Update: Welcome readers from Reddit and elsewhere. If you plan to leave a comment, please read the whole post first. Thanks.
The headliner at Memeorandum at the moment is from Bob McCarty Writes: Heroic Name Given to Photo of President Obama
Soon after President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban on the use federal funding of embryonic stem cells in medical research, the wizards behind the White House web site posted the photo above. Though I find it less troubling than the president’s continuing assault on the unborn, the file name (hero_stemcell_main2.jpg) under which someone at the White House saved the photo of the signing ceremony this afternoon is disturbingly creepy.I discovered the file name when I went to save the photo to my computer. Click here to see a screen shot which shows the file name for the photo highlighted in blue as I was in the process of saving the photo to my computer.
To imply that President Obama is somehow heroic by signing a measure that lifts a ban on the slaughter of human embryos for scientific purposes goes beyond the pale. Such an amateurish action should not, however, surprise anyone familiar with Obama’s socialist agenda (a.k.a., “Obamalism”) and his follower’s blind allegiance to “Dear Leader.”
Yes, it just proves that there is a cult of personality surrounding Obama, and that really we are just one step closer to a personalistic dictatorship that will never end. Not to mention the pending socialist dystopia that will be reigning shortly at a state capital near you.
Or, maybe not. Photographers call the best shot of a series the “hero shot.”
Look, if one wishes to engage on the topic of stem cell research, more power to you–but this kind of silly attempt at petty point scoring is so tiresome (and yet, it dominates much of our “political discourse” so it clearly isn’t as tiring to others as it is to me). I will say that “amateurish” was the right word, but it was applied to the wrong target.
Update: Via Terminology & glossary of photography terms, here’s a def:
Hero When viewing a proof sheet or selection of images, the Hero image is the image selected for final use. i.e. typically the best image from the selection.
h/t: An OTB commenter for this specific def. Also, James Joyner notes in his post on the subject that there are “hero” photos at the WH web site that have no people in them at all: click.
Sphere: Related Content
March 10th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
[...] And there was much rejoicing in right blogistan- Cultists! Hero worship! Um, no: [...]
March 10th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
[...] by ALmod on March 10, 2009 First off, thanks to Dr. Steven Taylor for being one of the people to catch this one. It gave me a much-needed [...]
March 10th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Actually, my sources tell me it was short for herod, a reference to that king’s killing of the first born. Far from being sycophantic, someone on his staff was having a jab at the president.
March 10th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
There’s nothing sinister about this. As you know photojournalists take several pictures during a photoshoot and then choose the best one. It’s a common practise for them to give the prefix of ‘hero’ to the title of the best picture in a series of shots to distinguish it from the others. And that’s exactly what has happened here.
March 10th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Wow that was embarrassing
March 10th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
You’re a real whiz aren’t you… savvy with the tubes and what not.
If only you had a clue as to how the world worked outside your own ridiculously small bubble.
As stated already… hero_ is a common prefix attached to the best photo of a group by many photographers.
Please keep showing everyone how bat-shit crazy, out of touch and ignorant “the base” really is.
March 10th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
LOL. Seems you have no idea about what the hero prefix means. Any idea what “an hero” means? No? Do some research before you type, or just become “an hero”.
March 10th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
the author of this article needs to be “an hero” himself
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/An_hero
March 11th, 2009 at 7:24 am
A swing and a miss.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:53 am
It’s interesting to watch Memeorandum, Politico and Real Clear Politics sink to Drudge/Limbaugh levels.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I think that all of the stuff featured there is automated and is the result of inter-linkage.
March 11th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I’m just wondering if the folks who commented above made it to the end of your article before posting their comments or if they might be just a tad guilty of their own foaming at the mouth… The left’s inability to grasp sarcasm and/or read an entire article before drawing conclusion is quite striking.
March 11th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I learned long ago that a) a lot of people don’t read thoroughly before commenting and b) a lot of people are responding not to what a given blog post said, but what they read elsewhere.
Indeed, it is often difficult to know, in general, what people are commenting on…
(and it isn’t a left/right thing in my experience).
March 11th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Wow…you need to get laid more.
March 11th, 2009 at 10:42 am
And as if on cue, #14 confirms my comment in #13…
March 11th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Oh Joy. Another rabid christian asshole webpage.
March 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am
And yet again…
March 11th, 2009 at 11:48 am
lol!
Yeah, I wasn’t suggesting that it was exclusive to the left or right. Rather, I found it mildly amusing that you’re writing about the right’s overreaction to a situation (and rightfully so), and the left leaves comments like the ones above. Irony, perhaps?
March 11th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Irony, indeed.
March 11th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Apparently you haven’t heard that embryonic stem cells can now be produced from adult stem cells. So update your argument for whatever hate-filled vendetta you’ve got. Either that or grow up.
March 11th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I just think its funny that you are so dumb, that you actually believe the use of embryonic stem cells is the slaughtering of unborn babies. 95% of embryonic stem cell lines are from fertility clinics and they are unused embryos which are going to be destroyed anyways. Everyone on the far right is bat shit insane and everyone on the far left is bat shit insane too. Why don’t you all get your head completely out of your ass and think about the better good of the entire world, not just your bible thumping club or in the case of the left your pot smoking flower child club. Your both fucking ignorant pieces of shit
March 11th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
This thread has really started to amuse me in terms of what is says about reading comprehension…
March 11th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
You are an idiot.
March 11th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
“This thread has really started to amuse me in terms of what is says about reading comprehension…”
It has for me, as well. I’ve been giggling non-stop for a good 10 minutes.
March 11th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Wow. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. Just…classic.
March 11th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
It’s quite the hootenanny, ain’t it?