Artistic Expression : Hitler and Consumerism

Yesterday I received an email from myspace concerning my Hitler "Got Milk" image. Without explanation they informed me that it was a violation of their ToS. At first I was angry considering that it was most definitely not a violation; neither the original work I started with nor the satire of the advertising slogan are off limits to fair use. While I'd probably lose if it came down, that is simply because I don't have the money like MadTV. However, my opinions have changed in that I realized that I did in fact at least piss one person off with my image and in doing so am able to add the myspace email to a list of "pissing on canvases" ideas I have for the future -- with a real life email from the Rupert Murdoch machine to boot.

Odd how easy it is to play a game of 'Spot the Tool'. Sad too. I accept that even the most refined individuals will also sometimes get a laugh at "ow my balls!" (especially if they perceive a hidden agenda or obtuse reference to at least superficially sate their more high-brow ego driven brain). Including this, it is un-amazing that simply putting an image of a woman, an "offensive" symbol, or acting like a jackass (yeah, Steve-O clones aplenty). What the issue really is, however, seems to be that so much of our world is dictated by this consumerism. The rich, evil fucks are more than happy to exploit us and our cultural sheepishness. Drawing comparisons between an emblem of evil and corporate advertising isn't where the real offense should be taken.