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Posted on July 15, 2009 | tags

 
 

Politics, U.S.: Gee, House Republicans, when you explain health care like this …

healthcare0716
  • Wow. Where to start, where to start … We are not going to blame the Democrats for coming up with a complex, bureaucracy-filled health care plan. NO. We’re going to blame the Republicans for coming up with the most complicated, noise filled graphic possible to explain their point. You can make anything seem like the scariest thing ever when you make it look like this. Gray background? Not necessary. Loud, garish colors? Even less so. This is politics through bad design. (Grab the full PDF to get an idea.) source

Posted by Ernie Smith • Permalink


 
  • Name

    It’s funny how you’re so frustrated with their bias yet you run one of the most biased “news” sites I’ve ever seen. I fell in love with this site because of it’s no-personality, no-bias, ‘just short news’ form at the beginning but now it’s full of words like “OMG” and “sez” and liberal leaning bias. I wish it were more professional and less personal. The last thing the web needs is more internet meme’s and bias, now you’re just one of millions instead of one in a million. Taking you off as my homepage.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    We never have claimed to be anything more than we ever were. There were no claims of lack of bias (claims, in our humble opinion, that are always tough to live by, due to the constant belief that the mainstream media is liberal or that Fox news is conservative), so we never made them. We figured that our readers would figure it out on their own.

    Nor were there claims that we wouldn’t have personality in our posts. The over-the-top, ironic use of OMGs and the use of the word “sez” are intentional designed to play into that. As we slowly get more staff onto the site, they’re going to put their personality into what they say, too. There’s a freaking cartoon robot on the bottom of the page! If you don’t want personality, look elsewhere.

    All we claimed to be doing was giving people information in a short way. Nothing more, nothing less.

    We’re sad that you’re disappointed but would like to point out that in the case of this particular post, 1) It’s clearly marked as opinion piece, 2) We said that we’re not attacking the Democrats for the bill itself, but the Republicans for clouding the issue with this graphic (because making a graphic designed to scare people is terrible politics) and 3) We never once actually offered an opinion on the bill but instead the underhanded tactics of releasing a graphic like this. It’s shady to design something so clearly constructed to play on people’s fears. That’s why this post went onto the site.

    Truth of the matter is, this format isn’t going to please everyone, and I’m sorry it doesn’t please you. I just hope you reconsider and also consider that you may be remembering a past that never actually existed.

  • http://twitter.com/FrankAlvarez Frank Alvarez

    “OK, another interesting animation, but we wonder: Is this guy fiscally conservative? He doesn’t mention a political persuasion in any of his videos but they mostly seem to be anti-Obama. For our curiosity, we just want to know whether they’re pushing an agenda. No matter which way you lean, keep making them. They’re good” http://shortformblog.com/chatter/more-penny-mat…

    So biased…

  • pwallen

    OMG, you have personality!!!! Stop this at once.

  • http://twitter.com/capncarissa Carissa Wright

    Actually, the personality is pretty much the main reason I read this site. For what it’s worth.

  • http://www.sarahsodyssey.com/ Sarah Jackson

    Wow. I’ll just toss my two-cents in: the site is clearly built off of personality (blurbs, comments and everything else that makes social media fun). It links to dry news sources if you like that, but it still informs you of those stories in… what’s the word… short form! I love that there is a site that hunts down interesting data and stories I wouldn’t have found on my own. And here’s a shocker: I’m a conservative. How can you learn if you never hear any opinions but yours?

  • http://mosthorriblethingever.com/ David Putney

    This graphic is like a rorschach test for your politics. Leftist look at it and say “Republicans can’t design.” Conservatives look at it and see it as a comic riff on a the worst bill in American history.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    Heh heh. Well-put.

  • http://twitter.com/capncarissa Carissa Wright

    Actually, the personality is pretty much the main reason I read this site. For what it’s worth.

  • http://www.sarahsodyssey.com/ Sarah Jackson

    Wow. I’ll just toss my two-cents in: the site is clearly built off of personality (blurbs, comments and everything else that makes social media fun). It links to dry news sources if you like that, but it still informs you of those stories in… what’s the word… short form! I love that there is a site that hunts down interesting data and stories I wouldn’t have found on my own. And here’s a shocker: I’m a conservative. How can you learn if you never hear any opinions but yours?

  • http://mosthorriblethingever.com/ David Putney

    This graphic is like a rorschach test for your politics. Leftist look at it and say “Republicans can’t design.” Conservatives look at it and see it as a comic riff on a the worst bill in American history.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    Heh heh. Well-put.

  • Name

    It’s funny how you’re so frustrated with their bias yet you run one of the most biased “news” sites I’ve ever seen. I fell in love with this site because of it’s no-personality, no-bias, ‘just short news’ form at the beginning but now it’s full of words like “OMG” and “sez” and liberal leaning bias. I wish it were more professional and less personal. The last thing the web needs is more internet meme’s and bias, now you’re just one of millions instead of one in a million. Taking you off as my homepage.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    We never have claimed to be anything more than we ever were. There were no claims of lack of bias (claims, in our humble opinion, that are always tough to live by, due to the constant belief that the mainstream media is liberal or that Fox news is conservative), so we never made them. We figured that our readers would figure it out on their own.

    Nor were there claims that we wouldn’t have personality in our posts. The over-the-top, ironic use of OMGs and the use of the word “sez” are intentionally designed to play into that. As we slowly get more staff onto the site, they’re going to put their personality into what they say, too. There’s a freaking cartoon robot on the bottom of the page! If you don’t want personality, look elsewhere.

    All we claimed to be doing was giving people information in a short way. Nothing more, nothing less.

    We’re sad that you’re disappointed but would like to point out that in the case of this particular post, 1) It’s clearly marked as an opinion piece, 2) We said that we’re not attacking the Democrats for the bill itself, but the Republicans for clouding the issue with this graphic (because making a graphic designed to scare people is terrible politics) and 3) We never once actually offered an opinion on the bill but instead the underhanded tactics of releasing a graphic like this. It’s shady to design something so clearly constructed to play on people’s fears. That’s why this post went onto the site.

    Truth of the matter is, this format isn’t going to please everyone, and I’m sorry it doesn’t please you. I just hope you reconsider and also consider that you may be remembering a past that never actually existed.

  • http://twitter.com/FrankAlvarez Frank Alvarez

    “OK, another interesting animation, but we wonder: Is this guy fiscally conservative? He doesn’t mention a political persuasion in any of his videos but they mostly seem to be anti-Obama. For our curiosity, we just want to know whether they’re pushing an agenda. No matter which way you lean, keep making them. They’re good” http://shortformblog.com/chatter/more-penny-mat…

    So biased…

  • pwallen

    OMG, you have personality!!!! Stop this at once.

  • http://twitter.com/capncarissa Carissa Wright

    Actually, the personality is pretty much the main reason I read this site. For what it’s worth.

  • http://www.sarahsodyssey.com/ Sarah Jackson

    Wow. I’ll just toss my two-cents in: the site is clearly built off of personality (blurbs, comments and everything else that makes social media fun). It links to dry news sources if you like that, but it still informs you of those stories in… what’s the word… short form! I love that there is a site that hunts down interesting data and stories I wouldn’t have found on my own. And here’s a shocker: I’m a conservative. How can you learn if you never hear any opinions but yours?

  • http://mosthorriblethingever.com/ David Putney

    This graphic is like a rorschach test for your politics. Leftist look at it and say “Republicans can’t design.” Conservatives look at it and see it as a comic riff on a the worst bill in American history.

  • http://shortformblog.com shortformblog

    Heh heh. Well-put.

 

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