With all of the chaos, muckraking, and general nonsense surrounding the inauguration, I’m just tickled pink that the thing we’ll all remember isn’t another ham-fisted attempt at revolution, or a bloviating celebrity declaring peace-in-our-time.
The image that’s lived on is one of a blasé Bernie Sanders, looking over-it-all, un-socially distanced, contemplating his recycled-plastic mittens on another chilly January morning.
This gives me great hope. It’s as it should be. The peaceful, uneventful transition of power is one of the cornerstones of American-style democracy, and I’ve taken it for granted until now.
There are now a million versions of the meme out there. You might have a made a few too. Some are downright brilliant, but my favorites are all about rock ‘n roll, punk rock in particular. So take a look!
Here’s Bernie watching Paul Simonon of The Clash destroying his bass:
And here’s Bernie chilling with Minor Threat, an example of Photoshoping that’s both aesthetically and politically on point:
I have no idea who made those, but if you do (or if you did!) let me know. The best versions combine three things:
1) An iconic background image, something known at-a-glance by the target audience.
2) Attention to detail. The designer should have given some thought to lighting, shadows, color-correction, and image quality to get Bernie to blend.
3) Some sort of implicit commentary. Is this a place that Bernie could have been? Should have been? Is there something ironic, poignant, or humorous about the juxtaposition?
I’m not sure I achieved any of that below, but I had to pop open Photoshop and take a swing at it. What designer could resist a meme like this!
