his face. It's like he doesn't understand what is going on. The way his feet are placed makes me think that he is just learning how to talk. It's is almost inferring that as soon as the kid can walk, he can hold a gun and fight. If that's the case, most children learn to walk around a year old, so this little guy might only be one. Too young to be a solider.

 

The words at the top say 'Oh Mommy Sugarland,' this might not have anything to do with the work. But there is a song called Joey that the band Sugarland produced a few years ago. I feel like it can relate to this image. I have copied a part of the song and have inserted it below.

Joey



Would I know this hurt
Would I feel this pain
Do you know that with all I have left in my very last breath I will call your name

Joey I'm so sorry
Ohoohoh can you hear me?
Joey I'm so sorry

Were you sad
Were you scared
Did you wish for a prayer to be free
Was it quiet and cold
Was it light or too dark to see
And did you reach for me

 

For some reason when I saw this image I thought of that song. The title of the piece is 'Oh Mommy Sugarland' this song is about losing a love of some kind, possibly a child and it was written my a band called Sugarland. So I feel like there might be some connection. Maybe not, but it's possible.

 



 

Work Makes You Free (extra)

 

The image above caught my attention right away. The artist that made the work is Heidi Winner, she is from a Jewish heritage and her grandfather survived the holocaust.  Heidi said this about the piece "Art became a way to connect to the Holocaust, and to my family's past."

 

The imagery in the work  is very moving. The banner on top say 'work makes you free'. You can see that the people slowly start to wither away and by the time they reach the banner they are nothing but a skeleton. They were literally worked to death. 

 

There is also  a point when they have to pass over a numbered skeleton arm. I'm not sure if this represents when they receive their own number or if it means a fellow person has fallen. The skeleton arm is also holding a Jewish start but outside of the barbed wire. Could this mean that even though they are being punish for being of Jewish faith, that they still have hope and faith in their beliefs?

 

The image of Hitler himself is very creepy. It makes me nervous that he is staring directly at the viewer. He has this look in his eye almost saying that he wants us to see what he has done to these people and that he thinks what he is doing is right. Half of his head is missing and shows that it is empty, we see no brain inside. Could Winner have been saying he was a thoughtless man? I think so. Behind those hateful eyes is nothing but and empty space.

 

Lastly Hitler has his devilish hand firmly wrapped about a little boy. To me it looked like the kind of boy that Hitler thought was the superior race of human. Fair hair and light eyes. But the little boy has a swastika over his face. This makes me feel like it is a representation of Hitler's followers. There were so any people that believed he was doing the right thing. This little boy could have been raise to believe they were right too. A future Nazi? Possibly.

 

 





Stuck in Chains

 

The illustration above was made my artist Pawel Kuczynski. Most of Pawel's work hides a deeper meaning. This image caught my eye, it is captivating. What is the message that Pawel is trying to convey in this piece?

 

I find it interesting that Pawel is having the dark skinned man paint his chains gold. If it is a representation of slavery in American, the chains used at that time were iron. So why paint them gold?

LeVar Burton in Roots

The above images are of LeVar Burton who played in the mini series,  Roots. LeVar's part was that of a slave during the 1860's, the chains he is wearing mimic the chains in the illustration. This leads me to believe that Pawel is referring to African American slaves during this time frame. But again I wonder why the slave is painting the chains gold.



I found this modern picture of the R&B singer 50 cent. As you can see 50 is wearing chains on his neck and wrists. Could it be possible that Pawel was insinuating that slaves were in chains then and future generations are still in them? Although 50 cent is nowhere near a slave, it makes me believe that Pawel is trying to make a connection.

 

It is possible to wonder if this famous rapper is wearing heavy gold chains to represent his ancestry. If so, then the embellishment of gold and diamonds could be inferring that they have overcome and are no longer repressed. 

 

I think Pawel was trying to make us think outside of the box when he created the first illustration. I'm sure the jewelry that modern African Americans wear has nothing to do with their ancestors. But what if it did? How would this change the way we see them? It would change my mind set completely, it would be a cryptic reminder of the travesties born by an innocent people. 



 

 

Kids react to Gay Marriage

 

 

 

Kids react to gay marriage proposals. It was interesting to see how the kids reacted to the proposals. The first proposal we see is an elaborate dance mob at a hardware store. At first the kids aren't sure what they are watching. Then we see family come out and the man standing on the ladder is happy. The last person to come out is a man holding a sign. Then he asks the guy standing on the ladder to marry him, they seal the deal with a kiss.

This little girls face says it all, you can tell she doesn't know what to think when she sees the men kissing. It might be the first time she has experienced it. I think her reaction is very normal and  fair for the circumstances. Later during the questioning section, she seems fine and doesn't think it is wrong for the same sex to be married.



The girl above was very confused by the video that she watched. She just keep saying "This is crazy!" Her reaction to the proposal was dramatic, she also said "a boy and a boy!" She was clearly very surprised and wasn't expecting to see two men together. Later during questioning she said that people should be with whom every they want.

 

The second clip was of a woman proposing to another woman. The one proposing was standing outside of the other woman's office on a bus holding up a sign. All of the kids were instantly worried about the woman's safety while standing on the bus, it appeared dangerous. But in the end the woman slides off the bus and runs to her fiancé, where they seal the deal with a kiss.

 This little guys reaction was the one I remembered most. During the first clip he kept asking if they were gay. During the second one he was singing along to the song and then said "Are they gay too?" He needed to make sure he knew. He didn't like the idea of gay marriage, he said marriage was for a boy and a girl. He also made it very clear that he was not gay.

This girl was very happy and excited for the couples. She thought that they were doing a good thing and she was happy for both couples. She said that we should be able to love who we want without limitations. The little girl thought that both couples were really cute and that they looked happy together.

 

It is interesting to see the reaction of children to the current gay marriage issues. Most of the kids that were interview thought that gay marriage is okay and they wish more people supported it. When they found out that only 14  states in the country support it, most of them were upset. This insight seems positive about our future generation. They seem ever excepting. 





 Legalize it or Not?

 

 

Miley Cyrus has been a big topic in America for the past few months. Some consider her rapid downward spiral as leaving her with much negative press.  From her reveling outfits and provocative dance moves, is she destined to be one of those kid stars that go crazy and fall off of the popular train? Her most recent act was caught during the MTV EMAs (European Music Awards) on November 10^th in Amsterdam.  While onstage Miley takes a joint out of her coach bag, lights it up and begins smoking it. Although the consumption on marijuana is legal in Amsterdam, the act behind it seemed more direct. Was Miley giving her opinion about legalizing marijuana sales in the United States? It seems to me that it could be her under lying message.

 

Legalizing marijuana sales in the United States has been one of the most talked about issues for several years. It has already been legalized in Colorado and Washington state. Other states have approved the sale of cannabis for medical use only.

  State with legal medical cannabis

  State with decriminalized cannabis possession laws

  State with both medical and decriminalization laws

  State with legalized cannabis

 

The legalization of recreational and medical  marijuana in Colorado and Washington, shows that this country may be moving into another era. Do you think because two states have legalized it, more will follow? We are seeing masses of citizens unopposed to the thought. For example take a look at some of these protesters.

 

 

The thought behind the signage is very interesting. The sign that says "legal marijuana will bring tax relief" is a main stream way of thinking. If  more states legalize the sale then suppliers will be able to make a legal profit and the state could collect taxes on it. In turn possibly creating more jobs, which is still a big concern, as more Americans  can't find decent jobs. 



 

The image of the women comparing marijuana to the prohibition of the 1920s is another vision into what average Americans think. She is suggesting that people are in possession, and consuming marijuana whether its legal or not. I think that is probably an accurate way of thinking about the situation. People are going to do what they want.

 

 

The Kid President

 

 

When I came across this video last year it made me so happy. This little guy is really inspirational. But I don't really want to focus on his cuteness. I want to take a look into the images that are used during this video. Does it feel like this boy is being groomed to be a future politician?
 



 

The first image we see of kid president places him on a football field, holding a ball. Across his body is a quick drawing overlaid on the image that says "A Pep Talk." To me this opening image shows an all American boy. A kid on the football field just having a good time. But he is in a suite and tie which suggested that he is older or more mature in some way. 



Although he is in a suit and tie, it is soon revealed that this kid is just that. He gives us a wrong quote from a Journey song. Even though it is wrong, the way he says it and places it in his speech makes the viewer chuckle. Overall what Kid President is saying is incorrect, however, still entertaining and makes the viewer feel good.

Kid president says that we need to give the world a reason to dance. He tells us that we are all important and that we shouldn't give up on our dreams. The speech he gives is very inspirational to me.  What he is expressing are words that he truly believes and it makes me happy knowing that he thinks he can do whatever he wants. It's important to believe in yourself and that is the impression I feel this young man has of himself.

At the end of the clip, Kid President say that his video has been dedicated to a girl named Gabby who is fighting cancer and loves pancakes. I think this is an important part of the video besides the speech itself.  During the speech there is no mention of Gabby. If you didn't watch the whole clip you might even miss it. It was a thoughtful insert, but it wasn't well executed. 

After doing some research I found out that Kid President actually meet President Obama. Obama gave him a tour of the oval office and even let him sit at his desk. The images of the President with the Kid are very interesting. Obama is giving him advice about how to do good, and to always keep a positive attitude, so he can some day achieve success. 

 

 

 

Halloween Horror 2013 

Get The Door, Chad - Creepy Uncle Sam

I find the clip above to be every interesting. There are several things being implied about the current issues with Obama Care. Negative advertising is a big part of campaigning during elections. But now we are seeing negative advertising against policies and laws passed while in office. 

How do we know that this is a negative advertisement, against Obama Care? Besides the snap shot I took from the clip (left) that says "Obama Care; Pay more, get less!" I come to this assumption that this is a negative advertisement by other things. The person that made this clip, made it seem like a horror movie. Represented through the darkness and the creepy music soundtrack. 

The Obama Care commercial that Chad can't get away from is very unattractive. The guy trying to sell Obama Care doesn't seem like a trust worthy person. A person in my class called him a sketchy used car salesmen type, and I would agree with that. Who would actually take this guys advice? 

Also Ted is standing in from of a green screen of random medical references that looks cheesy and unrealistic. It's insinuating that the government doesn't  care about our medical health, because they don't have any real life examples to show.

The target audience for this clip are young people. I come to this conclusion by the fact that Chad is a fairly young guy. But there are also things that stand out to support that besides Chad. There are references to Facebook, email, and cell phones. Things that have become very popular among the new technical generation. 

Ted added Chad's mom on Facebook.

Ted has Chad's cell number.

A line that sticks out to me in the clip is when Ted says "Come on Chad, even your mom likes me on Facebook."

He also knows his email address.

There is also an implied idea that the IRS is watching because Ted is standing in front of one  their buildings. Re-enforced through  Uncle Sam showing up at the door. It is trying to tell us that they know where we live and how to track us down. It screams YOU CANT HIDE FROM US!!

They are watching you!!

In the end Uncle Sam has all of Chad's candy and is watching his television. But where is Chad? The absence of Chad implies to me that the government got him. He has been locked away in some Obama Care policy wasteland. Poor Chad.