This is not about art #2: Man up ladies

The "slutwalk" was organised after a NYPD officer 'advised' women in Park Slope not to wear short skirts in light of at least 10 unsolved sexual attacks that have occurred in the area.

Nice interpretation of  "The Mans" warning ladies.

This makes me think back to a simpler time - New York City 1976. There was this pesky serial killer that was terrorizing the city and he went by the name of "Son of Sam" (the guy who took his instructions from a black dog) remember him? What many people might not remember is that by the summer of 1977 all the shooting victims up to that point had long, dark hair. As a result of this, thousands of women in New York dyed or cut their hair and beauty supply stores could not keep up with the demand for blond wigs.

If David Berkowitz (the killer) were to like slutty attire and the NYPD 'advised' women not to wear short skirts in light of the killers preference...it would not have been an issue at that time I assure you.
Police also created traps for Berkowitz when he began to target couples. They used undercover officers posed as lovers parked in isolated areas, hoping to catch him and couples were encouraged to abstain from making out in cars. Sounds like damn good advise to me and at the time most people were eager to take that advise...the smart ones anyway. Fast forward to 2011 and we can assume by Slut movement logic, telling a grown man and woman to abstain from making out in cars would amount to the suppression of heterosexual activity by the NYPD; It would most surely be interpreted as the police blaming the targeted lovers for the murders.

What's up with people today? Maybe contemporary society feels safer, stronger and in relative control of themselves and the environment around them. I don't know, but I am a fairly strong man who can take care of myself  if put in a hairy situation.Yet, I am very much aware that the world is a shaky place and yes the city is still dangerous.
Well, people do not want to be told what to do in a free, progressive society and they should not have to yield to suggestions from some random authority figure with outmoded opinions on safety.
Ok then gals, march on but I don't have to remind you that some men are dogs and that Son of Sam was a real bitch! ...Be safe and stay strong.

Silence of the lambs

Being an art critic and not a politician, Jerry Saltz devotes a hefty amount of space on his FB page for political discourse and his followers are more than willing to sing along to the tune of comments that frequently soar into the high hundreds. This is fine in and of itself as it makes for a well rounded and informed art community that is willing to reach beyond art per se. My issue is that in light of the happenings on Wall Street why is there not one word about it on Jerry's page? Considering the protests are on the lips of almost every artist I know, not a word has been uttered by Jerry or his followers... not a peep. What could be the reason for this strange phenomenon in which such a hot topic among the art world is met with an absolute black out? One art world figure suggested that many of the artists in Jerry's circle are at the protests. Well, I thought about this and the numbers didn't work. Jerry has close to 5,000 FB friends and at least 500 active contributors and even if all 500 are at the protest there is the issue of laptops, Iphones and quite a bit of down time for posting. So why isn't Jerry Saltz or his vast circle of  followers entering the discourse regarding the protests and why isn't anyone in the art world questioning  this? Somehow it is not business as usual. My feeling is that there is a delicate situation going on here. We are all aware that the NY Times - you know, Roberta Smith's employers have not exactly been protester friendly during all of this. Also New York Magazine - you know, Jerry's pals just did an anemic one page spread on the protesters (opposite an Emirates ad that takes up an equal amount of space)  titled "Meet the Occupants" which at the very least makes light of their cause with cherry picked stats and imagery that seems to mock between the lines. Now, this being said, it would appear that Jerry Saltz is put between a rock and a hard place concerning open discourse on his Facebook page regarding the protests. Although, given his hard nosed stance on speaking truth to power, it is a bit disconcerting to witness this solidarity of silence from both him and his entire flock. In fact it is downright eerie considering Jerry's tribe is otherwise all fire and brimstone on hot topics such as this. Politics aside, there are implications that are far worse here; might one suppose that this type of behavior might creep into one’s approach as a critic? You better believe it does.  When it comes right down to it there is no ideal system, not the art world or any other world and individuals as well as groups are imperfect, built to spill even. At times whether we like it or not, and more often than not, we are all subject to our own self interests even if it flies in the face of what is perceived as right. So I guess the thing to be learned from all this is when you feel the urge to get up on the soap box … you might want to speak easy. 

"Okay. I’ve had it with tolerance/ complacency about lying cynical republicans. Watch this vid ...Then watch response... FB friends - be honest. If you’re a republican who agrees with this, stand up, be counted. Have courage of your convictions. I promise I WILL delete you from my friends list. I promise"

                                                                                                                                  - Jerry Saltz

Nothing New Under The Sun

Seeing as America is a youth culture we tend to cut some slack for all those kiddies who want to make it happen even if  making it happen means casting blame on anyone they deem to be the “elite”. It’s really kind of endearing, in an annoying way.

 “There's no fool like an old fool” so the saying goes and this is where an individual’s naïve actions are not so cute anymore; especially when the message is ridiculously sweeping or just outright delusional. So when I saw the photo of an aged protester holding a sign that read: “The real terrorists are in the White House, Congress and Wall Street!” It did not give me the warm feeling of the potential for a dissolving of the generation gap in light of an idealistic cause. It made me think about mortality and the persistence of human folly that seems to follow some of us right into our golden years.

Speaking of commentaries on human foibles… Francisco Goya did a series of etchings titled "Los Caprichos," one of which stands out in my mind: “Hasta La Muerte” (“Until Death”), Plate 55. This is a scene that depicts the vanity of a crumbling old hag adjusting her youthful bonnet in a mirror while being supported by a triad of young helpers. I thought of this scene when I viewed the photo of the old gal with the sign and realized that I was far less tolerant of her ignorance than I would have been if she were in her 20’s. Is this unfair? Yes.

This age stigma works in regards to power as well. A good example of this is the leniency that is given to the presumably disenfranchised in regards to hateful speech. For instance, if a group of protesters direct a sign towards a group of financial folks watching from a building that reads: Jump! You Fuckers!!! This could be seen as passion. But wait, if a group of stock brokers held the same sign up towards a group of protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge It would surely be seen as crass and insensitive right? So where does this double standard in terms of conduct stem from? Might it be the fact that the financers were drinking champagne instead of say consuming donated coffee and specialty pizza? In terms of hypocrisy, not much has changed since Goya’s series of 1799. Human nature remains the same for better or worse regardless of ones position and this is why moralizing is such a slippery slope especially when misplaced or mishandled. Many of us despise it from the religious sector but it can be just as off putting coming from the secular world especially under the “Social consciousness” flag. It is a point of interest that "Los Caprichos" was a visual manifesto decrying how regressive the so-called enlightened society was in Spain at that point in time. This is certainly applicable to our current situation and on more than one front.

So, not to generalize or anything but this is to all you hipsters, trust fund kids and artists who are notoriously resourceful in securing the cash to pay for materials, excessive studio rents and drink… Protest away! We understand how you might want to align yourselves with the proletariat class. Hey, you are itching to be part of the dog eat dog working world that you have been deprived of for so long and you deserve the chance to sink or swim like anyone else in blue collar history. Wait, I’m sorry…I think I’m speaking to the wrong issues. uhm, what is it you are asking for again? Well anyways, time is on your side, you’ll figure it out.