Pants on Fire
May 11, 2011 1 Comment
In the picture below, we see three forms of character assassination. Firstly, the masks of then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, exaggerate his facial features to make him appear sinister and frightening. Secondly, we see a word play on Blair’s last name; by simply rearranging the letters, the word “liar” is incorporated. Finally, the so-called “halo effect” is employed.
Creating a halo effect for an office holder means that whenever his or her name is spoken, it is combined with a specific set of derogatory words or images. Such is the case here: Blair is called a “liar”, along with a series of words on the posters such as “ignorance”, “body bags”, and “failure”. Attaching these words to Blair’s name is meant to establish a permanent association between these accusations and the person of the Prime Minister in the eyes of voters.