‘Just Like We Drew It Up’: What’s behind Joe Biden’s Super Bowl post?
www.aljazeera.com
The US president posted a meme featuring himself with laser beams shooting from his eyes. What was that about?

Yet, it was no meme page or troll account posting that image: It was posted on Biden’s own X page early on Monday. Coming against the backdrop of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza that has killed more than 28,000 people and that the US has backed, the image prompted particular criticism of Biden by some social media users.

Many suggested that Biden’s post was distasteful and insensitive as it came amid Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.

While calling for an end to civilian deaths in Gaza, the Biden administration continues to sell and supply weapons to Israel.

“But I don’t think Biden is thinking of the global audience here,” he said. “He is mostly thinking about his US audience.”

“The meme in itself is a political communication tool,” he told Al Jazeera. “It is being weaponised by different parties in order to attract attention and distract from other issues.”

Biden is not the only politician who has used memes to relay political messaging. Social media teams and followers of politicians including former US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have banked on memes and internet trends to further political messages.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    0·
    9 months ago

    I’m no expert in these things, but I’m fairly certain it is possible to be critical of an Al Jazeera article without hating Qatar.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            0·
            9 months ago

            Ok. I’ll look it up.

            Qatar and the United States are strategic allies. Qatar has been designated a major non-NATO ally by the United States.[1]

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar–United_States_relations

            Seems weird for a country that hates America to be a major non-NATO ally.

            Another thing that seems weird for a country that hates America from that same page:

            Amid the conflict, Qatar played a crucial role in securing the release of two American hostages from Hamas.

            And then there’s all the money Qatar gives to the U.S. in exchange for arms…

            In 2014, the United States sold $11 billion worth of arms to Qatar, including AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and Patriot and Javelin defense systems.[55]

            In June 2017, Qatar signed a $12 billion deal to buy 36 F-15QA strike aircraft from the United States, with Boeing as the prime contractor on the sale.[56]

            And then there were the times they gave America money and didn’t expect anything in return.

            Qatar donated $100 million in aid to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in August 2005.[57]

            When Hurricane Harvey hit the state of Texas from August to September 2017, Qatar’s ambassador announced on 8 September that the country would be donating $30 million in aid to help rebuild Texas.[58]

            So… I looked it up like you told me to and it looks kind of like it’s exactly the opposite of your claim.