Thursday, February 10, 2005

Duchamp's Urinal was much better

Bruce over at MassBackwards has a post about an art student who has created a diorama that has an original message. It was actually so good that it "earned the Charlestown student a silver key at the Rhode Island Scholastic Art Awards".

If you haven't guessed the subject matter yet, it makes a comparison between U.S. policies under George Bush and Hitler's. Wow, what original, creative thought.

Of course the diorama, that looks like a 6 year old cobbled it together, got an A.

Bruce mentions in the comments that he supports the student's First Amendment rights to be an abject asshole....., but I have a somewhat different take.

No, he doesn't have a right to exhibit this offensive, bilious garbage. He is a minor and under a society that still had a shred of sanity or honor, the student's teacher would say No, this work is not acceptable. The student would be told that he should have respect for the elected leaders of this nation and should respect the memory of those who died under Hitler's regime and who's deaths are being trivialized by this disgusting, silly display.

Then he would be suspended for a few days and sent home to his parents who would reinforce his teacher's message by punishing him.

This would have happened in the America I grew up in.

Not anymore.

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