Fun with Photoshop

By Tim O'Brien, Photo courtesy of KARE 11

Last update: October 30, 2008 - 3:54 PM

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Another proud moment in the state of political discourse in the state of Minnesota. KARE 11 News broke the story that the Republican National Campaign Committee, on behalf of Third District Republican candidate Erik Paulsen, manipulated photos of Democratic candidate Ashwin Madia, an Indian-American, to make him look darker.

Why would any party do this? According to Clay Steinman of Macalester College, a professor who teaches advertising, the answer is simply. "There's a lot of scientific data that shows that even if we think that we're not racist," Steinman said, "People of all races, when confronted with images that are darker and different, have a kind of visceral, negative response. ... As he put it, "It can contribute to people's fears; it can make people feel like this person is not like me."

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