Vanity Fair #3

There is a feature-length article in an issue of Vanity Fair that caught my eye.  

The article is titled:

Sarah Palin: The Sound and the Fury

It is different from many Vanity Fair articles that I have read because it is about something other than fashion or pop-culture.  But I have also read a handful of political articles in the magazine.  Even still, this article really stands out to me.  The tone that the author takes and the presentation of the article are unlike any other political article I have read in Vanity Fair.  

It has always been obvious to me that Vanity Fair is geared much more toward a Liberal audience than a Conservative one.  This can be seen in any issue.  The magazine has always seemed to be a friend to both homosexuals and Democrats.  In a previous issue, Lady Gaga was raved about for her support of the gay community.  In that same issue, Obama's administration was defended in two separate articles.  

This article about Sarah Palin definitely hold true to the idea that Vanity Fair is a predominantly Democratic magazine, as are the majority of its readers.  It has a different tone about it, however.

I think the article seems so different because it isn't taking the side of the person it is about.  The article doesn't even relate to Sarah Palin in any way shape or form.  It does not show her any sympathy either.  It pretty blatantly makes fun of the politician-turned-celebrity.

The main argument in this article: Sarah Palin is a joke.  She is a sham.  This loud, proud woman is a rehearsed part... and she doesn't even play the role well.  The only people she can convince are the people in this country who are as idiotic as her.  That is the vibe this article gives me.

By simply glancing at the pages, without reading a single word, it is very obvious that the author does not take Sarah Palin seriously.  Little cut-outs of Sarah Palin's head are placed throughout the article.  In each cut-out, Palin is making a different, ridiculous-looking facial expression.  These looks just scream "don't take me seriously."

The author backs up his claim that Sarah Palin is a joke with many subclaims throughout the article.  His biggest subclaim: Sarah Palin is a rehearsed part.

The author claims that everything about Sarah Palin is rehearsed and unrealistic.  He notes how many of her speeches sound almost identical.  He notes how her children are placed around in her in ways that make her seem like supermom, when she is really using them for political and financial gain.  He notes how her strange use of words mirrors that of many (also idiotic) people who follow her.

The author makes it seem as though it is a shock that anyone can take Sarah Palin seriously.  He does a really good job of it, too.  

Though the author inserts many subclaims into the article, none stray very far from the main point.  They serve more as evidence for the main claim.  The help him convince people that Palin is, in fact, a joke.

Photos courtesy of Vanity Fair and VF.com