Unsympathetic Magic

Images have an undeniable power. Since the dawn of mankind people have struggled to capture their own likenesses and those of the animals and things around them. The story of art was a steady progression towards more and more perfect images until the 16th century, when they were finally perfected by the great Renaissance painters.

This power is well-understood by practitioners of religion and magic. The Old Testament forbade the creation of images in the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth”, which didn’t really stop anybody, least of all the people who build churches. (Contrast the huge number of images in a Catholic church compared to their total absence in a mosque.)

The practice of sympathetic magic is also ancient, which involves “the use of physical objects which resemble the object or objects one hopes to influence” (1). The best-known example is the voodoo doll, of New Orleans voodoo fame, although the use of poppets comes from European traditions.

Rooted in these beliefs of the power of images is the legendary story of the “native” who refuses to allow his picture to be taken. He feels that by allowing his perfect replication in an image, he is giving up control over himself in some way. With the power of digital technology to alter images, perhaps he is right.

Now that we’re stuck with the possibility of a holiday election, we will soon be seeing a lot more of our national leaders than any of us really want. I think it’s time to remind them that no matter how important they think they are, we’re still the ones in control. Especially if we own a copy of Photoshop. I’ll go first with Andre Boisclair, the PQ’s new leader:

“Ehhhh Canada, say ‘ello to my little friend!”

                  Sent in by tim

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