Election Week Special

(A little reminder that this blog is intended to be read in the spirit of good fun.  I don't intend offense to anyone or any group of people, nor am I making any kind of statement. There's enough emotional reactivity on social media during election week as it is without it spilling over into a little snarky thrift store blog.) :)


So there was a bit of a thing in the United States this week...

I got this awesome sticker just for filling in some circles on a piece of paper!

I hope ALL of you (well, those who are U.S. citizens 18 and over) exercised your constitutional right to vote!  As you can see from my shirt in the above picture, I feel pretty strongly about making your voice heard -- even though I live in a state that has been pretty solidly one color for the last 70 years.  (Swing states have all the fun.)

In case you've been living under a rock, President Obama has been elected for a second term.  Media coverage has included all the usual pomp and congratulations, as well as unrelated critiques of First Lady Michelle Obama's wardrobe (seriously?!) -- but what a big media shift from the election four years ago!  Obama's victory in 2008 was considered historically significant, as he was the first African-American to be elected to the office of PotUS.  Recognizing an angle when it bites them in the pants, the media expanded and exploited this (largely invented) racial controversy until it became the subject of referential humor for countless outlets:

Mallard Fillmore, 2/3/2007

Nevertheless, it was a first in history, and significant to many people, and a lot of folks took this to heart.  Shirts and caps emblazoned with "My President Is Black" began appearing in stores, and some people even claimed it as a sort of personal motto.

So, now it's 2012, and our African-American President has been reelected.  But this time, apparently in honor of Obama's repeat victory, Lady Liberty is also getting in on the campaign.  For all you history fans who thought the Statue of Liberty was made of copper, you're WRONG!  That's old-fashioned thinking, and we're ready for a more progressive representation of Liberty.  Now it's not just my President who is black!

Admittedly, "My Statue of Liberty is Black" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

...or is that racist? It's hard to tell:

Mallard Fillmore, 10/28/2009

In any case, the 2012 election is over -- which means we'll finally be free of mudslinging campaign ads, skewed infographics, inflammatory internet macros and biased media statements!  Hooray!

Well... maybe not biased media.  Some things stay the same year-round.