# What's the first thing you think of when seeing this New York magazine cover? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 11, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663 "2008-08-11T21:28:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilton_Doiley_Philosopher_King)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/1 "2008-08-11T21:28:16Z")
Today at the bookstore, I saw [this cover for the recent New York magazine](http://images.nymag.com/nymag/toc/race080811_150_new.jpg). Looking at it, what is the first thing you thought of when seeing the combination of the prominent word on the cover and the prominent picture? My immediate thoughts… I suggest posting your own immediate thoughts before reading the spoiler below. When I first saw it, I immediately thought “the presidential race”. It wasn’t until after I looked at it for a few more seconds that it dawned on me that it was referring to the skin-tone idea of “race”. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/2 "2008-08-11T21:30:09Z")
I immediately thought it was referring to a race between black and white. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/3 "2008-08-11T21:31:19Z")
I thought it was talking about race as in ethnicity. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/4 "2008-08-11T21:37:42Z")
I thought it was about race/ethnicity, but with an emphasis on the word, along with the posture of Obama in the picture chosen, which in some way highlights its dual meanings. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/5 "2008-08-11T21:37:53Z")
I thought that it was about the recent relay swimming race in the Olympics between the US and France (and a couple of other countries like Australia 😉 )… Ok, just kidding (was a hell of a race though)…I figured it was about black/white/other race relations. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/6 "2008-08-11T21:37:59Z")
Race as in ehnicity, deliberate choice of colours. Darn board timeouts caused my reply not to be fourth. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/7 "2008-08-11T21:54:33Z")
I figured it was about Nazis, because the Nazi colors were black, white and red. Man, those were some badass colors. All things considered, the Nazis - whatever you want to say about their politics - really knew how to design stuff. They had the best designers of any evil fascist dictatorship in history. Also the Nazis were racist, so…Nazis! ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/8 "2008-08-11T22:13:01Z")
Black man. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/9 "2008-08-11T22:23:15Z")
Jeez, I honestly didn’t even look at the word, and the first thing I thought of was the poster for Scarface. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/10 "2008-08-11T22:24:45Z")
Ethnicity. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/11 "2008-08-11T22:25:17Z")
Race, as in the social construct. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/12 "2008-08-11T22:28:20Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] I figured it was about Nazis, because the Nazi colors were black, white and red. Man, those were some badass colors. All things considered, the Nazis - whatever you want to say about their politics - really knew how to design stuff. They had the best designers of any evil fascist dictatorship in history. [/QUOTE] Oh, yes! And their [architecture!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_architecture) In [_The City in Mind,_](http://www.amazon.com/City-Mind-Notes-Urban-Condition/dp/0743227239/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218493629&sr=8-1) chapter on Berlin, James Howard Kunstler characterized Nazi architecture as a form of [art deco](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_deco) with any feminizing curves subtracted. Which sounds kind of creepy, so stated, but look how well it compares with so much of the modernist crap built after the war! ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/13 "2008-08-11T22:38:18Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] Jeez, I honestly didn’t even look at the word, and the first thing I thought of was the poster for Scarface. Weird. [/QUOTE] Me too! Then I thought of propaganda posters and the whole look of the cover made me slightly uncomfortable for reasons I wasn’t sure of until Argent Towers mentioned the Nazi connection. Can’t say that I liked it as a cover. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/14 "2008-08-11T22:40:08Z")
Haven’t read the thread yet. First thought: race as in ethnicity? Second thought: race as in presidential race, maybe. Third thought: hey, that’s a pretty clever dual meaning there. Fourth thought: nah, still not going to buy the magazine, so it’s not really an effective cover, just a clever one. Fifth and bonus thought: kinda looks like Zaphod, whatwith that second head growing out of his shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/15 "2008-08-11T23:00:29Z")
Ethnicity. The alternate hadn’t even occured to me. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/16 "2008-08-11T23:02:14Z")
I thought that Michelle looks like she’s ready to bite him. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/17 "2008-08-11T23:41:25Z")
I thought “How very artistic. The outlining effect really doesn’t work for him.” ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/18 "2008-08-12T00:15:42Z")
I thought maybe the OP was expecting me to think of Malcolm X. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/19 "2008-08-12T00:30:36Z")
Michelle’s on his left shoulder, like she’s the devil part of his consciousness. So I infer this to mean that the artist believes a black woman’s going to destroy the country. This is like a Rorschach test, right? Did I win? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663/20 "2008-08-12T00:37:48Z")
I thought ethnicity, and specifically setting white against black, as though it’s some kind of war. A race war, if you will. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-first-thing-you-think-of-when-seeing-this-new-york-magazine-cover/459663.md?page=2)