Found at: http://www.yclusa.org/article/articleprint/1521/-1/30/
|
Book Review - You Back the Attack, We'll Bomb Who We Want!
|
|
Top level
Dynamic Magazine
Sections
Reviews
You Back the Attack! We Bomb Who We Want!: Remixed War Propaganda, a new book by Micah Ian Wright is unlike any peace book you’ve ever read. Published by Seven Stories Press, Back the Attack is actually a unique picture book that takes historical propaganda posters from World War II and alters them into satirical critiques of the “War on Terrorism� and the Bush domestic policy.
|
|
You Back the Attack, We'll Bomb Who We Want! by Micah Ian Wright
|
You Back the Attack! We Bomb Who We Want!: Remixed War Propaganda, a new book by Micah Ian Wright is unlike any peace book you’ve ever read. Published by Seven Stories Press, Back the Attack is actually a unique picture book that takes historical propaganda posters from World War II and alters them into satirical critiques of the “War on Terrorism� and the Bush domestic policy.
Wright, who is an Army combat veteran from the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989, uses the witty and sometimes scary “remixed� posters as a jumping off point for his scathing criticism of U.S. military aggression. One of the most potent posters features a U.S. soldiers throwing a grenade with bold letters emblazoned above, saying “What the Fuck Am I doing Here? I Only Joined Up for the College Money!�
The commentary on the facing page condemns the “Leave No Child Left Behind� legislation championed by Bush that forces working class youth into the military with the promise of educational opportunities. “With assistance from Congress and our public school system, today’s young people are allowed to sign away their freedom—and even their lives—to the military,� writes the author.
Wright is acutely aware of the poverty draft, and writes about the stories of his compatriots in the books introduction. “America is a country where a white, wealthy elite are protected by a poor, disproportionately minority underclass,� he writes.
Back the attack also blasts the war at home by mocking the Bush Administration’s appeals to patriotism and attacks on civil liberties. “You Write What You’re Told!� reads one poster in red, white and blue; A young woman at a typewriter salutes. Below, the poster continues “Thanks Corporate News! We couldn’t Control the People without you—A Message from the Ministry of Homeland Security.�
One of the most insidious aspects of the clampdown on domestic dissent is the mainstream medias silent consent. The commentary on the above poster notes one example, where all the major television networks agreed to a government censoring of videotapes featuring Osama bin Laden.
One of the ironies of Back the Attack is the really wonderful juxtaposition of graphic images and ironic captions are not that outrageous. In today’s climate of fear and official lies, not many of the posters seem unlikely, and perhaps that makes the book all the more potent and scary.
Bush and his cronies in Washington receive a special attention from Back the Attack’s sharp critique. One poster features a paratrooper jumping into battle and the words “Invest in Invasion, Re-Elect George W. Bush.� The facts that accompany the poster reveal the massive campaign donations made to the Bush presidential campaign by the defense industry in 2000. Wright calls the War on terrorism a “considerable return on its investment.� In fact, many Bush policies, like deregulation, huge tax-cuts and sweetheart contracts are payback for corporate backing in the elections.
Howard Zinn says in his introduction to Back the Attack that the posters are “not far removed from the daily headlines that tell us of more and more government attacks on the Bill of Rights, a growing atmosphere of intimidation, threatening the historical role of dissent in a democracy.�
The appendix of the book offers reproductions of the original posters mostly form the U.S. Department of War Information. The original posters were aimed at building public support for the effort to defeat fascism in World War II. This is one of the ironies that makes the book work: a poster defending democracy and free speech from 50 years ago is remixed into a poster smashing dissent today.
The Propaganda Remix Project launched by Wright also offers t-shirts, posters and other merchandise made from the images in the book and other remixed posters not featured in the book. Wright and other remix artists are always adding new posters and commentaries to the web site. You Back the Attack! We’ll Bomb Who We Want! is an informative and well-produced book that gives sharp commentary and delivers great graphic tools in the ongoing struggle for peace.
For more information:
Seven Stories Press
http://www.sevenstories.com
The Propaganda Remix Project Internet Store
http://www.cafeshops.com/warposter
All images used with full permission from:
Seven Stories Press
Libero Della Piana is one of the National
Co-coordinators of the YCL and a student at Miami University of Ohio