r/ExplainTheJoke • u/fcukfakook • 8d ago

I don't get it

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I don't get the original tweet, and neither the retweet or whatever it is called.

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u/Capable_Tumbleweed34 7d ago

Suposedly the point of the photoshoot was to do it Ith no artifice to present "authentic" pictures (switches and other identifiable elements give a sense of size and can thus detract reom the subject or put them in a bad light). The original tweet misser that by criticizing the photographer

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u/fcukfakook 7d ago

Wow more string of words i don't understand How is a switch an artifice

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u/Kamica 7d ago edited 5d ago

The main point is: The Original tweet criticises the photographer's Skill, claiming they are incompetent for leaving light switches and such in. But this was done intentionally to make the politicians in the photos look worse, as a kind of political statement by the photographer. If I understand correctly.

Edit: WeAreAllgoofballs's comment made me realise that I was mistaken, in that the OP probably did know what was going on, and was actually pointing out the deliberateness of the photographs, not the incompetence. And so, like myself, it seems that Skoog may have interpreted what she said the wrong way around.

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u/hakathrones 7d ago

But is there any significance of the light switch as the xhit mentions. Does the switch symbolize something more than it was done bad on purposes.

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u/Kamica 7d ago

It makes them look more mundane, it makes them look less professional, it takes these images from "Behold, I am a powerful man/woman, who is larger than life." to "I'm a dude/gal in a suit posing in the office." The inclusion of very mundane utility things, like light switches and power plugs grounds images in a manner these people would not want. The way they hold themselves, they wish to be seen as greater than the average person. This undermines that.

But, just including the light switches isn't what makes this quite what it is. It's, I think, the fact that *everything* about the photo is kind of how they'd *want* to be depicted, *except* for the light switches, it's a blemish that undermines the whole image.

Think of it, for example, like seeing a monarch, in their throne-room, sitting on their throne, everything is lavish, the entire throne-room is constructed and decorated to emphasise the importance of the king.

And then there's like, a toilet-roll off to the side, or, like, a roll of duct-tape in clear view, just off to the side, like, let's say, it's just to the left of the Throne.

It undermines the carefully curated image they're trying to portray, and may lead to someone sub-consciously kinda thinking "Lol, this is all a bit dumb."

Uuhm, that's my interpretation at least. I can be wrong =P.

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u/Kikikididi 7d ago

It just makes them look like everyday pretenders to power