PROTECT DEMOCRACY, REMIX A COP

The meme found me on Sunday afternoon, right before dinner. I was checking my Facebook feed when there it was, Lt. John Pike casually pepper spraying an unsuspecting crowd in Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte":

And then he was there again, spraying down the "Declaration of Independence":

I almost fell off my chair laughing. My second thought was that I should be ashamed of myself for trivializing such a horrific abuse of power. And for awhile, I wasn't sure how to feel.

Being an inveterate news junkie, I've been following all of the recent international popular uprisings closely. While there has been much to love about the joyous celebration of democracy and the renewed optimism of people actively trying to change their government (whether in Egypt or New York), there have been a number of horrifying low points that are ultimately overwhelming for those watching them unfold in the limited way they can through the media. And while that can't begin to describe the horror of actually witnessing or being a victim, experiencing these incidents through visual communication is the primary way a majority comes to understand them. This is hardly a new development, but it is only very recently that the means to create and interpret this visual communication have been widely available. As "they" say, we're all photographers now, and I would extend that to say that we're all image-makers.

We're also all viewers, which can be hard to stomach. As disgusted as I am to admit this, my first reaction to the photo of Lt. Pike casually spraying a group of nonviolent protesters was that with all the continuing protests, it was only a matter of time. And once again, the familiar feeling of revulsion and impotence that I (and no doubt anyone with an eye on the news and a concern for others) have felt so often washed over me, and I turned away. But a few days later, there I was, looking again at someone else's reinterpretation of that image, my resolve to be a witness to the events occurring (the least anyone can do, but important nonetheless) was renewed. And I was inspired to join the chorus and create my own reinterpretation:



And since then, with the speed at which ideas spread across the internet, there have been many, many more reinterpretations of this image ranging from the silly:

To the nuanced:

To the frighteningly on the nose:

One can't help but think that in some ways we can relate our own feelings of horror to those of Picasso's as he was moved to create "Guernica".

But regardless of the modes of visual communication employed, I believe they're all effective in a certain way. The thing they all have in common is that Lt. Pike has been repurposed into a symbol of authoritarianism pissing on whatever it's supposed to be standing up for, a continuing theme in the growing public disgust with those in authority. In the Seurat, Lt. Pike strolls in and disrupts a public having a peaceful afternoon on the grass. In the Trumbull, Lt. Pike strolls in and disrupts the process of nascent democracy. In "Guernica", Lt. Pike strolls in and insults the injured. (One wonders what he may think of this.) By creating these widely disseminated images, we continue the tradition of inspiring dissent and voicing our collective disgust at the abuse of authority that has long been a tool of those with the power to make images, a power that we share now more than ever. These images become the tomatoes of collective disgust we all want to hurl, but can't for multiple reasons.

By satirizing this situation, and the larger forces at work within it, not only do we express our dissent with the issues of the day, but we also renew our ability to see these horrors and connect with them. By adding a touch of dark absurdity (which should not be confused with levity), the harsh medicine of being present in the world goes down. Perhaps not easily, but as with my own fatigue, swallowing it at all is a certain level of success. And if it's tough for an individual who is deeply interested in these issues, imagine the difficulty someone unfamiliar with the situation may feel. By recontextualizing this image, not only do we provide a larger reflection on the forces at work here, but we also provide an entry point for those who wish the issues would just go away. By breaking down the feelings that make people turn away, I think this type of image-making allows people to see what they normally wouldn't, and being present through seeing becomes the first step towards action.

Ultimately, I think that these images demonstrate the incredible power that we frequently forget rests in our hands. We have the ability, through the tools available, to reinterpret the images that disgust us to offer an entry point to those who may not be willing to watch, even though they need to. We have the power to create the symbols of our time, and while the old media outlets may still be exceptionally effective at disseminating them, the fact that a few images went from an offhand satire to a widely distributed idea in a matter of hours proves that there are other ways of getting a point across. We're all photographers now, and what could be a better tool to prove that the Emperor has no clothes than the camera? We're all Photoshoppers now as well, and to reinterpret a phrase I've been using a lot lately, "Protect democracy, remix a cop".

-Michael Mayer, November 2011

Thanks to Hyperallergic for their coverage, and thanks to everyone who's taken this meme and run with it.