After serving four years as an Airborne Ranger forUncle Sam, California cartoonist and culture jammer Micah Wright has turned hissatirical sights on his former employer. NormanRockwell’s America is turned inside out in Wright’sgrowing series of government propagandaposters — with a subversive twist.
rabble interviewer Daron Letts queried Wright about the method to his madness.
Daron Letts: Describe culture jamming.
Micah Wright: Culture jamming is the viral introduction ofradical ideas. It is viral in that it uses the enemy’s own resources to replicate itself — corporate logos, marketing psychology, clean typography, “adspeak.” It’s radical because (ideally) the message, once deciphered, causes damage to blind belief in the status quo.
Letts: What do you want people to get from viewing yourposters?
Wright: Well, for many people, just a sense that theyaren’t alone. There is a quiet, yet large group ofpeople in the United States who are absolutely opposedto the Bush Administration and their hoped-for “GulfWar II: The Revenge.” If I can give people some hopethat not all is lost, while bringing a smile to theirfaces, that’s more than enough for me.
Letts: Which posters have gotten the biggestreaction?
Wright: Hmmm. Probably the poster of the bayonet goingthrough the Bible with the text “THIS IS THE ENEMY: NoMore Wars For Religion.” People always misinterpretthat as being anti-Christian, whereas, it’s reallyaimed against all religions. The minute youdeclare that you are the most beloved of the Divine,you set yourself above all others and put yourself onthe road to cultural conflict. It sickens me that it’sthe dawn of the 21st century and any day now wemight nuke the world to a cinder to impress a bunch ofinvisible superheroes in outer space [gods].
Letts: Do you have a personal favourite?
Wright: Oh, that’s easy. The Montgomery Flagg poster ofUncle Sam rolling up his sleeve and holding a hugewrench with the text above him reading “Ashcroft...You’re Next! F*ck with Freedom, I F*ck with You!” The text on the original version of the poster read “Jap, You’re Next, We’ll Finish TheJob.” It was so much fun to subvert that awful, racistmessage and turn it against the man who I consider tobe the biggest enemy of freedom in the United States.John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General, and his ilk are the American Taliban, religious zealots totally opposed to reason, freedomand dissent.
Deep in my heart, I’m still a patriot. I dream ofthe day that the United States can join the worldcommunity as an equal partner, not as the biggestbully on the block. I hope that we wake up and reversetwenty years of loss of civil liberties. I guess that’swhy the image of Uncle Sam about to knock JohnAshcroft over the head with a fifteen-pound steel wrenchmakes me laugh every time.
Letts: What would your former militarysuperiors say about your posters?
Wright: “Typical of you, Sergeant Wright.” I think mostservicemen understand the basic truth behind thestatements I’m making on my site: that the U.S. Militaryexists to protect the United States from attack fromwithout, not to become a National Gestapo the wayTom Ridge has proposed, and not to defend Exxon’s oil.
View a selection of Micah Wright’s posters here:
