I had thought that I was through, at least for the moment, with our discussion of “image abuse.”  And I’ve concluded that “image abuse” is just the right term for it, since it includes much more than “Photoshopping” and image manipulation.  It really goes to the very core of people manipulation through photography.

Anyway, just as I was turning the chapter on this subject a controversy erupted on the internet about the History Channel miniseries “The Bible” and how the face of Satan on this series bears more than a coincidental likeness to President Obama.  I am really not one to look for conspiracies everywhere I go.  So I’m going to ask you to judge for yourselves.  And, by the way, before you weigh in with your opinion, also take a look at another image of the actor, Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni, who plays Satan in the series without his makeup .

Also, and despite all this stuff about the face of darkness, I have to ask why Satan is portrayed as a black man, while God is portrayed as white?  The face of Evil does not need to be black as demonstrated beyond all doubt by the image of Prince Palpatine in the Return of the Jedi. And suggestions made in so depicting the devil is no different from images from the last US election of President Obama with a Hitler mustache.

This is all “image abuse.” It represents an attempt to manipulate people that we must, regardless of political leaning, all rail against.  There is no place for this kind of racism or this kind of disrespectful innuendo in a free society.