Culture Jamming Questions

Culture Jamming Questions

Technical Perspective

-An ad by Salvation Army, wanting people to donate there unused belongings to charity.

-Makes the people look like ghosts on the street as if they do not exist. Salvation army is basically saying that they want to help these people exists, by giving them a chance to be seen.

-It functions as an image over an image. An image that is political/economy. Politically there are many debates whether or not homeless people should have the right to stay at a certain public space/ find funding for homeless people.

-Taken by a digital camera.

-Carefully photoshopped, organized and constructed.

-Posted on billboards and bus stops. Clearly trying to reach out to a lot of people.

-Out of focus people, blurred and seems to have a spot light on the people. Gloomy in the background, maybe suggesting that everyone and everything around it is gloomy.

- Shows garbage above them, perhaps they are there to give the viewer an idea of white these two people have to go through, no blankets, no food, no anything.

-It has small print and the Salvation Army's logo, perhaps the small print is too have viewers look closely at the situation.

Cultural Perspective

- The image is particularly targeted towards western culture, though it seems that the two people that are ghost figures seem to be white, though I guess you can't really say it is neither black or white. Most likely it pertains to all races.

- Shown a place where people are often coming in and out of a building. In an urban area, which might suggest that it is in the city. Which could give it a better reason to say that it wants to target these people, who may be in an apartment or business area.

-Shows a negative/ positive image. The negative part of the image would by that they are see through, cannot be seen with a ghostly sort of focus, a mother and child holding each other, perhaps cold and hopeless. The positive part of the image could by the spotlight that is on the two people, shedding light on the situation.

-The Salvation Army is a big figure in the world of helping homeless people, when looking at the image and seeing the Salvation Army's picture you can connect the two, the homeless people and the charity. I think that if the Salvation Army's Logo wasn't there to begin with I believe that people may have a harder time trying to figure out what the picture is all about.

Political Perspective

-The Salvation Army's quote, We See What Most Don't could mean that people and the government alike do not spend enough time trying to help homeless people and people in need

-Debates have been questioned all around north america on what and how to deal with these types of situations, leaving it to Salvation Army to stand up and fight for it themselves.

-Strictly segregating themselves from the government and acting is they are there own type of government, by saying that we see what most don't.

-Questions about how the Country and the government can do its part. Because of the way that Salvation Army's acts so independent makes you ask the question, "What is everyone else doing about it?"

Questions

1. Does putting pictures up on an advertisement with people less fortunate have a great effect in influencing you to do what they want to or does it steer you away?
2. Does technology have a big effect in culture jamming in a way that could give humanity the illusion of whats really happening in the world?
3. Does Culture Jamming still occur today and if so, do the ways in which is does still have a greater or lesser impact on the observers?
4. Advertising makes a stand, and sometimes claims some people to be naïve and ignorant. Is declaring what some advertisers see in the world relate to what we as people see the world? Why do companies insist on thinking that they know what is truly happening?
5. What aspect of culture jamming has a negative effect within pictures?
6. Is there a clear context distinction between a photo that has been photoshoped compared to a picture that has not been photoshoped?
7. Is this photo political art or art made politically? Does this picture address the concerns of homelessness?
8. Could this picture be defined as a commercial, social or political stance of culture jamming?
9. Are personal ways of culture jamming any different than that from the Salvation armies way or depicting culture jamming and how?
10. Since culture jamming confuses the contexts of the truths and justices in reality should there be a time we culture jamming should stop?

-By Julian Bachlow