Using Images from Der Spiegel with Mark Hertsgaard's "The Oblivious Empire"

Contact: Josh Reid (joshua.reid@uky.edu)

The following two images are primary "texts" to show what the rest of the world (in this case, Germany/Europe) thinks about our recent global actions. They both provide immediate and provocative critiques of our current administration.

This was a cover image for Der Spiegel, the premier news publication in Germany. It came out soon after Bush's "Evil Empire" speech. The title for the issue was Der Bush Krieger ("The Bush War").

As you can see, it is an effective visual to compliment Hertsgaard's points about the macho self-righteous image we present to the rest of the world.

My students thought the visual was amusing (they even caught the pretzel reference), but the image also sparked some fruitful discussion of the "comic book logic" of our nation in the global arena: we are the good guys, they are the bad guys, you are with us or against us, etc.

Some of the comic personas also carry some trenchant commentary: Bush as Rambo for instance, fighting in another Vietnam War, Cheney as the cyborg Terminator, cold and dispassionate as a machine. Conan the Barbarian's famous answer to "what is best in life?"--"To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women"--is mordantly appropriate for Rumsfeld's Shock and Awe campaign.

Some possible writing/discussion prompts:

  • How does this image connect with today's reading (Hertsgaard)?
  • How is each persona appropriate? Why is Bush Rambo? Why is Rumsfeld Conan? etc.
  • What does this image say about America's War on Terror? Is it an accurate depiction? Are we heroes or villains?

This is another fun image to bring to class with Hertsgaard. It compliments Hertsgaard's characterization of Bush's rhetoric as Wild West, sherrif-style. This issue of Der Spiegel came out before 9/11, and it still has a lot to say about how Europe saw Bush's global actions (what he was doing in our name) early on in his Presidency.

The tile--"Der Kleine Sheriff: George Bush Jr. Gegen den Rest der Welt"--translates to "The Little Sheriff: George Bush Jr. Against the Rest of the World"

Some possible writing/discussion prompts:

  • Why is Bush presented as a Wild West sheriff? How does this portrayal relate to Hertsgaard?
  • Why is Bush so small compared to his pistols and his boots? Why are the boots American flags?
  • What is significant about the position of his boots (one foot firmly planted in North America, the other, spur down, stepping across the Atlantic)?
  • Why the comical tone?