Demotivational
posters and the art of satire
Demotivational
posters, also sometimes wrongly referred to as uninspiring posters are
becoming increasingly sought after. These posters, first ushered unto the scene
some five years ago, have more or less revolutionized the concept of self
motivation, or rather self demotivation as seen through art. Unlike conventional
motivational posters which tend to inspire and encourage, demotivational posters
seem to do the opposite
by presenting situations from a sarcastic point of view filled with a lot of
satire.
A
commentator once said that if posters could be viewed as programs on television,
then demotivational posters would be sitcoms - and especially those comedies
that make you laugh out so loud you literally end up with tears in your eyes.
The fact is that demotivational posters are meant to be caustic, mean and
blunt. They are supposed to present facts the way they are. I mean, you failed
to win a race because for every race there can only be one winner and dozens of
losers. You simply confirmed the fact that states "odds are you are one of
the losers". Couldn't be further from the truth I believe. But, from a motivational
point of view you'll get to hear something like: "O well, you failed to win
the race, keep training, never give up, keep believing that you can make it. Put
in your best and you'd be just a step away from success." Who are we to
listen to? The Demotivational or the Motivational?
The
sarcasm and satire found in demotivational
posters are nevertheless out rightly funny. A particular demotivational poster that comes to mind is
one which depicts a penguin with its wings wide open walking on an endless sea
of ice and the words "Limitations:
Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can fly." Any
further interpretation needed? A poster like this relates to some of the
most basic aspects of our lives. We boast, talk about things we hope to
achieve, tell all our friends about our dreams, and indeed for we do dream big.
But, when it comes to putting our aspirations into practice, we find that we are
so lacking simply because we never took stock of what we can achieve since we
had been living in a fantasy world. This demotivational
poster says it all with just a picture and a sentence. And more so, it relates
to an aspect of life people encounter daily.
They
may be called demotivational posters but they sure do anything but demotivate.
Rather, they present to us art that is not afraid to be blunt and straight to
the point. We may laugh when we see them, but times often come when they get
back at us. And that's the point: demotivational posters always win - because
they present reality as it is, funny or bitter as it may seem.
Related
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Demotivational
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