The 2 guys who put up a Halloween display involving every square inch of the exterior of their property have a great sense of humor. An effigy of John McCain is seen emerging from artificial flames emitting from his chimney (cue laugh track). An effigy of Sarah Palin is hanging from a noose around her neck that is also tied around the chimney (cue laugh track again).
Relax, folks! It's peformance art.
My sense of humor does not extend this far because I think it's disgusting to hang anyone in effigy, especially when the media is called in to hype the display and defend the right of the artists to display publicly their performance art. Anyone in the neighborhood is subject to the display, whether they want to see it or not. Passers-by have no right to complain that it is offensive because (ta-da) it's just art! Get over it, people!
When I think we're pretty much as low as we can go as a society, someone finds another way to dig us deeper into the pit.
Of course, we can argue that were it Obama hanged in effigy, it continuing to hang from the chimney not only would be a moot point, but the performance artists would be in jail as that would be a racial attack that crosses a legal line. However, because it's a white woman politician hanging from the noose around her neck, it's okay because it's all in fun. Performance art that not just the entire neighborhood is forced to enjoy, but now the state and, perhaps, the national community. What a great role model for other performance artists to emulate. And kids: imagine how much bang for their buck kids can find in the fun of hanging someone from a chimney ... hopefully only in effigy, rather than as a prank that could go horribly wrong!
But, dammit, keep religious symbols and creches OFF the public lawns and church properties during the Christian Christmas holidays less we violate someone's religious beliefs and offend them with disgusting displays of a family gathered around a baby in a manger!
Right.
Another way to look at the display is that it's wrong regardless of the color of the skin on the effigy! Take the damned display down and stop the national media from hyping the "fun" of decorating for Halloween by hanging an effigy of a candidate for Vice President of the United States of America!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I once heard "your rights end where mine begin" and it stuck with me. In the case of such a public display, the owners rights to display it end where his neighbors rights not to see it and/or to protect those who may be impressionable (i.e., children) begin.
If they want to make an "artistic" expression, then this display should be done in an artists forum-- a gallery or similar where people can *choose* whether they want to see the artist's message. Out in the public like this, people do not have the right to 'change the channel' and get away from it.
Why is this concept so hard for people to grasp?
Post a Comment