composed entirely during my commute to/from work
the image may refer to analog sensory information captured in a moment (moment being the length of time that the aperture of the camera is open) but does not depend on that reference in order to provide meaning.
the image is an end in itself.
a recording of material reality that can function independently of other recollections of that reality.
an audience member may not be able to read a written language. the image transcends because of its non-referential nature
~
words point. language is empty of meaning until it has a reference in the mind of the reader.
it depends upon pointing to function.
its success as a medium of communication depends upon the shared cognitive space of the speaker and the audience / i.e. the imaginary world of the reader or listener and the writer or speaker are shared.
a partcular arrangement of words may be beautiful in and of themselves. however, the appetite for beautiful gibberish is quickly sated, at least with the written word. pop music instructs us that beautiful sung gibberish has a surprising endurance.
~ and two more crumbs to chew on ~
language is born from the mind of the speaker or writer. images are either captures of analog information (photographs) or drawings, which like language issue from the mind of the creator …
discussion of the conceptual difference between photographs and drawings refers to the constructive or co-creative nature of all sensory reality, for in the perception of image (like all information) belief systems shape the reconstruction of information on the screen provided by the optical sensory system.
“I hate this song and Eminem. His music is filled with misogyny.” she wrote in a comment.
Each of us makes something of what happens in our lives. We each put our excretions into the world – this is Sufi philosophy.
Eminem argues with himself, his experience, his hatred in public. To answer hate with hate is to dance with him on his terms. That’s a big part of his movie 8 mile – he learns to control his own behavior, chooses to define the terms of the dance in the world, instead of reacting to the other’s provocation.
Eminem seems to struggle with his own illusions of control, addiction, and issues of relational dominance. He makes from that struggle. He sorts through his own shit.
He voices violence against women in relationship to him. If we as women can’t face that down, can’t learn to redefine that dance as we face people like Eminem, what strength do we have in this world? I’m not saying to distract ourselves by arguing with bullies, I’m speaking to something larger …
I like the fight he has, his commitment to making his way.
There are many tricks in his lyrics. He may be tricking himself too. Don’t confuse the entertainer with the mask they are wearing … There are entertainers I know who preach peace but walk in the world with an incredible amount of violence/social dominance. You never know till you meet the person.
i.thou the bride part 2 #16
i.thou the bride part 2 #83 : i.it
i.thou the bride part 2 #206 : i.it
i.thou the bride part 2 #273 : the bride/the bird
i.thou the bride part 2 #370 : the bird flies
It the Bully’s world, there are no other human beings. There are things that walk around, bodies that are like dolls. The clothes people wear mark their social roles, determine their power-over-others.
The Bully patrols public social places and enforces social roles as defined by appearances. The Bully asserts object-based social roles (by gender, by race) via manipulation of other people’s reactions.
Emotions are the handle by which the Bully manipulates others.
The Bully’s paradox is that he believes in his own inferiority. She manipulates others to get what she wants because she believes she is powerless to make that happen for herself. His behavior is there to get a particular result – to level the playing field by manipulating other to feel as powerless as he does.
The Bully employs trigger behaviors to provoke a reaction. The Other’s reaction to the Bully becomes the handle by which the Bully manipulates the situation.
The biggest trick the bully has is to provoke a like response, encouraging the Other to become like them – become violent like them, become name-callers like them – in order to assert the lie that through the likeness of displayed behavior, the bully and the target have become the same.
The Bully asserts the truth of the definition of the Other via their social role or object-ness (gender, race, language). The Bully attemps to force the Other to respond on like terms, which, to the Bully, is the point – not the result of that argument, but instead, the successful provocation or engagement of the Other in ignorant behavior.
In this limited world of impulse-triggers and short term gains, the successful Bully is the one who is good at manipulating other people’s base emotions to get what he or she wants from the situation in the short term.
