Tonight, I wanted to share something that greatly surprises me. You will see two different videos below. The top one is a brief overview of a Christmas display in Wellington, OH. The second video is a little more in depth, showcasing the artist of the display and his understanding of his work. Both the videos are pretty short and, I thought, very interesting (albeit disconcerting).
The display that is being discussed is entitled “The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men”…where a bunch of little gingerbread men are dressed up like Nazi’s, complete with swastikas and “Heil Hitler” hand motions. Obviously, this “artwork” has upset a lot of people, and for all I know, may have been taken down already.
The thing that I find surprising is the artist’s complete clueless-ness. He is genuinely shocked that anyone would be upset by the display. It never dawned on him that someone might take offense to this artwork. I mean, seriously, how can he find that surprising? First of all, we are talking about mid-western, family values, “heart of it all” Ohio…it’s not New York City or California, for goodness sake! Plus, call me crazy, but don't people generally associate swastikas and Nazis with something very bad? They certainly don’t think of them as a Christmas symbol.
The companion display to the mini-Nazi’s was still in progress at the time of the interview. This display involved a snowman attempting suicide--using a 50s style hair-dryer--because his gay lover “outed” him in a “tell all” book. Truly, this is just as disturbing as the gingerbread Nazis!
I am all for free speech…but what happened to considering the implications of your actions before you act? If the artist had a point to his art and was really trying to say something—if he had thought through the consequences and decided the message was worth the criticism he would receive—then I would be less offended. I am sincerely bothered by the artist’s obliviousness to the impact of his art—and his willingness to be offensive for no apparent artistic purpose (other than he “thinks they’re cute”). This seems symptomatic of the world we live in; there is the inherent message that we can do whatever we want just because we want to do it. The truth is, however, that actions do have consequences…stupidity and insensitivity still upsets and offends people, no matter how much we pretend that “anything goes”.
All I really have to say about this is: “Think!” If people would just think before they do things, wouldn’t the world be a better place?
The display that is being discussed is entitled “The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men”…where a bunch of little gingerbread men are dressed up like Nazi’s, complete with swastikas and “Heil Hitler” hand motions. Obviously, this “artwork” has upset a lot of people, and for all I know, may have been taken down already.
The thing that I find surprising is the artist’s complete clueless-ness. He is genuinely shocked that anyone would be upset by the display. It never dawned on him that someone might take offense to this artwork. I mean, seriously, how can he find that surprising? First of all, we are talking about mid-western, family values, “heart of it all” Ohio…it’s not New York City or California, for goodness sake! Plus, call me crazy, but don't people generally associate swastikas and Nazis with something very bad? They certainly don’t think of them as a Christmas symbol.
The companion display to the mini-Nazi’s was still in progress at the time of the interview. This display involved a snowman attempting suicide--using a 50s style hair-dryer--because his gay lover “outed” him in a “tell all” book. Truly, this is just as disturbing as the gingerbread Nazis!
I am all for free speech…but what happened to considering the implications of your actions before you act? If the artist had a point to his art and was really trying to say something—if he had thought through the consequences and decided the message was worth the criticism he would receive—then I would be less offended. I am sincerely bothered by the artist’s obliviousness to the impact of his art—and his willingness to be offensive for no apparent artistic purpose (other than he “thinks they’re cute”). This seems symptomatic of the world we live in; there is the inherent message that we can do whatever we want just because we want to do it. The truth is, however, that actions do have consequences…stupidity and insensitivity still upsets and offends people, no matter how much we pretend that “anything goes”.
All I really have to say about this is: “Think!” If people would just think before they do things, wouldn’t the world be a better place?
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