In “Ideology of the Map,” Barton and Barton explain how maps display the authority of the cartographer’s culture and society when creating the visual. In high school, my chorus teacher had told the class that if aliens came to visit Earth, they would not know which part of the planet we consider “up” and “down.” That was the first time I had ever thought about the globe and the decision to make the Arctic the top and Antarctic the bottom, and I was already fifteen or sixteen years old. Still, I had not even thought of how this positioning reflects a Eurocentric train of thought and power until reading this article. Maps, which I always deem practical and accurate, are another way of viewing the world in a subjective manner, separating dominant cultures, the “normal,” from the minorities, the “Other.” The non-Eurocentric cultures would probably be deemed “New” in Reading Images.
Kress and van Leeuwen assert that typically, the Given, the image that is held to be common knowledge or the normal standard of the culture and society, is on the left of a document. The New, which is the “Other” or image that challenges the self-evidence of the Given, is placed on the right. When I searched “McCain vs. Obama” in Google Images, many of the top images displayed McCain on the left and Obama on the right. Perhaps the creators of these images felt that McCain stood for the Given because the United States had a Republican president before the 2008 election. Obama could be seen as the New idea, the Democratic candidate, who contested the status quo. Obama may also have been considered the New because he was the first African American to be a primary presidential candidate during that time.
When I searched “Romney vs. Obama” in Google Images, I found that many of the photos place Obama on the left and Romney on the right. Perhaps this placement is due to the fact that Obama has been the president for the past four years seeking reelection. He is the Given; of course he is going to run for a second term. Romney, on the other hand, is the new candidate in this election, butting heads against the current administration and causing a disruption in American politics via the election. However, a few photos and images still place Obama on the right. An image from The Atlantic, for example, shows Romney and Obama in a boxing ring with Romney on the left.
I found it interesting that The Atlantic is deemed a liberal magazine. I would have thought that it may have been conservative, leaning toward asserting that Romney should be the Given in this election. However, the magazine may have situated Obama on the right to make him still seem new and fresh to the audience. He is the more salient figure; his face is well-lit and is turned toward the audience, whereas Romney’s face is bent slightly down, hiding in shadow. Perhaps this image is a way to say that Obama is challenging conservative, old-fashioned ideals that Romney represents, such as strictly heterosexual marriage and pro-life choices. Indeed, the current president seems edgier when presented as someone New who rises up against the authority, although in this election, he is the authority. I also wonder if associating liberals with the left and conservatives with the right has any impact on people’s voting when taking this Given/New theory into account.
Another visual design decision includes placing an important image in the center, with the less important things surrounding it to become margins. Reading Images notes that the central composition is not common in Western culture, although it seems prevalent in many Eastern ideas and designs. In feng shui, for example, the bagua map does not ignore the center of the room. Rather, the center may be considered the most important area because it concerns personal health. If one does not have good health, one cannot gain success in the areas of life to which each other gua pertains, such as family, career and relationships. Admittedly, I tend to ignore the center of the bagua map when decorating my bedroom. Perhaps if I had grown up influenced by an Eastern culture more, I would pay the center more attention.
Visuals found from Google Images.
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