Why Grey Global Group's Obama-McCain Racism Image Looks Familiar
The concept behind Grey Global Group’s “Obamccain” image — in which the two candidates have their ethnicity digitally reversed — bears an interesting resemblance to an outdoor project by Jersey City artist Ron English, titled “Obamaham Lincoln.” Grey released its image Nov. 3 in the hopes of encouraging everyone to vote, and to spark discussion about racism in politics.
In the Grey image, Barack Obama appears as a white man and John McCain is black. Obama looks mostly similar to the way he does in real life (he’s already half-white, of course) except for his newly straightened hair. McCain, on the other hand, has grown a crop of tight grey curls and a dark tan.
In Ron English’s Image, Obama’s face has been superimposed onto the head of Abraham Lincoln.
Both images highlight the race of the president, ask us whether it matters, and, ultimately, white-ifiy Obama. With Obama elected to office by a landslide, we can assume either that Grey and English’s campaign worked or — more likely — that Americans are just not as racist as we think we are.
Jim Edwards, a former managing editor of Adweek, has covered drug marketing at Brandweek for four years, and is a former Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University's business and journalism schools. Follow him on Twitter or send him an email.
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