The effigy hung in California by homosexual artists as a Halloween decoration that made headlines around the nation, is now for sale on eBay. You can see the listing here.
Milo Aviles and ChadMichael Morissete, who have made their home at Fountain Avenue and Orange Grove in West Hollywood a revolving progressive political art installation, are selling the mannequin - the spitting image of the former GOP Vice Presidential candidate complete with the hemp necktie (yes, the noose is free) - along with a large poster of her running mate Arizona Senator John McCain, in order to raise funds to fight Proposition 8 in the courts.
Having checked out the listing myself, the opening bid is $1000. So far there is only 1 bidder. I guess the item isn't as hot as the guys thought it would be. What I do find strangely surprising though, is that E-bay would let the listing stick. They do have a strict policy on what can be sold on the site and anything promoting violence or hate is not prohibited. I think an effigy is a pretty straight forward promotion of hate and violence, but that's just me. I wonder if E-bay would have the same reaction to a Klan member trying to sell an Obama mannequin in a noose. Something tells me they would not.
UPDATE!
As of Monday January 19th, the noosed Sarah Palin mannequin has been removed from eBay. ChadMichael Morissete has relisted the item and has updated the picture to a noose-less Palin. It is no longer being sold as an "effigy" but is now just listed as a mannequin. In the item description, Morissete confirms that all original items will be included when shipped. You can view the listing here.
Valerie,
ReplyDeleteI wonder if E-bay would have the same reaction to a Klan member trying to sell an Obama mannequin in a noose. Something tells me they would not.
I'm pretty sure they would. Have you SEEN some of the outrageous stuff that people have posted on E-Bay over the years? Anyway, for the record, I do NOT support this lynching depiction. In theory, I am not against the use of any sort of imagery in art. However, I do see something problematic about men doing this. I have the same sort of feeling with regards to white people trying to decide what people of color should and shouldn't find racist. This looks a helluva lot like sexism to me.