In the age of Photoshop and the Internet, Biden and Trump are the subject of memes, which are kind of the flyer of the new millennium. I think G.W.B. sighed in relief when Donald’s orange, squinty, butthole-mouthed face became the new icon of America’s failed deshmockracy. Instead of sighing in relief when Biden fumbled through his first State of the Union, Trump was in the throes of a toddler temper tantrum, screaming “no fair!!!” Some could argue, he still is.
In the 80s, it was all about Reagan; he represented everything wrong with the world in the eyes of punks everywhere. His deregulation of industry, privatization of public services, and neoliberal policies made him the enemy of the youth that were about to inherit the shit earth he promised them. There was even a massive tour dedicated to Reagan, with some mind-blowingly seminal bands participating in the protest against his government. These flyers are hilarious and clever and make me wish that I wasn’t just a toddler when these shows were happening and this culture was flourishing.
What’s horrifyingly depressing is how we’ve gone NOWHERE in the past three decades, only to find ourselves in a place where we could post a flyer with the words, “No War! No KKK! No Fascist USA!” and they would be just as relevant as they were in the early 80s. So where the fuck are we? Is the movement towards a more progressive, more inclusive, less sexist, racist, classist, corporatist, LGBTQ-phobic society within our grasp?
