Explanation for Picture

For the visual media project, a piece of stencil graffiti with meaning behind was to be made. In the graffiti, the stencil of Mt. Rushmore also contains the face of current President George W. Bush. The piece is supposed to be a political satire and meant to draw out the irony of President Bush’s face next to the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Our current president is one of the most disliked presidents off all time. The four presidents immortalized on Mt. Rushmore are considered to be the greatest the country has ever seen. Regardless of one’s opinion of George W. Bush, he is definitely not going to be on Mt. Rushmore.

The text underneath the picture says “Dream Team.” The phrase dream team was first used to refer to the unbeatable 1992 United States Men’s Basketball Olympic Team. The phrase dream team now refers to a near perfect or unbeatable combination or group of people. Basketball is a game in which five players are on the court at once, and with President Bush, Mt. Rushmore has five presidents on it, similar to a starting line-up of a basketball team. This is meant to imply that these five presidents are the starting line-up of the presidential dream team, or this could be considered a monument of the five greatest presidents ever, which it clearly is not with President Bush’s inclusion. The text helps aid the message the picture is trying to get across with and comment that is as equally sarcastic as the picture.

In reality, this picture would be placed in almost any public spot. It would probably fit better in a more liberal-leaning area due to the fact that President Bush is very conservative, but since his approval numbers are so low it could truly go anywhere except traditionally right-wing areas such as the rural south, as this piece clearly has sarcastic bias against President Bush, his policies, and his conservative beliefs. It would have to be placed in an area where most residents have quick wit, a good sense of irony, and have a basic grasp on politics and world affairs.

So, through a sarcastic image and equally as sarcastic text, an image like this would show of the sarcastic dislike of our President George W. Bush. This piece would be found in most places where President Bush is strongly disliked, notably liberal-leaning areas, such as urban areas and the Pacific Northwest, but will fit in any place that is not considered very conservative due to the overall dislike of President Bush. And as stated earlier, despite one’s personal opinion of President Bush and one’s political beliefs, almost anyone can agree is will not be on Mt. Rushmore and is nowhere near the level of greatness that those on Mt. Rushmore are.