But just because a particular image or campaign is, at its origin, associated with a particular group or message does not by any means justify a connection in its present depiction. “Obey the Giant” would be the most recognizable example. Begun by a student at the very prestigious Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, “Obey the Giant” was originally conceived of and carried out as a counter-campaign to the billboards of Providence Mayor John Brown and his administration. “JOHN BROWN HAS A POSSE” would be stenciled onto the billboards at night, along with the very recognizable, “OBEY THE GIANT.” Apparently an attack on the Mayor’s policies, “Obey the Giant” quickly became something else entirely, as it inspired a nationwide flyering, stickering, and graffiti campaign aimed, not at Brown in particular, but at power structures in general. Somehow the image of Andre the Giant became associated with the phrase, which was even attached to images of President Bush and Vice President Gore during the recent electoral process. The creator of “Obey the Giant” now hosts a website, which calls the project, “an experiment in phenomenology.” Even Hegel is invoked in the defense and rationalization of this, dare we say, artistic movement. [this essay]