Alex Jones: Promoting activism or crime?

ilivetolearn

Subject: The infamous/revered (choose one) Alex Jones recently launched a second political poster contest. Rather than my needless paraphrasing simply read their account:

Infowars is launching a new political poster contest following the viral success of the Obama Joker poster campaign. The posters can be related to any subject you like, whether it be the swine flu vaccine, fluoride in the water, police brutality, genetically modified food, or the man-made global warming hoax. Pick any issue you like, make a poster and then film yourself posting it in public and upload the video to You Tube or similar websites.
Posters should be posted in public commons where other fliers, public announcements, handbills, etc., are posted. Please do not post on federal or private property as this will be considered vandalism and will be counterproductive and diminish the message of the poster. The poster must include “Infowars” or “Prison Planet” somewhere on the design. Prizes will be given to first, second and third place winners. The most dynamic, hard-hitting and artistic entries will take the prizes.

Contest winner prizes:
First Place: $1000
Second Place: $500
Third Place: $200

Send your poster artwork to contest@infowars.com or post it on the web and send us the address. The contest runs for two weeks, from Friday, August 21, until Friday, September 4, 2009.

Note: I am not attempting to ‘announce’ this contest nor am I encouraging participation (more accurately I’m indifferent until further research). I trust that each of us all have enough initiative to form our own personal conclusions.

Background: If you would like to review the winning entries for the previous ‘Jokerbama’ poster contest please click here. For those warded off by a left click and a new window you can view the 1st prize entry below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmbOIF8AJ7E

Controversy: Alex Jones and the various facets of his online presence as of August 13th are allegedly being blocked by internet filters in libraries and workspaces. Please read the full article http://www.infowars.com/alex-jones-website-blocked-content-labeled-as-promoting-criminal-skills/here. The sites have been classified as ‘criminal skills’. Norton offers the following explanation:

“Web sites that feature or promote criminal skills, provide instruction for threatening or violating the security of property or the privacy of people, or describe how to avoid complying with legally mandated duties and obligations.”

Conspiracy theory: I’m not highlighting a direct conspiracy theory. I’m highlighting an event entailing an eminent conspiracy theorist, his organization and endeavours.

Pre-emptive 1: Yes, I’m aware that stringent conspiracy theorists regard Jones as an investigative journalist.
Pre-emptive 2: I’m already aware of existing related threads (e.g. worldrepublic queries whether or not the posters are racist in US politics). I’m addressing this intrinsically in the context of conspiracy theory.

Opinion: Hmm, ambiguous at best. After watching several of the surprisingly creative videos I found myself wedged between notions of free speech and vandalism.

From the participating advocates perspective I’d imagine the unfulfilled axiom of ‘fight fire with fire’ comes to mind. The conspiracy theorist might argue that the poster campaign is benign and a passive counter against an ‘elite’ who are suspected to have used controlled explosives to demolish the ‘Twin Towers’ or an ‘elite’ who rely in fluoridation and vaccinations to subdue the populace (I’m not saying this is or isn’t the case – I’m merely exploring such the polarity of opinion).

I can also see how others might interpret the endeavour as intrusive, disruptive or an overall act of vandalism which would indeed render it a crime. Nonetheless, as aforementioned, I’m wedged twixt sensibilities.

Question: What are your thoughts? Justified activism/retaliation or crude/mislead vandalism? How do you imagine this would play out in Ireland? On that query, I’ve obtained the following posters:



I'll post the full PDF files later this evening for a more legable review (weak connection at the moment).

[FLIPPANT OPINION] Whether such a campaign would be considered legally viable or not I just don’t think the general Irish public are interested or initiated enough to commit to such a project. [/FLIPPANT OPINION]

Further Resources:
News reports by ABC news:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dghkF4Y6elA
Alex Jones in Joker make-up (priceless whether you like the guy or not):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdh39mbC7nA&feature=related

major bill

i like alex jones. its fair to say what your asking as i think it involves a bit of both. Play them(the elite) at their own game!

thecommander

major bill wrote: »

Play them(the elite) at their own game!

what, by putting up posters?

If the theories are correct about mind control, poisoning, mass culling of the population, terrorist attacks on their own turf, then how is putting up a few posters around town in anyway "playing them at their own game"?

major bill

thecommander wrote: »

what, by putting up posters?

If the theories are correct about mind control, poisoning, mass culling of the population, terrorist attacks on their own turf, then how is putting up a few posters around town in anyway "playing them at their own game"?

:rolleyes: its negative propaganda!!!!! by using the word IF i take it you aint convinced. and the point i was making was about alex jones in general playing them at their own game.

Penn

The poster must include “Infowars” or “Prison Planet” somewhere on the design.

Why?

humanji

thecommander wrote:

what, by putting up posters?

If the theories are correct about mind control, poisoning, mass culling of the population, terrorist attacks on their own turf, then how is putting up a few posters around town in anyway "playing them at their own game"?

Hey! Attack the post not the poster! Ba-dum-tish!

I was curious as to how to make one of those:



I think we should take from this that I should neither try a career in comedy or photo manipulation!

As for the topic, I kind of get annoyed when people plaster various protext posters all over the place. From the anti-obama ones, I don't really see the point. They're just aimed at insulting Obama and little else, kind of like the two in the OP, and the one I put up.

The go back to my first line: Attack the post, not the poster. And that's what should be done. Attacking a person is pointless because it just makes you look petty. Infowars misusing a poster for their own gains doesn't really add to their message. It simply gives the impression that Jones doesn't have anything valid to say against Obama's plans, so he's just going to attack the man instead.

Ironically enough, the whole point of Batman is that you can kill a man, but you can't kill an ideal. Jones has missed this point completely and is trying to kill the man (figuratively speaking, I hope).

So to cut along story short, I see it as crude vandalism. I can imagine Irish people will see them, some will giggle at them, and everyone else will simply walk on. But then again, I don't really see Ireland as a nation interested in activism. Most people would probably just want to go home and watch Batman.

ilivetolearn

thecommander wrote: »

If the theories are correct about mind control, poisoning, mass culling of the population, terrorist attacks on their own turf, then how is putting up a few posters around town in anyway "playing them at their own game"?

It's not. It's underkill. It's not an eye for eye nor is it like for like. I'd imagine however that advocates of the campaign see it as a start with a view to nurturing it into something more fundamental and cohesive. Surely it's better than nowt.

Opinion: Political imagery is an effective tool in penetrating the public's psyche. The 'shopped Joker images are as direct as they are concise.

Politician + Joker make-up referencing popular culture = 'That politician is a joker'

Furthermore, the grim, Gothic and gruesome (alliteration just happens) depiction applies a certain imminence and gravitas. Such traits urge or passively alert their audience.

My favorite item of propaganda in the medium of poster is the below illustration by Alfred Leete. On a sidenote it's iconic for it's usage of foreshortening (something 6th should be acquainted with in his dailing 'shopping).

ilivetolearn

paddyirishman85 wrote: »

Why?

Shameless grab at notoriety and advertisement unfortunatley. Then again, some might argue that the directing of the public to the infowars website is a good thing. Then again, others might not. It depends on your stance on the matter really.

humanji

ilivetolearn wrote: »

It's not. It's underkill. It's not an eye for eye nor is it like for like. I'd imagine however that advocates of the campaign see it as a start with a view to nurturing it into something more fundamental and cohesive. Surely it's better than nowt.

Opinion: Political imagery is an effective tool in penetrating the public's psyche. The 'shopped Joker images are as direct as they are concise.

Politician + Joker make-up referencing popular culture = 'That politician is a joker'

Furthermore, the grim, Gothic and gruesome (alliteration just happens) depiction applies a certain imminence and gravitas. Such traits urge or passively alert their audience.

My favorite item of propaganda in the medium of poster is the below illustration by Alfred Leete. On a sidenote it's iconic for it's usage of foreshortening (something 6th should be acquainted with in his dailing 'shopping).

I think those recruitment posters are the complete opposite of the joker ones. The recuitment posters are there to try and instill national pride in the viewer to get them on side. It's a positive message.

The joker posters are are trying to insult and undermine people. It's a negative message that isn't going to automatically draw the viewer on side.

There's also the fact that the recruitment posters are implying, not telling. The joker posters are telling you. Nobody likes to be told what to do and most will actively rebel against what they are told. This is why I see these posters as shooting themselves in the foot. They don't offer a positive alternative, just negativity.

ilivetolearn

Exquisite post with the right balance of humor and fresh insight.

humanji wrote: »

Ironically enough, the whole point of Batman is that you can kill a man, but you can't kill an ideal. Jones has missed this point completely and is trying to kill the man (figuratively speaking, I hope).

For many Americans and their international counterparts, Obama is a representative personification of the land he presides. In attacking the poster one is attacking the personification rather than the person. I appreciate that not everyones motivations are the same.

ilivetolearn

humanji wrote: »

I think those recruitment posters are the complete opposite of the joker ones. The recuitment posters are there to try and instill national pride in the viewer to get them on side. It's a positive message.

The joker posters are are trying to insult and undermine people. It's a negative message that isn't going to automatically draw the viewer on side.

I don't think your looking at this from both sides to be fair. When you say that the recruitment posters 'instill national pride' a conspiracy theorist might argue that the recruitment posters 'lured countless men to their deaths for unnecessary wars for the profiteering and power shifting of bankers'. When you say that Joker posters 'insult and undermine' a conspiracy theorist might argue that the Joker posters 'articulate national distress and beckon reform'. Objectivity is key.

In essence, this boils down to your stance as I previously mentioned. Proponents of the imagery will believe it to be honest, justifiable and necessary whereas opponents will dismiss it as crude, hyped and anti-social.

FULL SIZE PDF FILE POSTER IMAGES ATTACHED

humanji

ilivetolearn wrote: »

I don't think your looking at this from both sides to be fair. When you say that the recruitment posters 'instill national pride' a conspiracy theorist might argue that the recruitment posters 'lured countless men to their deaths for unnecessary wars for the profiteering and power shifting of bankers'. When you say that Joker posters 'insult and undermine' a conspiracy theorist might argue that the Joker posters 'articulate national distress and beckon reform'. Objectivity is key.

In essence, this boils down to your stance as I previously mentioned. Proponents of the imagery will believe it to be honest, justifiable and necessary whereas opponents will dismiss it as crude, hyped and anti-social.

Oh I fully agree. What I meant was that the the recruitment posters wear meant to instill a sense of pride to make people join the armed forces. It's still propaganda and done to trick people, but does it in a positive way. We're all natural tuned to home in to positives rather than to negatives, and that's what I see as the problem with the joker posters.

If infowars used the recruitment posters and had "your country needs you. Go to infowars.com to find out more", it's giving the viewer a positive message implying that the viewer is needed and has a purpose, as opposed to giving them no reason to visit the site, other than the fact that it uses photoshoped images (which to me denotes the sites ability to manipulate truth, but that could be me reading too into it).

As is seen in any sort of campaign, mudslinging generally just makes you look bad and gives your opponent a boost.

humanji

Sorry for replying to these out of order.

ilivetolearn wrote: »

Exquisite post with the right balance of humor and fresh insight.



For many Americans and their international counterparts, Obama is a representative personification of the land he presides. In attacking the poster one is attacking the personification rather than the person. I appreciate that not everyones motivations are the same.

That's very true. But there's also a huge amount of anti-Obama senitment in the US. I guess this would really be in the eye of the beholder. It was always easier with Bush as he had a record of incompetence and seeming corruption. Obama is still relatively new, so that's why I wouldn't automatically use him as representing all things wrong with America.

In a way, that is another strike against the poster, I guess. There's a certain amiguity to it's message. We may not get the full meaning. And we're left in the dark about the author too. If none of us knew what infowars was and we came across one of those posters, I'd say nearly everyone would just go on and forget about it. Not many are going to note the website and go to it at the next opportunity.

But then again, that's just how I feel about it. I'm very against negative advertising on all levels and kind of fell that if you have to resort to it, the message isn't strong enough.


edit: Great thread topic, by the way.

Slugs

As far as I'm concerned, Jones I put in the same cancerous section as Al gore, Peter Molyneux and Cliff blezinski :P. Quite simply, I've two thesis on the man, either he's an insider, or he's really f*cking stupid.

I've a lot of points on this, but I'm going to try and stay on thread topic. If he's an inside man, then quite obviously his entire campaign on Obama is a joke, to keep his entire raging horde of sexually frustrated teenagers and housewives and morons docile, and under control, and out of any real kind of effective way of achieving their means. After all, wouldn't that make sense, keep everyone distracted and their attention on the man in order to forget the ideal. Of course, further investigation leads you down the road to question the actual purpose of the political leader of any country, but lets not get into that.

The fact of him being an idiot, just doesn't appeal to me. I think if he was an idiot, and wasn't under some form of contact with the government, he'd be done already. I mean f*ck it, Bill Cooper (If you don't know who he is, look into him) was less active then he was, yet was shot at the end of his street.

The only thing I can say is sit down, and watch the obama deception. Biggest waste of 1 hour 40 minutes in my entire life, and it'll show you jones' true motivation. Then think about it, if he's doing everything he said he's done legitimately, and if the government were genuinely concerned about him and his behaviour, would they not have already done him for taxes or something?

There's an episode of the simpsons, I can't remember the name of it, but it's the episode where Sideshow bob runs for mayor. Watch it, and you'll see the perfect example of jones.

gline

I personally think Alex Jones is just a tool for the illuminati or top structure of power by taking light away from the real underlying issues. He concentrates on the clearly seen issues when there are underlying issues, so I'd say this competiton is just so people can think they are doing something to stop NWO etc. Just my 2c

gline

Slugs wrote: »

think about it, if he's doing everything he said he's done legitimately, and if the government were genuinely concerned about him and his behaviour, would they not have already done him for taxes or something?

Great point, didnt they get Jordan Maxwell for taxes?