Today Sat Sun
It is forcast to be Chance of a Thunderstorm at 11:00 PM EDT on May 25, 2012
Chance of a Thunderstorm
20°/16°		 It is forcast to be Partly Cloudy at 11:00 PM EDT on May 26, 2012
Partly Cloudy
21°/14°		 It is forcast to be Chance of a Thunderstorm at 11:00 PM EDT on May 27, 2012
Chance of a Thunderstorm
22°/12°

27 Comments

news

Spotted: Rob Ford as Mussolini

By Hamutal Dotan

20110323nope.jpg
Photo by Eric Parker.


SPOTTED BY: Eric Parker, compiler of The Streetzine.
WHERE: Various pillars and posts along College.
WHEN: March 22
WHAT: The newest entry in plays on the Obama “Hope” poster: the Ford “Nope” poster. Specifically, Rob Ford reimagined wearing Benito Mussolini’s hat. Now, while we certainly have grave concerns about Rob Ford‘s approach to governance, we can’t say we see the resemblance. But we’ve still got 3.75 years remaining in Ford’s four-year term, and we imagine that there is a long line of Ford-inspired protest postering still to come.

Filed under: , , , ,

Report error Send a tip

Comments

  • isyouhappy

    Ugh enough with this Shepard Fairey style already, its becoming more played out than Che tshirts…

  • isyouhappy

    And sorry but, how in any way is this suppose to contribute to a constructive dialogue? It just feeds into Ford's 'they're all against me'

  • McKingford

    I think that “N” should be a “D”…

  • HotDang

    “we can't say we see the resemblance”

    Maybe he would if all fascists looked the same?

  • tyrannosaurus_rek

    Do you honestly think Ford Nation is interested in constructive dialogue?

    I question the placement of these signs in downtown; the people who need to be convinced Ford is a bad thing don't live on College.

  • isyouhappy

    “Do you honestly think Ford Nation is interested in constructive dialogue?”

    Very True.

    “I question the placement of these signs in downtown; the people who need to be convinced Ford is a bad thing don't live on College.”

    Do you honestly think Ford Nation would be able to recognize who Mussolini is, and why associating him with Ford would be a bad idea?…

  • pickle_juice_drinker

    Well, the Mayor's phone number IS 397-DOPE.

  • joshuahind

    Mussolini got popular with the Italian people because he made the trains run on time. Rob Ford, on the other hand, ran the trains right out of town. Oh…I guess they're both fat. There's something.

  • http://twitter.com/MarkJull Mark Jull

    Not really a big deal, but the Mussolini 'trains run on time' thing is a total myth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L…

  • http://twitter.com/MarkJull Mark Jull

    This is the mayor's office number, his cell phone number is 416-233-6934

  • Bourdan

    Thanks to isyouhappy for the art crit, but this poster perfectly captures the many conflicting aspects of a supposedly simple guy.
    Ford seems to have toned down his my-way-or-the-highway stance, hence the dove instead of the eagle insignia on the hat. Does he mean it?
    The simple stare is fraught with sinister shadows. As with Harper, no one really knows what potentially destructive thoughts lie behind the blue-eyed gaze.
    The NOPE could stand for Ford's attitude to the role of government: less is best so let's cripple city governance by reducing taxes; feed the rich/starve the poor; kill the arts/inhibit free thought; use minor weaknesses to destroy valuable institutions, etc., etc.
    In short the reductive Shepard Fairey style is perfect for this Mayor.

  • joshuahind

    Obviously historical accuracy is paramount when discussing a caricature, but for the sake of the joke…

  • isyouhappy

    Fair enough. I'm glad to hear that you pulled that much meaning out of this photocopied poster(a dove? really? a bit of a stretch… no? http://resourcesforhistoryteac… … looks sort of similar to me) I don't share your perspective, and if I want to read into I might add that this poster perfectly mirrors the municipal political environment that it's attempting to critique. Or perhaps what it seems to be turning into. A cheap photocopy of something created in the states.

    I ask again, how does this in anyway contribute to constructive dialogue beyond preaching to the leftist herd “Ford is a dictator!” “Ford is Sinister!”…We get it already, Ford is the personification of everything the left hates. How many times do we have to hear/see it. This poster is just as antagonistic as any of Ford's petty scornful insults, and falls directly into Ford's strategy.

  • torontothegreat

    Well it seems that the non-Ford nation is also not willing to have a constructive dialogue.

  • Bourdan

    Thanks isyouhappy! I really appreciate the response and criticism.
    I agree about the need for constructive dialogue. However, as has been shown by the attitudes and actions of the current federal government in particular, nice doesn't cut it.
    I'm not sure where to go in terms of achieving real dialogue in the current political climate which has been strongly tending toward US-style partisanship where, especially on the right, opinion trumps fact.
    I've been involved with a new group called LeadNow (leadnow.ca or on Facebook) which is trying to garner broad support for greater responsiveness, transparency and accountability from our politicians. It's a start, at least.

  • isyouhappy

    It's a problem I've also been wrestling with, and I think a lot of people. Good on you for starting that group. I think we all have to find ways to navigate how to constructively address the issue. Mainly being the change we want to see. It's easy to stoop to 'their' level, and in my opinion, only further the cycle that we're trying to critique.

    I shared your website on my FB page, hope that's ok.

  • tyrannosaurus_rek

    Some of us just know it's a wasted effort. You can't have polite dialogue with someone who uses soundbites and vitriol to block his ears to rational arguments or compromise (or someone who relies on his big brother to do all the talking).

  • Functionalist

    Provocative art often starts dialogues. Some will look at this poster and say it's ridiculous and defend the guy; others will say it's an exaggeration but the current administration seems to be focused too much on political machinations like ousting municipal board members and sticking it to the unions rather than improving the city.

    Voila. Conversation.

    To be really provocative, I'd put these up at suburban intersections.

  • torontothegreat

    I agree with you in regards to Ford himself. The real conversation needs to be had with ALL citizens. I just don't see the non-ford nation engaging in anything that the ford nation isn't itself engaging in. Which, unfortunately has lowered itself to mudslinging and insults.

  • MichaelOrnot

    Is having interesting art in public (i can't really call it 'public art') really a wasted effort?
    Surely Our Ford would think so, and deem these posters 'vandalism'.

  • tyrannosaurus_rek

    I think you've misunderstood me. If Ford Nation isn't receptive to constructive dialogue, the kind of dialogue this poster represents seems to be all that remains.

  • tyrannosaurus_rek

    Ford Nation responds to soundbites and vitriol, we know this from the election campaign polls and ultimately how ballots were cast that dark day.

  • torontothegreat

    Reading your last post to MichaelOrnot made it all 100% clear to me. You have a good point. I guess I just wish that it didn't have to come down to this. But I get what you're trying to convey now.

  • MichaelOrnot

    The whole 'Ford Nation' delusion worries me. Are peoples' allegiances so malleable, or their commitment to actual national identities so paper thin that this guy becomes a model of leadership?
    It wasn't so long ago that we were having relatively serious discussions about Toronto becoming an autonomous state, distinct from the 'Burban hordes surrounding us.
    Even more worrying is the fact that 'Ford Nation' is a brand slogan, constructed the same way as sports franchises have done.

  • tyrannosaurus_rek

    I'm almost convinced the brand of conservativism that appeals to 'Ford Nation' and many Harper voters carries with it the willingness to sell out anyone and everyone, including abandoning democracy and surrendering sovereignty, to be on the “winning” side.

  • Eric S. Smith

    I'm sure that it's all about cheering for the winning team — I'm entirely convinced that there are voters who vote not based on issues, or even out of habit, but rather according to who's ahead in the polls.

    “Ford Nation” is entirely derivative of pro sports branding; the fact that it sounds like a separatist rallying cry is a poetic co-incidence.

  • Eric S. Smith

    I'm sure that it's all about cheering for the winning team — I'm entirely convinced that there are voters who vote not based on issues, or even out of habit, but rather according to who's ahead in the polls.

    “Ford Nation” is entirely derivative of pro sports branding; the fact that it sounds like a separatist rallying cry is a poetic co-incidence.