The face in the plank

Human beings have an exceptional talent for recognising faces. We don't just see faces on other human beings and animals, though. We are so evolved to recognise faces that we can see them where they aren't, as it were. Besides the proverbial Madonna or Jesus in toast, which I've never had the pleasure of experiencing myself, I can attest to having seen human faces in shag carpet, clouds and oatmeal. Sometimes those faces have varied slightly from totally human - some have looked more like Roswell captives, cats or insects. But what they had in common was they were definitely faces of a sort.

Which brings me to the face in the plank

A couple of years ago, we had new flooring installed throughout the house, including in my study. Blissfully unaware was I of what lurked beneath until one day I saw It, the Face.

AUGH! The horror. The Zuma. In my floor planks, right underneath where I sit, and because it's not real wood, everywhere where the pattern repeats itself. Shudder. Once I'd seen it, I couldn't unsee it.

Why this is horrifying

It's not just the face you see, it's what it represents.

Still can't see it? Let me help you. Then you won't be able to unsee it either.

Not yet? How about now?

Both images are courtesy of Zapiro, aka Jonathan Shapiro, South Africa's most celebrated cartoonist, and were previously published in Independent newspapers. (The Zapiro team seemed to take it in stride that I'd be using these images on a cryptocurrency social media site; at least their kind e-mail in which they sent the images didn't convey outright disbelief or even a blink at the idea of blogging for crypto.)

Wait, why a showerhead?

Fellow Steemians, Zapiro began drawing Jacob Zuma (our JZ, not to be confused with the Beyonce JZ) with a showerhead on his head to satirically capture the insanity of Zuma's response during his 2006 rape trial that he believed showering would prevent him from contracting HIV. It's come to symbolise so much more since then. This article from a local South African newspaper gives you some idea of how entrenched the showerhead became in our national psyche, while this gives some insight into the level of controversy Zapiro's relentless satire of this most flawed of presidents has generated over the years.

A digression - why satire is important

Satire is not about making fun of people as an end in itself. It's about criticising vice and corruption, and calling those in power to account through the use of humour and clever imagery to counter the spin and diversionary tactics of the public relations machine. And Zapiro has taken his share of hits doing this on our behalf in recent years. As a former student of Pope and Swift, two of the English language's most accomplished (some would say vicious) satirists, I say we should treat our satirists as national treasures.

But indeed, I digress. Back to the Face.

There's no showerhead in that photo...?

While I can't see a showerhead in the Zuma Face I can't unsee in my floor planks (mercy!), I suspect that Zapiro's brilliant lampooning of JZ has had a strong hand in my seeing his face at all. It must be the way he draws those, er, sloe eyes.

Hmmm...the plank head looks like it's on fire, with no showerhead to douse the flames. Perhaps a sign?

Cool South African Steemit logo courtesy of @alainite
And a sincere thank you to the Zapiro team for providing the cartoon images!