Good afternoon everyone,
By now, I am sure you have seen the aftermath of the inauguration photo of a solitary U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders bundled up with his ski-style jacket and knit gloves.
Sanders said no to the more dignified black topcoats worn by the other dignitaries who witnessed Delaware’s Joe Biden take the oath of office and deliver the inaugural address.
(Accompanying photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images)
Bernie went “all Vermont,” with mittens knitted by a teacher from that state.
His look captured a nation’s mood where our “Sunday-go-to-meeting” attire is gathering dust. It added a lighter and surprisingly non-partisan touch as a new administration tackles multiple challenges arising from the pandemic, a struggling economy, and extremism that exploded into violence at The Capitol.
For legal beagles, the photo will also lead to a discussion of copyright laws regarding issues such as editorial and marketing use. Here’s an informative guide from one firm
By mid-afternoon yesterday, I gave up counting the number of Delaware businesses and organizations that inserted the seated Bernie in their social media posts.
Much of this activity arose from a guy named Nick, a graduate student who figured out a way to insert Bernie into Google Maps. Others with even modest graphic arts skills were able to crank out their own creations.
I fell victim to his meme machine and cranked out a few photos before realizing how much time was being wasted.
By this morning, Nick Sawhney turned off the meme machine due to massive bills from Google Maps.
A short time ago, I made a small contribution to defray expenses, and those who may have used the images in marketing efforts should do the same. I also paid the licensing fee for the image shown above.
Here’s hoping the online advertising giant cuts Nick a break and his funding plea is answered – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
