These "Art" Protests Are Pretty Pointless

Does anyone really think that Donald Trump is going to grasp the high-concept feminist point that these 100 naked women intended to make? (Link is NSFW, probably, unless your boss is totally OK with pictures of lots of nude women as long as they're making a high-concept feminist point).

If you're going to use art as a means of protest, shouldn't it be art that is structured to reach the particular people you're trying to change? Shouldn't it be clear and intelligible to them, rather than aimed over their heads?

Make a Western or something.

15 comments:

David Foster said...

Reminds me of something C S Lewis said:

"It is taken as basic by all the culture of our age that whenever artists and audience lose touch, the fault must be wholly on the side of the audience. (I have never come across the great work in which this important doctrine is proved.)"

E Hines said...

I don't think Trump will miss the point. I also don't think he'll care about a point stupidly made.

Eric Hines

E Hines said...

Mr Foster, the fault is, indeed, in ourselves, not in our (cultural) stars.

Eric Hines

Anonymous said...

and they are also "fat" naked feminist as well........thats just icky.

--Mississippi

Grim said...

I don't think that's fair, though I wouldn't be so ungentlemanly as to comment on their appearance one way or the other.

I don't mind, however, to comment on the silliness of the exercise.

One is quoted: "We put some feminine energy into this world, shined some positivity into the world. I sit at home and I watch everything happening and it feels like there's nothing you can do but watch. But this was something I felt like I could actually do."

Indeed it was, whatever it was that you were doing.

Eric Blair said...

It's all "shock the bourgeoisie" all the time. Kinda has been since the 1960's. Probably since the 1920's.

Nobody cares anymore.

E Hines said...

They can't hold a candle to FEMEN (also NSFW, probably no matter how loose the boss is).

Eric Hines

Eric Blair said...

Those FEMEN ladies be fearless. "FEMEN AKBAR" LOLOLOLOL

Grim said...

Truth. It's hard not to be impressed with a group that takes on Putin and radical Islam with that tactic. It's just silly as an art project in Cleveland, but in Turkey it's not silly. It's legitimately dangerous political speech.

Anonymous said...

Some people like to get nekkid in public. They are exhibitionists, and the whole point is to get nekkid. Zombie time blog has documented this, particularly in San Francisco.

When I was in college, streaking was in. The only difference now is that people are trying to pretend it's a political stunt, instead of just a stunt.

Bored.

Valerie

Anonymous said...

Grim you have stated in a past post:

"A gentleman is defined, as noted in Blackstone's commentaries, as "one qui arma gerit." That is, "one who bears arms." Fine manners and courtesy pertain to the gentleman because he is, through their use, upholding what is fine about civilization. He defends it symbolically as he defends it practically.

Now, No I was not being fair in the above comment, and yes I was being snarky about feminist because so much of what goes on is silly and senseless. When I watch their antics, Its like something out of a Monty Python script...........absurd. Their actions do not seem to promote civilization, do they?

-Mississippi

Grim said...

I'm not really sure what they thought they were doing, to be honest. "Putting energy into the world" or something like that, although we know from the laws of conservation that you can't really add energy to the world. It's just froo-froo nonsense dressed up as an art project (and, as Valerie said, an opportunity to get naked in public -- which some people, for some reason, like to do).

Defending one's civilization is a good thing. I approve of it. This particular point is a part of mine. My part of America's broader civilization is much mocked and scorned these days, and really has been since Mark Twain mocked and scorned it himself. But it has its merits and its virtues, and deserves a few defenders. Perhaps it even has one or two things to teach.

Tom said...

Meh. It's all just virtue signalling for the tribe. There was no intent to actually communicate anything to us troglodytes.

Anonymous said...

Well either that or someone has a thing for getting large numbers of naked women together. Which honestly might be the most parsimonious explanation for all of this 'Fight the power by stripping down, and you and you come by my apartment later to *really* fight the patriarchy.'

Grim said...

Heh.