Cincinnati vs Mapplethorpe

3470 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Pop culture's influence on society and sexuality

Cincinnati vs Mapplethorpe

READER DISCRETION ADVISORY
This pop culture memoir contains sex, lies, greed, perversion, murder, deceit, infidelity, drugs, sex, immorality, scatology, ambition, equivocation, character assassination, slander, blasphemy, aspersion, betrayal, distortion, racism, ungodliness, sodomy – and that’s just the critics of Mapplethorpe.

'>-The first page of Jack Fritshcer’s book, Mapplethorpe: Assault with a deadly camera.

So I am asking myself, what is it about this guy Mapplethorpe that upsets everybody so much? My interest was sparked by an oral performance piece by Laurie Anderson entitled, “Large Black Dick” in which she says:

Washington, D.C.? It was a town that wasn’t big enough for the senator and the artist Mapplethorpe. Yeah, Jesse liked pictures of snowy landscapes, art that made you feel good. And Mapplethorpe? He was after big taboos, things like: What do sex and religion have in common? So the senator looked at the artist’s photographs and they were pictures of men with no clothes. And there were lots of chains and black leather and crosses. But the picture that bothered the senator the most was a very large black dick sticking out of a business suit. So he made a law that said:

WE’RE NOT GOING TO LOOK AT THIS, AND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO LOOK AT IT EITHER…And the issue of control, who controls what, has started to blend in with a whole new brand of puritanism. (Russell)

The incident that Laurie Anderson is referring to takes us back to a time not so long ago when most of us were wearing legwarmers and high-tops and being entertained by the likes of He-Man and Rainbow Bright. In the late eighties and early nineties, things that were once understood as the status quo became history; Women entered the workplace in throngs, single parent families proliferated and AIDS/HIV, an acronym that only years ago was totally foreign, were some of the hot topics of the day.

Unbeknownst to many students in my generation, mounting hostility towards public arts funding also marked the cultural and political climate of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Debates had escalated over a number of National Endowment for the Arts grants, targeted at artists who violated sexual and cultural norms in their art, whether it was in painting, oral performance, writing, or photography. Most famous of these NEA outlaws was gay photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, whose photographs became the center of a national debate over the function of art, who should fund it, what is considered obscene and, as Laurie Anderson states, “the issue of control…and who controls what.

Show More
Related

  • Watertown Murder Case Study

    2245 Words  | 5 Pages

    A man and woman, both soldiers, were killed in a helicopter accident in Fort Bragg, NC. The accident occurred due to an equipment malfunction that happened while the soldiers were doing maintenance work (“2 Soldiers Killed While Working on Helicopter” 7A). Meanwhile, in Texas, Karla Faye Tucker became the first woman to be executed in Texas in over 130 years. Tucker was accused of beating a man and woman to death. Although she pleaded for mercy, she was given no pity, for there was a 16-0 vote for her to be executed (Holmes 7A). In the medical world, there was a tremendous breakthrough in the treatment of AIDS. The number of patients with AIDS in the U.S. lowered 44%. This is largely due to the newest treatment of AIDS, which was benefiting all races and genders. Over 21,000 patients died of AIDS in 1996, but numbers plummeted to 12,000 by 1998 (Haney 7A). One of the most talked about happenings in the U.S. is the affair between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Monica refused to confess to the famous affair that was brought to federal courts. The judges believed that Clinton had told her to keep quiet, so the 24 year-old ex-White House intern diligently obeyed (Yost

    Read More

  • The Well Known Rivalry of Cincinnati

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are always different areas and beliefs in big cities, but in some cities they are taken to a whole new level. Everyone is proud of where they are from naturally, whether it’s in regards to their sports team, schools, or maybe a famous product that originated from there. There is a very well known divide in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where there seems to be a highway or street creating an invisible line. Cincinnati is well known for its education, food, and the diverse lifestyles one may be able experience in the rather large suburban area. If someone asks a Cincinnatian where they’re from, they will proudly respond with either the Westside or Eastside! Common phrases one may hear are, “Westside best-side or Eastside money-side.” It’s not necessarily true that someone is considered good or bad due to their response; it’s just a pride factor to them.

    Read More

  • The Puritan Family

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Puritans didn’t understand that the individual households allow freedom from outside of judgment or intervention. The Puritan community sensed that it’s obligat...

    Read More

  • “Angels in America”: Why Do Men Prefer to Be on the ‘Down Low’?

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin with, ‘Down Low’ is a phrase that was coined by members of the African American urban culture during late 1980’s which defines gay men who appear to be straight (Hamilton, 2009). Many characteristics of men living on the down low include individuals (who appear as though they are straight) who are sometimes married with children, members of the clergy, elected officials, ex-convicts, and most notable in a number of low-budget and often overlooked films – straight acting thugs (Hamilton, 2009). It is almost virtually impossible to be appreciative of the drama “Angels in America” without having an understanding about the history of the AIDS crisis as well as a more extensive story of lesbians and gays in the United States of America. While men and women have engaged in homosexual conduct in all times and various cultures, it was only in the twentieth centu...

    Read More

  • Rapist Narrative

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    John cleared his throat and continued, “At 10:55 Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated,” A unanimous gasp rose among all the men. Pure shock, that’s the only emotion I felt at hearing this devastating news. I had followed Harvey Milk’s career since he had been elected roughly a year earlier. Harvey Milk being the first openly gay man elected to public office had made tremendous leaps for the gay community. “I’m giving you all the rest of the day off to call your families and tell them you love them. In times like this it’s important to remember and cherish the things that we do have,” Everyone dispersed, gathered their things and began to file out of the door. I stayed where I was too stunned to move. Soon John and I were the only people left in the

    Read More

  • Racism Exposed In James Baldwin's Going To Meet The Man

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    The narrative originates with a strange introduction, a love scene between Jesse and his wife ,Grace. As Jesse is unable to please his wife, he begins to look back at a number of memories. The first recollection that came to Jesse’s mind occurred in the local jail. A group of African-Americans had been singing and it was beginning to irritate Jesse and another officer, Big Jim C. As a result, Big Jim C. and Jesse began viciously abusing the group's ringleader, who was ordered to stop them. As the this memory began to fade, Jesse recalled another incident he faced, only this time as a child. Jesse recalled the day that he and his family took a trip to see the lynching of a black man. This black man knocked over an old white women, and would pay very dearly for his mistake. Jesse remembered the details of this day, and this elaboration made it feel, “like a Fourth of July Picnic” (Baldwin 1757). The whole neighborhood watched on as the black man was hanged, his privates were cut out, and he was burned to death. One of the central themes in, “Going To Meet The Man” is racism and

    Read More

  • American Exceptionalism In The Declaration Of Independence

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    This essay does not attempt to make a case that the United States of America has special standing with God as a modern chosen nation. I do not dispute that America is exceptional. However, American Exceptionalism applies to exceptional qualities of the United States in relationship to other nations. At its inception those qualities included limited government that exists to protect and defend the free exercise of inalienable human rights. But even these noble principles do not indicate the United States exists because God established an exclusive and

    Read More

  • The Causes Of The Stonewall Riots

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1969, the US was preparing to land the first man on the moon,  the first case of HIV/AIDS was confirmed, and members of the gay community were harshly discriminated against because of their sexuality. Family incomes had started to fluctuate and become unstable, and disputes with police were common among the population. On a mild Friday night in 1969, a riot broke out in Greenwich Village after a police raid that sparked rebellion. Police raids on bars that had patrons suspected of ...

    Read More

  • The View From The Endless Scarp Analysis

    1782 Words  | 4 Pages

    The late 1970’s marked major transitions for American culture and world culture alike. The wildly brazen Punk music, that defined the decade, was moving out and the famed Rock ‘n’ Roll of the 80’s was getting its launch. Jimmy Carter, and his less than notable presidency, would guide the country through it. More importantly, the United States was in the midst of the second wave of feminism. The second wave extended from the original struggle for suffrage. It broadened the fight, questioning sexuality, gender roles, reproductive rights, rights in the workplace, and the women’s place in the family. Women were also beginning to appear in a plethora of previously male dominated fields. From politics to authorship, women were breaking boundaries

    Read More

  • We Must Save the N.E.A.

    2419 Words  | 5 Pages

    "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?" If some people in this country have their way, and funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is cut, then the answer to that question will be no. Many people in this country want the federal government to remove the NEA from the national budget or at least cut back on its funding. Some of these people do not think that the Endowment is necessary, other people argue that the agency funds too many artists who create works that are off ensive to a majority of people. Though it may be true that some of the work recently produced has been offensive to a large number of people, it is not a reason to remove a very useful government program. The NEA provides jobs, funds programs for museum s and libraries, helps to educate the public, and helps generate economic activity. Instead of entirely cutting off the funding for such a useful program perhaps the federal government could look into reevaluating the budget and changing the spending policies of the agency. That way they could try to eliminate the artwork that is offensive to the public, and promote the good programs that the Endowment supports. There is a couple of ways in which the government could do this. They could do it by changing the grant giving policy, or by privatizing the NEA.

    Read More

  • censorship sucks @*$

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The New York Times there was an article printed about a censorship issue at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. In October of 2003 a film student named Paula Carmicino was told to stop production on four-minute documentary of the “portrayal of the contrast between unbridled human lust and banal everyday behavior.” They administration felt that her film was inappropriate, even for a university. The film required two actors to have sex on camera in front of the class. Her professor approved, but the administration of the Tisch School saw it as not acceptable. The matter caused a very tempestuous situation on campus.

    Read More

  • Pro Funding For the Arts

    1476 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Ever since the late 1980s, when the performance artist Karen Finley started playing around with yams and chocolate, the National Endowment for the Arts has come under fire from some conservative lawmakers” (N.E.A. Funds Benefit Both the Rich and ...

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Funding the Arts

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    Witherbee, A. (2013). Counterpoint: Education, the Masses, and Art. Points Of View: Arts Funding, 6. Retrieved April 19,2014 , from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=12421040&site=pov-live

    Read More

  • Mystification

    342 Words  | 1 Pages

    The “privileged minority” mystifies works of art in order to control people’s view. Berger explains how Hals becomes after he painted the two paintings. According to Berger, “he obtained three loads of peat on public charity, otherwise he would have frozen to death. Those who now sat for him were administrators of such public charity” (158).

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Abortion

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    This affects 57.4% per one thousand girls; furthermore, teens that become pregnant have a substantially higher chance of dropping out and not furthering their education. Abortion is a tool that can be used to benefit the younger women of our country. A tool where young women who were unsafe don’t have to regret it for the rest of their lives and have a child that is unwanted. No child should come into this world unwanted. Though her actions can be deemed not responsible. A mother to realize she is unable to care or provide for the child is the correct thing to do; furthermore, 42 % of women who have an abortion are below the poverty line. Having a child that one cannot afford can lead to a series of negative effects such as unemployment, becoming reliant on public welfare, and falling victim to domestic

    Read More

More about Cincinnati vs Mapplethorpe

Open Document