Assertion Analysis #4: America Today

      "There's no way like the American Way", says a large circa-1950's billboard. In this billboard, there's a "perfect" white family, complete with dog, driving through nice scenery. The 50's were the beginning of the baby-boomer generation, the beginning of white suburban America. This is only a billboard, though. Is the "American Way" actually in existence in other parts? Curtis Mayfield, funk artist famous in the 1970's, uses this image in his album cover to show that the "American Way" is merely a billboard; a pipe dream impossible to achieve for many.
     In this album cover, viewers should be drawn to an assortment of objects. A Depression-era image of people lined up is superimposed on a modified "American Way" billboard, saying instead, "There's no place like America Today", perhaps implying an assertion of the conditions of America. The billboard is saturated and brightly lit, contrasted with the line of people, unsaturated and dark. The white family's smiles contrast with the faces of the people, all unhappy. Behind all of this is an image of buildings and skyscrapers, an industrial America. What do all of this mean?
      The illustrator uses many techniques to convey a message of what "America Today" is. Most obvious in this picture is their use of color, juxtaposition and contrast. The smiles and frowns of the people in the picure are juxtaposed. The brilliant colors of the billboard are contrasted with the unsaturated black-and-whites of the Depression-era photo. The Depression-era photo represents the reality of "America Today", people in poverty. The absence of people of color in the billboard says that white people are the only ones to truly achieve the "American Dream". The American Dream had failed the people in the line.
       How does this image, though, make the viewer think? This image contains strong elements of pathos. The emphasis on juxtaposition and contrast is supposed to evoke feelings of anger and deep questioning, especially to why the American Dream is this way. The faces of the people in line are supposed to create feelings of sympathy for them. Curtis Mayfield's choice for this image, considering his status as a famous funk musician, provides a platform for many viewers to see this image and to reflect on the problems of "America Today".