I Hate Eric Adams.
This book is about why. A case study is disappointment and betrayal.
Abstract
When viewing a negative action made by a person in a position of power, it can be easy to get lost in the fallout of the action, as the fallout is what directly affects the individual. The individual’s life is thrown into disarray, and in our modern American society this can range from having to pay extra for coffee in the morning to homelessness. In most cases it’s hard to figure out who to look to or apply blame to in a situation of upheaval to the wider system that is affecting a person. However when a person can be targeted it’s important to target them with nuance.
“I HATE ERIC ADAMS, THIS BOOK IS ABOUT WHY” is a book that aims to capture personal feelings surrounding active disappointment with the, as of writing this paper, current Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. The book acts as an archive of the actions of Eric Adams as well as an emotional and philosophical archive. This is done in the book in a response format to a series of posters that log the many ways in which Eric Adams has failed his city. This book’s purpose is to allow space for disdain over these actions as well as analyze the methodology and fallout of those actions through the nuanced lens of a community first approach.
Poster Samples – Documented over the course of 6 months.
Background
Scarcity is a myth. I know it’s a myth because a society cannot report it’s experiencing the boom in economic growth that the United States does every year while simultaneously saying it doesn’t have enough for it’s people. Especially when that comes to safety and security. We are one of the most rich and powerful countries in the world and yet people don’t feel safe, and a lot of people struggle to understand why. As well who is responsible for the persistence and galvanization of those systems.
I can’t speak for the entire country at large when it comes to the persistent economic disparity that allows the entire the country be one set of hospital fees away from homelessness but I can do is speak for myself. I know why my rent gets so high every year. I know why I am always late on public transport. I know why I can’t go to go certain libraries on Sundays. I know why my neighbors are being kidnapped by ICE. I know why I had bruises on my wrist for a week after being accosted by the NYPD. Eric Adams, narcissism and a lack of accountability.
I chose Adams because is he not an innocent man. He is a dangerous and powerful man and I can’t walk outside without being reminded both of those facts.
Shot of cover.
Propaganda and Repetition
Eric Adams, like many mayors of New York, is a man who at his best exemplifies the concept of “unchecked mediocrity” and at his worst might literally be evil. When figuring out how to turn disdain and general misery into an archive, I kept returning to the concept of the propaganda poster. It held an exemplary standard for how to address the sort of push and shove a person can have with a political figure. I don’t know Adams personally and while after researching this project I am basically an expert on his patterns of action, I can’t know for sure all of who he is. I can however know how he affects me and my community and the propaganda poster acts as an effective form of both protest and history in its loudest format. Quick, punchy pieces of information in bold letters that stick with a person.
To push further with this concept I didn’t want to lose the nuance that comes with a conversation about holding these types of people accountable or even just recognizing people like Adams as perpetrators at all. Even more so for me as a Black Person like Adams himself. So I documented my emotions surrounding these actions as well. As I kept repeated the process of research, poster, analysis, I feel more well equipped to spot the patterns and pitfalls behind people like Adams through a lens that is deeper than “I feel bad”. In some ways I feel more comforted in that. It’s a process I hope everyone is able to do in these tumultuous times in whatever format works for them. As long as everyone is learning.
Book text formatting.
Have a nice day! 🙂
Holy shit guys, I’m fucking trapped at the bottom of this page and I can’t escape call the fire department! I can’t see anything. I need your help, but don’t call the damn cops. I wanna escape without bullet holes……..