What’s your immediate reaction to the graphic on this shirt ?
35 responses to “What’s your immediate reaction to the graphic on this shirt ?”
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My instant association was “Nazi.” It’s by the same guy who did this famous logo for Obama, which I always thought had a Mussolini-ish quality. As Jim Geraghty of National Review said, it looks like something from Man in the High Castle, which is about an alternate future in which Germany and Japan won the Second World War.
No, I don’t think Bernie Sanders is a fascist. Or a communist. And I don’t think Obama is either of those, though I do think he’s a terrible president. But I find this imagery creepy. And I’m not the only one. -
Well, crazy at it seems, my first reaction is that it looks like the front of Atlas Shrugged.
It doesn’t give me a happy, joyful feeling–a bit ominous and Wehrmacht-ish.
But then, I’m a bit pessimistic about this election.
AMDG -
Statues like the one on the t-shirt tend to make me think totalitarian, Eastern Bloc, Russia. However, I am feeling the Bern, Mac! 🙂
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By the way, there is no apostrophe (‘) in the title of Howards End. It is not the end of Howard, but the name of a house.
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We must have cross-posted, Maclin.
AMDG -
Yeah, I guess so. At any rate there was not another comment there when I started mine.
Maybe “totalitarian” is a better reference than any specific form of it. It has an art deco quality, which is probably also what connects it to the cover of Atlas Shrugged.
The merits or demerits of Bernie Sanders aside, I’m puzzled as to why anyone thinks “feel the bern” sounds attractive. It conjures up something like a rug burn to me.
“Howards End” always looks wrong to me. I probably put the apostrophe in without even thinking about it. -
There wasn’t one when I started either, and I didn’t notice it when I came back.
Totalitarian is good. I had actually written Nazi, and then decided Wehrmacht would be close enough.
I’m just surprised that Sanders thinks that look is appealing. It seems like any Jewish person–especially one his age–would have an automatic bad reaction to it.
AMDG -
What do you all think of the Jeb Bush exclamation point? “Jeb!” There has been a lot of amusement about that, I suppose especially if he flames out in SC this week. Jeb?
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Immediate reaction: just sad.
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Well, my first impression was “Laugh-In.”
I hadn’t seen this before. I had to go look on his website. Actually, now that I think about it, Sanders T-shirt is the first campaign paraphernalia that I have seen. It’s amazing how sheltered one can be when there’s no TV in the house.
AMDG -
The shirt has an added creepiness due to Sanders calling himself a “democratic socialist”.
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Bemusement.
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When I said Laugh-In, I was talking about Bush, not Sanders.
AMDG -
Except that Sanders looks more like Arte Johnson.
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“It’s amazing how sheltered one can be when there’s no TV in the house.” I don’t see how you can be very sheltered if you’re on the internet, and especially if you’re on Facebook. Or maybe you have your Facebook settings a lot tighter than I do. Or fewer friends who beat political drums a lot. That’s where I see all this stuff. I have a TV, and even have cable, but I think watching the Iowa election returns a few weeks ago, and Trump’s speech in this area back last fall, are the only times I’ve seen TV news in the past 6 or 8 months.
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I can’t see any friends on Facebook who post a lot of political stuff. I haven’t been reading anything on
And I have an ad blocker.
AMDG -
I wasn’t finished. Must have hit something by accident.
I was going to say that I haven’t been reading anything online except for this blog and Craig’s and stuff about saints and movies. 😉
There doesn’t seem to be any campaigning around here yet.
I do see that people have posted stuff about candidates, but I just scroll right by it. I just haven’t seen any of their official stuff.
AMDG -
I saw this because it was noted on National Review’s site, which I look at a couple of times a day.
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I’m reminded of this video from 2008. I had not seen it since then. I thought it was creepy then and I think it’s at least as creepy now. Sure, 90% of what they’re pledging is perfectly fine, and they mean well. But it has more than a whiff of the sort of worship of a strongman that ought to have no place in American politics, but more and more does.
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I don’t have to look at that to remember what it was. Yes, very creepy. Much creepier than the new X-Files.
AMDG -
I don’t think I ever watched all of that video back in 2008. Creepy for sure, but I think we also have to keep in mind the basic ditziness of those Hollywood folks.
Which makes me think of the new X-Files. I saw the fifth episode a couple of nights ago. What was that all about? The terrorist and his mother in a Pietà pose was just unbelievable. -
Well, and it was raunchy and stupid.
In the original series, no matter how weird the situation happened to be, Fox & Mulder took it absolutely seriously, which made it possible for the audience to take it seriously. In this new series, they are very flippant, like it’s a big joke, and so it is a big joke.
AMDG -
As witness the fact that you (Janet) and I seem to be agreed that the deliberately funny episode was the best so far.
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Right, but the funny ones can only be funny when the rest aren’t.
AMDG -
Mac wrote:
The merits or demerits of Bernie Sanders aside, I’m puzzled as to why anyone thinks “feel the bern” sounds attractive. It conjures up something like a rug burn to me.
Over the years I’ve done some weight training. The hardcore weightlifter guys bellow, “Feel the burn!”, savoring the burning sensation in the muscles when you’ve pushed yourself really hard. They bark it at their pals to urge them on, to be so tough as to actually embrace pain to attain their goals.
I believe this is the origin of “feel the bern,” but who knows? I’m having trouble associating Mr Sanders with the image of heavily muscled guys sweating and straining at the barbells. Maybe the idea is to join Sanders and embrace the pain of his integrity to forthrightly advocate socialism.
Or maybe I’m trying to read too much into it. Evidently y’all have never heard the expression “Feel the burn!” but it’s common enough to have a ring to it — which may be sufficient to explain “feel the bern.” -
Thanks. I figured it was some kind of pop-culture-ish thing of which I was ignorant. It will probably not surprise anyone that I’m not conversant with the terminology of hardcore weightlifting. 🙂
The only thing I could relate it to was the use of “burn” to mean some kind of put-down, which didn’t make much sense.
If you’re right, which seems likely, it’s still an odd slogan–like you say, “embrace the pain”–? I don’t think Bernie necessarily chose it, btw–seems more like something his fans started. -
So I’m the only person who saw a cross and thought it looked kind of like a monstrance?
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Heh. I see what you mean?
AMDG -
There wasn’t supposed to be a question mark there. It snuck in.
AMDG -
Ha. That didn’t occur to me, and I don’t think it would have, but if I close my less nearsighted eye and look at the screen with only my very nearsighted eye, so that the design is out of focus, I see it.
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Gary’s right about “feel the burn”. My immediate reaction that it was deliberately self deprecating/tongue-in-cheek, and hilarious. (And I think Larry David is a better Sanders than Sanders).
And hope y’all are well. I think of you often. -
Well then, you should come talk to us.
AMDG -
Great to hear from you, Dave. I hope all is well with you.
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I and mine are all well, thank you. Empty nesters now, and tho we’d prefer to have the kids closer, we’ve no trouble making good use of the situation.
Also, our eldest is marrying a very kind man this June. She’s never been more content, and the planning has been fun and easy. -
Great news. Best wishes to her and her fiance. And congratulations on making it to the empty nest stage–not an unmixed blessing, I know, but it has its rewards.
Light On Dark Water 
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