Paradise Re-regained

"...in evil hour thou didst give eare
To that false Worm, of whomsoever taught
To counterfet Mans voice, true in our Fall,
False in our promis'd Rising; since our Eyes 
Op'nd we find indeed, and find we know
Both Good and Evil, Good lost, and Evil got..."

 -Adam

Not to beat a dead horse or anything but alas, Brooklyn based artist Vincent Como is up to his old tricks again. You remember Como?... The guy who works in black only! Well, Como has recently installed a series of lofty paintings at Minus Space that are (loosely) based on Milton's Paradise Lost. The works in this series are -of course- Como's signature black paintings but with the added gimmick of shelves that are installed below each painting; on the shelves are rows of black drip candles that burn for the duration of the installation. Como sees this as a "challenge [to] the viewer’s sense of history, memory, evolution, and transcendence"
I wrote a Como review at the start of this year and this recent exhibition is a glaring confirmation of the crux of the article in which I summed up Como's process... in one word: unoriginal

Como's "new" Paradise Lost is reminiscent of a work done by Spencer Finch in 2009 (an artist who I am told Como admires and has even collected) …even the use of a literary reference is similar.

366 (EMILY DICKINSON’S MIRACULOUS YEAR)
2009
This work is based on the year 1862, Emily Dickinson’s annus mirabilis, when she wrote an amazing 366 poems in 365 days. It is a real-time memorial to that year, which burns for exactly one year. The sculpture is comprised of 366 individual candles arranged in linear sequence, each of which burns for 24 hours. The color of each candle matches a color mentioned in the corresponding poem; poems in which no color is mentioned are made out of natural paraffin.

See image:
http://www.spencerfinch.com/public/uploads/37/MG_5621_flat.jpg

Sympathy for the devil

We've been told that the younger of the two Boston Marathon bombers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had a history of being an all around "good kid". Some seem shocked that a mild mannered, intelligent student from a culturally diverse Cambridge school system had somehow taken a turn for the worst. How could it be that a seemingly well adjusted American teenager with "moony eyes and a fuzzy halo of hair" would turn killer?!... some ask, where did we go wrong? The sway that youth and superficial beauty seems to have over our society's thought process has always been a disturbing phenomenon but this time something is really off. This eagerness to identify with murderous perpetrators -over the victims even- coming from more than a few within our intellectual circles goes beyond a mere aid to psychological analysis and into the realm of morbid self deprecation. Relating to a mass murderer through some superficial tie is ludicrous in my view. I have an acquaintance who is an avid boxing fan, he has followed the sweet science his entire life and yet he didn't connect with the older Tamerlan Tsarnaev (a boxer) for one second. On the other side of the spectrum, I myself am a Dostoyevsky fanatic and yet the fact that Saddam Hussein had a translated copy of Crime and Punishment  in his bunker didn't elicit any shock or awe within me. Nor was I left in existential turmoil when Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) allegedly supported the Fatwa against Salman Rushdie; I well understood that it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that even a seasoned humanitarian could devolve from Peace Train  to extreme radical thinking over time. So I disagree with writer Lisa Miller who in a recent NYmag article labeled this crime a simple case of "angry young men" and testosterone gone wild...a gender/biological based analysis of this nature is way out in left field as there has been no shortage of female suicide bombers who have left a definitive mark on the Arab landscape (we'll save this for another time though). There are many reasons why our youth kill but we shouldn't make the mistake of confusing or muddling the specifics with a postmodern blurring of the lines. There is a traceable root of evil in every heinous act. Pretty boy -club kid- Michael Alig for instance had sexual turmoil and drug abuse to blame for his crime but the far more atrocious Boston marathon slaughters were a different beast altogether. These calculated killings were fueled primarily by radical Islamic views. This hate dogma is so potent that we see a young man who was not coming from a place of isolation, poverty, abuse etc. resort to a blatant and brutal act of terror against the very community that embraced him. Even so, there seems to be a strange spirit of cultural denial that has taken hold of our intelligentsia's collective psyche which causes us to turn a blind eye to transgressions coming from the "other". They say the devil is in the details but sometimes he hides in plain view, much like those two backpacks left on a Boston sidewalk.

Burnt to a Crisp

As promised, I now give you the full political/social debate between myself and Tennessee born, Harlem based artist Damien (Southern-man) Crisp. This is a rather daunting yet illuminating body of text that exposes the workings of a paranoid, delusional and deceitful mind. Damien Crisp is quite the megalomaniac and that makes this segment entertaining on one level but the darker side of Crisp's kind of thinking is quite unnerving.  Crisp's pseudo political persona borders on the pathological and his anarchic views could actually be dangerous if he had the constitution of a Jim Jones or a David Koresh, but thankfully he does not. Crisp is more akin to a very watered down David Horowitz, (post-1985 of course). The truly tragic thing in all of this is the fact that there is a large segment of our population that operates under this particular brand of hate. It is not Crisp's construction, it is a garden variety form of self loathing disguised as social consciousness and it works on many levels within our society...especially in the arts.

In regards to Crisps fabricated accusations towards me of racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and even worse Right Wing Conservatism ...these are of course completely unfounded. Crisp in his typical fashion resorted to outright slander after he took a beating during this debate. Below is the exchange in its entirety (of which he had conveniently deleted) 

-------------------------------------------------

[The Debate]

Justin Town: @DW, In those Nazi propaganda adds "You see a mother and father and child, all white of course..."  and you compare this to the “American dream” of the 1950’s.

First, “ all white of course” is right! As if depicting white German families was a cultural mishap during that specific place and time? Germans were primarily white, were they supposed to include Asians or Hispanics in their propaganda posters?! It seems like you have well embraced the American multicultural ideal (which for better or worse comes to us by way of propaganda as well). Besides, I'll take that 1950's picture of Home, family, car over the current inner city "Bling", fast food disposable mega-violent culture any day, be it black, white or even German!

Damien Crisp: Justin, the 1950s home doesnt exist.

Justin Town: Well Damien, that is because we are now in 2013. but quite frankly everything exists on some level...and besides, it seems that idealistically you yourself are continually calling for this kind of 1950's domestic peace & order model with all your "radical" musings that beg a solution... "and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness.." lol – Remember that Robert F. Kennedy quote you posted?

Justin Town: You know,  ...equality, opportunity, the right to happiness globally for ever and ever...

Damien Crisp: "To murder several runners using bombs at a sporting event is terrorism. To murder 175 children using military drones is U.S. policy. We should accept neither. We should fight against both." See list of children murdered by US drone attacks!

Justin Town: Sure, and that list of "children"...or teens rather, are the same youths who would in all probability kill and/or die to rid the world of the Western devil, gays, feminists, artists "enlightened" thinkers etc. etc.... Don't believe the cultural relativism hype!

Justin Town:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/08/03/honor-killing-pakistani-parents-found-guilty-of-suffocating-teenage-daughter-who-refused-forced-marriage-to-her-1st-cousin/

Justin Town: just one example of MANY...that's how large segments of that culture rolls as policy!

Justin Town: note the source: TheBlaze, lol!!!...that is my little dig to you. Being a liberal myself I could have pulled articles of this nature from a more reputable site but hey, I need to light a fire under your radical ass …the facts remain nonetheless.

Damien Crisp: Do you have a point Justin?

Justin Town: oh Damien, I just made a few and I have many more points...just like a porcupine. lol...as do you

Justin Town: ...mine are just more varied.

Damien Crisp: Your points are dumb. How many American parents kill their kids? Plenty. Does this typify American christians?

Damien Crisp: The misinfo about Islam is ridiculous.

Justin Town: Who said Islam? We were talking honor killings as policy in the arab countries and angry Arab youths in militant areas who are brainwashed to harbor a desire to rid the world of the Western devil. i.e., gays, feminists, artists, jews, "enlightened" thinkers etc. etc? No misinfo...well documented from all sides. More specific for you?

Justin Town: and you ask: “How many American parents kill their kids?” in response to honor killings? I knew that was coming...the answer: little by comparison. But the bigger question is how many of these Americans kill their kids by way of religious/social/cultural policy like they do in Arab countries?

Damien Crisp: It keeps hate mongers, small minded people, preoccupied.

Justin Town: Not sure where you are going with that but ok? Lol

Justin Town: American’s murdering their kids… boy do you love to cherry pick data.

Justin Town: you might as well defriend cause you know I will pee-pee solid on your politico sand castles!

Damien Crisp: American ideology is more invisible extremely oppressive. It was largely created by social experiments by corporations and the government. At its center is the idea of the individual and not society, greed and not unity - so I would say the strange ways American parents kill their kids is related to the principles of our society.

Justin Town: lol!!!! Oh right, invisible American ideology! how easy that claim is... and extremely oppressive in comparison to the very transparent Muslim ideologies! Very good Damien.

Damien Crisp: It is history justin.

Damien Crisp: You haven't said anything intelligent and u posted a link from some extremely corrupted corporate media.

Justin Town: I already explained my choice of source...focus Damien

Damien Crisp: Let's see.. i give historical examples, full sentences - you - no argument? just attacks

Justin Town: I see where you are going now, attacks really? you are starting to sound like Todd Levin. Lol

Damien Crisp: Again - what exactly is your point? A family in Pakistan killed their daughter and you think that excuses murdering 175 children with drones? Is that your argument?

Justin Town: Back to honor killings again? Well, it’s more than one family Damien, it is a cultural phenomena actually. And who said honor killing excuses murdering 175 children with drones? Mr. Crisp you are becoming desperate, don't put words in my mouth you snake you

Justin Town: and so now I ask you ...so what is your point?...innocents killed in Boston and that has something to do with drone strikes?

Justin Town: ...you do like to flip from micro to macro when it suits your argument don't you

Damien Crisp: My point is America is a murderous empire and our economy rests on bombing people everyday. Where is the empathy for people who are not Americans?

Justin Town: "...If America is a murderous empire, leave then you enabler.

Damien Crisp: You are obsessed with me and have no argument.

Justin Town: Obsessed with you? hahaha! So now this becomes about you? Obsession indeed… just look at your whole shtick!

Damien Crisp: You've been around a while. You have a strange obsession with me - and you have no argument other than your obsession with me..? Again what is your point?

Justin Town: Oh boy! More of this obsession...what a narcissist! What is my point? Well actually you were the one who got off point...focus Damien!!!

Damien Crisp: Yes - here we go... the real reason you are here: tell me - what is my "shtick"? I know you - whoever you are - are such a hateful ignorant human you believe everyone has a "schtick".

Damien Crisp: Tell me about your obsession with me... is it sexual?

Justin Town: It’s obvious that you really want to turn this into something sexual but I'm afraid we shan't go there, regressing much?...get back on point Damien. Lol

Damien Crisp: Come on now... I've watched you.. I saw what you did at the gagosian page.. etc etc.. tell me..

Justin Town: Oh, so you've watched me have you? creepy. so this is still going to be about you? ...well, it seems like you are the one obsessed with Gagosian and Bush. What’s with that… Is it sexual?

Damien Crisp: No, its political.

Justin Town: Right, political. Really made a dent with that one! And regards to my concern with you, that was one small article I wrote (and Jerry Saltz was the main focus). Obsessed!? lol You ARE a typical arrogant American.

Damien Crisp: So go on now... you have a theory I have a whole schtick... please share... you've given it some thought?

Justin Town: ...I already have, it's your serve.

Damien Crisp: no you haven't -... your whole shtick - is not descriptive. You are a typical asshole!

Justin Town: "typical asshole"? Ooooh!  very witty Damien. And Very politically relevant…I see you got a like on that one as well.

Justin Town: and "your whole shtick" - is not the only thing I wrote Damien. Go reread

Damien Crisp: Yes Lori Ellison - it is the drivel of Justin Town.

Justin Town: Damien try to stay in line with the thread...we can all see you’ve tried real hard to derail. Give my regards to that hag Ellison by the way. Lol

----- time lapse

Justin Town: ...and so (silence) ...I gotta git Southern man. You took too long to respond. Think about it some more, exchange notes with Lori and get back to me.

-----time lapse

Damien Crisp: So once more.. your point is? Some family killed a child in pakistan and that means killing 175 children with drones is ok? You're sticking with that? Plus something about my "shole shtick' and being an arrogant American?I give you an F for your effort. That means failing grade.

Damien Crisp: About as incompetent as the hateful, racist, ignorant articles on your blog.

Justin Town: oh, so are we going around in circles some more? Nope, "Some family killed a child in pakistan and that means killing 175 children with drones is ok?" These are your words and weird interpretation of the thread. again, ...so what is your point...innocents killed in Boston and that has something to do with drone strikes? You do love to pull things out of context. but more importantly, if America is "a murderous empire and our economy rests on bombing people everyday."...why are you here enabling it?

...oh but wait, you are here to change the political climate by creating a fake Gagosian page among other great accomplishments. Lol

Justin Town: and you write that my blogs are “Incompetent, hateful, racist, ignorant statements”? How about these from you, right here and now: "You are a typical asshole.", "Tell me about your obsession with me... is it sexual?", "so I would say the strange ways American parents kill their kids is related to the principles of our society.", "Your points are dumb."...and so on.  (sigh)

Justin Town: ...ok, I have really indulged long enough with this nonsense. Ciao

-----short time lapse

Damien Crisp: In addition to my Gagosian page - I am an organizer for a freedom school.. the history of which dates back to the civil rights struggle during segregation - filling in where schools fail for the marginalized. Also an organizer with a new group from occupy that will use its resources to help other social justice projects... lets see.. what else have i done to help change...

Trixie Rioux: Just in Town Jesus loves you too.

Justin Town: Oh, good for you Damien, really, Wow!!!...and you are an "American" as well?! Who would have guessed?...wait, an offshoot of OWS (for social justice)?! Funny, when I first heard of the bombings I didn't think Muslim extremists, I thought some fringe group of the ows movement! Very assuming of me I suppose. lol Hey Trix, I'm an atheist...good try though.

Justin Town: ...so Damien, do you also organize this group with ideals that are "related to the principles of our society."?...like the “American parents who kill their children"? Remember that quote? So you fancy yourself an educational organizer – “filling in where schools fail for the marginalized.” How very empowering that must be for you. The old saying "care is control" is definitely applicable here.

 ...you garden variety sheltered American radical you! Crisp, with your black & white thinking I feel you missed your calling...you really should have been a Baptist preacher.

Justin Town: Lastly, your generic views are boring and your political approach is comparable to a kid who just found out there is no Santa Claus and so refuses to put down any more cookies for his elves...but still opens the presents.

Ah, analogies! gotta love em'

Damien Crisp: Justin Town - you an take your hateful xenophobia disguised as pseudo rational thought and shove it up your ass. you are an idiot. A horrible, hateful disgusting human being. You don't deserve another sentence.

Justin Town: Well then,  you take this with you… America has a wide range of cultural modes, views and lifestyles spread across a vast playing field. The Middle east (barring differences in religious dogma) has shown solidarity within an all encompassing cultural view/tradition that involves but is not limited to homophobic, misogynistic and elitist tendencies. It is an antagonistic culture that has stubbornly remained unchanged for thousands of years. Between praying and procreating there is war, war and more war. Honor killing for instance is a cultural tradition in many of these countries. Hate is a sanctioned policy in many of these countries. Women's rights, gay rights and individual rights are virtually non-existent (by OUR standards) So to compare the mindset of say the civilians in the Middle East that were killed by American military to that of the children murdered in the Boston tragedy is ludicrous. (Innocence indeed) ...and the devil is in the details whether we like it or not. Many of these "innocent" civilians in all probability were reared to hate Americans/Westerners (prior to even the first Gulf war) especially the ones in the specific regions in which radical militants conjugate; the children in Boston in all probability did not have this violent (anti-other) world view and therein lies one major difference. Nonetheless, most Americans condemn the death of civilians under any circumstance. Too bad many in the Middle East couldn't claim as much. The other difference is that the US military does not target children or "innocents" as policy...the Boston bomber(s) obviously did; as do most Islamic militants. For you to try and parallel the US military with terrorists is a gross distortion to say the least. Besides, I already suggested the Boston bombing might be homegrown...and if this turns out to be the case then the act would have been an exception to our social rule.

Damien Crisp: You are the one preaching and rationalizing still that innocent children deserved to die becaus ethey are Muslim? YOu are a piece of trash.

Justin Town: your words fact bender.

Damien Crisp: The US does kill innocents as a matter of policy - and has for a long time

Justin Town: sure thing, especially if you say so…but show me this “policy”, oh wait it’s invisible, as you already said.

-----time lapse

(Damien then relays his version of the exchange above to his minions)…and they come out of the woodwork in full force!

[New Post]

"Justin Town is disgusting xenophobic, hateful, racist, spiteful, obsessed piece of shit and should be deleted if he is your friend. Anyone who thinks it is ok to kill innocent children because they are Muslim deserves no time in anyone's life." -Damien Crisp    

John Michael Carico: How do people remain so wilfully ignorant and cognitively dissonant

Damien Crisp: I don't know - he just went on and on with semi-rational but ultimately meaningless ramblings justifying himself and attacking me... all day... I checked out for several hours and returned to find paragraphs of confused ramblings about me - about how I'm wrong about everything just in general, in life - and about how I am wrong to say we should mourn deaths here and abroad. Just idiotic rambling.

Damien Crisp: Who spends all day and night on someone's page attacking them? How weird. If I don't like someone, I don't read them.

Damien Crisp: I told him to shove his brain dead logic up his ass and blocked him.

Dustin Wagner: Well I went and checked out his page. Reported what I could. I suggest others do the same. Ill block him later after Im through.

Damien Crisp: Really kind of scary if I stop to think about it.

John Michael Carico: Hes jealous of your "celebrity" and piggybacking on th hate bandwagon, or some shit. Basically insecure

Dustin Wagner: Id agree with John after checking out his mostly bland and boring FB page you can see he just wants to be like Damien.

He even has a quote that implies such.

Something about it being human nature to take those down who you think are above you and to put on pedestals those you think are below you....

Dustin Wagner: Otherwise unless he is some violent something or other I don't see him being more than a pissant complainer.

Damien Crisp: He is just a blogger - a self described cultural critic - I've read over his articles.. each one is a strange exercise in being offensive to someone, completely baseless, hateful, xenophobic, sexist, oddly racist with too much thought put into it.. just really bad. I am the lefty target.

Paul Artz: - Maybe you should always refer to him as The Comedian, or, perhaps, the failed comedian.

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: Don't know him. Don't seem to know anyone who does. Maybe it's time to enable that FB "Graph Search" thing and weed out anyone it turns up.

Damien Crisp: graph search?

Damien Crisp: good idea

             

Damien Crisp: where is that?

             

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: If you do a search for some name or subject in the FB field at the top, there may be a green button at the bottom to either enable Graph Search or get a beta version when they're done invading our priv— Erm, tinkering with it.

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: The bottom of the "first few results" pull-down/tab, I mean.

Damien Crisp: i'll have to unblock him but...

             

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: Wait until the douche is asleep, then. Well, technically, he SHOULD be (as should you), but we both know trolls run on mania, caffeine, and unicorn tears.

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: Wow, he/she/it IS really dedicated to your continued annoyance: http://i.imgur.com/2g8sana.jpg

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: Can I just get a shot of penicillin for whatever you've given me, D?

             

Damien Crisp: What an aggro -lol... I think penicillin gets rid of aggro xenophobic sexist racist hateful stalker types... this is some aggro dude.. better suited for the army, not art

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: Some art does come from anger, which is the most seductive of the passions, because it masks fear so well.

Damien Crisp: This is dumb anger though. Maybe a good Nascar design could be hatched from his brain - I've read his thoughts on art.. and, as with me, they are limited to insulting the people. And that is about it - except, he does have a lot to say on his incompetent blog when issues of race appear.

             

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: Well, it's clever enough to spam me and duck, so how dumb could it be? Besides, it's not as if I want to make you out to be tiddlywinks as a verbal sparring partner with someone like that, but I'd rather just have him excised from the Book of Face before I have to waste another word on him.

You give me the kindest blocked people, you do. I must remember to send you a fruitcake, next Xmas.

Dustin Wagner: I have graph search. If you post it, and your privacy settings allow it to be seen it will appear in graph search.

Also the organizational tools are pretty interesting.

However I get more info reading peoples pages. I also was blocked it looks like by Mr Town. Lol. Felt good.

John Michael Carico: He just contacted me

about an hour ago via mobile

Phillip A. Lewis-Emmer: Did you swab the point of contact thoroughly with alcohol or Purell?

             

John Michael Carico: Lmao. He just sent mea cryptic message. Which i refuse torepeat because idont negotiate with idiots

Mike Olavarria: Justin TOWN? Hmmmm- yeah right, more like Justin TODD! (JK, Edward Shott...) (JK, everybody!)

Damien Crisp: The 3 right wingers of art.

Damien Crisp: Something seems to have happened to his profile page.

Mike Olavarria: What happened to it?

Damien Crisp: The page is not there. For me. Not blocked, just not available.

Mike Olavarria: Looks like he's privatized all his previous posts- ahhhh, that's OK though...

Scott Davis: Maybe he's now Outta Town.

…and so on and so forth

-

Regarding the pain of others...revisited

[accusations]

"A death is a death. All dismembered bodies suffer varying degrees of appallingly identical agony ... and yet only one of these events dominates our media-fed consciousness." -Jonathan Green

"The obvious answer is that a bomb blast in Boston is a shock. In Iraq it is a commonplace. The more disturbing but no less obvious answer is that we instinctively put a greater value on familiar American lives" -JG 

"Finding a mutual respect for shared existence across the boundaries of geography, race, religion and class might also help us find peace." -JG 

"Giving each death its due would be a start." -JG

"It's factually correct that our media devotes more coverage to tragedies that affect rich white people. And it's a comment that is totally called for at a time when the media is devoting endless coverage to one tragedy while giving minimal coverage to a worse (in terms of lives lost) tragedy that happened at the same time." 
-DG

"The US, like Australia, is a settler state riding high on the spoils of genocide and the theft of the resources of people of colour. Of course we have empathy for those folks." -dubious the third

"That's the contrast that we always have on a day like today when it seems to many where we are overly focusing on what happens to rich white people in the West, versus what happens on a daily basis in those countries." -Virginia Trioli



[responses]

"Our response is not really surprising, nor does it really illustrate a social taboo. As people, most of us can only feel deep concern for a relatively small number of other people, and the degree of closeness influences how affected we are by what happens to them. The death of someone we love can be catastrophic, but on any given day that is only one of the thousands of human deaths that occurs - how could we cope if we were similarly affected by each and every death? So, we love those close to us, and feel empathy for those we do not know but whom we can identify with - the degrees of separation between us can influence how much empathy we feel.
While this is an uncomfortable truth, a moment's thought makes it clear that any other approach is, for most people, untenable. The idea of telescopic compassion (caring deeply for the distressed millions overseas, while neglecting those immediately around us) is cruelly, but accurately parodied in Dickens' character of Mrs Jellyby. She is a figure of ridicule, because her caring priorities are inverted (by the standards of most of her fellows). So, each of us can typically feel more personally affected by tragedies which seem to impinge on familiar situations - relatively few of us have been in a war zone, many of us have been at a public event in a large, western city. Hence the differing media coverage." - Melancholic

"An 8 year old is not a rich white person, anyone that would say or even agree with these comments is beneath contempt." -seajae

"Once again, Jonathan, this article demonstrates the inability of the collective to understand the way the world actually works. This time it is a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature.
People always care most about the people closest to them. People will grieve more deeply about the loss of a family member than the loss of somebody they have never met.
People will always be shocked more by a random act of violence, than they will by systematic violence between warring factions.
The last element is that rational people act within their circle of influence and avoid wasting energy on things they cannot influence." -Forrest Gardener

"We are worried about the US because we can see ourselves in them. The US is, like Australia, a western democracy, flawed and imperfect, but one in which there is a high degree of social and civil order, and in which the citizens by and large enjoy a good level of personal safety (the US may have a higher murder rate than most other western countries, but it's a fraction of the rates in places like Venezuela, Nigeria or Iraq). Differences there, as here, are pursued via discussion, debate, protest marches, fiery blogs and elections, not by bombs in market places or shootings of political opponents. So it is only reasonable that, when we see bombs going off at sporting events there, or on trains in the UK, we can relate them to our own situation, and wonder whether we too are vulnerable.
When we look at violence in Iraq or Afghanistan, we cannot translate what we see into the Australian context, because those societies are so different to ours; when we look at the US, we can make the connection." -frangipani

"All states are settler states when it comes down to it, Iraq no less than the US or Australia. 
The First Nations of the Americas were, after all, settlers themselves, quite often competing with earlier migrants for land and power. All of Europe has been occupied and settled by wave after wave of peoples from elsewhere. As for Iraq, there aren't many Sumerians or Assyrians around these days, now are there? Overtaken by subsequent conquest and settlement. Man is a migratory species, always on the move, looking for land and opportunity. It is not a quality unique to westerners. As the Tibetans how they feel about Han migrants.
As for genocide, the Kurds have some fairly recent experience with that.
We identify with the US because they share western values and, because , like us, they are moving slowly but steadily towards a non-racial, multicultural society, in which differences can be settled through rule of law. And they are trying to redress the grievances of their indigenous peoples. We do not identify with Iraq so much because there what are basically religious and tribal disputes are being fought out with guns & bombs, not votes. And poison gas is not an ideal way to handle unhappy minorities." -frangipani

"what is disturbing in all of this is how Americans or Westerners are held to this moral standard of having to immediately shift attention from a domestic tragedy so as to honor this idea of equal consideration. Barring the exceptions and outside of finger pointing, gloating, morbid interest or political posturing- how many people or media formats from the Arab countries are empathetically considering our every tragedy?" -Janice Crowley

"The author writes: "A death is a death". This is far to simplistic, if death is not relative then why is there a legal hierarchy of punishment for different types of murder for instance? and what is with the weird metaphysical contradictions from this writer? How do you use: "All dismembered bodies suffer (varying) degrees of appallingly (identical) agony"? Is there really no difference between an individual dying of a long drawn out torture vs. an individual dying in their sleep? ("...Giving each death its due...") indeed." -JTown 

-

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Top 10 responses to the “White Baby Privilege” meme.

Warning: Sure, this list is biased, and I am #9. So for that, too bad…I am privileged to choose as I wish because this is Justin Town’s singular little world.  -enjoy

10. Stephen Dimitrovich I like how its NOT racist to label all white people as being privileged racist assholes...

9. Phyber Optik White privilege is real but if the bomber turns out to be a black guy I doubt all blacks get labeled terrorist

8. Cathryn Blackwell Larger than the issue of race is gender. Are any of us expecting anything other than a male culprit?

7. James Hatfeld If a bomb goes off in Ireland, nobody assumes anyone of color.

6. Josh Harrison Its not about color it’s about culture.

5. Elana Feinstein White privilege?, tell that to folks in the Appalachians!

4. Thomas Watkins If you think white privilege is actually a thing. Go to the congo and see how privileged you are treated. Majority rules in a country, and nobody is stupid enough to label all arabs terrorists.

3. Anthony Dunn Well maybe that’s because as whites we don’t confine ourselves in a culture. We are all across the board for better or worse rich or poor, kinda hard to pin us down. Really think about that honestly.

2. Justin Town …Is there really "White privilege? Let me first point out that in terms of race alone there is far less solidarity among post modern American “whites” than there is among any group of color in America. People "of color" in this country have a common race enemy and can draw strength from this bonding; so within this culturally sanctioned club there comes special advantages: immunity, permissions, rights, or benefits granted exclusively to the group. By contrast, whites in America no longer have a defined race enemy and in fact have been systematically discouraged from having one. So privilege by definition i.e., special advantages, immunity, permissions, rights, or benefits granted is trumped by an evolving societal code that tells whites that every individual must "stand alone" …seems like more of a disadvantage to me (and this code is exclusive to all whites on some level). So a double standard has been implemented by policy and double standards are the hallmark of privilege. Multiculturalism for instance encourages certain groups to throw off their rigid identities and embrace the “other” while insisting that certain "other" groups hold strong to their “identity” at all costs.

Now if anyone finds this assessment to be limiting...then you are probably one of those real privileged whites. 

1. Amanda Estep I think the baby is cute.

   

PROTEST PORN

Raunchy radicals Damien (the invisible touch) Christ  &  Julie (don't get it in my hair) Lawless really put on a HOT show for the cameras!...ooooh, it never hurt so good!
These two American players show the world how hipsters can get jiggy with oppression too.


"...they are suing, they will win."
 
----------------------------------------------

* See them perform live at Zuccotti Park, Thursday April 18th (6pm)




Breaking news!!! Crisp claims he is being stalked.

[Damien Crisp Post]

“more hatred from my stalker Justin Town and his other identity (or friend?) "Carl Hilton", who dropped this on my page. There is also a vague *threat - a note about a meeting for a community center. The meeting is open to all, is in a public park, Zuccotti, and will not be cancelled because some idiot is obsessed with hating me..”

Well, .Seeing as I had to block Crisp and his minions on Facebook, my response is as follows:


Dear Mr. Crisp,

Let's clear some things up. You use some mighty strong language here: "Vague threats", "My stalker", "idiot obsessed"...well, Mr. Crisp it's not nice to play faux-naif ala victim. No one is stalking you, no one is threatening you, and no one hates you;  it's just time for  your  little hate club and your persona to come under a bit of Justin Town's social scrutiny. Don't worry, it won't last long. and while we all understand you are a narcissist, please don't get it in your head that there is something magical between us. oh the DRAMA! ...stop it please!! Your killing me here!!!

But speaking of stalking, let me just remind you of your posts to me during our recent debate.



[debate excerpt]

"Tell me about your obsession with me... is it sexual?"
"Come on now... I've watched you.. I saw what you did at the gagosian page.. etc etc.. tell me.." 

-Damien Crisp
 


Hmm? How very steamy & dreamy. Well, the sexual thing is obviously wishful thinking but Yikes! "...I've watched you..." you say?! Might I assume the position of being stalked by you?... as this "watching" of me was long before our formal introduction. and what of both you and your followers who incidentally just can not seem to stop talking about me via your hand full of anti-Justin Town posts?... obsessed indeed. Yes Damien, and the government is after you too! lol
Damien, seeing as you don't understand my shtick, let me clue you in; many of these articles which are based on provoked interactions could be seen as art world case studies. CONGRATULATIONS! You see, when you got some press via a blurb on the Huffpost webpage with your goofy-Gagosian stunt you flashed in my peripheral; you entered my realm...I am an art world bottom feeder of sorts and you got plucked. So now my thing is to expose your screwball thinking to our "enlightened" community. These interactions that I am conducting here, of which there were many before you and of which there will be many after you are just that, entertaining (case studies) nothing more. So relax and enjoy your short ride.

Sincerely,
Justin Town


------------------------------------------------

With regards to the following accusations by Crisp, the obvious must be noted: Crisp in his typical fashion resorted to outright slander after he took a beating during our initial debate. The generic labels of racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia are of course unfounded. I have saved the exchange in its entirety (of which he has conveniently deleted) and this full exchange will be transformed into yet another illuminating article in the upcoming series: "The cult of fluff". It is with this first article in the series that readers will be able to see for themselves the working of a paranoid, delusional and deceitful mind ...to be released next month. So stay tuned!
The following post is a response on Damien Crisp's FB page that came after the initial exchange.

[Damien Crisp Post] full version

“more hatred from my stalker Justin Town and his other identity (or friend?) "Carl Hilton", who dropped this on my page. There is also a vague threat - a note about a meeting for a community center. The meeting is open to all, is in a public park, Zuccotti, and will not be cancelled because some idiot is obsessed with hating me..”

Like ·  · Share

2 people like this.

Rachel Jackson wtf, he needs to get his own life..

25 minutes ago · Like · 3

Susan Woodford fuck...that is how i commented..*they are suing, and they will win*. been hacked 4 times now. fucking scumbags. crazy!!we're way too cool for this world, or at least, the u.s. art villa!!

21 minutes ago · Like

Damien Crisp its prob just nazi edward schott - my only other thought was xero.. or it is another nazi.

19 minutes ago · Like · 1

Paul Rogov That's retarded. You're not alone. If it isn't cops, who are at best amused, at worst abusive, it's some New York painter with a mafiya clientele, who tells me "to look over both shoulders" as I live my life. Little does he know my connections. I'm Russian. This guy's Italian. He should join the 21st century and realize what a real connection is.

18 minutes ago · Like · 2

Terry Middleditch perhaps its Gagosian is fighting back

13 minutes ago · Like · 1

Damien Crisp LOL-nah - he's been around a long time.

12 minutes ago · Edited · Like

Terry Middleditch ok, got me thinking though, the George Bush show must be near the end of it's run, whats next? Dick Cheney hunting paintings?

10 minutes ago · Like

Damien Crisp This is either 12 year old in a grown man's body or a crazy old hateful man.

9 minutes ago · Like · 1

Damien Crisp Not very sophisticated.

9 minutes ago · Like · 1

Paul Rogov Envy.

8 minutes ago · Like · 2

Paul Rogov Stalkers usually want to BE whom they stalk. It's the nature of the beast.

6 minutes ago · Like · 1

Paul Rogov It's a slice of life in the Life and Times of Damien Crisp/

2 minutes ago · Like


Damien Crisp I can't really understand the points in the blog...
about an hour ago · Like · 1

Kristin Drake I think you look more like a saint than Christ. Interesting though to call an anarchist "Christ". It is my wish that this person feel the sting of pepper spray on his face soon, very soon.
57 minutes ago · Like · 1

Elly Bos He is obsessed with you-If he's trying to be funny? Even if I hated you I would be embarrassed to be on Team Anti-Damien with this guy......
48 minutes ago · Like · 1

Chris Kasper Who the fuck is that guy? He just took an anti-Islamic shit on my page. Fuck that scumbag
40 minutes ago · Like · 1

Damien Crisp Yeah he did that here yesterday. I wonder if it is "Edward Schott" - you know him? Part of the art demographic i guess, for anyone who hasn't blocked him. Or Justin is a real person as well and just as full of hatred. He is stalking me and i guess friends now too.
38 minutes ago · Like · 1

Damien Crisp He blocked me but i saw your response.
37 minutes ago · Like

Damien Crisp the only person i can say i have even met in many years with the same views is 'edward schott"
36 minutes ago · Like · 1

Elly Bos Ed Shott ahahaha They're crazy-same views...like hating Jews and everything not white?
35 minutes ago · Like

Elly Bos Oh and you.
35 minutes ago · Like

Damien Crisp the same weird hatreds about protesters etc
34 minutes ago · Like · 1

Elly Bos Its jealousy........right.
34 minutes ago · Like

Anne Bagasao You're a hipster? Huh..I thought hipster's only lived on the West Coast.
3 minutes ago · Like

Crisp's flashy new kicks! If you talk the talk...

-

Knee Jerks

"Some particularly unscrupulous partisan Democrat types were identically suggesting with zero evidence that the attackers were right-wing extremists." 

...Well at least one pseudo social-scientist is being even handed in that observation. Point is, how could anyone with even half a brain confuse Islamophobia with general supposition? There are the usual suspects to consider at first thought...Homegrown Right/left wing radicals, Muslim extremists, lone nut jobs etc. As we are searching for answers it is only human that there would be a justifiable hierarchy of initial speculation. Hmm???...I personally think it was done by two disgruntled Australian aborigine midgets who were never allowed to run in a marathon because one has a missing left leg and one has a missing right leg. Get serious people. The disingenuous act of shifting attention (before the dust even settles) to things like "...the US military has killed civilians" or "...it's not fair to assume it's Muslim radicals" or "We should be considering other suffering throughout the world" is culturally crass and socially retarded.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Insults to injury:

“Anything more than two bombs, three dead is nothing more speculation driven by a need to fill up whitespace for the sake of filling up whitespace.” –Jim Wright (Blogger -AK, USA)

“The widespread compassion for yesterday's victims and the intense anger over the attacks was obviously authentic and thus good to witness. But it was really hard not to find oneself wishing that just a fraction of that compassion and anger be devoted to attacks that the US perpetrates rather than suffers.” –Glenn Greenwald (the Guardian)

“Indeed, just yesterday in Iraq, at least 42 people were killed and more than 250 injured by a series of car bombs, the enduring result of the US invasion and destruction of that country. Somehow the deep compassion and anger felt in the US when it is attacked never translates to understanding the effects of our own aggression against others.” –Juan Cole 

“I’m up for us “All Being Bostonians Today” But then can we all be Yemenis tomorrow and Pakistanis the day after? That’s how empathy works. – Gary Younge

[“Idea of secondary bombs designed to kill the first responders is just sick. How does anyone become that evil?”] Response: “I don't disagree with that sentiment. But I'd bet a good amount of money that the person saying it - and the vast majority of other Americans - have no clue that targeting rescuers with "double-tap" attacks is precisely what the US now does with its drone program and other forms of militarism. If most Americans knew their government and military were doing this, would they react the same way as they did to yesterday's Boston attack. - Glenn Greenwald

“…this country was founded on the bloody rape and slaughter of First Nations people who's land this actually is so if you want to "protect your country"... Go back to it and do so” -Damien Crisp (blogger)

“My point is America is a murderous empire and our economy rests on bombing people everyday. Where is the empathy for people who are not Americans?” (more Damien Crisp)

“If it was a real act of terror - the way to stand up for the dead is to identify the cause of such desperate hate: the effects of empire.” (and yet more from Damien Crisp)

“Damien? Is there some way we can get stats of how many are killed by the US everywhere in the world today?” -Virgina Alvarez (artist & fb radical)

The House That Jill Built

Headline: “Snubbed Female Architect Inspires Retroactive Pritzker Campaign”

Activists are calling for organizers of the Pritzker Architecture Prize to retroactively have architect Denise Scott Brown recognized for her achievements. The twist is that Brown’s husband, architect Robert Venturi was already awarded the Pritzker prize back in 1991; detractors point to the fact that the husband and wife had collaborated on works and therefore the award should somehow be extended to Brown. This bully campaign which is in the form of a petition has already received 4,500 signatures.

Here are some things to consider: 1. "The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually to honor "...a living architect..." not teams or duos etc. but (a living architect); so while this husband and wife team did collaborate, they both have an extensive body of solo works and projects that define them. 2. Any licensed architect can make a personal application for the prize. (was this the case here?) 3. The jury, each year consists of five to nine "experts ... recognized professionals in their own fields of architecture, business, education, publishing, and culture"...why not talk to them about their decision and see if it was because of a gender bias. 4. The honor was accepted, why wait over two decades to complain about it?

It seems that Brown has been more than willing to ride her husband’s coattails when the opportunity has presented itself and Venturi has been gracious to a fault in "blurring the lines". For example, on the business end of things Brown joined her husband's firm Venturi and Rauch back in 1967 and Mr. Venturi renamed the firm Venturi, Rauch and Scott Brown in 1980; and finally Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates in 1989.

So while this power couple has seemingly worked hard at being a singular force, this does not change the fact that this specific award recognizes the individual only. Just to be good sports though I would suggest that the organizers of the Pritzker Prize bend the rules just this one time and give the husband/wife team an ultimatum: They must decide between themselves which of them is to receive the sole honor of this prize.
After all, as architects these two should understand the concept of "two forms of matter can not occupy the same space..." and the duplex is seldom considered a "great" architectural model. So let these two stand separate and define themselves as individuals. This option shouldn't be viewed as any less radical than what is being suggested by the petitioners who are indeed making distinctions. Or maybe Brown should just roll the dice and fill out a personal application for the prize and see what happens. After all, she has already had 22 years to try and make it happen the right way.

see article:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2013/04/09/pritzker-architecture-denise-scott-brown-retroactive-campaign.html

Little foot in big mouth

JUST IN. Kenny Schachter places this tidbit on Saltz's page:


Kenny Schachter: "Bruno did show women artists albeit not many: eg. Taeuber-Arp, Valerie Jaudon, Niki de St Phalle, Jeanette Montgomery Barron, Silvie Fleury etc. and recently Maria Zerres. compare Artforum 2009 ad below"

Jerry Saltz: "ok"


Original post: Jerry Saltz: (3/28/2013)

“...I just want to say what-the-fuck to Bruno Bischofberger (who I've never met)! In the entire time I've looked at his snazzy-ad the gallery has not listen one single female artist. Not. One. Ever."

                                                                            &

Jerry Saltz: “...Excuse, me? Bishofberger's stable has been MASSIVE on that back Artforum page. He has listed scores and scores of artists over the decades. Of EVERY genre. It has never included one woman.”



It has also been pointed out to Mr. Saltz that the list on the back of Artforum has remained consistent for 30 years; a small specific stable of gallery artists that Mr. Bischofburger has not deviated from in three decades. ...and we get a flippant "ok" from the slanderer.

Swept under the rug

Derivative series (item #1): Mark Wagner via Marina Abramovic (laser quartz crystals vs rolled paper currency)

...but even more interesting than this is dealer Pavel Zoubok's response:

fin