“The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture ‘This is a pipe’, I'd have been lying!” — René Magritte
Ever since the early days of cave paintings, humans have always had an idea of just how powerful a motivating force depictions of people, animals and events can be upon even the most casual of viewers. If you adhere to the concept of art as little more than a communicative device for sharing thoughts and ideas through representations, often not only completely open to interpretation, but requiring independent interaction with the observer fulfill the promise of what I like to describe as “gee, I never really thought about it quite that way” to produce further thought, exploration and discovery along the lines of “gee, and what else did I miss the first time around?” and maybe I should take another look-see as to what is going on not necessarily within the imagery presented, but what is beneath or behind the image that may be, sometimes of great of value, and of course sometimes not.
For not every picture, painting or graphic needs to be approached as if it is the Dead Sea Scrolls while keeping in mind that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and nothing more. Here, I am speaking of art, or at least what I would hope to be the intentions of the artist to produce at least a reflection of mankind’s ability of shaping the thoughts and ideas of others in a more, holistic, perhaps even noble, awe-inspiring or at times grandiose vision as we struggle to find meaning in what a times appears to be a world without meaning or purpose.
And so, with this in mind, should we expect to see the “truth” as the arbiter of all things presented in representation? Like a pipe? Or a cigar? My guess is that Magritte himself would have said no, but he would also have admonished us to be mindful that a painting of a pipe serves a different function than an actual pipe, and not to confuse the separate and distinct practical values between the two, the two being representation and reality.
As with a painting, sculpture or drawing, connotes the medium as having a certain context or let’s call it connection of “art” (or at least something a bit lofty) there are any number of mediums where the message in the format, the medium of expression, is not concerned with the higher ambitions of humanity, but rather concerned with any number of alternate, perhaps “lesser” concerns some of the most common being entertainment, sitcoms and bad television shows in general come to mind, as well as the more than occasional nod to economics, as in your standard horror movie where success is measured at the box office, aka “butts in seats”.
Then there is the dark side where imagery, lies, rumors and innuendo, gas lighting and let’s tie it all up with the general label of propaganda, the place where pretty pictures, tales of false idols and prophets collide, capable of creating a self-serving treachery that in many instances relies upon the ability of the propagandist to arouse the passions of their intended not viewers, but now clearly victims.
Do you ever wonder why sexual pornography is so popular? I mean, it isn’t as if when you are watching a video you are in any way, shape or from having sex with any of the persons depicted within the four corners of the screen. You don’t know them, and they don’t know you. You will most likely never meet any of the performers, and if you do, good luck with that as I doubt they would lie up to you “expectations”.
Why? Because porn, all porn, be it reflective of human sexuality, food, war, violence, fetish, no fetish, is nothing but images open to interpretation, and in fact, possibly leading to actions that may be harmless, or not. Because at some point, fantasy will kick in, the fantasy being in the abstract dreams of sexual prowess, I slept with Stormy Daniels kind of stuff. Is Stormy all she is really made out to be in bed? I don’t know, but I’m sure she’d like you to think so. Or, at a minimum imagine it so.
For when it comes to fantasy of any sort, your “reality” is only bound by your imagination however wild eyed and bushy tailed or not it may be. Yet, when it comes to all matters sexual, I tend to say out of other person’s myth and magic mojo, a kind of whatever turns you on as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone mentality. You may agree with me or not, but even with pornography, as opposed to obscenity mind you, is not something I would think even worthy of censorship, or as 1st Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, a giant of 1st Amendment free speech rights said, he wasn’t interested in hearing cases about “dirty pictures” and I concur.
So let me ask you, assuming you are willing to watch with an open mind and not immediately storm off into a rage about “fake media” being the “enemy of the people” without any critical thought whatsoever to the absurdity of your position, when you see photographs, or videos of the January 6th, 2021 insurrection, what do you see?
If you are like me, you probably see a bunch of losers who have no clue as to the difference between “insurrection” or “revolution” as Thomas Jefferson, a proponent of public protests and uprisings as a legitimate “check” on government actions and the actions of an angry mob who have somehow decided it is patriotic to attack the Capitol Building and hang as many public officials who will not go along with the “big lie” as they can get their hands on.
Fortunately for us all, the looters and vandals, for that is what they are and nothing more, didn’t manage to catch anyone otherwise, the outcome could have been far worse, and for what? Putting a dictator in office as the American ideal? Eschewing even the basics of democracy as somehow not as “good” as the promise of installing a feckless, racist pig after he legitimately lost a fair and honest election, because…you “feel” he won? Because…he “agrees” with you? That “they” are the problem, and anybody not “us” is “they”? And “they” are not real Americans anyway because “they” are awake and realize our system of politics and economics are based upon creating a “lower” class of citizens in order to promote the myth of white supremacy as the “natural order” of things? And hence “us” do not recognize systematic white privilege as a sign of racism or even a minor act of discrimination?
And so, with passions aflame (always a bad sign) what do you, today’s insane and completely out of touch, I’ll be kind and say “dissenters”, see when CNN (not Fox mind you) runs the footage of MAGA QAnon quack whack jobs looking like little ants climbing up the walls of our Capitol Building, yelling, screaming, and out of control, waving various the flags in recognition of an usurper who would be dictator, terrorizing police officers, congresspersons an senators alike in an attempt at rule by if nothing else acts of terror?
If we allow for the same susceptibility to fantasy as is present in pornography, and apply it to the events that took place on the January 6th, 2021 at best failed coup attempt, why, I imagine the average MAGA red cap fanatics sees nothing short of patriots, yes patriots of the highest fortitude “saving” America at a time that will go down in history alongside Washington crossing the Potomac river.
Of course, when push comes to shove, these are the politically naïve types that Lenin called “useful idiots” who for their part love to shout patriotic slogans, “Give me liberty or give me death!” comes to mind, yet when they are arrested and put in jail can’t even stand to eat anything less than a vegan burger for the cause, and yes, complain vociferously about the “negative” treatment they were given for what amounts to at least second degree murder, if not murder in the first.
But alas, not everyone has a degree in fine art (I do) or even appreciates the work of Magritte. But for now, my one wish other than to see those held accountable as I see stupidity or “I was invited”, or “the president told me to” as no valid defense to treason, would be for these lost souls, caught up in a web of imagery in the form of lies and videotape amplified by fear, hatred, loathing, and misplace emotion run amuck, would handle their so-called ‘patriotism” the same way they handle their masturbatory instincts.
The key for me? I don’t care what you do, but do have the common courtesy go home, find a Stormy Daniels vid and imagine yourself in a three-way with Trump if it makes you happy, do what you need to do, alone, and quietly. For a depiction of a revolution on CNN is not the same as an actual revolution of, by and for the People, is it? No, it is not.
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