A Couple More Not-So-Quick Observations...
Sex and Violence
We really, really need to stop conflating these two unlike things. I recently saw A Clockwork Orange:Remix at Open Circle Theatre and then had to rewatch the movie from which it was adapted, and it really struck me that if these two activities weren't so unnecessarily tied together in the human consciousness, we would all be much happier and healthier. For the official human record (consider this a corollary to my 'Truth!' columns), violence is a bad thing, sex is a good thing, and there is no no NO reason for them to be equated. To do so is insane. Violence is about making someone feel bad. Sex is about making one or more people feel good. If sex feels bad, something is wrong. Similarly if violence feels good, something is also wrong. The phrase "Sex and Violence" should not exist as an inextricable pairing, but as a pair of opposites like black an white, this and that, or Yin and Yang. This may seem a little overblown, but I think it's actually possible that if sex and violence could be divorced in the minds of all humans, rape would no longer occur. So that's your assignment, readers: Figure out how to correct the thinking of every living person. If you can figure out how to do that...well, I've got some other things I'd like you to work on too.
Thank God
If you win an oscar or a grammy or a golden globe, don't thank God. There are a number of reasons for this. First off, it's conceited to believe that God favored you over all the others that didn't win. Second, unless you were planning on blaming God if you lost, thanking him for the victory has no meaning. Third, a being that can create a nebula, let alone an entire universe, has more interesting things to look at than your shitty movie. Fourth, God does not exist and deep down you know it; you're just afraid to admit it because you think it might be a test of your faith. Fifth, and most important, thank yourself. If you have worked hard enough to master an artistic discipline, if you had the vision to create a piece of art, if you have managed to touch an audience in some way, a fictional deity didn't do that; You did and you desreve to feel good about it. In fact the effort that a limited human artist puts into even the easiest project is far more than what an omnipotent being puts into creating the universe. Even if God did exist and did help, by God's own nature it would be impossible for him to exert effort in doing so. Only the limited can exert effort. Thank yourself. It was your sweat, not God's.
We really, really need to stop conflating these two unlike things. I recently saw A Clockwork Orange:Remix at Open Circle Theatre and then had to rewatch the movie from which it was adapted, and it really struck me that if these two activities weren't so unnecessarily tied together in the human consciousness, we would all be much happier and healthier. For the official human record (consider this a corollary to my 'Truth!' columns), violence is a bad thing, sex is a good thing, and there is no no NO reason for them to be equated. To do so is insane. Violence is about making someone feel bad. Sex is about making one or more people feel good. If sex feels bad, something is wrong. Similarly if violence feels good, something is also wrong. The phrase "Sex and Violence" should not exist as an inextricable pairing, but as a pair of opposites like black an white, this and that, or Yin and Yang. This may seem a little overblown, but I think it's actually possible that if sex and violence could be divorced in the minds of all humans, rape would no longer occur. So that's your assignment, readers: Figure out how to correct the thinking of every living person. If you can figure out how to do that...well, I've got some other things I'd like you to work on too.
Thank God
If you win an oscar or a grammy or a golden globe, don't thank God. There are a number of reasons for this. First off, it's conceited to believe that God favored you over all the others that didn't win. Second, unless you were planning on blaming God if you lost, thanking him for the victory has no meaning. Third, a being that can create a nebula, let alone an entire universe, has more interesting things to look at than your shitty movie. Fourth, God does not exist and deep down you know it; you're just afraid to admit it because you think it might be a test of your faith. Fifth, and most important, thank yourself. If you have worked hard enough to master an artistic discipline, if you had the vision to create a piece of art, if you have managed to touch an audience in some way, a fictional deity didn't do that; You did and you desreve to feel good about it. In fact the effort that a limited human artist puts into even the easiest project is far more than what an omnipotent being puts into creating the universe. Even if God did exist and did help, by God's own nature it would be impossible for him to exert effort in doing so. Only the limited can exert effort. Thank yourself. It was your sweat, not God's.
posted by John McKenna at 1:13 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home