primalmommy on mon 23 sep 02
This isn't news to anybody, but one problem here is the idea that you
can prejudge a group of people based on one variable. By that logic all
muslims are terrorists, all christians are prudish about nudity, all
artists think the same, all potters should work with the same
philosophy, all homeschoolers are fundamentalist christians, all
republicans.... all women.... all americans... all blacks.... all
liberals...arabs... jews... fill in the blank. We often say "there are
always exceptions of course" but then proceed on our merry way,
unswayed.
As a not-particularly-theistic unitarian myself, I love the bumper
sticker that says "assume nothing". In our UU church the earth-centered
pagan mom sits in the pew beside the bible-focused one, talking about
night nursing and teething. At the pot luck, the boy scout leader sits
next to the gay activist, talking politics. The class on buddhism and
meditation, the social action group, the yoga sessions, are full of
lapsed catholics and new-agey types, multi-pierced teens, gen-xers, blue
haired elderly ladies in pillbox hats- all finding something in common
to talk about.
Unitarians agree on a few basic principles -- things like the importance
of democratic system, the individual's inherent worth and dignity,
stewardship of the planet, etc... none of which require a belief in god.
Sermons hold out bits of wisdom from jesus and moses and buddha and
mother theresa and albert einstein and anyone who has changed our world,
but we agree that spiritual search is lifelong and evolving... and
intensely personal, so the person beside us will have not the same
questions (or answers). In a perfect world we humanists, theists, etc.
would all be secure enough in our own search to welcome dialogue with
folks of diverse beliefs, collecting what may be of use and letting the
rest pass. And to support each other in the (universal) search for (non
universal) truths.
Some new yorkers were moved to tears by the sculpture of the tumbling
woman, others were offended. So should artists be limited in their
pallets to one or two of the more pleasant human emotions? of course
not. It would be nice, as mel said, for people to have a choice whether
to view disturbing work... whether to enter the museum or not. But this
brings me to what I see as the second problem:
In the "concern" over whether someone might be offended by this
sculpture, the media has put this image into the living rooms of
virtually every family in the nation. How many of you are throwing away
the TV set because it exposed you to an offensive image without your
prior consent? Do you see the irony here?
It's like the couple who were so offended by the sight of me
breastfeeding my child (on bench, in a quiet corner of an amusement
park, behind a large stroller) that they summoned another couple and
pointed us out -- they all leaned over, craning their necks to see
around the stroller and catch a glimpse of this atrocity. Going out of
their way to be offended.
Too bad reality has no delete button...
Shouldn't we all take responsibility for what we choose to look at? But
when I tell people I don't watch TV I get a lot of crap about it. "How
can you stick your head in the sand? How can you just rely on the sunday
paper?" I live with my husband who DOES watch some TV, but I choose to
exercise some choice about what to let in, and when. When I read the
internet headlines about the woman videotaped beating her child, I knew
I would head for the studio when he turned on the 11:00 news. What
responsibility do I have to watch that? Who would be helped?
too many people eat whatever crap is sold to them, having no idea what
it is or whether it's good for them... too many people sit with their
mouths open watching whatever titillation the media can use to keep them
tuned in, whether or not is is doing their souls any good. It's a diet
of feel-good with moments of horror, all spiced with
minding-imaginary-people's-juicy-business. We're becoming completely
passive, "second hand experience junkies", more acquainted with the
relationships of imaginary sitcom characters than our own families. We
know what's going on in afghanistan but don't know our neighbors, or
care to involve ourselves in the problems in our own communities. Kids
sit in schools being told what (experts say) they should know to live
lives (experts say) they should lead, and we sit on couches watching
other people (real and imaginary) having experiences that require no
participation on our part.
I know I sound cantankerous for my age, but when I turned 40 i suddenly
got fed up with people who have it all figured out -- foreign policy,
parenting, censorship, poverty, the environment -- enough to
self-assuredly pontificate for hours about their own particular
enlightenment -- but they're not DOING a damn thing about it. Knowing
what all the problems are, having the well studied philosophy, feeling
for social inequity are all lovely and make us sound quite fascinating
at parties... but then....? Actions speak louder than words. Of course,
action would require putting down the remote and geting off the couch...
Yours, Kelly in Ohio... working on a snail-mail thank you note for a
clayarter who blew me away with a Random Act of Kindness, just when I
needed it most... who would have imagined the UPS man bearing gifts from
the East...
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Michele Jurist on mon 23 sep 02
Amen, Kelly.
My son, who is 18 and a web designer is so used to his computer
control/alt/delete key that when he paints on canvas and makes a mistake, he
said his first instinct is to be reaching for that key for that
instantaneous erase button. It would be nice if there were such a key in
life, we could all correct our misdoings so easily. But, learn we do,
anyway (hopefully).
You really are a wise woman.
Michele in Seattle
----- Original Message -----
From: "primalmommy"
To:
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 12:14 PM
Subject: art and god and passivity
>>
>
>
> Too bad reality has no delete button...
> I know I sound cantankerous for my age, but when I turned 40 i suddenly
> got fed up with people who have it all figured out -- foreign policy,
> parenting, censorship, poverty, the environment -- enough to
> self-assuredly pontificate for hours about their own particular
> enlightenment -- but they're not DOING a damn thing about it. Knowing
> what all the problems are, having the well studied philosophy, feeling
> for social inequity are all lovely and make us sound quite fascinating
> at parties... but then....? Actions speak louder than words. Of course,
> action would require putting down the remote and geting off the couch...
> Yours, Kelly in Ohio... working on a snail-mail thank you note for a
> clayarter who blew me away with a Random Act of Kindness, just when I
> needed it most... who would have imagined the UPS man bearing gifts from
> the East...
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________________________
> Sign up for FREE iVillage newsletters .
> From health and pregnancy to shopping and relationships, iVillage
> has the scoop on what matters most to you.
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
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>
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Elca Branman on mon 23 sep 02
Kelly,you keep on ranting, girl. You are GOOD!!!
Elca Branman,in Sarasota Florida
elcab1@juno.com
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