Targeted: Does this photo of Barack Obama go too far?

Bush got the media coverage he deserved. Obama gets excessive media criticism because old and rich people are mostly conservative and control so many newspapers and media channels...

One more thing, they don't see him as the president, but as a fraud or whatever, so printing a splattered tomato on his face doesn't go too far, given what they did to Kennedy

Originally posted by Son of Will
How is it NOT wrong to put an image of what is rather obviously intended to be a double message on a news website, even one as kooky as WND? I'm not saying it should be removed, but I do think people should at least be angry about it. I'll fight to the death to defend people's rights to make such images, but I wouldn't come to your defense when people beat the **** out of you for it.

Just a tomato? That's just stupid, there's no chance in hell that whomever created the photo missed the resemblance to a bullet hole. It's just shy of advocating murdering the man.

I saw Bush photos with a Hitler mustache, but that is quite different. It had a specific message that Bush was eroding the individual freedoms, expanding government power, in a way similar to 1930s Germany. But a tomato on the face? What is that supposed to symbolize? Disfavor? Just in general?

Couldn't they be at least *slightly* relevant with the twist? Like, warp his image into an ATM machine with money coming out his mouth? Now THAT would be a good picture...

Hope you were this pissed off when they made an assassination movie about actually KILLING bush...not just one photo.

Quite frankly I don't see that it goes too far. All of the other 'visual' associations aside, it is a tomato being thrown at a leader in disgust by some of the people.

I do not say all of the people or a vast majority of them yet but unfortunately the numbers are growing.

Why is this unfortunate? Well, as anyone who has ever read my posts before will know, even though I didn't vote him in I have supported him. He is my president and leader after all. Like I did with Bush (whom I did vote for twice), I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt to prove the nay sayers wrong. Well, so far he has unfortunately not done this. And it's only getting worse as the year moves along.

Does he deserve to have a tomato thrown at him? In my opinion I would say no. Not yet. He has failed miserably with his supposed campaign promises. We can't put it all on the GOP for those failures though I'm sure many Dems will try to do so in coming to his defense.

I haven't feared more for this country than I have over the past 4 years now. Yes, that includes the end of Bush's term. We are in deep trouble and our current leader does not seem to understand how to get us out of it. So with tomato in hand I watch and wait. Hopefully I can simply enjoy a nice B.L.T. but I fear I will end up having to throw it.

reply to post by mishigas


There are always going to be disgruntled voters, ideological people who will use every effort to insult and smear a president, politician, leader. There were folks who said and posted horrible things about the Clintons, things that are just unacceptable and disgusting. There were folks who at times treated and smeared Bush unfairly, however bad he was. With Obama its no different.

We are above this garbage, seriously.

No it does not go too far. The website is a pretty irreverent one. Besides the demon Bush but got treated similarly. I believe a president should take some rough treatment.

[edit on 10-3-2010 by Tiger5]

Originally posted by rcwj1975


Hope you were this pissed off when they made an assassination movie about actually KILLING bush...not just one photo.

Yeah, I watched that 'mockumentary' and to be quite honest with you I feel that it did cross the line. At the time I watched it I understood why it was made. People are upset about the lies that were used to get us into the wars. I know RC, you will say that there were NO lies. But I feel differently on that and we can just agree to disagree with each other.

Does it make it right? Heck no. That movie crossed a line in a big way. There is no way we can compare this simple image of a tomato hitting our president in the face vs. someone making a movie about a sitting presidents assassination.

reply to post by Jenna


you obviously havn't seen as many dead bodies as i have.

its worth nothing that im not a mortician. but i have seen people, shot with a rifle in the head. with much of their features intact.

i have also seen time slown down footage. and i have seen exactly this.
it looks almost like he was in the process off being shot. a few frames away from being unreconisable.



[edit on 10-3-2010 by MR BOB]

[edit on 10-3-2010 by MR BOB]

Originally posted by dariousg
Yeah, I watched that 'mockumentary' and to be quite honest with you I feel that it did cross the line. At the time I watched it I understood why it was made. People are upset about the lies that were used to get us into the wars. I know RC, you will say that there were NO lies. But I feel differently on that and we can just agree to disagree with each other.

Just because I am mentioning Bush doesn't mean I liked him. He was a douch too, but whats fair is fair. Obama is a liar just like bush, Obama is trying to F over people just like bush, so why the outcry now. Your assuming I believed Bush...NO...but I do believe when the 1st Amendment is upheld during one presidents term, it sure as hell better not be frowned upon for the next piece of s---!

reply to post by MR BOB


It's rather obvious that it's a smashed tomato and not a bullet wound, which was my point.

I can honestly say No! It doesn't go to far. I don't know if it's everywhere the same but in my country when you do not appreciate some one or an opinion or action. You reply by throwing some rotten tomatoes to his face. ( figurely speaking of course. )

In spain they even have a tomato festival every year.

Like in this vid.


So. Whatever some one sees in the picture it is a personal issue. Whatever your minds are full of will get you to see what you want.

Edit for spelling.

[edit on 10-3-2010 by Sinter Klaas]

Does this photo of Barack Obama go too far?

I would venture to say it does not go far enough.

reply to post by Jenna


its also rather obvios that it was designed to make you see the headshot then the tomato.

it could have been made to lok more tomato-ish like this:

reply to post by mishigas


wow. this is remarkable. who in their right mind would say this has anything to do with assassination or that it goes too far? you'd have to be a complete fascist to say this type of thing shouldn't be allowed in the US.

That image is rather tame when compared to the wide array of presidential political cartoons throughout our history. Rotten tomatoes have historically been a symbol of disapproval and distaste anyway.

It would seem to me that some people think this image is extreme simply because Obama is the target. Fair game for anyone but him?

I will expect far worse in the years to come. SNL has been having a field day lately and Letterman got into the act last night by picking on Rahm. Oh, this is just the calm before the satirical storm.

I think I found the culprits in this dastardly scheme.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6304a2f832c7.jpg[/atsimg]

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Where in the "blogosphere" are people complaining about this?

That's what I'd like to know. I think it's probably just WND trying to start drama for the sake of its magazine.

The picture definitely doesn't go too far. A bullet hole never occurred to me. It's clearly a tomato. People throw tomatoes at someone they disagree with or don't like.

This is nothing. Compared to what people did to Bush or not... It's just nothing. Not even noteworthy, IMO.

Originally posted by smyleegrl
reply to post by mishigas

 

What I don't understand is the comparison of the tomato with Obama being assasinated.

For me, the connotation is that we throw tomatos to express disdain with someone....isn't that what the magazine is doing?

AGREED! this is preposterous! a tomato in the face--assassination--what?!
i remember watching muppet babies as a kid and whenever that silly Fozzie Bear would do an act he would definitely get "assassinated" all over the poor stage. what violent cartoons i watched as a child.

Yup at first glance thought it was pertraying a bullet wound, then my inner conspiracist took over and Ive decided it to be a fetus. No doubt some radical pro-lifers attempt at subtextual propoganda. Has it all GONE TOOO FAR? Yes, long, long ago.

[edit on 10-3-2010 by psyko45]

Originally posted by MattMulder

Bush got the media coverage he deserved. Obama gets excessive media criticism because old and rich people are mostly conservative and control so many newspapers and media channels...

False statement. And stereotype people much?

Since it's apparently OK to do so, there are far more liberal-leaning media outlets than conservative ones. And what about all those liberal college professors? Many of them are older and quite well off. Also, billionaire George Soros. And all the liberal Hollywood media types?

One more thing, they don't see him as the president, but as a fraud or whatever, so printing a splattered tomato on his face doesn't go too far, given what they did to Kennedy

You mean just like how the liberals viewed George Bush - and created the "artwork" to show their opinions?

The Kennedy reference is simply over the top and inappropriate to this discussion due to lack of evidence for similar intent.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Where in the "blogosphere" are people complaining about this?

That's what I'd like to know. I think it's probably just WND trying to start drama for the sake of its magazine.

The picture definitely doesn't go too far. A bullet hole never occurred to me. It's clearly a tomato. People throw tomatoes at someone they disagree with or don't like.

This is nothing. Compared to what people did to Bush or not... It's just nothing. Not even noteworthy, IMO.

Agreed - and thank you for not running with this when you could have.

Does it also seem to you that recently WND has started to show up more and more - and this is the troubling part - and be accepted as a credible news source here?

BTW, when I first saw this I thought of a tomato hitting a poster of obama, not obama personally, since that's how I remember people throwing tomatoes mostly did it in the past.

[edit on 3/10/2010 by centurion1211]

I find this rather embarrassing, that anyone would be discussing this.

First of all, who cares about this magazine?

Second, Who cares? Period.

I guess some people don't look on the internet, because if they wanted to be offended and create a scene, they could have all the material to last a lifetime if that were their goal.

"Ooooh, a tomato that may be secretly trying to portray a gunshot wound in a magazine no one gives a # about.. OOH the Controversy is so thick!!"