This is it… this is the height of what memes and memetic culture can do and the purpose they can serve, and why it’s so important to have this freedom of expression and exchange. Protest, reference, the instant connection of ideas, heavy weighted messages conveyed by the simplest of means. This image speaks volumes about the state of internet politics right now, and it does so by omitting the most important and recognizable part of itself.
Also, look at the quality here and the effort the artist put into making Truth’s erasure so disturbingly seamless.
Okay I just reblogged this once for the meme, but I need to reblog this again because of how amazing the symbolism here is. At first this seems like a simple tumblr meme joking on a piece of artwork that tumblr has memed and tumblr’s policies regarding nudity, but there’s so much more to it
Not only is this an absolutely beautiful edit job that should be respected of itself, the message, the erasure of the figure literally representing Truth from the painting, in order to render it “safe” for the modern internet, is so simply profound when you realize it
“During the early stages of the Iraq War, members of the United States Army and the CIA committed a series of human rights violations and war crimes against detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, including physical and sexual abuse, torture, rape, sodomy, and the killing of Manadel al-Jamadi.”
Never back down from a debate. Let it get heated. Let it drag on. Let your debate partner give you every argument they’ve got. Let them hear everything you have to say. This is how we learn about controversial topics. We learn how to refute opposing views and we learn how our views can be refuted. We learn how to communicate with people on “the other side”. We learn how to understand their perspective, and how to make them understand ours. Don’t get personal. Don’t get defensive. Pay attention to what is said and ignore who is saying it. Fight ice with ice. Don’t tell me “it’s not worth the effort”. Understanding the barriers that exist between members of our society is the first step towards overcoming those barriers, and debate is the mechanism through which that understanding is most effectively achieved.
Note, I am finding these threads on the twitter feeds of ICU nurses who are now dreading the horrors that Roe falling will bring to their hospitals. This, on top of the horrors that they’ve seen and continue to see because of the pandemic. They were already exhausted and hanging by a thread.
