Sunday, March 8, 2009

Obama snacks and postmodernism

Somehow I love the fact that "Obama snacks" are hitting the Indonesian streets. Not because they're nutritious (I assume not) or even legal (ripoff of likeness), but because they're a perfect distillation of messed-up postmodern society.

Something real, hopeful, and meaningful transformed and reworked into something cheap, throwaway and probably harmful. A powerful image taken over and destroyed by being associated with typical consumer emptiness. Postmodern theorists like Jean Beaudrillard might posit that nothing in our society is real or meaningful anyways (viz. his book The Gulf War Did Not Take Place), so a takedown of a particularly hopeful image - that of the new leader of the free world - by a little street-level capitalist hustling is perfectly appropriate.

If everything these days exists in a media simulacrum, a mirror of a mirror of a mirror of something else, a clever pastiche of things that were once original, isn't an Obama-branded snack part of that glorious and totally degraded mosaic?

A bit heavy, I know. But kudos to the Obama snack-sellers for their unintentional but brilliant contribution to postmodern debate.


Today's Top Stories

Central bank predicts rupiah will strengthen
In related news, L.A. Clippers plan to win NBA championship

The return of Golkar?
VP Kalla taking big, compensating for something

World energy solution: Seaweed?!
Sure, why the hell not

Most Indonesian domestic violence related to cash woes
Financial crunch only going to get worse

7 comments:

Therry said...

I think that fake Obama-lookalike is also cashing in a lot of money as he appears on various television advertisements, from candy to cooking oil, I'm starting to get sick of him already! LOL

Christopher Taylor said...

Maybe we can make some money, too ... I used to look like Leo DiCaprio, when I had hair ... or so my mother tells me. ;)

Therry said...

grow it back!! lookalikes are all the rage these days, cash in while it's still 'in'! :D

Christopher Taylor said...

Do you have some Rogaine I can use? Maximum strength!

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