Back in the Bush Era I used to think the media was ignoring important news and using fluff pieces to sway the public imagination, like Britney Spears and the world's largest hamburgers. In fact there were so many giant hamburgers on TV I started taking note, I'd say they really hit a peak around the Abu Ghraib Prision scandal. Now we find ourselves in different times and I don't believe it was a media conspiracy anymore, it's just stupidness, the media thinks we are stupid and thus gives us stupid meaningless stories, are people are this stupid? It insults my intelligence daily and hopefully yours. Unfortunately there will always be giant hamburgers and some doe-eyed anchor glibly giving you the narrative, it's usually something that sounds great in the "coming up next" teaser but usually turns out to be something you already know or don't care about like drinking coffee will cure cancer, red wine is good for you until the next study says it's not, or dramatic footage of a cute animal trapped in mud or stuck on an icy lake, I call all of these stories giant hamburgers, vaguely interesting but entirely inconsequential. Well, my friends meet the new and improved giant hamburger, now with even more calories... The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton! Right now I believe they are in the news every second day, at least once a week, apparently the Americans can't get enough of this stuff? Speaking as an actual Royal Subject, because I am Canadian, and citizen of a Commonwealth country, WTF Americans!?!? Didn't y'all have a war against the British and base your National Anthem on it? I personally never understood the fascination myself. The Royal Family is mildly interesting at best, I enjoy them in a historical context, I like to see the Queen's Christmas Message and I like to see the crazy hats! Other than that the only place I get excited about seeing the Queen is in my wallet on $20 bills! Does anyone remember the aftermath of the Lady Di death? Wasn't the big lesson that the media literally chased them into a hard spot? Yeah, so knock it off! William and Kate probably want to live their lives in peace, are actually not that interesting and probably like it that way!
Did you hear that a GAP factory in India exploded into flames and killed 25 people on December 14? Neither did I, until I got so tired of the same three news stories this week and went looking online. Is it too much of a downer to report such things before Christmas? I think this little GAP story really ties into the narrative of what is wrong with the economy right now. Lets not blame the GAP entirely, almost all the clothes on your back are made in India where people make $25 a month in Corporate factories, hope everyone got everything they wanted this year though! I don't think it would help the economy in the US if every mall and every Wal-Mart in the country sold out of everything on their shelves, the manufacturing and jobs are all overseas, it helps the CEO's I suppose.
More importantly, did you hear a ski lift in Vermont broke, injuring tens of Americans? No GAP wear was harmed however! Did you also hear thousands of travelers were stranded in Europe before Christmas? I'm sure it's awful, and yes I am jealous as I have never had the opportunity to travel to Europe, but really, no one has died here, do I need to hear about this everyday for a week? To a Canadian, the weather causing delays in life is not news.
The biggest symbol of the "giant-hamburger news" this season was Jon Stewart's treatment of the Zadroga Bill. In case you were led astray by Royal Weddings, this was the bill introduced by Democrats to help the sick and dying so-called First Responders of the 9/11 attacks. Turns out the police and firemen who were trying to help as the World Trade Centres collapsed got a lot of exposure to cancerous and toxic dust and smoke. It also turned out that to Republicans trying to derail anything Obama and the Democrats are trying to do thought it wiser to block this bill until the end of time or at least until the super-rich got another tax break. So, Jon Stewart, who has been telling us about this story for months had some actual first responders on his show before the Christmas break, tell their stories, remind people that they are dying and their children will lose their fathers soon. It took a couple of days but this did start to generate outrage and even got some coverage on Cable News, MSNBC actually did cover this story for weeks no matter what Mike Huckabee says, and the Republicans did an about face and voted for the Bill, although some didn't, who the hell are they? I will find out and get back to you.
So, will the news media ever learn? We already went through this during the invasion of Iraq, Rumsfeld and Cheney said blah blah, never mind look at this footage of the biggest hamburger in the world! Enough already, I have seen giant food and I have seen Royal Weddings before, please give me news!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
That Old Black Magic
An interesting story is developing in my city this Christmas season involving the Salvation Army and what they will or will not accept as donations for children. Our local CTV News did a piece on this after an anonymous volunteer told them the "Sally Ann" was separating out Harry Potter merchandise as well as anything Twilight related because of what they call "black magic" themes. They say they are donating these items to a third party, but will not say who. They also state that a Christian organization should not be giving out these kinds of items to kids. Which of course begs the question, is the Salvation Army for helping the poor or for proselytizing to the poor?, because, one of their stated policies is "(the) ministry extends to all, without discrimination" That is unless you are homosexual of course, hey they are an Evangelical religious organization, they have to tow a line somewhere!
The National branch of the Salvation Army stated that all decisions about donations are made by local chapters, so I tried phoning them today but got a recorded message, something tells me they are not going to return my call though! I would like to know if they accept Disney related toys, as there are some magical themes going on there, what with the wicked witches, sleeping beauties, talking animals and Mickey Mouse dressed as a Wizard wielding a magic wand in Fantasia. What about dinosaur related toys? For me dinosaurs were just a gateway to accepting evolution as a fact. It's a pretty secular world out there and a pretty slippery slope when one starts banning ideas as not religious enough. They are accepting toy guns however maybe because they are Christians and an Army? Maybe one day you can grow up to shoot an elk with Sarah Palin? All God's creatures great and small.
I admit, I am old and have very limited knowledge about Harry Potter. One of my teenaged nieces loves the series and even enters school debates over which is better? Harry or Twilight. I don't see how encouraging kids to read in an age of electronic media can be all that bad? So I had to go to the old Wikipedia to find out what some of the Harry Potter themes are and I must say it all sounds pretty good. Some literary critics say the novels are a plea to end bigotry and question authority with an underlying anti establishment theme, that J.K. Rowling shows how being intellectually lazy can lead to trouble in her storylines. Wow, I've been trying to tell this to kids for years with varying success, I am glad a young generation is exposed to such themes! I can see however how a religious organization would not like such ideas, good lord!, these books must be a gateway to independent thought, even atheism! I suppose it depends how slippery you want to slope? I also learned that the Harry Potter villain, Voldemort, is apparently obsessed with conquering death and on a continuing quest for immortality. That sounds like another literary character, don't it? If we are talking magical stories here, I read a good one once about astrology predicting a virgin birth,and then this guy goes on to heal cripples, walk on water and rise from the dead, it's terrible writing, really disjointed and constantly contradicting itself, total hearsay style written by a bunch of different people. Terrible ending too, main character just ascends into heaven and then cameos in a sort of war-drama come Science Fiction end of the world sort of thing in the last chapter.
I haven't donated to the Salvation Army for many years. I was once involved with the social services, programs for young offenders, and heard stories about Salvation Army Youth Camps. First, I never understood why a Provincial government would allow a very evangelical organization to run a camp for kids under the care of social services, I wonder if they would extend the same benefit to Islamic organizations? Second, I heard how they treated gay teens, they would constantly tell them it was wrong, against God, basically berate them every moment they were there, fun huh? Please enjoy the canoeing and basket weaving too. Apparently the Sally Ann has a long history of an anti-gay agenda. In New Zealand they circulated a petition against the Homosexual Law Reform Act of 1986, this caused quite a bit of controversy and the Salvation Army had to issue an apology. For these reasons, if I am donating I will find a more secular organization in my community.
Even though the Salvation Army website states they are all about breaking down "barriers that promote an us/them perception" I don't believe it. In light of this recent ban on Harry Potter and Twilight donations I think they are more about spreading the word of their God and not helping the poor. I've known about their demagoguery for some time so I donate directly to my local homeless shelter. I recently drove down 7 old suitcases filled with tons of old but very usable clothes, sheets, kitchen appliances and I know it's going directly to those in need. I wonder how many people think they are doing something good by putting some change in the old Sally Ann kettle? If it suits your beliefs, yay for you, if para-military multi billion dollar evangelicals make you nervous, and they probably should, then please research a non discriminatory secular charity to donate to in your area.
The National branch of the Salvation Army stated that all decisions about donations are made by local chapters, so I tried phoning them today but got a recorded message, something tells me they are not going to return my call though! I would like to know if they accept Disney related toys, as there are some magical themes going on there, what with the wicked witches, sleeping beauties, talking animals and Mickey Mouse dressed as a Wizard wielding a magic wand in Fantasia. What about dinosaur related toys? For me dinosaurs were just a gateway to accepting evolution as a fact. It's a pretty secular world out there and a pretty slippery slope when one starts banning ideas as not religious enough. They are accepting toy guns however maybe because they are Christians and an Army? Maybe one day you can grow up to shoot an elk with Sarah Palin? All God's creatures great and small.
I admit, I am old and have very limited knowledge about Harry Potter. One of my teenaged nieces loves the series and even enters school debates over which is better? Harry or Twilight. I don't see how encouraging kids to read in an age of electronic media can be all that bad? So I had to go to the old Wikipedia to find out what some of the Harry Potter themes are and I must say it all sounds pretty good. Some literary critics say the novels are a plea to end bigotry and question authority with an underlying anti establishment theme, that J.K. Rowling shows how being intellectually lazy can lead to trouble in her storylines. Wow, I've been trying to tell this to kids for years with varying success, I am glad a young generation is exposed to such themes! I can see however how a religious organization would not like such ideas, good lord!, these books must be a gateway to independent thought, even atheism! I suppose it depends how slippery you want to slope? I also learned that the Harry Potter villain, Voldemort, is apparently obsessed with conquering death and on a continuing quest for immortality. That sounds like another literary character, don't it? If we are talking magical stories here, I read a good one once about astrology predicting a virgin birth,and then this guy goes on to heal cripples, walk on water and rise from the dead, it's terrible writing, really disjointed and constantly contradicting itself, total hearsay style written by a bunch of different people. Terrible ending too, main character just ascends into heaven and then cameos in a sort of war-drama come Science Fiction end of the world sort of thing in the last chapter.
I haven't donated to the Salvation Army for many years. I was once involved with the social services, programs for young offenders, and heard stories about Salvation Army Youth Camps. First, I never understood why a Provincial government would allow a very evangelical organization to run a camp for kids under the care of social services, I wonder if they would extend the same benefit to Islamic organizations? Second, I heard how they treated gay teens, they would constantly tell them it was wrong, against God, basically berate them every moment they were there, fun huh? Please enjoy the canoeing and basket weaving too. Apparently the Sally Ann has a long history of an anti-gay agenda. In New Zealand they circulated a petition against the Homosexual Law Reform Act of 1986, this caused quite a bit of controversy and the Salvation Army had to issue an apology. For these reasons, if I am donating I will find a more secular organization in my community.
Even though the Salvation Army website states they are all about breaking down "barriers that promote an us/them perception" I don't believe it. In light of this recent ban on Harry Potter and Twilight donations I think they are more about spreading the word of their God and not helping the poor. I've known about their demagoguery for some time so I donate directly to my local homeless shelter. I recently drove down 7 old suitcases filled with tons of old but very usable clothes, sheets, kitchen appliances and I know it's going directly to those in need. I wonder how many people think they are doing something good by putting some change in the old Sally Ann kettle? If it suits your beliefs, yay for you, if para-military multi billion dollar evangelicals make you nervous, and they probably should, then please research a non discriminatory secular charity to donate to in your area.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Economics 101
I have spent my fair share of time with the so-called rich, I live in a wealthy city and my profession brings me up close, live, and in person. I must say they are the most boring people on the planet, self absorbed, and constantly worried about business, I suppose those are the two qualities that make one wealthy? So I don't know why people even aspire to be wealthy? For some the path to wealth was through some kind of work (usually not as hard as they would have us think) for others, the worst kind of wealth, the well connected, born into it kind, the path of entitlement.
I grew up very middle class, my dad was in the Air Force for several years and later worked in a union job, almost everyone's dad did back then. My mom mostly stayed at home and would work part time so we could have a good Christmas. They paid off their mortgage in what would seem a very short time by today's standards, we went on trips to Disneyland, drove nice cars, went to public school and were encouraged to attend College or University in some far away future. If I had kids I would want them to grow up like that, not rich, I like the idea of a middle class, it's what other countries admire and why people want to live in North America as opposed to say Sierra Leone or Afghanistan. I don't want to single out countries but recall the UN called these places amongst the most corrupt and lowest living standards in the world.
I have honestly lost some sleep recently over the tax fight in the US, they are our largest trading partner and I want them to do well as their economy has consequences for us in Canada. The fight, extending tax cuts to all, including the top 1%, people like Bill Gates, Paris Hilton and Donald Trump, or only those making less than a quarter million. The rich have had it easy the past few decades and especially under the Bush tax plan. Since 1980, when Ronald Reagan started "trickle down economics" the income of the highest tax bracket has gone up 80% while for those in median brackets income has risen 3%, total stagnation for the middle class. The Bush tax cuts did not create jobs, in the 90's Clinton created 20 million jobs compared to 2 million created during the Bush era. Yet, Republicans are still yelling their heads off about "the rich create jobs". Little thought is given to the fact that if you or I do not have extra income we do not buy things thus less people are hired to make things. Or how about, we don't even make that many things anymore? About 90% of my recent Christmas shopping was made in China, even my Alberta scenes calendar was printed in Korea, what's with that?
I just don't "buy" this right wing lie that the wealthy create jobs, I don't care how much former reality TV star and co-host of the View, Elizabeth, yells it at me in the mornings! I have always worked for so-called "small business" and I can tell you they are helping no one but themselves. Like the theory of Communism, this theory of small business saving the world does not recognize basic human drive, self interest and greed.In my first real full time job I made $4.25/hr, the lowest legally possible at that time, while the owner drove his collection of foreign sports cars and we constantly had the police showing up at the restaurant looking for him to pay up on unpaid speeding tickets. I remember another " McLeans Magazine, self-made business woman of the year winner" I worked for, straight-faced telling all of us in the company that we must all work harder, and there is no money for a raise for anyone, as she drove a brand new Lexus to work everyday and took frequent shopping trips to New York. My generation was really on the shitty end of the stick during the 80's and 90's, corporations suddenly discovered that they could lay off half the staff and make the rest work harder to line their pockets, the era of social responsibility was over. The rest of us, the young and not educated enough were left to work at minimum wage jobs, so cry me a river current 20-somethings, we didn't have a hope in hell of an entry level job, let alone a career, ha ha don't make me laugh!
Sure, there are the odd super-rich people doing great things, maybe a little of what Oprah does is good, a little is about publicity too. This Week with Christiane Amanpour recently interviewed Ted Turner, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates who is responsible recently for funding the new AIDS drug breakthrough, hey cool, these guys are giving it all away and trying to do something positive. But they are in the minority I'm afraid. When I think of the super-rich I am reminded of another employment opportunity I had once, recreating a 17th Century gold leafed ceiling for a very bored oil executive wife. The house was nothing special, a large split level in a 1970's suburb, they were going to build a bigger house but thought they would spend without boundaries on this until that time came. Do you know the expression "more money than brains"? Aside from a gold leafed and intricately painted ceiling, there was an imported tile mosaic of a byzantine saint, reinforced floors for the imported marble throughout the entire house- complete with custom monogram, imported stone bathtubs, there was to be a mural of the Three Kings ascending the new staircase probably with an imported railing. And that was just the inside, outside she had torn up the entire yard, which is a travesty in this part of the world where trees take 20 years to grow, the plan was for imported English iron gates and a pink sandstone wall imported from India, really, in Calgary once known as the "Sandstone City" because of all the locally available sandstone!?!? I never stayed long enough to see this projects end, surprise, it kind of made me sick to my stomach to know that someone could blow what I owe on my mortgage on one shopping trip to Italy! Also, this insane Michael Jackson-ish project was taking forever! I remember this lady roaring up in some kind of tiny sports car, changing her mind about some detail or another and then pulling all of us aside to talk about where the new cast iron rabbit should be placed in the bathroom or how paint changes colour in different light and if it should be a shade darker or lighter, every detail had to be gone over and over again! Just let us finish something lady, I have to be able to get something done in a day when I work, I'm just crazy that way! It also put a chill on things when I had to negotiate my wage and she had someone else talk to me about it, and say what I was asking was too much, nice, I guess she was too busy to talk to the riff-raff artists who were trying to bring her personal Disneyland to life? I think about her every time I gas up my car, at least I know this money is going straight to some Italian marble quarry somewhere!
So, tax cuts for the rich? While the Republicans want to cut off Unemployment Benefits? So people like Paris Hilton can design purses to carry other people's cocaine? Hmmm, did anyone remember that Paris needs to have paying customers to buy those purses? It's economics 101.
I grew up very middle class, my dad was in the Air Force for several years and later worked in a union job, almost everyone's dad did back then. My mom mostly stayed at home and would work part time so we could have a good Christmas. They paid off their mortgage in what would seem a very short time by today's standards, we went on trips to Disneyland, drove nice cars, went to public school and were encouraged to attend College or University in some far away future. If I had kids I would want them to grow up like that, not rich, I like the idea of a middle class, it's what other countries admire and why people want to live in North America as opposed to say Sierra Leone or Afghanistan. I don't want to single out countries but recall the UN called these places amongst the most corrupt and lowest living standards in the world.
I have honestly lost some sleep recently over the tax fight in the US, they are our largest trading partner and I want them to do well as their economy has consequences for us in Canada. The fight, extending tax cuts to all, including the top 1%, people like Bill Gates, Paris Hilton and Donald Trump, or only those making less than a quarter million. The rich have had it easy the past few decades and especially under the Bush tax plan. Since 1980, when Ronald Reagan started "trickle down economics" the income of the highest tax bracket has gone up 80% while for those in median brackets income has risen 3%, total stagnation for the middle class. The Bush tax cuts did not create jobs, in the 90's Clinton created 20 million jobs compared to 2 million created during the Bush era. Yet, Republicans are still yelling their heads off about "the rich create jobs". Little thought is given to the fact that if you or I do not have extra income we do not buy things thus less people are hired to make things. Or how about, we don't even make that many things anymore? About 90% of my recent Christmas shopping was made in China, even my Alberta scenes calendar was printed in Korea, what's with that?
I just don't "buy" this right wing lie that the wealthy create jobs, I don't care how much former reality TV star and co-host of the View, Elizabeth, yells it at me in the mornings! I have always worked for so-called "small business" and I can tell you they are helping no one but themselves. Like the theory of Communism, this theory of small business saving the world does not recognize basic human drive, self interest and greed.In my first real full time job I made $4.25/hr, the lowest legally possible at that time, while the owner drove his collection of foreign sports cars and we constantly had the police showing up at the restaurant looking for him to pay up on unpaid speeding tickets. I remember another " McLeans Magazine, self-made business woman of the year winner" I worked for, straight-faced telling all of us in the company that we must all work harder, and there is no money for a raise for anyone, as she drove a brand new Lexus to work everyday and took frequent shopping trips to New York. My generation was really on the shitty end of the stick during the 80's and 90's, corporations suddenly discovered that they could lay off half the staff and make the rest work harder to line their pockets, the era of social responsibility was over. The rest of us, the young and not educated enough were left to work at minimum wage jobs, so cry me a river current 20-somethings, we didn't have a hope in hell of an entry level job, let alone a career, ha ha don't make me laugh!
Sure, there are the odd super-rich people doing great things, maybe a little of what Oprah does is good, a little is about publicity too. This Week with Christiane Amanpour recently interviewed Ted Turner, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates who is responsible recently for funding the new AIDS drug breakthrough, hey cool, these guys are giving it all away and trying to do something positive. But they are in the minority I'm afraid. When I think of the super-rich I am reminded of another employment opportunity I had once, recreating a 17th Century gold leafed ceiling for a very bored oil executive wife. The house was nothing special, a large split level in a 1970's suburb, they were going to build a bigger house but thought they would spend without boundaries on this until that time came. Do you know the expression "more money than brains"? Aside from a gold leafed and intricately painted ceiling, there was an imported tile mosaic of a byzantine saint, reinforced floors for the imported marble throughout the entire house- complete with custom monogram, imported stone bathtubs, there was to be a mural of the Three Kings ascending the new staircase probably with an imported railing. And that was just the inside, outside she had torn up the entire yard, which is a travesty in this part of the world where trees take 20 years to grow, the plan was for imported English iron gates and a pink sandstone wall imported from India, really, in Calgary once known as the "Sandstone City" because of all the locally available sandstone!?!? I never stayed long enough to see this projects end, surprise, it kind of made me sick to my stomach to know that someone could blow what I owe on my mortgage on one shopping trip to Italy! Also, this insane Michael Jackson-ish project was taking forever! I remember this lady roaring up in some kind of tiny sports car, changing her mind about some detail or another and then pulling all of us aside to talk about where the new cast iron rabbit should be placed in the bathroom or how paint changes colour in different light and if it should be a shade darker or lighter, every detail had to be gone over and over again! Just let us finish something lady, I have to be able to get something done in a day when I work, I'm just crazy that way! It also put a chill on things when I had to negotiate my wage and she had someone else talk to me about it, and say what I was asking was too much, nice, I guess she was too busy to talk to the riff-raff artists who were trying to bring her personal Disneyland to life? I think about her every time I gas up my car, at least I know this money is going straight to some Italian marble quarry somewhere!
So, tax cuts for the rich? While the Republicans want to cut off Unemployment Benefits? So people like Paris Hilton can design purses to carry other people's cocaine? Hmmm, did anyone remember that Paris needs to have paying customers to buy those purses? It's economics 101.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
For The Benefactors Of Outrage
Back in my Art School days, in the 1990's, I think we spent about half our time working on projects, a quarter of our time talking about our projects and the remainder talking about censorship in the arts, it was a huge topic in those days. In the 90's Madonna caused controversy with her Sex Book and Sinead O'Conner ruined her career by ripping up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live, Christian groups were outraged! In Alberta the newly elected Premier, Ralph Klein, took issue with a certain lesbian Art Exhibit, maybe it showed vagina's and my parents generation was swallowing their dentures everywhere just at the thought of it. The effect of the media outrage was to have Alberta cancel funding to the Arts. We all knew the Ultra-Conservative Ralph wanted to cancel Arts funding, all Conservatives despise the arts, too much freedom of expression I think, all he needed was an excuse and a media circus to do it. It's funny because I don't recall any outrage when Britney Spears was flashing her kooch any chance she got yet people were upset in my city when the lesbians held their own Pride Parade carrying signs like "Snatch The Pride", I thought that was clever. People always seem to be angry at lesbian lady parts and not angry at Spears, I guess if straight guys think they have a chance then they are all for freedom of expression?
Considering all the outrageousness of this day and age from Lady Gaga to anything your children are seeing on the internet, it's hard to believe Conservatives still look for this issue in our time. Case in point, a recent exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery,NPG, in Washington DC. For the first time the NPG is exhibiting works by Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trasnsgendered, LGBT, artists called, Hide/Seek, Difference and Desire in American Portraiture, featuring 105 artists including Georgia O'Keefe and Andy Warhol. Of course this is gold for the Conservative CNS News who is raising a fuss about a certain four minute video piece that depicts a crucifix with ants crawling over it entitled "A Fire In My Belly", intended to depict the suffering of an AIDS patient. So the Catholic League also had to jump into this and call it something along the line of assaulting Christian sensibilities. Now we have House Republicans demanding investigations and cutting funding to the Smithsonian, the NPG is a branch of it. In-coming Republican House Speaker John Boehner, said of the exhibit "American families have a right to expect better from recipients of taxpayer funds in a tough economy." Oh god, spare me the outrage please! Turns out the only funding the Smithsonian receives is for the building, upkeep, care of exhibits, and staff, funding for this and other exhibits comes from private and Corporate donors. Where is the call to freedom of expression rights we hear when the right-wing defends obvious racist slurs from Tea Partiers or the defense of Ann Coulters right to spew her hatred in my country? (Which probably breaks our hate laws). Yeah I know, we learned this during the Ground Zero mosque garbage, the right-wing has the Constitution behind them and they can do and say whatever they like, but if they don't like you or can make political hay out of it, then you don't have the right. You can't argue ignorance though.
To me, and many others, the Arts are essential to our culture, they entertain and inform, challenge belief and attitudes, reflect, encourage the very democratic and free exchange of ideas, all the things we hold near and dear in Western democracies. I do not give a flying fig what the Catholic League of whoever have to say about anything, please go deal with your own scandals right now, don't get me started on that stuff! I think both our countries in North America have long ago embraced the idea of freedom of religion, that also means freedom from religion, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and is not subject to a government approved religion. So when I hear whoever religious group is enraged, or engorged, over an idea they find offensive it reminds me of one thing, cartoons. Remember when certain Muslim groups were so angry over a perceived cartoon of Mohammed? I think it ended in the murder of a Van Gogh descendant in Holland, a friend of mine thought World War III was going to start over this cartoon outrage. I don't think I'm wrong in thinking all of us who value Western ideas of freedom of expression were taken aback by the reaction in Muslim countries? This is also what I think when I hear about outrage over pieces of Art. I thought this was why we are at war with the Taliban, because they are dangerous religious extremists who hate criticism and ideas other than what they deem correct?
Considering all the outrageousness of this day and age from Lady Gaga to anything your children are seeing on the internet, it's hard to believe Conservatives still look for this issue in our time. Case in point, a recent exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery,NPG, in Washington DC. For the first time the NPG is exhibiting works by Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trasnsgendered, LGBT, artists called, Hide/Seek, Difference and Desire in American Portraiture, featuring 105 artists including Georgia O'Keefe and Andy Warhol. Of course this is gold for the Conservative CNS News who is raising a fuss about a certain four minute video piece that depicts a crucifix with ants crawling over it entitled "A Fire In My Belly", intended to depict the suffering of an AIDS patient. So the Catholic League also had to jump into this and call it something along the line of assaulting Christian sensibilities. Now we have House Republicans demanding investigations and cutting funding to the Smithsonian, the NPG is a branch of it. In-coming Republican House Speaker John Boehner, said of the exhibit "American families have a right to expect better from recipients of taxpayer funds in a tough economy." Oh god, spare me the outrage please! Turns out the only funding the Smithsonian receives is for the building, upkeep, care of exhibits, and staff, funding for this and other exhibits comes from private and Corporate donors. Where is the call to freedom of expression rights we hear when the right-wing defends obvious racist slurs from Tea Partiers or the defense of Ann Coulters right to spew her hatred in my country? (Which probably breaks our hate laws). Yeah I know, we learned this during the Ground Zero mosque garbage, the right-wing has the Constitution behind them and they can do and say whatever they like, but if they don't like you or can make political hay out of it, then you don't have the right. You can't argue ignorance though.
To me, and many others, the Arts are essential to our culture, they entertain and inform, challenge belief and attitudes, reflect, encourage the very democratic and free exchange of ideas, all the things we hold near and dear in Western democracies. I do not give a flying fig what the Catholic League of whoever have to say about anything, please go deal with your own scandals right now, don't get me started on that stuff! I think both our countries in North America have long ago embraced the idea of freedom of religion, that also means freedom from religion, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and is not subject to a government approved religion. So when I hear whoever religious group is enraged, or engorged, over an idea they find offensive it reminds me of one thing, cartoons. Remember when certain Muslim groups were so angry over a perceived cartoon of Mohammed? I think it ended in the murder of a Van Gogh descendant in Holland, a friend of mine thought World War III was going to start over this cartoon outrage. I don't think I'm wrong in thinking all of us who value Western ideas of freedom of expression were taken aback by the reaction in Muslim countries? This is also what I think when I hear about outrage over pieces of Art. I thought this was why we are at war with the Taliban, because they are dangerous religious extremists who hate criticism and ideas other than what they deem correct?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)