My Lai Massacre: 'Q. And babies? A. And babies.' (Part 3)

'Q. And babies? A. And babies.'

Haeberle, Ron L. & Art Workers Coalition (AWC)

1969

However they turned the offer down after seeing the posters thinking they were too graphic, pulling out all funding from the project.

It was then brought to light that two of the art directors were for the war movement and supported Nixon. Therefore using the “Q: And Babies? A: And Babies.” poster AWC members went into the MoMa to protest. They stood by Picasso’s Guernica (1937) which depicted civilians being killed by bombs in the Spanish Civil War, holding up the “Q: And Babies? A: And Babies.” poster. This protest showed how MoMa were happy to have a painting of a massacre by Picasso, but were unhappy with a photo of the My Lai massacre. Why would you not want to publicise the awful events that the US government and army covered up from the public?

Members of the Art Workers’ Coalition holding copies of their “And babies” in front of “Guernica.”

The poster became "easily the most successful poster to vent the outrage that so many felt about the conflict in Southeast Asia. Copies are still frequently seen in retrospectives dealing with the popular culture of the Vietnam War era or in collections of art from the period.” The My Lai massacre represented the entirety of war crimes during the Vietnam War, and helped to spread the anti war protests. It sparked efforts from artists, and the poster was reborn again in 1972 during Nixons reelection campaign, where the posters text change to “Four More Years?” in the same semi transparent blood red. 

Four More Years? anti Nixon poster campaign

Then in 1982 the British Punk band Discharge wrote a song called "Q: And Children? A: And Children” in the album Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing, that portrays the controversy of the huge cover up by the US government and army.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/09/shock_swept_nation_when_my_lai.html

http://www.redlineartworks.org/section652294_311497.html

http://bostonreview.net/archives/BR36.6/michele_elam_jennifer_devere_brody_occupy_movement_future.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_babies

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/art-workers-coalition-awc