tsotchke:

lastofthetimeladies:

This is my school’s production poster for this year’s play, Othello.

The photo features students (the girl who plays Desdemona and the boy who plays Othello) and was also taken by a student.

This morning, many copies of this poster were put up through the hallways of my high school. By this afternoon, they all had been ripped down - some by teachers, some by students, and many by the principal himself due to a large amount of complaints that the administration received for allowing such a poster on the halls.

I honestly don’t know what I think of it because I fear that I have such a big bias in favor of my drama program, being that I am an avid thespian. I understand how this poster can be taken the wrong way - for one, it’s currently black history month, and my school is one that goes all-out to celebrate that. To have posters, announcements, and clubs all revolving around black pride and then to put this poster up in the midst of all that? This poster depicts exactly the kind of stereotypes that we have been trying to negate - a black man attacking a pretty young white woman. 

However, this is advertisement and this is art. This is probably the most effective way the drama teacher could have thought of to get people to come to the show. Everyone will see the poster and wonder, “What is that show even about? All I know is that there are black hands strangling a white girl.” Because I know that people do see it that way - completely black-and-white, if you will. They will wonder, and they will go see the show, just to find out whether or not the drama program is actually racist or something. I mean, this is an incredible marketing strategy. Hit them in the face with shocking controversy and make them need to find out.

On one hand, the photo looks amazing from a photographer’s standpoint, and the poster itself is brilliant from an advertising standpoint. On the other hand, from the side of politics and from an activist’s standpoint, how far is too far? I’m afraid that I can’t truly say, since I have both white privilege and a slight bias in favor of my drama department. 

ART IS NOT CREATED IN A VACUUM
ART IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF BAD ART AND HOW NOT TO MAKE ART 
This is also an example of how not to advertise. Seriously? If a designer presented this shit, they’d be fired. Not only is it racist, it is such an overused trope. It’s embarrassing from all angles. This is not good advertising and this is not good art.

This is racist, contrived garbage.

fucking commentary^ get this trope outta here

(via thereverseracist)