Thursday, February 17, 2011

Lawrence O'Donnell Batton Lash James Hudnall

Today, you can cut and paste those 3 names in the headline above into a search engine and you'll get images from the "Obama Nation" comic by James Hudnall and Batton Lash. You'll also get a video from Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC program, reacting to the comic.

I didn't think that the comic was well done (to be kind). It's mean without being clever, for a start. The caricatures are off model. I suppose if you, too, are hateful and not too clever then you will think it's a lasting work of parody.

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell was outraged, which is fine with me. I was fascinated by how bad the work was and why the right, when it tries to be funny, simply cannot.

Soon, you'll put those 3 names into a search engine and not get much about this. "Obama Nation" isn't a lasting work of parody. It doesn't even pass the first couple of the three rules of criticism:

  • What is it?
  • Was it worth doing?
  • Was it done well?

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