artists of the world, unite!

when i saw philip de vellis’ anti-hillary ad on youtube i realized for the first time that user-generated content could transform politics. his pro-obama spoof is a carefully crafted overlay of the robotic clinton onto the orwellian world of apple’s ad. having been viewed at least 3 million times, it is just as influential as many high-cost mainstream-distributed ads on television. while user-generated often connotes amateur, the reality is that the most popular content is often very carefully crafted, and if not cinematically at least conceptually. for once, having studied art can directly serve towards political influence. people who know how to make movies and graphics are uniquely positioned to generate advertising that expresses our views. the skills we were taught can have a direct impact, and if i had to choose between advertising agencies and freelance artists, i have a bit more faith in the politics of the latter.