I am just passing on this story I read today. It shouldn't surprise anyone of us living in the supposed happy land that is post-racial North America (or post racial America because I sure don't see stories like this coming out of Canada).
Why do these 'whitewashed' murals always remind me of the propaganda posters that come out of places like North Korea. The only difference is that the Korean ones show Korean faces and Korean styles of dress. However, the message is just the same.
Are people so fearful of change that everything has to express the point that 'white is right' or some other US version of - 'Comrade Kim really did get born by a fart from heaven'?
When anything expresses the racial diversity we all live in and see around ourselves daily, it has to be attacked and 'fixed'. Why can't we see the reality that our societies are mutli-ethnic and multi-cultural. Why can't we use public art to educate TRUTH? Any public art has to take the exact opposite point of view that has not been reality for many decades or it's immediately controversial.
Seems to be the same level of control a certain other dictator found productive in his land. Is this what we really want? Don't answer that whitey. I already got what you think with crystal clarity.
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10 comments:
I am shocked and appalled and yet... not surprised.
As for Canada, we have racism, to be sure. I used to design covers for a Real Estate paper in my town. On one cover I used a clipart image of a mixed race couple. Although not overt, the racism did find its way back quietly. Realtors came to have an informal chat with the publisher and said things like "We don't need to see that kind of thing here."
We were tempted the next week to put a gay couple on the cover. Instead I found a picture of a native family.
We have a fairly large native population in our town and if anyone had said anything it would have been obviously a racist complaint. No one did.
Well stated, Cal. This country is so embarrassingly backward - racist, homophobic, etc. Worst of all are those who claim not to be.
Did I mention that I'm half Canadian? ;-)
xoRobyn
Not me!
Did I mention that some of my best friends are Canadians?
There's a billion pictures here, but let the slide show run until you get to the ones of the kids posing with the mural.
My nephew's kindergarten class.
There's always hope.
:)
http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/pictures/slideshow?site=kittycahalan&page=kittycahalan%2Fpictures&album=116
Living in Tucson, we were not surprised by the further BS coming from our glorious state capital. On a happier note, they backed down on white-washing the faces and the radio talk show host and council member that started all this was fired from his talk show job. He should be fired from his council job too. Little consolation that we have morons yelling racist crap at the people painting the mural, though. I turn 60 next month, and I always thought (back in the 60's) that we would have progress and a better country. Not so, thanks to the ignorance and anti-intellectual attitude from alot of our great citizens.
Oh Pat, that's what they all say.
xoRobyn
Stories like this really make me want turn into the Hulk and start smashing dumbf@ck heads in.
Well Sam, if you ever do change, come to sunny Arizona. I've got a long standing gig for you.
You know, for a little while, it almost seemed like we were about to overcome this sort of thing. I guess that idea's just going to sit in the corner with the solar jetpacks and robot butlers.
Oh I feel worse about missing out on those kickass jetpacks. I can forgive alot of bullshit with a jetpack. In fact, give me a jetpack and I wil forgo bitching for life.
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