Another Creepy Uncle Sam

Here it is folks, Another Creepy Uncle Sam ad straight the GOP! Since republicans have lost their battle with Obama Care, the next step is to get everyone to opt out. They are specifically targeting young people. The main theme being that before young people had a choice in healthcare plans and now we only have one. Throughout the ad they are in a dimly lit hospital with terrible hospital sounds. While the camera is panning through the hospital you see a few patients and they all look miserable and sick. Its almost as if this ad is showing you’re the future of what Obama Care will look like. The narrator is a young girl, which is another hint of their choice of audience. She talks about the ineffectiveness of the website and she speaks mostly about “our generation” having no choice in which health care plan we wanted. She makes you want to join her in this bandwagon speech about how everyone else is upset about Obama Care so why aren’t you?

The camera pans throughout the hospital as the buzzing noises get louder and louder. At the end of the ad you see creepy Uncle Sam with the operation board game and huge grin on his face. The narrator asks you to opt out of Obama Care because “our health care is NOT a game”. These ads are about scaring America’s young adults into opting out of Obama Care. The ads provide no information or facts about Obama Care or what will happen if you opt out. It is a strictly entertaining ad that is meant to make Obama Care a joke. It is also interesting that they call it Obama Care instead of the Affordable Care Act. I think it’s more important for the GOP to associate the audience with Obama rather than the Affordable Care Act. Watch this Video HERE!

The NSA Steals Christmas

I have recently found two political cartoons that have to do with the NSA and Christmas. The first one is this image of Santa “checking his list” as well as the NSA. The cartoon is in color, which means it probably wasn’t meant for newspaper unless it was transferred to black and white for a print version. Santa looks very nervous standing next the NSA member. The NSA member has a very sneaking look on his face as if he’s planning on spying on Americans. The NSA agent is matching Santa in a red tie and a red NSA badge. It may have something to do with a Republican influence in the cartoon.  

The other cartoon I found was a play on the popular Elf of a Shelf toy. This a toy that you hide all over your house and it makes a mess. Since this is a toy I would say that these cartoon are for adults with kids and its purpose is to scare American citizens. I also think that since it’s Christmas time Republicans want you to remember the NSA scare. It’s been a while since the NSA scare has been on the front page of a newspaper, so it makes since that this Christmas themed cartoon is meant to remind of us of how scared we should be this holiday season with the NSA lurking just around the corner.

Twitter's Reaction to Nelson Mandela's Death

A few minutes after it was announced the Nelson Mandela had died his name was trending on Twitter. NASA printed an image of South Africa from the satellites. It was an astounding shot from above. It was an interesting way to show respect and remembrance for Mandela, but it was also a way to advertise NASA. The caption reads, “In honor of Nelson Mandela, who died today, here is an image of South Africa from #ISS."

Among the Internets buzz of Mandela’s death, the White House tweeted a quote from President Obama that read, "I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life." In class we discussed how text could be visual in politics. When someone as famous as Mandela dies it is a true testament for the change in the world. Mike Tyson weighed in on Mandela’s death by posted a photo and himself and Mandela. In the photo they are smiling and holding hands. The text reads, “I'm hearing about Nelson Mandela's death while on African soil in Oran, Algeria. Sending prayers to Mandela's family.” Gloria Estefan also posted a picture of herself with Mandela.

            Twitter is a great tool for social media. It is interesting to see the way celebrities use Twitter to post on tragedies around the world. They could be wearing $5,000 dollar shoes but they want everyone to donate money to hurricane relief. This is a similar situation with Nelson Mandela. Are these celebrities actually grieving? Or is it a way to increase their status by posting pictures of them with the famous Mandela?

The Influence of Jon Stewart

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-23-2013/suppressing-the-vote

This is the most shocking Jon Stewart episode I have ever seen. It really proves that parody shows like Jon Stewart and Colbert have a respectable following and that they can really make a difference in politics today. We have been discussing in class how much influence the parody media has on politics today. After the North Carolina precinct GOP chair resigned it showed how much influence shows like Jon Stewart have on our society today. In the interview he says many offensive comments towards African American voters and the laws preventing them from voting.

This is so effective because after the joking is over al that is left is the ignorance of Yelton. Parody shows like Jon Stewart cater to a large audience of liberals and it is nice to see that the media can take down a man like this. My favorite part of the interview is when the host says, “you know we can hear you, right?” it makes the interview effective and it shows how ridiculous Yelton is acting. The Jon Stewart commentator also interviews Representative John Lewis, who is on the opposite side of Yelton, which makes for a great interview and a more effective argument against Yelton.

Ted Cruz's Rocket Fail

This is a political cartoon I found on Huffington Post. It is a reflection on Ted Cruz’s attempt at a government shutdown and what he planned on achieving. It begins as a stable rocket ship and then crumbles into pieces at the end of cartoon. This is a perfect representation of Ted’s attempt to change the government.  This cartoon is simple but also effective. I really love the way that the rocket actually takes off in the cartoon, just like in the government and then it after is launches, (and the government shuts down), then it crashes to the ground. This is a wonderful representation of Ted Cruz’s time in the government during the shutdown.