"Character" (seen above) created by radical performance artist to, "confront issues of gender, patriarchy and the mainstreaming of authoritarian politics in America."
Minneapolis MN --- In news that stunned both the political and media world, it was revealed today that the outspoken and at times controversial Republican congresswoman from Minnesota's 6th district, previously known as "Michele Bachmann", is actually an elaborately staged performance by experimental artist "Trinity Ohm." Ms. Ohm, born Rebbecca Greene, explained that while she was satisfied with the direction of what she calls her "Cycle of Rage", she felt that the Bachmann character she had created, defined by her extreme right-wing politics and propensity to spout thoroughly outrageous claims on TV and radio, had run its course. "I was hoping that as of late, I could sort of 'out' myself by running off a series of the most paranoid and ludicrous swill imaginable," said Ms. Ohm in an interview. "Like when I seemed to imply the Democrats were responsible for spreading Swine Flu or that Obama's Americorp program was tantamount to the creation of 'government re-education camps', or when I suggested that (fellow Minnesota congressman and Muslim) Keith Ellison was connected to terrorists, but unfortunately it only seemed to further my credibility." Ohm said she simply, "wanted to expose how the media phallocracy normalizes racism and homophobia in American society," but eventually found that she had gotten more than she bargained for. "I never thought I would actually get elected, but when I did, I guess I just ran with it."
No stranger to outlandish and "guerrilla-style" art projects, the openly-gay Ohm said she created the Bachmann character as part of her ongoing mission to use experimental performance art to, "confront issues of gender, patriarchy, and the mainstreaming of authoritarian politics in America." Previously, Ohm was best known for her video art project "Tyrannosaurus Sex", a five hour video, which featured a nude Ohm, with a latex phallus attached to her forehead, making then destroying balloon animals, as well as her attempts to book herself as a children's entertainer who performed in full black-face. "When I spoke at CPAC and said 'You be the man' to Michael Steele, I was like 'this gig is over. I must have made someone suspicious that I was putting them on,'" said Ohm. "I mean, anyone can awkwardly try to relate to a black man by dropping 'you da man', but 'you be the man?' Really?"
According to Ohm, previous attempts to "out" herself, and end "this stage of the cycle" include the promotion of her "husband" Marcus'--a fellow actor and artist--"Christian Counseling Center" that advertised itself as offering "spiritual counseling" on "men's and women's issues" relating to "shame." "I would have thought connecting our society's attitudes about gays and lesbians to shame and repressed or sublimated sexuality would have been a dead give away," said Ohm, who continued, "when Marcus claimed that there were high levels of sexual abuse in the GLBT community without a shred of evidence to back up his claim, we thought 'this is great, someone will finally call us out on this,' but no one did. I think that's when we first started to question the utility and direction of this project."
Much like Sacha Baron Cohen's popular "Borat" character, a Khazak TV reporter whose satirical "reports" often solicit shocking responses from unsuspecting people, revealing a hidden bigotry that often lingers just beneath the surface of polite society, Ohm tried to see just how far she could push the mainstreaming of "eliminationist propaganda" by representing "ignorant and paranoid fantasy"--such as the time she appeared on Hardball and called for an investigation of "anti-American" members of Congress--in the guise of an attractive, all-American "Mom" figure. In a statement released to the press Ohm stated that, "the patriarchy often co-opts motherhood and the sacred feminine as a means of opression, so it seemed like the obvious thing to do. I mean, when you say violent and ugly things and are a violent and ugly person, people expect you to equate being gay with being a pedophile, but when you say those same things behind a pretty face, big smile and wide, dead eyes, then sadly, you can get elected to congress."
Unfortunately, recent studies of programs like The Colbert Report have shown that Americans' ability to distinguish satire from reality has been dramatically degraded in recent years, especially in terms of right-wing politicians, media personalities, and those who lampoon them. This only further complicates the work of Ohm and other artists who often use exaggerated claims and feigned sincerity to mine the rich vein of sexual and racial anxiety in American culture. A special election will be held to fill her vacated seat, and Ms. Ohm said she will now focus her energies on long percolating projects such as creating a tampon in proportion to the Statue of Liberty and mailing herself across state lines in a Fed Ex box.