Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The bogus face of L.A. Occupy?

"Parks chief assesses L.A. Occupy damages" was the story headlining the Los Angeles Times homepage as I wrote this. It's a perfectly fine, run-of-the-mill news item. However, the photo (shown at left) that accompanied the piece added an editoral dimension to the reporting. Notice how "LA Occupy" is visually characterized. A lone white dude, complete with a sweater cap and wispy beard, is shown in a classic Lotus pose. He might even be chanting. We all know this guy. He's straight from Central Casting. He's the stereotypical, pot-smoking, uber-liberal hippie who never met a tree he didn't hug, right? And for some reason, he's the designated hitter or representative face of LA's OWS movement ― assuming the Times is consciously or semi-consciously making this allusion. Is that fair? Just asking.

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