Aaron Childree
I think this is the type of image that does not help move society forward at all. There are many images like this that mock President Bush’s intelligence or leadership ability. I understand that there are lots of people who disagree with some of President Bush’s actions and they probably have very good reasons for disagreeing, but he is the current President of the
I think Plato would agree that images bashing President Bush are not beneficial to society. Plato understood the power of images and thought that they should be used to benefit society. I think that a personal attack on the president doesn’t help the problem at all. This image gives no solution to any issues the country is dealing with, it only points out that the President is not very intelligent. I think that the greatest benefit would come from images that unify the country under our current leader, whether they agree with him or not and if they do disagree, it should be done in a way that addresses real issues and offers solutions.
On the other hand, this image is an image that affects society in a positive way. Instead of mocking someone who is against Civil Rights, it shows Martin Luther King, Jr. giving a speech to a large crowd during the Civil Rights movement. This image reminds people how hard some people had to fight to obtain equality in this country and will hopefully cause people of all races to not take their freedom for granted.
I think Plato would agree that this is a positive image and would benefit society because it unites people under the banner of freedom and equality of the races. It shows a time in which changes were made in a way that benefits society, whereas I would argue that the personal attack on President Bush is asking for a change in a way that is detrimental to society.
1 comment:
I would agree that the cartoon does little to move the nation forward with crude mockery of our supposed leader. It acts merely as a complaint, a caricature, rather than constructive criticism. Aside from the attention it may draw to a particular (if perhaps popular) opinion about Bush’s lacking IQ, with which few are unfamiliar, it would be difficult to point out any progress that the image inspires. With this in mind it might also be important to consider the intention of the image. It is a political cartoon and so it swings more weight than an ordinary comic strip, but it is my impression that cartoons, like this one, exist to make readers laugh about real issues that might not seem all that funny in their natural context. In this way it achieves its purpose. Readers not only get a solid chuckle out of the image but are perhaps encouraged to consider the arbitrary comparisons often made as excuses by politicians and citizens alike. If this were a piece with “high art” stature, it would be more accountable for its provocations on the public.
Plato of course would have none of it, regardless of the cartoon’s intended purpose, and immediately ban it from public view for the good of the state.
Martin Luther King’s photograph definitely portrays action being taken towards an improvement in the state and so Plato and I might actually agree that its influence on the people would be a positive one. I can’t say, though, whether Plato would be in favor of a widespread event posed by the “ignorant masses” against the laws and practices of the state. It is, in my opinion, incontrovertible that the changes inspired by the civil rights movement were in a forward and positive direction. But Plato may have opted for a different method of enacting these changes.
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