Graphic closeup of Shame on America
A note to graphic artists: I got the idea of a Nazi sign-dollar sign symbol from a protest sign I saw earlier in 2018 at one of the Women’s March events in January. The idea is to tie today’s CORPORATE FASCISM with an earlier form attempted by the Nazis and opposed by the civilized nations of the world. The swastika was used as an esoteric religious and mystical symbol by people from all over the world until it was hijacked and dishonored by the Nazis. The dollar sign is constructed as an “S” with a single line through it on most typeface fonts and often with two lines when handwritten or drawn. This version is a squared “S” dollar sign that only looks like a Nazi sign when certain combinations of colors and shapes are used. My graphics were constrained by the materials I had on hand and the need to keep it simple. I had one piece of red construction paper which when folded in half would yield two rectangular pieces with proportions similar to flags or banners.
The width of the “flag” determined the maximum diameter of the white circle upon which the swastika-dollar sign would be drawn in pencil and filled in with a black Sharpie. The completed white circle with symbol needed to be a little bit narrower to fit within the red field, but it did not have to be a perfect regulation Nazi flag. I made preliminary measurements with the metric and English sides of the ruler to see which units would best fit my materials with the simplest units. I had room for a cross with 2 cm legs (but not a full 1 inch) from the center point. When I played with a compass, I noted that the hooks of the future swastika would be the widest dimension, not the basic cross.
I first drew a 4 cm line then drew another 4 cm line at a right angle on the center point. Instead of making four hooks of 2 cm each as in a real swastika, I drew a 4 cm line along the top and bottom of the squared “S” for a total of three parallel lines. To complete the “S,” the top and bottom lines were connected to the center by two segments of 2 cm each. To convert the “S” into a dollar sign, I extended the other center line about 1 cm in both directions. I went over the whole pencil drawing with a black Sharpie and straight edge. The Sharpie ink tends to bleed on paper, so I had to do several black touchups and use a bit of Whiteout to create a reasonably neat image.
Only after both Nazi sign-dollar sign symbols were completed did I cut them out with a circular cutter. I did not glue the black and white symbols to the red field; I used double side tape so I could reposition them for future use, and I used double side tape to temporarily attach the “flags” to my first sign. The “flags” and sign are temporarily attached to a cheap foot long ruler for photographs and can be easily reconfigured. My first sign reads “Shame on America,” and I’ll probably make a “Not My President” sign and others for photos, marches, and rallies.
Note: I took this photo on our Independence Day, the 4th of July, but so much shit has been happening that it took over a week to finish this description. Please read the essay on the next page.
Graphic closeup of Shame on America
A note to graphic artists: I got the idea of a Nazi sign-dollar sign symbol from a protest sign I saw earlier in 2018 at one of the Women’s March events in January. The idea is to tie today’s CORPORATE FASCISM with an earlier form attempted by the Nazis and opposed by the civilized nations of the world. The swastika was used as an esoteric religious and mystical symbol by people from all over the world until it was hijacked and dishonored by the Nazis. The dollar sign is constructed as an “S” with a single line through it on most typeface fonts and often with two lines when handwritten or drawn. This version is a squared “S” dollar sign that only looks like a Nazi sign when certain combinations of colors and shapes are used. My graphics were constrained by the materials I had on hand and the need to keep it simple. I had one piece of red construction paper which when folded in half would yield two rectangular pieces with proportions similar to flags or banners.
The width of the “flag” determined the maximum diameter of the white circle upon which the swastika-dollar sign would be drawn in pencil and filled in with a black Sharpie. The completed white circle with symbol needed to be a little bit narrower to fit within the red field, but it did not have to be a perfect regulation Nazi flag. I made preliminary measurements with the metric and English sides of the ruler to see which units would best fit my materials with the simplest units. I had room for a cross with 2 cm legs (but not a full 1 inch) from the center point. When I played with a compass, I noted that the hooks of the future swastika would be the widest dimension, not the basic cross.
I first drew a 4 cm line then drew another 4 cm line at a right angle on the center point. Instead of making four hooks of 2 cm each as in a real swastika, I drew a 4 cm line along the top and bottom of the squared “S” for a total of three parallel lines. To complete the “S,” the top and bottom lines were connected to the center by two segments of 2 cm each. To convert the “S” into a dollar sign, I extended the other center line about 1 cm in both directions. I went over the whole pencil drawing with a black Sharpie and straight edge. The Sharpie ink tends to bleed on paper, so I had to do several black touchups and use a bit of Whiteout to create a reasonably neat image.
Only after both Nazi sign-dollar sign symbols were completed did I cut them out with a circular cutter. I did not glue the black and white symbols to the red field; I used double side tape so I could reposition them for future use, and I used double side tape to temporarily attach the “flags” to my first sign. The “flags” and sign are temporarily attached to a cheap foot long ruler for photographs and can be easily reconfigured. My first sign reads “Shame on America,” and I’ll probably make a “Not My President” sign and others for photos, marches, and rallies.
Note: I took this photo on our Independence Day, the 4th of July, but so much shit has been happening that it took over a week to finish this description. Please read the essay on the next page.