Mom Confessions

WellPreserved wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 7:57 am

SallyMae wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 11:41 pm I was also really, really dismayed when David Hogg, Stoneman Douglas shooting survivor, was photoshopped into Daisy Hogg, gun-totin' 2nd amendment supporter. (I won't share the images but you can look it up.) It seemed so cruel to do to a kid.

Celebrities are fair game for all kinds of weird fan art - I've seen worse than this hand-drawn and painted at sci-fi conventions - but the fact that these are political figures makes it a political attack. That gives me extra concern.

What makes this a political attack rather than parody? Political figures have their voice, statements, and appearance altered in popular parody all the time ("The Onion", SNL, Daily Show, Colbert, Randy Rainbow, etc.). What makes this different? Or do all of them give you extra concern?

SallyMae wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 9:34 am

WellPreserved wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 7:57 am

SallyMae wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 11:41 pm I was also really, really dismayed when David Hogg, Stoneman Douglas shooting survivor, was photoshopped into Daisy Hogg, gun-totin' 2nd amendment supporter. (I won't share the images but you can look it up.) It seemed so cruel to do to a kid.

Celebrities are fair game for all kinds of weird fan art - I've seen worse than this hand-drawn and painted at sci-fi conventions - but the fact that these are political figures makes it a political attack. That gives me extra concern.

What makes this a political attack rather than parody? Political figures have their voice, statements, and appearance altered in popular parody all the time ("The Onion", SNL, Daily Show, Colbert, Randy Rainbow, etc.). What makes this different? Or do all of them give you extra concern?

You know, I have been thinking about this since last night and I have reconsidered my original impression. My whole life I have seen politicians portrayed in ways just as unflattering in political cartoons without a single thought of impropriety. On further reflection, this is the same. So, fair game, I guess. We will just have to get used to this new form of political commentary.

WellPreserved wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 10:10 am

SallyMae wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 9:34 am

WellPreserved wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 7:57 am

What makes this a political attack rather than parody? Political figures have their voice, statements, and appearance altered in popular parody all the time ("The Onion", SNL, Daily Show, Colbert, Randy Rainbow, etc.). What makes this different? Or do all of them give you extra concern?

You know, I have been thinking about this since last night and I have reconsidered my original impression. My whole life I have seen politicians portrayed in ways just as unflattering in political cartoons without a single thought of impropriety. On further reflection, this is the same. So, fair game, I guess. We will just have to get used to this new form of political commentary.

Art has always had a political component it's just we're seeing a new form of art in AI and therefore a new form of political commentary. This is another example:

https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/ne ... 2023-04-10

ETA: I find parodying kids distasteful no matter who they are.

Valentina327 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 12:36 pm
Would love to see how long someone still existed that pulled this crap with the leadership of Russia or China, you know, our enemies.

Valentina327 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 12:36 pm So we're going to do this, think it's so cute and clever, then publish it and expect applause. Using these men that are our lawmakers as joke fodder.

And then we're going to screech to high heaven when people complain about this and it's not received as a wonderful artistic expression. Because we're just so persecuted!

Then we're going to use it as an excuse to claim more white supremacy\Nazism\fascism or whatever other pejorative words Republicans are labeled for simply expressing more conservative beliefs and values.

Not cool at all. Humiliation isn't cute or funny or artistic regardless of the subject, especially when it's our government and available for consumption on the world's stage. Way, way out of bounds.

Would love to see how long someone still existed that pulled this crap with the leadership of Russia or China, you know, our enemies.

MonarchMom wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 2:05 pm

Valentina327 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 12:36 pm So we're going to do this, think it's so cute and clever, then publish it and expect applause. Using these men that are our lawmakers as joke fodder.

And then we're going to screech to high heaven when people complain about this and it's not received as a wonderful artistic expression. Because we're just so persecuted!

Then we're going to use it as an excuse to claim more white supremacy\Nazism\fascism or whatever other pejorative words Republicans are labeled for simply expressing more conservative beliefs and values.

Not cool at all. Humiliation isn't cute or funny or artistic regardless of the subject, especially when it's our government and available for consumption on the world's stage. Way, way out of bounds.

Would love to see how long someone still existed that pulled this crap with the leadership of Russia or China, you know, our enemies.

Not a fan of this, but also not seeing it as that big a deal either. Caricatures and lampooning of political figures have been a part of our shared dialog since before the country was established.

As far as "humiliation" I don't see that here. It is so obviously a joke as to be meaningless. And I don't recall this outrage over President Obama being depicted as an ape, a witch doctor, or a terrorist. These may be more sophisticated AI renderings, but the political barbs are similar.

To me the important issue is people realizing how easy it is going to be to fake images of real people, and that no image should be assumed true unless validated in some way. We used to say "photos never lie" but that is no longer true. More important than ever to have an accountable source for information.

Bobcobbagob wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 3:32 pm

MonarchMom wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 2:05 pm
Not a fan of this, but also not seeing it as that big a deal either. Caricatures and lampooning of political figures have been a part of our shared dialog since before the country was established.

As far as "humiliation" I don't see that here. It is so obviously a joke as to be meaningless. And I don't recall this outrage over President Obama being depicted as an ape, a witch doctor, or a terrorist. These may be more sophisticated AI renderings, but the political barbs are similar.

To me the important issue is people realizing how easy it is going to be to fake images of real people, and that no image should be assumed true unless validated in some way. We used to say "photos never lie" but that is no longer true. More important than ever to have an accountable source for information.

That was WAAAAAAYYYYYYYY wrong.

It wasn’t ok then, it’s not ok now… in fact it was downright despicable then… why would it feel ok to do the same thing now

MonarchMom wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 3:44 pm

Bobcobbagob wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 3:32 pm

MonarchMom wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 2:05 pm
Not a fan of this, but also not seeing it as that big a deal either. Caricatures and lampooning of political figures have been a part of our shared dialog since before the country was established.

As far as "humiliation" I don't see that here. It is so obviously a joke as to be meaningless. And I don't recall this outrage over President Obama being depicted as an ape, a witch doctor, or a terrorist. These may be more sophisticated AI renderings, but the political barbs are similar.

To me the important issue is people realizing how easy it is going to be to fake images of real people, and that no image should be assumed true unless validated in some way. We used to say "photos never lie" but that is no longer true. More important than ever to have an accountable source for information.

That was WAAAAAAYYYYYYYY wrong.

It wasn’t ok then, it’s not ok now… in fact it was downright despicable then… why would it feel ok to do the same thing now

I did not say it was "OK" in either circumstance. I am saying this is nothing new, and has been going for as long as there have been government figures. Politicians are public figures and subject to satire, caricature and editorial cartoons.

Thelma Harper wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 9:32 am If this had been done by a politician, I could see saying it's an attack. But since it wasn't...