this pic is from www.bbc.co.uk(if you're looking for an international perspective on the world, the BBC is pretty good, w/ links to everywhere)
the picture is from a demonstration in the downtown of sydney, australia, where "body bags" were placed all over the business district to remind people of the real, human cost of war.
16 comments:
that is really compelling.
...and disgusting.
you're right, anon, it is disgusting.
or, as col. kurtz phrased it in the movie "apocalypse now":
"we teach young men to drop fire on people, and then don't allow them to write the word 'fuck' on their airplanes, because it's obscene."
if you want something really disgusting, go to www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com to get a day-by-day account of the war in iraq from the perspective of an iraqi woman living in downtown bagdhad.
now... i was thinking about this while i was watching krahn play at the times changed:
remember that letter from a few posts back? the mountain lady writing to her son about their new bathroom? and we agreed that could be "fake" history (notice i use the word fake in quotes--)?
i wonder if it's possible if this riverbendblog is possibly not real. but whether it's real or not, it's compelling (as cara put it).
so check it out
www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com
Rant:
Compelling perhaps, but what does it compell you to actually do?
"if you want something really disgusting..." I am not going to go out of my way to find more examples of human misery and decay. I am well aware of the contempt and horror that is all-to-common in our world.
I know that it is important for us to know of these things, the reality of war, but at the same time it is exactly what draws people into the poison cycle of hatred. Some people would rather see an utter transformation in the world, in the form of apocalyptic doom, than go on trying to fix our mess by "ordinary" means. I think people who truly care about the state of our world should try to promote positivity, and not recycle pain. I am not suggesting we try to ignore these things, but rather focus more indepthly on what good happens around our big messy town. If we want to have any will towards change we have to balance atrocity with kindness and grace. This picture makes me want to stap myself with dynamite and blow up the f'rs who did it (the killing that is), not to pick up gargage, or use less fuel, or eat healthier, or donate time and effort to worthwhile causes. This catch 22 is beyond my problem solving skills, but I think if anyone is going to try, the most important attribute for them to have is hopefulness. You know, like art reinforcement and stuff.
Oh ya, and I was going to mention, they do the same thing with body bags to show the smoking related deaths and it is un-frickin-canny. They are pilled so hi you cant see the enterance to phillip morris.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=good+deeds&meta=
Anonymous, I think likely you are a person who is socially and politically aware and are taking for granted that the majority of people in our city and elsewhere have awareness and empathy.
There is a really big difference between seeing reoccuring images of death and destruction on CNN and stepping over bodybags on the street.
Also, some people do not learn visually or aurally rather they require a tactile and/or kinesthetic method which this kind of demonstration (fake or not) would provide.
I do think that your question about what this actually compels us to do is really valid. Perhaps I should ammend my comment and say that it has more potential to compel us, moreso than the numbing images and stories anyways.
Here hear!
Hear here!
I like to check the blog with my first coffee, usually I look for a chuckle or something fascinating. This one was designed to disgust me and it does.
A+ in Thorneycroft's classs indeed!
My uncle rejean died two days ago, the youngest of 8 siblings on my mom's side. I posted some of his art on this site before.People die. sigh. Cancer sucks. How goes the war on cancer anyways?
I'm sorry to hear of your loss James. It is kind of nice that you made this connection with him and his art before he went for the big sleep.
Blessed is he who travels this journey, and blessed are those that remember all who travel.
Much love buddy, much love.
I'd like to return to Cara's comment on what we as the empathetic and socially/politically aware see as a result of a protest, demonstration, public exhibit of politically charged art, etc., if I may. It is something that has been on my mind this weekend. On Friday the Sun published a letter of mine in response to someone who had lumped all Critical Mass cyclists in as a bunch of uncaring anarchists, with no respect for society. In response to my critique of this letter someone wrote an even more vitrolic and negative piece of trash(published Saturday). I have put all this stuff up on my blog.
What interests me most is that much as we hope our protests (and elequent defence of them) will be precieved for what they are (in our minds) there is a huge hurdle of ignorance to overcome if we hope to have them register as more than just trivial attempts to create unrest and disobey authority. Sadly, there is a large segment of society that does not seem capable of thinking for itself, and would rather let the cops, the mayor, G.W. Bush or Tom Brodbeck tell them right from wrong. That's why I am greatful for creative demonstrations such as the one in this post, because the only way to combat ignorance is to make a case against it, and often disturbing society is the only effective way to gain attention for the cause. Would anyone cover Critical Mass--would it be capable of creating the amount of discussion it has in this city--if it were held the last Sunday of every month at 5 pm on a ride from the Forks to Assinaboine Park? And in a city like Sydney, close as it is geographically to the "War on Terror" and rightist (i.e. pro-war) as Australia is generally precieved to be it is all the more important for those who question this war to find a voice. I understand the repulsion of Anonymous, and the call for a more grassroots approach to the problems of society, but we live in an increasingly stratified global world. The problems of the earth are closer to home, and public opinion seems to be what leaders use to gauge their response to the world's/country's/province's/city's problems. So bravo on a well executed demonstration (pun somewhat intended.)
sorry for yr loss knack.
well stated, disclaimer-man. i've been following this on yr blog the last few days (just checked it again after a bit of an absence) and in the papers.
did you see lindor reynolds' latest opus on the subject of critical mass?
sorry for your loss Knick Knackerson.
Voice is very important (as Disclaimer pointed out) and in a world where the voices of the poorest and most oppressed are often drowned out by gunfire or the latest Paris Hilton tune (okay, I admit it I 've hummed along) it is the responsibility of those who can be heard,who can be compelled, who have the possibility to protest and demonstrate to do so. A whisper will not suffice nor will a polite interruption, it's going to take more than that.
And perhaps the world has gone to pot but what's that they say about lemons, if that's what you've got make lemonade...I'm sure we can think of something.
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