Elaine Velie (hyperallergic.com)Parents complained that the famous sculpture was shown to their sixth graders.
It’s a known authoritarian practice to undermine the meaning of words: in this case, applying the word pornographic to an artistic masterwork representing a biblical figure in the nude. At the same time, they are diminishing the cultural and historical value of art; art and history are threats to them that must be suppressed for their narrative to reign.
Il David is an important work to study in European art history, and frankly any curriculum that omitted it would be questionable.
Nudity is not the same as pornography.
Equating the nonsexual body with the sexual is the same line of thinking that lets them sexualize the mere existence of trans people and queer people, to transform their non-straight sexual orientation and non-cis gender orientation into sexual rapacity rather than identity. And once they are sexualized, they are easily criminalized because sex is sin.
This is the same line of thinking that forbids using language like “gay” or “vagina” — a medical term that has nevertheless been sexualized. They steal power to discuss women’s bodies in a way that is not sexual, because in their minds that is what women are for: producing babies.
Art is not pornography.
If we allow them to define art, they will eliminate it. When “pornography” doesn’t mean anything, you can claim anything you dislike is pornography. Even a world-famous statue depicting a literally biblical figure has been deemed prurient. If that won’t fly, other masterpieces like the Ecstacy of St. Teresa and Botticelli’s Venus are surely suspect. Say goodbye to the chaotic ugliness of Picasso’s Guernica, the ribald weirdness of Bosch. Art encourages cultural critique, not valued by Christian nationalists who dream of a pure society in their image, with nothing to prompt their children to question their worldview or their rightful place at the top.
They don’t wish to see anything “vulgar.” And who could argue with that? Except that they get to define vulgarity…
Nothing unpleasant.
No debate, no criticism, no rebellion.
They can and will find offense in anything and everything, and will do so without shame because the ends are all that matters: enforcing a sanitized world of hegemonic straightness, whiteness, and Christianness.
Christian nationalists are working to integrate their religious views into our public education system, government, and society. This is the same story as the book bans, just another tactic. These parent groups weaponize their righteous outrage to oust any who would dare stand up to them and refuse to enshrine their moral standards. They are a serious threat to freedom in America.
See also: Article pairing: normalize sex
11 replies on “The tactic of destroying the meaning of words”
How can our society resist fascism and become more equitable? Last updated 2024 October 12 | More of my big questions Sub-questions What should we expect from fascists? What are the common approaches and arguments they use? How have people resisted fascism in the past? How can I help others safely? How can women be…
Replied to On the Rights of the Child, Part I by Talia Lavin (The Sword and the Sandwich)
I didn’t know about this, but it makes sense: American parents generally seem pretty controlling of their children, on both ends of the political spectrum. On the left, helicopter parenting kids into endless activities that look good on college applications, and on the right, denying kids information about safe sex and gender. Both approaches are about the parent’s idea of what they believe will set their kid up for future success and happiness. Both happen because the parent believes they know better than their kid. Both are about control, coercing children with the fear of failure and lifelong misery.
It doesn’t seem like it should be controversial that children should not be beaten or abused, that they should get the medical treatment that they need, that they should get a quality education and have access to information. And yet these are all things the parental rights movement protests: they are scared that giving children these rights would mean they cannot raise their children to be what the parent wants them to be. That they will lose control over their children — and thus over society.
This reminds me of seeing teenagers treated as though they were eight — their parents are the masters of the house and won’t listen to their kid’s preferences — then the day they turn eighteen they’re considered adults. They’re deprived any practice in increasing autonomy or responsibility when the consequences of mistakes are low. Sometimes, these kids go wild (and accidentally harm themselves) when they leave home for college or the army, the first time they finally are able to choose for themselves.
See also:
The tactic of destroying the meaning of words
Unite Against Book Bans
Replied to Tennessee House votes to expel 2 of 3 Democratic members over gun protest (npr.org)
Misconstruing words and intentions is an integral tool for fascists, reflected in the importance of ‘doublethink’ in Orwell’s 1984. Here, a powerful politician pretends not to be aware of the difference between a peaceful protest and an insurrection. With his comparison, he equates using a megaphone and peacefully occupying a space (potentially on recess?) with showing up at the nation’s capital with weapons and zipties while calling for the head of the politician charged with peacefully transferring power from one elected leader to the next. The silenced, disenfranchised populace making themselves heard by the politicians theoretically representing them (but not due to horrendous gerrymandering) are equivalent to a lynch mob seeking to subvert the will of the people by blocking execution of electoral results. At once, he is dismissing the validity of protest and making protest out to be more dangerous than it is. Casting protest as something alarming rather than a very American exercise of First Amendment rights — particularly when led by two young Black men.
(This is the perspective that makes Feedly’s new AI tool lumping together protests and riots alarming.)
Having conflated a minor rules violation with a treasonous attack, he could justify subverting democratic representation by casting out the troublemakers under the guise of decorum. He can claim to be on the side of democracy by dismissing the democratic tactic of protest as disruptive to the legislative process of “representative” democracy, and may righteously return to ignoring gun control now that he has invalidated the protestors and distracted from the purpose of their protest.
Bookmarked ‘Only 11 People’ Responsible for Majority of ‘Book Ban’ Requests?…,‘Only 11 People’ Responsible for Majority of ‘Book Ban’ Requests? by Kim LaCapria (truthorfiction.com)
… just think of the dozen people who have single-handedly gotten hundreds of books banned across the US! 🙃
One person can do a lot of harm as the squeaky wheel. How can you be a squeaky wheel for good?
See also:
Unite Against Book Bans
The Rights of children
Oppression against public opinion
The tactic of destroying the meaning of words
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