7.20.2006
Spanish Civil War Posters
"¡Esto es el Fascismo!" Here's an amazing collection of Republican propaganda posters from the Spanish Civil War. The site's accompanying blurb discusses the way that the posters became an important part of daily life and education: "As the remarks of numerous eyewitnesses demonstrate, the posters provided an essential part of the visual landscape in which individuals living the tragedy of the war went about their daily business of survival. The British writer Christopher Caudwell wrote home from Barcelona in December of 1936:'On almost every building there are party posters: posters against Fascism, posters about the defense of Madrid, posters appealing for recruits to the militia...and even posters for the emancipation of women and against venereal disease.'"
I think that these put the propaganda we experience everyday to shame. Banner ads and pop ups make me want to slice up my eyeballs as they peddle meaningless lifestyle messages. It's like advertisements are the war posters of our side versus a meaningful, non-earth-raping life. "¡Viva la Nikes!" "¡Esto es el Fascismo!" "¡Palabra!"
