National Public Radio is always on the lookout for satire against conservatives. On Saturday morning’s Weekend Edition, NPR reporter-slash-pagan witch Margot Adler chronicled how left-wing artist Steve Powers constructed a Coney Island booth called "The Waterboard Thrill Ride." NPR loved the story enough to transcribe it for the website and give it top billing. The first issue that arises is how quickly Nickelodeon’s lawyers will go to court to get him to remove SpongeBob SquarePants from the enhanced-interrogation satire (photo from NPR). Is SpongeBob now supposed to be into bondage and masochism? Adler reports:
Powers took over an old photo studio near the Coney Island Side Show. There's a picture on the wall of someone who is tied down and looks a lot like SpongeBob SquarePants. "It don't Gitmo better" is painted above the picture, a reference to the Guantanamo Bay prison.
You climb three cinder block steps up to a small window with prison bars, where you can peer into a cell. If you deposit a dollar in a slot, two robotic figures come to life for 15 seconds. An interrogator in black pours a kettle of water into the mouth of a "prisoner" in an orange jumpsuit who is tied down. The orange-suited robot convulses as the water is poured into its mouth.
Some thought the satire wasn't very funny, so Adler found someone to compare America to the Third Reich:
Some people are not impressed. "I thought it would be funnier, more satirical," one passerby observes. But Mark Kehoe, an artist and the former art director of the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade, says it reminds him of an act that he once saw on the Bowery that was intended as a comment on Nazi atrocities. "What's different and more interesting about this," Kehoe says, "here we are looking at our own atrocities."
Adler's story concluded:
Powers said his art piece asks this question: What's more obscene, saying waterboarding isn't torture or creating a waterboard thrill ride?
The Waterboard Thrill Ride is sponsored by the nonprofit arts organization Creative Time, and is part of its Democracy in America project, a national campaign that will involve more than 40 artists.
Unsurprisingly, "Creative Time" has creative plans for convention protests.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
The Left turns a blind eye
August 19, 2008 - 11:08 ET by mattmThe Left turns a blind eye to the torture, oppression and murder perpetrated by the dictators of the world, like Saddamned, Ahmadinsanejihad, Kim Jong mentally Ill etc.... and they raise a stink about what they call "our atrocities"?
What phony liars! They don't give a rats ass about torture, all they care about is bad-mouthing America, which, if it was as fascistic as they claim it is, would have them in a concentration camp rather than employed by a government-funded agency with free reign to rip thier own country. Fricking hypocrites!
But Illinois Infanticide OK...
August 19, 2008 - 11:23 ET by acumenSticking with these moonbat's bash-the-US-tunnel-vision, I wonder if these "compassionate" folks consider US government-sanctioned infanticide torture...or even satire worthy?
Their messiah obviously does not.
You astutely point out the
August 19, 2008 - 11:42 ET by KillgraveYou astutely point out the irony here, mat. If our country was even remotely as oppressive as this clown asserts, then he wouldn't be a free man, much less taking up PUBLICLY-funded airtime to vent his spleen (more irony - we are less free with our money so that these twerps can have the "freedom" to spew this crap).
And something tells me that this guy wouldn't be so damned mouthy if things WERE as bad as he claims. He's like that little kid who is a real tough guy as long as mommy is standing behind him.
mattm
August 19, 2008 - 12:04 ET by shawn228This country should do whatever it takes to extract information that could help save lives. The thing is I don't believe most Democrats turn a blind eye to what is going on in different countrys. That is why many Dems wanted to boycott the Olympics is because of China's human rights record.
Their point of view, is we cannot control what is going on in another country, but we should hold our own to a higher standard
Real life video games are cool
higher standards - like
August 19, 2008 - 12:49 ET by TruthMongerhigher standards - like "bush is the real terrorist?"
there's "higher standards," and then there is aid and comfort for our enemies
Conservatives already hold ourselves to the highest Biblical standards known to mankind
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
Truthmonger
August 19, 2008 - 13:10 ET by shawn228Before you start in on John Edwards or Spitzer, let me tell you that Edwards was stupid and Spitizer was a total hypocrite, so if you decide to attack them as tit for tat, then you preaching to the choir....Do we have this established.?
"Conservatives already hold ourselves to the highest Biblical standards known to mankind "
Well TM, not all conservatives are as nice to other people and want to treat our Muslin friends with respect and any look the other way when like you do....Sorry I'm off on a rant here. You didn't start on this board being nice, it seems overnight after you started going to anger management that you changed from a hard core conservative to Muslim apologist.
It will be hard to bring up the things up going to bring up without it seeming trollish, but it is the truth. Lets look at the higher standard leaders ok?
David Vitter
Ted Stevens
Ted Harrard
Larry Craig
Duke Cunningham
Republicans are suppossed to be the party of morals?. Their leaders have fallen short of keeping that standard, and that is why support of McCain is lukewarm at best in the Republican party
Real life video games are cool
where to even start,
August 19, 2008 - 13:20 ET by TruthMongerwhere to even start, dude...
so are you suggesting a party that aspires to high morals must be perfectly achieving those morals at all times? That would require perfect people wouldn't it?
btw those guys you mention are being held to the standards aren't they? how are they doing for work these days? although Larry's only crime seems to be shoe-touching - not exactly a Biblical sin
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
Your not hearing me truthmonger
August 19, 2008 - 13:29 ET by shawn228I don't care that Edwards cheated on his wife, but I do care because Newt Gingrich did. Why? Because he is a Republican. Not even close. I care because he was criticizing President Clinton, while he cheat on his own wife. Total hypocrisy.
Most people I have seen on this site think there is more to it than toe touching with Larry Craig. If he were a Dem, you would be on this like trailor park trash on velvetta.:-)
Real life video games are cool
Republicans are sinners
August 19, 2008 - 15:37 ET by Dan The Man 2Republicans are sinners just like teh rest of us and are not immune to temptation. Gringrich ragged of President Clinton for being a felony liar. I ask you why Cold Cash Jefferson is still a congressman? We should hold all sin to judgement and punish it according to the severity of the sin.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
well i care when everyone
August 19, 2008 - 15:53 ET by TruthMongerwell i care when everyone cheats on their spouse - it's not a political thing to me - so maybe I can't really relate to you
but IMHO the Republican party is head and shoulders above the Dems when it comes to ethic and morals and scruples
and IMHO this arises from a concerted effort to adhere to Biblical principle
do you not understand that these principles are a goal, an ideal - that they are not always achieved? We all have ideals - do we live up to them everyday? Nobody does. I sin miserably every day all day long - just like everyone else - and when a brother stumbles and falls bigtime ala Bill Clinton, etc then we hold them accountable as best we fellow sinners can
that basically separates the Repubs from the Dems these days
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
What do you mean by that TM?
August 19, 2008 - 16:08 ET by shawn228In what way are Repubicans better for ethic, morals and scruples and which Biblical principle are you referring to?
Real life video games are cool
in every way and absolutely
August 19, 2008 - 16:14 ET by TruthMongerin every way and absolutely all of it
give me any situational example and I can brilliantly illustrate
free of charge I might add
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
Vitter & Craig?
August 19, 2008 - 13:32 ET by sarcasmoBoth still have government jobs with full paychecks, last I checked. Principles went out the window on getting rid of either one.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
innocent until proven
August 19, 2008 - 15:45 ET by TruthMongerinnocent until proven guilty
the principles stand
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
Nope, not really.
August 19, 2008 - 15:50 ET by sarcasmoPleading instead of fighting means guilty, and the other guy admitted it, too, so you're 0 for 2 on this one.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Craig pled guilty for
August 19, 2008 - 16:01 ET by TruthMongerCraig pled guilty for "disorderly conduct"
nothing about being gay
as for the other guy - I'm not sure I've even heard of him at all let alone know what he has and hasn't done
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
And for some strange reason
August 19, 2008 - 16:14 ET by sarcasmoThe Idaho Statesman (among other media) already had stories prepared about a certain form of what might be called Craig's "disorderly conduct." A total coincidence or else a deep, dark conspiracy, right? cough$3billcough ;)
As for Vitter, I'm surprised you forget David's humiliation of his own wife at that press conference where he admitted to using prostitutes. The Republican party needs to get rid of more crappy politicians more frequently, IMO, if you wish to make the "Barney Frank's still there" argument stick. Right now, it can't stick, for a couple of good reasons.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
well come to your own
August 19, 2008 - 16:23 ET by TruthMongerwell come to your own conclusions, dude - whatever floats your boat...
but I ain't seeing any major pol groups doing a better job at house-cleaning than the Repub party right now
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
innocent until proven
August 19, 2008 - 15:54 ET by Dan The Man 2innocent until proven guilty only works in a criminal court. We are in teh court of politics and public opinion. In that court the facts shall speak to us as individuals and each determines the outcome. Similar to the guilt of Muslims. God says they are guilty of idolatry and shall rot in Hell for eternity and I believe Him.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
and in that court it's your
August 19, 2008 - 16:03 ET by TruthMongerand in that court it's your belief, against my belief, and everyone else's belief
and for sarc and the scoring thing - that makes it all a draw
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
No Problems with it here!
August 19, 2008 - 11:23 ET by Saint ZeroI mean, they'd get more sympathy from me if they picked someone besides Spongebob. You can waterboard him across the pacific for all I care.
Does waterboarding SpongeBob work?
August 19, 2008 - 11:25 ET by Tim GrahamIt's not like he's afraid of drowning. He's a sponge.
...plus you can squeeze it
August 19, 2008 - 13:42 ET by bigtimer...plus you can squeeze it all out of him....
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
Let's see if the comparison
August 19, 2008 - 12:13 ET by jdhawkLet's see if the comparison is apt:
Hitler = concentration camps = 6 million jews murdered
America = water boarding terrorists = saving lives from the information obtained
Russia = invasion of Georgia = thousands of innocent men, women, and children murdered and over 20 million Soviet Union citizens murdered since its communist existence
Yeah, now I see the comparison. My tax dollars have been well spent . . . as usual.
Its time for another rousing
August 19, 2008 - 13:43 ET by ksennishIts time for another rousing game of liberal logic!
Based on what you said above:
Hitler = murdered jews = there are jews in america = one american jew has had to be murdered throughout history = america murders jews = america has a president = Bush
There you have it folks! Hitler = Bush!
Tune in next time when we find out how Bush also equals Satan and John Edwards equals a loving and supportive husband!
There was a time that this
August 19, 2008 - 14:32 ET by flashkingThere was a time that this country wasn't simply the "first among peers," it was the "shinning city on a hill."
Now we defend and promote ourselves by claiming that we're not as bad as everyone else. That's not America.
No longer are we that city on a hill that Reagan described. Now we're just supposed to be proud of the fact that we haven't imprisoned all the liberals.
When your greatest claim to freedom is proof that you're not running Nazi concentration camps, I think you're running contrary to the traditions of this country.
What a load of crap. Who
August 19, 2008 - 14:36 ET by bassndudeWhat a load of crap. Who you been listening to? What do you do all day? Watch Al Jereeza TV? This is exactly the kind of refuse they spew.
It is you that sees America that way. I still see the shinning city on the hill...The land of the free and the home of the brave. Anyone that lives here and cant see it, should sit down and take stock of their values. Only an anti-American would see it your way.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Funny you ask. I didn't
August 19, 2008 - 15:05 ET by flashkingFunny you ask. I didn't hear any of that on Muslim TV I read it in the comments above.
Seriously, read everything above my comment and then call me Muslim.
This was interesting..
August 19, 2008 - 15:35 ET by HillbillyKingIn the actual story that NPR ran I found this:
But he acknowledges that unless you're an enemy combatant, or
perhaps an interrogator of enemy combatants, there is no way to really
experience waterboarding. So, like a few people before him, he set out
to get as close to the experience as possible. He invited a few lawyers
who might be looking at issues like the treatment of detainees and
invited them to experience the interrogation technique themselves. And
he planned to try it, too.
He invited about 30 people to join
him in a small room Friday night about a block from his art attraction.
He brought in a former Army interrogator, Mike Ritz, who trains people
in interrogation techniques and what it feels like to be a prisoner of
war. Ritz emphasized that the Army does not use waterboarding, a
technique he believes is ineffective.
Ritz said he was a bit
worried that the demonstration might make a mockery of the issue, but
he agreed to participate because "it's become very easy for society to
look the other way." He added that it is important to get people
talking about the issue.
Suddenly, there was little humor or satire in the room.
Powers
and the attorneys were brought in, one by one. Their heads were
covered. Ritz put a black rag into their mouths and started pouring
water until they gagged or resisted. Everyone realized it was a pale
imitation of the real thing. After all, there was even a medic in the
room.
Neil Goldman, a retired attorney, said he was glad to get out of there. "It was frightening."
Ah, waterboarding attorneys, now there's a practice I can support. :-}
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you.
Don Marquis 1878-1937
I think waterboarding SpongeBob should be the new...
August 19, 2008 - 15:41 ET by R D Helm...national sport. :-)
As for National Proletariat Radio, well, just never mind.
-Dave.