Intervention Poster / Intervention 2 (Ian)

 

    "Stop Asian American Hate" four words that reflect the reality of the world we live in. The COVID-19 (or Coronovirus) pandemic has caused a stir in the political, economic, and social facets of the United States with the increase in Asian attacks being one of many examples. Asian American-owned businesses have suffered considerably more than other local businesses due to the prejudice surrounding them, with thoughts such as, "I will get coronavirus if I eat here" or "That Asian guy has covid, so I'll stay away". Such thoughts have caused a significant threat to the safety of Asian Americans, most notably, towards Asian American elders. Asian American elders or old people in general, should not be victims of assault as it is morally unjust and inhumane. Racism towards Asian people has always existed in America, although not as prevalent as racism towards Black Americans, racism is still racism; even if America is still trying to unshackle itself from its frequent habit it still has a long way to go in achieving a more peaceful America.  

 The poster is simple and can be done by anyone. I wanted the poster to be easily reproducible because activism is a community effort. Activism is about awareness and I want people to be engaged and be able to make a poster like this for themselves. Kimberly Drew mentions in her book, This Is What I Know About Art, that "Activism is a collective action and an investment in the lives of other people." (p.61). As such I wanted my intervention to be something that even a 6-year-old can make. It is important for the people to be able to be a part of the movement as it will greatly increase awareness of the topic being advocated. 

Signs and protests have a long relationship with each other and are as compatible and complementary as salt and pepper. Signs and protests have been a pivotal part of activism events throughout history such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, the Disability Rights Movement, the Women's Rights Movement, LGBTQ Movements, and much more. Signs and protests will continue to be used in accordance with each other at future activism events. With the advance of technology, signs and protests have evolved and continue to live on the internet through memes. Benjamin Burroughs mentions, “The ability for the meme to empower and push back can be really powerful. They’re definitely sites of resistance against perceptions of abuse of power. They spread so quickly and evolve and transform, and it’s hard to shut them down in the way other forms of communicative protest can be silenced.”. Memes can be considered digital signs, in which they are images and pieces of information that convey a message to viewers. Coupled with powerful topics, memes are forms of protests in the digital age. 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/mbzxa3/memes-are-our-generations-protest-art

Kimberly Drew, What I know About Art