Mass Media

And people still have the gall to call mainstream media a tool of liberal extremists.

If you have not heard of what's going on in Venezuela, let me recap it for you: A dark-skinned mestizo who goes by the name Hugo Chávez was popularly elected a few years ago, much to the chagrin of the American-funded oligarchy of the country. Henceforth the American-funded right wingosphere of Venezuela did not just created a wold-wide propaganda war against the new government. They allegedly also attempted a coup. To the point that many people who were in the country before the 2002 coup attest that, indeed, the coup was chearleadered by none other than Radio Caracas Televisión.

Boing Boing, of all places, has compiled an excellent list of people who describe the situation as, not only complicated, but one that is being mischaracterized by the media from governments who have a bone to pick with Hugo Chávez --and that makes about almost everybody in the "First World".

There is a cornucopia of links to follow in that Boing Boing article, but I'd like to point your attention to two items : A letter published at The Guardian on Saturday the 26th and signed by several UK MPs, scholars and activists titled, Television's role in the coup against Chávez

Ugh.

If there ever was a big media juxtapotion of capitalist imperialism and mysogyny this has got to be the one.

This particular portrait haunts me. Not because there is anything wrong with the girl, but because there is everything wrong with making her a piece of exotica.

She may elicit comparisons with the madonnas of the Renaissance; but I feel our Afghani girl was shot to look more like a pre-Raphaelite painting. Check out especially the ladies created by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

With their dreams of brotherhoods, medievalist fantasies and nymph fetish, the pre-Raphaelites artists can be considered one of the most anti-women aesthetic movements of European. I would like to make the point that it is particularly mysogynist exactly because their style was meant to represent women as precious objects.

So when I look at this ironic juxtaposition at The New York Times, I read it not just as a joke. Looking at it closely it speaks volumes about the way in which Americans not only regard women but 'foreign' or colored women.

Call it the Pier 1 Imports effect.

Anything that is not the 'mainstream' American culture or looks like is treated by the purveyors of 'haute taste' as a commodity, as another tradeable piece of furniture or accessory of interior decor.