ABSTRACT
We’ve given two photo originals for the poster as they
illustrate key decisions on framing.
Q:What difference does the second framing, of Obama alone, in a head shot, make to the image?
A: It shifts the effect of sharing the frame with George Clooney, which might suggest second ‘celebrity’
place to then-Senator Obama, within a paradigmatic
choice of ‘celebrity support for Darfur’. (The wider,
first framing also allowed attention to drift towards
whatever Obama is doing with the green wristband.)
VOICES AND SOUND SIGNIFIERS
This poster was later imitated by Republican and other opponents of Obama, in a chain of signification and
connotation. In particular a ‘white face’ image of Obama was used (see p. 174), disturbingly reminiscent of
‘minstrel’ performances, with the lipstick grin of Heath Ledger’s Joker scrawled across it, all anchored by words
such as ‘Socialism’. This was in opposition to proposed healthcare and other reforms. The ‘wolf in sheep’s
clothing’ connotation is a particularly dangerous misrepresentation. See https://henryjenkins.org/2009/08/
unmasking_the_ joker.html for a good account of both the image and the mystery of its origins.
