Would the world be a better or worse place if everyone looked the same? The great horror of humankind is so many of us are ugly. For a species as acutely conscious of comparison and deeply driven by imitation, "aesthetic diversity", sometimes wildly subjective and sometimes less so, inclines us toward a certain hatred of the "limits" imposed on us, unique among the animals, by nature. Some organisms, of course, are wildly more hideous than even the ugliest of humans, but they exist in a sort of hellish bliss, bobbing primitively at the floor of the sea or squiggling with sucker mouths through the intestinal systems of vertebrates, fully occupied by the animal appetites, and with nary a mirror in sight.
There's a lot of fertile ground here nonetheless. Appearance certainly matters. But to what degree? If one could list one's values, would appearance be number one? Appearance in what sense? Clothing? Teeth? Haircut? Whether to get a tattoo? When I see tattoos, I think of 1) My mom's brother who was in the Navy during the Korean War and had an anchor on his bicep, who warned me when I was a kid never to get a tattoo; 2) "Parker's Back" by Flannery O'Connor; 3) My cousin's son, who wants to cover the rest of his back and chest; 4) Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones; 5) "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" as sung by Groucho Marx, 6) the episode of MASH where Radar gets a teddy bear tattoo 7) Queequeg in Moby Dick.
I'm really baffled by James Poulous's comments, beginning with the first sentence, which I've read probably five times. He's circling around something, but he never lands.
If everyone looked the same it would be pretty boring. There would be no ugly but no beautiful either. Just a meat popsicle doing what whomever is in charge says to do. Ant farm.
Ending all individual characteristics of thought and looks is again more attempts to subjugate.
The people who push this really mean to push it on everyone else but themselves.
The painting of Michael slaying the devil by Raphael is amazing. The statue of Michael in front of the Lutheran Church in Hamburg, GE is also amazing. Probably not as great if the hero in this art had multiple eyes and six wings lol. They are better than memes.
I saw a sculpture of a demon recently in a modern art store and a painting of one. The sculpture was a nitemarish monster and the painting a scantily clad woman but still grotesque. This was a real trendy type art store filled with ugly monstrosities ran by an equally ugly individual. The vibe inside was not a good one.
There's a lot of fertile ground here nonetheless. Appearance certainly matters. But to what degree? If one could list one's values, would appearance be number one? Appearance in what sense? Clothing? Teeth? Haircut? Whether to get a tattoo? When I see tattoos, I think of 1) My mom's brother who was in the Navy during the Korean War and had an anchor on his bicep, who warned me when I was a kid never to get a tattoo; 2) "Parker's Back" by Flannery O'Connor; 3) My cousin's son, who wants to cover the rest of his back and chest; 4) Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones; 5) "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" as sung by Groucho Marx, 6) the episode of MASH where Radar gets a teddy bear tattoo 7) Queequeg in Moby Dick.
I'm really baffled by James Poulous's comments, beginning with the first sentence, which I've read probably five times. He's circling around something, but he never lands.
If everyone looked the same it would be pretty boring. There would be no ugly but no beautiful either. Just a meat popsicle doing what whomever is in charge says to do. Ant farm.
Ending all individual characteristics of thought and looks is again more attempts to subjugate.
The people who push this really mean to push it on everyone else but themselves.
The painting of Michael slaying the devil by Raphael is amazing. The statue of Michael in front of the Lutheran Church in Hamburg, GE is also amazing. Probably not as great if the hero in this art had multiple eyes and six wings lol. They are better than memes.
I saw a sculpture of a demon recently in a modern art store and a painting of one. The sculpture was a nitemarish monster and the painting a scantily clad woman but still grotesque. This was a real trendy type art store filled with ugly monstrosities ran by an equally ugly individual. The vibe inside was not a good one.
I think I learned once beauty comes from within…