If we want to take visual politics and the integrity of imagery seriously, what Chrysler and its corporate Madison Avenue agency did in its Halftime in America ad can be best (and more easily) understood as anti-union rather than pro-Democratic party or pro-Obama.
Case in point? Two seconds of doctored video footage starting at the 50 second mark.
Protesters are shown in front of a building that could be the White House or could be any number of state or government buildings across America. The footage is preceded by an apparently ranting news commentator and runs while Eastwood's gravely voice intones "the fog, division, discord, and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead." Ranting and protest equals divisiveness and distraction from the American mission.
Visual deconstruction of the ad shows just how threatening protest is to corporate America. Various writers have discussed and analyzed the alteration of this video from a Wisconsin pro-union, anti-Scott Walker protest rally to make it seem generic, more representative of general American discontent. If others have already called out the edited video, though, I thought it was important to take a slower and closer look not just at the screen shot in question, and particularly, the signs that were "disappeared" in the footage itself.
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(If there's been an inclination to label this fleeting video as an Occupy Wall Street protest, by the way, it's important to note that this populist protests in Wisconsin pre-dated Occupy, which didn't get started until mid-September 2011, another seven months later.)
With the Chrysler ad in mind, there are a couple features to notice here, particularly the sign in the center with the hearts which reads: "Care about educators like they care for your child"; the sign far right which reads: "No to the bill. Yes to children"; the sign far right which reads: "MTI. Madison Teachers, Inc." in the center, circled by "We teach the children. Collectively we decide. United we act," with the word "Solidarity!" below; and also the abundance of orange signs that read: "Stop the attack on public education. Vote no!!"
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The children's poster now says: "Say no thanks. It's time [inside a clock.] We Don't need another." The poster far right now says "Think of our children" with the word "Los La" below it that looks strikingly like the logo of the LA Times. The teachers union sign and logo, far left, has been replaced with a generic circle with line through it over a face. All the orange "Stop the attack on public education" signs have been eliminated.
Also, as John Nichols at the Nation points out, the description on the statue was removed. As Nichols writes:
The Chrysler ad also disappears the identification on a statue of Colonel Hans Christian Heg, the Wisconsin Civil War hero who rallied a Scandanavian unit to fight for the union with the cry: "Norsemen...the government of our adopted country is in danger. It is our duty as brave and intelligent citizens to extend our hands in defense of the cause of our Country..."
Heg became a reference point for the hundreds of thousands of protesters who rallied at the Wisconsin Capitol in February and March of 2011, and who linked their activism to a tradition of answering the call to defend basic rights and ideals. Many of the largest rallies at the Capitol were held on the grounds where Heg's statue stands, including the rally featured in the Chrysler ad.
In the name of visual truth, here are scenes that offer clear looks at the imagery that was was eradicated. This is a screen shot from Wisniewski's sign.
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Sometimes when I'm lecturing about news and political imagery, visual persuasion and our mission at BagNews, a student will ask about our objectivity in reading photos "if the site is "pro-left." My reply is that the site, admittedly progressive, is not pro-left, but rather, "pro-image." Given that our agenda, most accurately stated, is to speak truth to visual power (1, 2), it's fair to say that we end up on the progressive end of things more often than not because visual persuasion and bias is typically the device and luxury of those in and with power, whatever branch of government, media entity, industrial corporation, or, yes, political party, we happen to be talking about.
With these goals in mind, it may be safer to say that Chrysler's Halftime in America ad is more accurately seen through the lens of doctored video footage to be a pro-corporate, anti-union advertisement than any other kind of political statement.
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What I saw was feel good type commercial that celebrated the fact that the American auto industry is still standing. Yes Detroit is in incredibly bad shape but its not dead yet and can maybe still rise. I know the naysayers say let it die along with the American Automotive industry. Those same folks probably would hope that New Orleans drowned after Katrina. To steal a line from a great movie. I wonder why claim to love America, but clearly hate Americans?
Republicans hate that. It destroys the GOP myth that American government can't get anything right and should be dismantled.
As it turns out, American government works. It's just republican government that's a disaster.
Add the fact that the ad uses a law and order, gun toting conservative icon named Clint Eastwood at his growliest, and it's lucky Karl Rove didn't pop a blood vessel.
Of course. Chrysler is a huge multi-national, now Italian-owned (with an anti-union CEO), making many cars in Canada and Mexico. The whole idea of the ad is to make you forget about NAFTA, forget about globalism. Without propaganda ads like this, Americans might open their eyes and realize that Chrysler is no longer an American company, and that "buying American" is not as simple as falling for a feel-good ad. Thanks, but I'd rather buy an American-made Honda over a Mexican-made Dodge.
Despite his flaccid attempt to back peddle, Eastwood has cemented himself as someone who was duped by big business, or just another one of Obama's Hollywood ball washers. Those who would assign any significance to what he would say fail to realize he's an actor, who just memorizes the lines.
Perhaps that's why it resonated with so many Americans. More than 93% of private sector employees are non-union. And most of those are strongly anti-union and supportive of their corporate employers, notwithstanding the opposite sentiment on this site.
Of course, you have some research, facts, surveys, or interviews with those 93% to actually validate your claim they're STRONGLY anti-union and supportive of their corporate employers.
From what you've presented here, your claims are just more propaganda that offers no proof of the claims you've made. In other words; advertising.
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2010/07/public_opinion_unions.html
http://www.gallup.com/poll/122744/labor-unions-sharp-slide-public-support.aspx
Note that these results reflect a survey of ALL employees, including the 32% of public sector employees and 7% of private sector employees who belong to unions. Sorry, couldn't track down the survey I had read about employee support for their corporate employers. It was conducted in 2010, a compilation of nationwide corporate surveys.
1. EDUCATION. Our dysfunctional schools are generating a dumbed-down labor force that's simply unable to perform many of the jobs that employers need. In addition to turning out functionally illiterate HS grads, the dropout rates have soared...50% at LA Unified! Only 34% of 3rd and 4th graders are testing at grade level. Unemployment among college grads is 4% and has been for months, less than half that of those without degrees.
2. ILLEGAL ALIENS. More low/unskilled illegal aliens are competing with our unskilled workers for jobs, thereby depressing wages and lowering living standards.
3. GLOBALIZATION. Competition for low/unskilled jobs has also skyrocketed due to the increasing opportunity to outsource jobs.
4. SELF-INDULGENCE. Workers who are no longer EARNING a middle class lifestyle have still felt ENTITLED to a middle class lifestyle so they simply charge it. The rapid expansion of debt has further depressed the net worth of these folks.
Read a basic book about economics and you'll understand the parasitic impact of unions on economic efficiency, generating higher prices, unemployment, loss of competitiveness and economic inefficiency.