Philosophy
Ethical question today. A student of mine just returned from a research trip to China. I donated a bunch of books for her to take (English language books, especially logic books apparently, are in short supply and, when given as gifts at universities, are greatly appreciated). To thank me for the books, the student brought back a poster of Chairman Mao for me. This student shares my love of irony and the poster absolutely drips of it. It is super-cheesy. A smiling Mao with red book in one hand and waving with the other in a fashion that looks more like he is greeting the Fuhrer.
Aside from the fact that something so campy was treated as serious propaganda, it isn't even the real deal. It's a cheap reproduction made to sell to Western tourists. Yes, Mao's image is now an iconic commodity used by enterprising Chinese capitalists. Irony can be so ironic.
The further thought of going to a local craft store and getting a cheap Chinese made plastic frame to put it in only makes me want to giggle more.
But I hesitate to put it up for two reasons. First, this is the man who led the cultural revolution during which so many died unnecessarily. Is it disrespectful to treat this piece of propaganda, real or not, as a joke, to revel blithely in its humorous sense given the current context? Does it trivialize the fate of those innocent people who suffered and those who were killed dismissing their plight for the sake of a laugh? Or could it be that by mocking such cults of personality, I would be making a statement against dictatorship? Would I be honoring their deaths by standing against tyranny or is that just rationalization?
Secondly, yeah, it'll give conservative students something to titter about. "He's got a Mao poster hanging in his office. The guy's a complete Commie." While I write this blog and my political views are quite public, still there is the real likelihood that the poster will be misinterpreted as admiration or endorsement of his deeds and methods. Are we responsible for misunderstandings that we know will occur? If one is, say, an artist, and your work will be widely misunderstood, say the biting satire of racism you present is so hip and subtle that you foresee its being lauded by the bigots thinking you are really supporting their cause, are you responsible for the results? If you know your work will be misinterpreted and you produce it anyway, does that knowledge then saddle you with the thing you didn't say?
What do you think? Should the poster hang in my office or not?
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Philosophy
If You Go Hanging Pictures of Chairman Mao, You Ain't Gonna Make It with Anyone Anyhow
Ethical question today. A student of mine just returned from a research trip to China. I donated a bunch of books for her to take (English language books, especially logic books apparently, are in short supply and, when given as gifts at universities, are greatly appreciated). To thank me for the books, the student brought back a poster of Chairman Mao for me. This student shares my love of irony and the poster absolutely drips of it. It is super-cheesy. A smiling Mao with red book in one hand and waving with the other in a fashion that looks more like he is greeting the Fuhrer.
Aside from the fact that something so campy was treated as serious propaganda, it isn't even the real deal. It's a cheap reproduction made to sell to Western tourists. Yes, Mao's image is now an iconic commodity used by enterprising Chinese capitalists. Irony can be so ironic.
The further thought of going to a local craft store and getting a cheap Chinese made plastic frame to put it in only makes me want to giggle more.
But I hesitate to put it up for two reasons. First, this is the man who led the cultural revolution during which so many died unnecessarily. Is it disrespectful to treat this piece of propaganda, real or not, as a joke, to revel blithely in its humorous sense given the current context? Does it trivialize the fate of those innocent people who suffered and those who were killed dismissing their plight for the sake of a laugh? Or could it be that by mocking such cults of personality, I would be making a statement against dictatorship? Would I be honoring their deaths by standing against tyranny or is that just rationalization?
Secondly, yeah, it'll give conservative students something to titter about. "He's got a Mao poster hanging in his office. The guy's a complete Commie." While I write this blog and my political views are quite public, still there is the real likelihood that the poster will be misinterpreted as admiration or endorsement of his deeds and methods. Are we responsible for misunderstandings that we know will occur? If one is, say, an artist, and your work will be widely misunderstood, say the biting satire of racism you present is so hip and subtle that you foresee its being lauded by the bigots thinking you are really supporting their cause, are you responsible for the results? If you know your work will be misinterpreted and you produce it anyway, does that knowledge then saddle you with the thing you didn't say?
What do you think? Should the poster hang in my office or not?
- E-books?
Amazon has announced that its sales of e-books has surpassed its sales of hard cover books. The idea is to settle (in their interest) whether the e-book is for real or just the latest new Coke. I'm not a luddite, but I am a late adopter. I'm not...
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Bob Talisse and Scott Aikin have another critical thinking piece in Scientific American -- man, I love that they do this -- this time explaining the flaw in on tu quoque arguments, that is arguments where the arguer doesn't listen to his or her own...
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The number of gun-related deaths in America, at least compared to civilized countries, is out of control (as you can tell from the poster to the right), but when it comes to reasonable debate, somehow we just lose it. We are a freedom-loving people, or...
- Deceased--jan Sawka
Jan Sawka December 10th, 1946 to August 23rd, 2012 "PASSINGS: Jan Sawka" Jan Sawka, Polish-born poster artist and architect, dies at 65 August 12th, 2012 Los Angeles Times Jan Sawka, 65, a noted Polish American artist and architect whose designs included...
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Frederic Eugene Ives February 17th, 1856 to May 27th, 1937 Without Ives invention the above photograph could not have been mass reproduced in magazines and journals. Have you ever watched the Antiques Road Show? Sure you have, hoping that your junk...