From The Rake: New Hummel figurine: "The Littlest Liberal"

[Carolab]

http://www.rakemag.com/progress/detail.asp?catID=52&itemID=20364

Is it just me or is this offensive? Where is "The Littlest Conservative"? And what would he look like?

[democracyindanger]

1. It offends my sense of humor

[slor]

2. Is "the littlest...

Nazi" figurine going to have the chimp's likeness or will it be "The Littlest Idiot"?

[gumby]

3. I'm so declasse, I've never heard of "Nalgene."

Thank goodness for Rockwellian images.

[Ignis]

23. Tres declasse!

But then, true progressives know that "Nalgene" stands for "Plastic Rabbit Torture Restraint Harness" in French. ;)

[blm]

4. The BIGGEST liberal is Jesus Christ - there are lots of those statues

to be found. ;))))))))))))

[BlueEyedSon]

5. Image here

[uncle ray]

22. looks like colorado is blue on their inset...n/t

[two gun sid]

6. The littlest conservative

looks amazingly like a very small penis.

[FizzFuzz]

7. Well, it's got got every single joke RWers love to use for librul bashing

Even the French styled beret.

The site is Minneapolis based, the articles seem to be presented in an Urbane, tongue in cheek manner, and there's alot of arts oriented news. Looks like a blue base to me.

either they were satirizine "ourselves", a pretty urbane syle of humor, or it's a largely repub city and they are reflecting repuke values. I can't quite tell, though I did come across an article questioning why FOX news would be broadcast on a large public television, provided by a local top-shelf accounting firm.

But, yeah, I'd love to see an equivalent Hummel showing up their rapacious greed and cut-throat compassion.

[Carolab]

10. Actually, Minneapolis is liberal

and The Rake is supposed to be as well. This ad "misses the mark" for its audience, IMHO.

[FizzFuzz]

12. yeah I got that impression (Minn liberal) from the site.

I guess it was self-deprecating humor, but maybe it's not the right time for that, since our lives, livlihood and survival as a species is at stake.

I mean, if they were a little more forceful in their repuke rebutting , a little satire on ourselves would be OK. (maybe they do have real informative writing, hard to tell from what I saw. What I did see was artsy liberal, but avoiding strong stands about any politics or just how seriously the RW agenda threatens us all)

But hey, poke fun at ourselves, it's all just an art gallery opening anyway, isn't it?

More Champagne, as you whistle past that graveyard?

[gratuitous]

8. Actually, that's pretty humorous

Of course, were the shoe on the other foot, you can bet our friends at other message boards wouldn't be quite so charitable or good-natured; goes against their moral values, doncha know.

[Maria Celeste]

14. I agree

I found it funny in a self depreciating kind of way. If we can't take a little fun being poked at ourselves now and then, we are taking ourselves way to seriously. I take my causes seriously, I can take me seriously, I know me too well.

[DBoon]

9. Yes it is offensive

with no redeeming humorous qualities

[lectrobyte]

11. Seems kind of funny to me, especially the "quaint old notions

like Social Security" etc. Not particularly offended, unless this is a real Hummel ad, which it obviously does not seem to be.

[juajen]

13. That is a stupid rendition of a Hummel figurine.

I would think Hummel might sue to get this crap off the internet.

[zappaman]

15. Funny.

I can laugh at myself.

[sweetheart]

16. I imagine a slightly bigger liberal

Sanding in the white house, shaking hands with the great people of
all kinds who elected her.

[Carolab]

17. The Saddam Hummel

http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/03/1203/saddam.html

[Carolab]

18. This might help explain the joke.

The History Of Goebel, Hummel Figurines
Franz Detleff Goebel and his son, William, founded the Goebel Co. in 1871. Originally, the company made marbles, slates and slate pencils until the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha authorized the use of a kiln 8 years later. In 1890, the first Goebel porcelain figurines were introduced.

<snip>

By 1933, there was an extensive line of figurines. As an enterprising businessman, however, Franz Goebel, the fourth-generation family member to head the company, was always on the lookout for promising new artists. It was this quest that took him to Munich to visit various gift shops, looking for inspiration. In one that specialized in religious art, a display of art cards caught his eye. They were simple and touching in their innocence. It struck him that these sketches would be the perfect basis for a new line of figurines.

The overwhelming interest of American GIs in M.I. Hummel figurines, once again being produced following wartime curtailment, served to bolster Goebel's postwar recovery and to foster appreciation for these now-famous originals.


http://www.collectiblestoday.com/ct/collectiblenews/The_History_Of_Goebel%2C_Hummel_Figurines-501

[laura888]

19. Yes! I'm offended!

It's like making a doll out of the anti-slavery Quakers during the Civil War era (how cute!)

Or making a doll out of Martin Luther King (look - he's holding his "I have a dream speech").

Liberals are fighting a battle against war and racism and lies.

Making a doll out of them trivializes these noble causes.

[Carolab]

20. Bush Hummel

[sarahlee]

21. Not listed at

http://www.mihummel.com/collection.asp

[Carolab]

24. I know. It's a JOKE.

But I don't think it's funny and I e-mailed the artist and told her so.