5 Ways Chicago Is Mocking Donald Trump
By Sophie Lucido Johnson in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 25, 2016 7:04PM
Who is more mockable than The Don? That orange face paired with the constant stream of racist and sexist thoughts that flow unabashedly from his lips are ripe for the teasing. Trump is much better at dishing it out than he is at taking it. (Remember how he refused to participate in a debate because he got his feelings hurt by Fox News?) Don't let that deter you, though; there are plenty of ways to defame the White House hopeful right here in the Windy City. Here are a few:
via Degenerate Art Gallery
Putting Trump's face on a toilet: Chicago-based artist Jacob Thomas scored a solo show at Degenerate Art Gallery in Edgewater, after filling the city with anti-Trump street art beginning with the now-beloved Bat Trump, which started it all. Thomas's work was so-far reaching and provocative that it sparked the obsessive attention of gallery owner Nicholas Zahn, who tracked Thomas down and urged him to do a gallery show. The show, called "We're Fired!" opens April 1, and features Bat Trump alongside other Trump parodies rendering the GOP-frontrunner as Richie Rich, Rich Uncle Money Bags, and Forrest Trump. And oh yeah: Thomas meticulously painted Trump's visage on a toilet, complete with an emoji poop peeking out behind the seat.
Opening reception Friday, April 1, 7 to 10 p.m. Closes April 24.
Degenerate Art Gallery, 5407 N. Clark
Selling Tiny Hotdogs in Trump's honor: The Wiener Circle starting doling out "Donald Trump Footlongs" (that were three inches long) following Trump's damning statement about his, um, private business at the March 3 Republican debates. After massive fanfare from a happy Trump-hating public, the famous hotdog shop continued serving the tiny specials well past the March 11 Trump rally. Beyond the footlong, The Wiener Circle also has the "Trump Package" and the "Trump Super PAC," which satisfy the cravings of those who need more than one three-incher to feel both sated (both physically and in terms of open mockery).
Filming a mockumentary: Chicago-based Beela Productions made a long form fake documentary about Donald Trump's illegitimate Muslim daughter. The titular "Ayesha Trump" even held a press conference for her upcoming movie on Wacker Driver earlier this month to raise awareness around the film's release on March 15. The satire is funny and weird (there are a lot of American flags and there's also a good amount of Sarah Palin-esque political squinting), and it comes from a politically-minded place. Executive producer Nabeela Rasheed, who is Muslim, wants to make people laugh-cry all the way to the polls, taking heart to the severity of Trump's hate speech against Muslim people. Rasheed worked with fellow Chicago-based Muslim writer and actress Fawzia Mirza (who plays Ayesha Trump) to do something productive with their anger.
"Ayesha Trump" is on Vimeo.
Defacing a billboard: This might feel a little dangerous for some of the politically-minded public, but if you want to match Donald's "Go Big"-ness with your mockery, why not do some public art? Anti-Trump graffiti has cropped up around the city, including the words "Fuck Trump" on a vacant billboard, (which was transformed from a "Vote Trump" billboard into a "Vote 4 Bernie" billboard first). It's amazing what a little red paint and a very tall ladder can do to bring a man who looks like a hunk of corn down a few pegs—not that the Chicagoist is advocating illegal activity, of course.
Being an anti-Trump groupie: Last November, 23-year-old Johari Osayi Idusuyi now-famously protested a Trump rally by choosing to silently read Claudia Rankine's book "Citizen" rather than listen to Trump's speech. (Talk about mocking out in the open!) When an older man tried to get her to pay attention to the speech, she snapped at him and unleashed "the head flip heard 'round the nation," which went viral on Vine. Rankine's "Citizen" is about the institutionalization of racism in the United States, and the prevalence of microaggresions — it's pretty much an anti-Trump manifesto published before its time. Maybe it's too late to flip your head at a rally, but you can get behind Idusuyi and see Rankine take the stage in Chicago. Rankine will be speaking at DePaul University in May, but you should reserve your space now; the talk is free and open to the public, so seats will run out quickly. Maybe focusing on the messages Trump hopes to silence rather than the man himself is the perfect way to make that inflated ego small again.
Claudia Rankine will speak on May 4, at 6:30 p.m.
Cortelyou Commons, 2324 N Fremont St.
Call The Women's Center for details: 773-325-7558