Michael Airhart (عارف) (ميخائيل )

@airhart.me

661 Followers 493 Following

Data engineering, human rights, Sufism, and liberation theology are my gigs. Ex-journalist. UDayton, Sojourners, and Jesuit Volunteer Corps vet. Pilgrim to Colombia, El Salvador, and Morocco. BLM. Serial comma.

A colorful, cartoon-style caricature fills the frame. In the foreground, a bald man with large red-framed glasses and a short goatee smiles while holding an open, small hardbound book. His eyes are exaggeratedly wide, giving him a playful, slightly surprised look. He wears a maroon long-sleeve shirt, and one hand points at the page as if following the words. Behind him are several old-fashioned CRT televisions with rounded screens and antennae. • On the left TV is a black-and-white “PLEASE STAND BY” test-screen style image with circular calibration markings. • On the upper-right TV is a propaganda-like image of a stern man pointing outward in front of an American flag, with bold text that reads: “TRUST YOUR GOVERNMENT.” • On the lower-right TV is another black-and-white test-screen style display with large text: “PLEASE STAND BY.” To the right of the book, a stack of books sits on the table, suggesting studying or relearning. The background is warm-toned and textured, like an aged wall or paper, reinforcing a retro, slightly dystopian broadcast vibe.
We get it. You're tired of "liberal drivel." You're tired of people being offended by monkification of former presidents or the degradation of women, tired of Spanish-speaking performers at the Super Bowl, tired of everyone else's freedom of speech, tired of freedom of religion, tired of voters that think differently from you, tired of being politely asked to rethink your factually disproven beliefs, tired of education causing people to disagree with you, tired of those who work harder or smarter than you, tired of people speaking in multiple languages that you didn't bother to learn, tired of men who don't conceal their femininity and women who don't hide their masculinity, tired of people whining about illegal police violence against innocent citizens, tired of so many things. You're tired of "liberal drivel."
In response to Martin Niemoller (z”l): First they came for the African Americans and I spoke up— Because I am my sisters’ and my brothers’ keeper. And then they came for the women and I spoke up— Because women hold up half the sky. And then they came for the immigrants and I spoke up— Because I remember the ideals of our democracy. And then they came for the Muslims and I spoke up— Because they are my cousins and we are one human family. And then they came for the Native Americans and Mother Earth and I spoke up— Because the blood-soaked land cries and the mountains weep. They keep coming. We keep rising up. Because we Jews know the cost of silence. We remember where we came from. And we will link arms, because when you come for our neighbors, you come for us— and THAT just won’t stand. -- Rabbi Michael Adam Latz "First They Came," 2016 https://truah.org/resources/first-they-came/
"There's a reason you separate military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people." - William Adama, Battlestar Galactica
Black-and-white mugshots of Jim Morrison (1970) and Chevy Chase (1975), juxtaposed for any potential resemblance
Sepia noir scene of an immigration investigation board and a desk with legal documents. A shadowy figure sits at a wooden table in a dim room with jail bars in the background. On the desk is a large paper labeled “NOTICE TO APPEAR” with a stylized eagle logo and smaller print that reads “RACE QUOTA MET.” Nearby, a pair of metal handcuffs rests on the table. On the wall in front of the figure, papers labeled “I-94,” “EB-1 VISA,” and “CITIZENSHIP FOR SALE $10 MILLION” are pinned and connected with red string, like evidence in a crime board. The overall tone is dark, grainy, and ominous, suggesting surveillance, racial profiling, and bureaucratic control.
Collage of immigration documents with a serious Native American woman against jail bars. The background is made of layered pieces of aged paper, including a U.S. passport, green card, birth certificate, and an I-94 form. Large torn paper in the center reads “IMMIGRATION STATUS,” with rubber-stamp style words “LEGAL” and “APPROVED” scattered around. In the lower right, a photorealistic portrait of a Native American woman looks off to the side with a neutral expression. Black vertical jail bars appear behind her. The overall tone is sepia and archival, like an old case file or stack of scanned legal documents.
Surreal painting showing U.S. immigration documents melting in a desert landscape. A U.S. passport, green card, and birth certificate rest on the ground, their edges dripping like liquid. Curving blue ribbons labeled “TPS” and “H-1B” snake through the scene. On the right, a pair of metal handcuffs melts and drips beside black jail bars. The sky is bright with swirling clouds and vivid blue and gold colors, and twisted barren trees stand in the background.
An abstract visual depiction of a former immigration caseworker thinking through the maze of symbols for U.S. legal immigration status, including a passport, birth certificate, green card, I-94 form, and Employment Authorization Document.
A Thanksgiving-themed table setting featuring a discount holiday meal: a plate of spaghetti with red sauce as the main dish, accompanied by a bowl of instant macaroni and cheese, a small bowl of canned chocolate pudding, and a bottle and glass of orange soda. A ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ napkin with autumn leaf decorations sits behind the dishes on the wooden table.
Their backdrops representing two different points in time, a Black woman and Martian man stand next to each other in the present and have a conversation.
A photorealistic depiction of two televisions. One TV is very old fashioned and retro, and shows black-and-white news coverage of immigrants and Black people voting. The other TV is a modern high-def color flatscreen that displays angry political conflict. In the background behind both TVs hangs a soiled and worn-out American flag.
An AI image of a coastal swampland at sunset, overlain with this text: Before it was the Gulf of Mexico, the Aztec called it Chalchiuhtlicueyecatl. The Maya called it Nahá, or “Great Water.”
A depiction of a vast 1960s Brutalist building interior re-imagined with buildings recreated from urban SoHo and a colonial village, and tour guides in period clothing.
This depiction of a re-envisioned Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York, replaces the vast complex's outdoor reflecting pools with street-level retail in the form of brick buildings that recall the city's industrial era.
A re-envisioned Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York. This depiction replaces the vast complex's outdoor reflecting pools with street-level retail and glass atriums leading into the underground city, or Concourse.
Let's talk about people who use slurs such as "libtard" and "demonrat." These people are showing us who and what they are. -- Destructive -- Divisive -- Antisocial -- Intemperate -- Whining -- Incapable of thought apart from their clan -- Identity politics cultists -- Inhumane -- Eager to cancel -- Incapable of conversation -- Determined to troll society instead of uplifting it -- Stubbornly unwilling to constructively solve problems When you see people doing that, halt the conversation and remind them that they are showing us who and what they are.
This has all happened before, and it will happen again. -- Battlestar Galactica
A Venn diagram showing the intersection of coffee addicts and political stimuli, resulting in rapid and rapid social change.
An image of a stylish and yet crass 1970s TV game show with emcee and female models in period clothing, accompanied by fabulous period prizes.
Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man, that state is obsolete. -- Source: Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone Episode: "The Obsolete Man"
A depiction of the Titanic with seven funnels.
The first-floor interior of the home used in the Brady Bunch, including floating stairway and 1970 period furnishings.