Archive for November 2010

Retro Propaganda for a Retro Ideology

Sarah Palin represents “old-fashioned” values. You may see that as a good thing (if you’re conservative) or a bad thing (if you’re liberal). But whatever side you’re on, we pretty much all agree that she’s peddling a return to a hazy golden era of American history before the big-government welfare state arrived on the scene and ruined (conservative) or fixed (liberal) everything.

What’s confusing is that she’s using ultra-modern media techniques to promulgate her retro message. She’s the queen of Twitter, Facebook, reality TV, soundbites and blogbursts.

It may feel appropriate when progressive groups use outrageous postmodern propaganda to promote a postmodern ideology — but the disconnect of Palin (and the movement she represents) using 21st-century technology to summon a bygone America has always left me a little unsettled.

Shouldn’t we be using retro propaganda techniques to promote a retro ideology?

My answer: Yes!

The medium is the message, people, and if you want to bring back the values of the past, you necessarily must do so by utilizing the media techniques of that same past.

In order to rectify this glaring omission in the conservative messaging arsenal, I have taken it upon myself to create the kind of propaganda that the Palin campaign (and she is running for president, no doubt about it) ought to be making:

(Click on the illustration [or here] to view a full-size version of the poster, suitable for framing or detailed admiration.)

This drawing is based on those classic “stairway to a better life” illustrations often found in early/mid-20th-century self-help books and magazine articles.

Print, link, distribute — backward to a better future!

Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco

My latest:

Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco


We here at TLC realize that our fabulous new hit series Sarah Palin’s Alaska may not appeal to all our viewers. We understand that a substantial segment of the population has no interest in watching Sarah Palin or taking a tour of Alaska.

And so it is with great pleasure that we’d like to announce a new show carefully designed to appeal to those of you who don’t like Sarah Palin, her state, or her values:

Come join Nancy Pelosi as she shows you around the wild places of her home district. All the sights and sounds of San Francisco, as you’ve never seen them before…with Nancy as your guide!

(Programming note: All the photos and videos in this show were taken in Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco congressional district, and originally posted on zombietime. For real.)

Settle into your couch, and brace yourself for an adventure with Nancy…


…etc. Read the rest HERE!

Pre-Tsunami Live Blog

Can’t wait until tomorrow? The anticipation driving you to distraction?

Then head on over to my latest post at PajamasMedia, where I’m hosting the

Pre-Tsunami Live Blog

All the action’s over there for this post, so leave your comments at PJM instead of here!

The post will be updated continuously throughout the day and evening, so keep checking back there for lots of interesting tidbits, and plenty of “original content” and new photos too….