Yes, yes, I understand your point about the prudery about sex versus the open trivalization of the violence of history that the poster represents. I disagree obviously.
True. But what if it does? Then it would only be bad art.
The billboard is trying to tap into cultural ideas about the female body, women and prostitution and does so in the totally crass, inane and offensive way that is the bedrock of so much of modern advertising. Remember the billboard is selling a product, a product which is not related in any way to what I just mentioned. They do this because they believe it will be effective (and judging from many of the comments here, it probably is). That's the important part - sexuality as a form of consumption to be played for 'irony'.
Fair enough. But I do think the example is silly because the example is not particularly strong. The poster strikes me as too inconquestial. It is basically nothing but irony.
Okay you might be right with debatable. But irrelevant?
I don't think so. The best way to deal with propaganda is to laugh at it often by underlining it's particular self-importance (I'm only talking about what we traditionally define as propaganda here. I would argue that the billboard would
count as propaganda too. Perhaps a more insidious one because we don't think of it as propaganda and thus dismiss it as much. Ever read
The Space Merchants? It has some good stuff on this).
If I did a parody of North Korean propaganda right now (and many people on this forum have done so) would that be me trivalizing all that is happening in North Korea right now?
Poll
