ku # 569 ~ complexity and nuance

Spring moss • click to embiggenIt was opined on yesterday's entry - by Mark Meyer -

... you are pretending that 'truth' means one thing. Obviously there are different kinds of truth and different contexts in which to to speak of truth, some open to interpretation others less so without some real stretches of the imagination. You seem to have trouble with the idea that 'truth' and 'real' are just words and behind those words are manifold ideas which can't all be treated the same.

To which I would respond that, regarding the tone and tenor of yesterday's entry, Mark has a point as far as the words of that entry go. However, if one were to also consider the picture that accompanies those words (along with most of my pictures that have ever been presented on The Landscapist), one might have second thoughts regarding the notion that I am not open to the possibility that "there are different kinds of truth and different contexts in which to to speak of truth".

It should be obvious to even the most casual viewer of my pictures that I fervently embrace the notion of complexity - both in the visual characteristics of my referents (the noted) and, by inference, the meaning(s) that might be derived from that visual complexity (the connoted). One of the reasons that I favor complexity - other than my seemingly preternatural disposition for it - and the possibility, in fact, the probability of multiple meanings is that I really believe that "that's life."

When it comes to finding meaning(s) or truth(s) in my pictures (assuming that is some to be found), I am very much like Brian (Monty Python's Brian) who tells the assembled throng clamoring for answers to go "figure it out for yourselves". And, FYI, while I do believe that I have somethings of value to say (with words and pictures), let me state again (for the Doubting Thomas' in the crowd) that I offer those things as evidence of what I have figured out for myself, not as papal edicts. Again, let me quote from Brain:

Brian: I'm not the Messiah! Will you please listen? I am not the Messiah, do you understand? Honestly!
Girl: Only the true Messiah denies His divinity.
Brian: What? Well, what sort of chance does that give me? All right! I am the Messiah!
Followers: He is! He is the Messiah!
Brian: Now, fuck off!
[silence]
Arthur: How shall we fuck off, O Lord?

All of that said, what I wish to make clear is that I do not believe that the notion of the exercise of free will by the individual in order to divine personal truth(s) in any way negates the concept of shared / universal / common truth(s).

In fact, quite to the contrary, I think that all of the evidence of humankind's evolution to this point in time leads to the inescapable conclusion that humankind on the whole has progressed towards the realization of and acceptance of many shared / universal / common truth(s) - however nuanced they might be, if for no other reason than our very survival on a shared planet depends upon it.

Now, fuck off.

And, while you're at it, try to figure it (both life and picturing) out for yourself (which does not negate the wisdom espoused by both John and Paul [of The Beatles, not the Bible] that you'll "get by with a little help from your friends").

urban ku # 199 ~ the BIG lie

Many realities in Philadelphia • click to embiggenMost know the time-honored and time-proven adage regarding lying - if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, eventually a whole lot of dolts will take it as the truth - and, without a doubt, the biggest whopper ever repeated until it became a truth is the the one that proclaims;

... truth is a phantom, a mental mirage, a concept that is in constant flux. There are no absolutes in life. ~ as repeated most recently by Paul Maxim HERE.

By this reasoning, everything is true - well, actually, since there is no truth maybe that should read as "not true" - as long as someone somewhere believes it to be so. You know what I mean - because the idea that "Jews are swine" was believed to be true by some ... well ... that made it a "truth". Therefore, killing the swine by the millions was OK because ... well ... the murderers believed that "Jews are swine". No truths were violated by these acts, there was nothing wrong because, after all, "truth is a phantom, a mental mirage".

Just like the right-thinker in Pittsburgh who blew away 3 policemen this past weekend because he believed that the Obama led government was going to take his guns and that police could not protect citizens during the economic downturn. Once again, he violated no truths about, oh, let's say, the sanctity of life or, to be less abstract, the laws that govern civil society. No, he was acting out his "truths" so that's just Oh-key-dokey, right?

One way to dispense with any of these waste-of-time disagreements about what is true or not true is to just get rid of words such as "truth" "lie", "right", "wrong", et al. In doing so, we can also eliminate those pesky human thoughts and actions regarding "righting wrongs" or "trying to live an honest life" - I mean, what the hell, apparently Bernie Madoff had it "right".

But, hey, this is a photo blog (not a civil-society pulpit), so let's address Paul's idea that because Robert Frank's pictures were of ...

those things that relate exclusively to his own experiences

... his pictures were somehow "tainted". They couldn't possibly depict any truths about the American condition. There were no Americans living lives of quiet desperation or loneliness or alienation or dispair. Nope. Impossible. Frank could not have possibly seen or pictured these things because he was "tainted" by his own feelings (and we all know that our picturing should be directed by the rules of good photography and definitely not by what one feels about one's self, about the object of the camera's gaze, or the world in general). If he believed that he saw those things, well, it must have been "a phantom" or a "mental mirage" that was a construct of his flawed imaginings because there are no truths. Not to mention the fact that, at the time of Frank's picturing, every American was living the American Dream, right?

To wit, there can be no pictures of truth(s) because someone somewhere - or, for that matter, many someones in many somewheres - will not see them as depictions of their "truths", therefore, there are no truths.

So, by that unassailable reasoning, let me state that I believe that "Relativists are swine", therefore, let the cleansing begin ....

FYI, it should be clearly understood that I do not think that Paul Maxim would advocate or condone the systematic killing of Jews (or anyone else) nor would I want to cleanse him from the planet.

man & nature # 121 ~ on the road again

Apple orchard in early Spring • click to embiggenI am, of course, a devotee of the medium of photography's association / relationship with "the real" and "truth". I especially relate to those things along the lines of these thoughts:

A photograph is what it appears to be. Already far from 'reality' because of its silence, lack of movement, two-dimensionality and isolation from everything outside the rectangle, it can create another reality, an emotion that did not exist in the 'true' situation. It's the tension between these two realities that lends it strength. - ~ Richard Kalvar

and

When I look at pictures I have made, I have forgotten what I saw in front of the camera and respond only to what I am seeing in the photographs. ~ Minor White

Next week, I'll delve into these ideas in greater detail, Right now, it's off to South Jersey and the City of Brotherly Love (aka, Philadelphia).

ku # 567/68 ~ you got eyes

Lichen • click to embiggenIf I were the king of photo education curricula for the entire world, every student and teacher would have to write a 1000 word essay - the former as their entrance exam, the latter as their job application - on this little bit of wisdom:

Anybody doesn’t like these pitchers don’t like poetry, see? Anybody don’t like poetry go home see television shots of big hatted cowboys being tolerated by kind horses. Robert Frank, Swiss, unobtrusive, nice, with that little camera that he raises and snaps with one hand he sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film, taking rank among the poets of the world. To Robert Frank I now give this message: You got eyes. - Jack Kerouac

Everything, good and bad, there is to know about the medium is contained in that short and sweet missive.

ku # 565/66 ~ singing in the rain

Grass tuffs in Spring rain • click to embiggenThere were several comments on yesterday's entry about my neighbor's $50K house which was in the picture. Mike even wanted to know if it was insulated - it is.

While I don't think that Mike is interested in buying the house - it's not for sale, I do think he was a bit surprised at the $50K price tag that it sold for about a year ago. The common (mis)perception is that a house of that size and apparent condition should command a much higher figure unless it is a "basket case". The house in question was not a basket case. In truth, it was not pristine either. But the family that purchased it moved right in and there has been a rather constant clamor of saw, hammer, and nails ever since.

That said, a pristine piece of real estate in our little village is most likely to be priced in the $90-120K range. Prices here have remained stable - we did not experience a bubble so there has not been a crash. La, la, how the life goes on.

But, while we're on the subject of houses and cars and just "letting the market work", photographer Kevin Bauman gives us a very disheartening look at the reality of the excesses and failures of the free market run amok in Detroit, Michigan.

I am deeply ashamed of and very angry at the country I live in which fosters the "market forces" that allow this to happen - in fact, that both encourages and worships it.

man & nature # 120 ~ it's a crying shame - emphasis on "shame"

Part of our household fleet • click to embiggenCurrently, albeit temporarily, our household car fleet consists of 5 cars, 2 of which are off to college and 1 of which is soon to be departed from our employ. Within the week we will return to our normal fleet number of 4.

We have 4 cars because of where we live. To wit and to borrow a Ulysses Everett McGill line from O Brother, Where Art Thou? - "Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!"

While we're not 2 weeks from everywhere, we are, in fact, about 30 miles more or less from everywhere - 30 miles from the wife's office, 30 miles from the college kids' summer jobs, 30 miles from a really good restaurant, 30 miles from most necessity-goods stores, and so on. We are lucky enough to live in a very small village (pop. 800) that has a doctor, a pharmacy, a good liquor store, a decent sized grocery store, a pizza parlor, a movie theater (open 10 months of the year), a bank, a NAPA store, a bowling alley, 2 drinking establishments, 1 diner, 2 gas stations / convenience stores, a good deli/bakery, a 9-hole golf course, a handful of movie rental stores, and 3 or 4 beauty salons, but the fact remains that we are still very car dependent.

I bring this car thing up because I just can't get the picture of our Car Warranty Commander-in-Chief out of my head. I mean, who the hell could have dreamed that the Great Speechifier would be lecturing us about the reliability rankings of a Buick? Good grief, it's not like The Man doesn't have enough problems to deal with without having to add the title of Car Salesman to his resumé. As David Letterman is often heard to state, "I wouldn't give his problems to a monkey on a rock."

However, whatever the problems in the Oval Office, the problems facing the US auto industry seem almost insurmountable and I'll use the picture of our driveway as an example of why I think that is so.

I can not imagine how the US auto industry is going to meet, much less surpass, the products that are sitting in my driveway. Simply put, there are precious few cars in the US auto industry offerings that come close to matching what is sitting there. When it comes to build quality, standard equipment levels, warranty, fuel efficiency, and price point relative to the aforementioned, the US auto industry has been asleep at the wheel. Of the few cars they offer that come close to those in my driveway, all are johnny-come-latelys to the party and they are following the leader as opposed to leading the pack.

Case in point, the most recent addition - the Suzuki SX4. We need an AWD in the fleet. There are times when the wife has to travel great distances over back country roads during the Winter and the security of AWD is very desirable. But, we also want a fuel efficient car and the Subaru Impreza was OK for an AWD however the Suzuki is considerably better in that regard - and it even offers on-the-fly selectable 2W/FWD for slightly better gas mileage than its AWD mileage rating.

In addition to that, the car offers, as standard, so many things that are really important - alloys wheels, 4W disc brakes (ventilated front), ABS w Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Electronic Stability Control with Traction Control, front/rear stabilizer bars, side-impact airbags, roof rack rails, and a long list of "comfort and convenience" features. All of that for just a skosh over $15K (and that's without Suzuki resorting to "employee pricing" and/or other discounts) for an AWD car that is currently averaging 27mpg in all-around driving.

To my knowledge, there is not anything that Detroit offers that even comes close to the Suzuki SX4 at any price. That's too bad because there are quite a few of these vehicles on the road up here in the north country where they must outnumber AWD Subarus 4-1.

IMO, the problem stems from one incontrovertible fact - the industry single-mindlessly pursued the easy money that came from catering to a very profitable but unsustainable slice of the market and just ignored the rest. In short, short-term thinking, long-term buffoonery.

This is truly a very, very sad state of affairs - for the country, the industry, the workers, the economy, and the American car buyer. Good luck to anyone who has to deal with fixing this long-time coming mess.

man & nature # 119 ~ more from a rainy Spring day

Asgaard Farm ~ Au Sable Forks, NY • click to embiggenAsgaard Farm is the former home, farm, and studio of Rockwell Kent.

civilized ku # 168 ~ a vivid flashback

A major award • click to embiggenLet me state right from the start that this entry is not a slam against the Papists and their particular form of education as administered - some might inflicted - by their legions of formerly black and white robed minions, aka, nuns. Both the wife and I are shining examples / products of that system.

And, if there are any doubts about my genuine affection for the following, let it be known that my mother's name was Mary, her brother's name was Joseph. Between them their off-spring were named Matthew (my cousin), Mark (me), Luke (my brother), and John (my cousin), Peter (my brother) and Paul (my cousin).

That said, on a beautiful, sunny and warm Spring day (last Saturday), my golf game was terminated after the 11th hole so that I could attend a dinner theater event. I knew nothing about it other than I was going to attend it. My dread was not about the dinner part, rather, it was about the theater part - it's no fun to have to endure an evening of bad local dinner theater.

As it turned out, the evening was a blast because it was an evening all about the joys of Late Nite Catechism. LNC is a traveling one-woman-dressed-as-a-nun show (albeit with 27 different women in various parts of the country) that is a complete on-the-road version of a long running Chicago theater play of the same name. The performance was excellent and very funny and I would highly recommend seeing it if comes to a theater (dinner or otherwise) near you.

That said, our local performance was greatly enhanced by the unwitting participation of the wife.

Sister had asked the class (aka, the audience) for an answer to the question, "Who can tell me what the Immaculate Conception is?". As was the nun's habit (ha, ha, ha,), a prize (almost always a religious object of one kind or another) for the correct answer was offered, in this case, a very small statue of the Blessed Virgin.

Up shot the wife's hand - actually one of a very few. Drawing upon years of Catholic school primary education, a near pavlovian response of award-lust and a deep seated desire for Sister's praise, she raised her hand with great vigor. She was rewarded by being selected to give the answer.

Sister asked for her name - first, middle, and confirmation names - and the wife responded with all three (Jacqueline, Marie, Teres [say Teresa without the "a"]). Sister then asked, "So, Jacqueline, Marie, Teres, did you attend Catholic school?" Whereupon the wife - totally unaware of the sinister trap that was being set - responded with a shoulder shrug and the words, "Ohhh, yeh."

About half the class laughed knowingly and the other half, immediately recognizing a gaff of major proportions, voiced variations upon the phrase, "uh, oh." Sister, of course, rubbed her hands with glee - another successful ensnarement - and picked up her ruler and, tapping it menacingly, asked, "Excuse me, missy. Is that any way to address Sister?"

The wife, recognizing her gaff, kind of shrunk a size or two, turned a little red-in-the-face, hung her head a bit, and very meekly replied. "No, Sister."

I nearly peed my pants.

What was truly amazing was the fact the wife had unwittingly become part of the act, although, it must be said, that her near rote /extremely well conditioned response had nothing to do with acting. I swear, she was immediately and quite thoroughly transported back to grammar school. Her contrite and rather meek response - BTW, something with which I am not familiar - was instantaneous and, I might say, quite "genuine". It was nothing short of amazing.

The wife was able to redeem herself by giving the correct answer although it did not conform to the exact verbal phrasing of the dogma - she had stated that the IC represented the fact that Mary was born without Original Sin (the IC was not related to the virgin birth of Christ). Sister accepted the slight verbal inaccuracy but offered the wife an award upgrade (to an even bigger statue of Mary) if she could use the word "stain" in her answer.

In another involuntary flashback, both the wife and I immediately recognized the "mistake" - of course ... how could anyone forget? - Mary was born without the stain of Original Sin upon her soul. Sister was very please and Jacqueline, Marie, Teres went to the front of the class and collected her up-sized award.

Ahhhh, the good old days.

PS - it well worth noting that the Sisters of Late Nite Catechism are not just making a living by spoofing the nuns and Catholic School. At every performance, the performance Sister stands at the exit with a donation bucket to raise money for real nuns. Over the years and all across the country, they have raised and donated over 2 million dollars to numerous religious orders.

Update on Monday, March 30, 2009 at 12:14PM by gravitas et nugalis

Featured Comment: the wife wrote: "You forgot to add that I then received 900 ejaculations!"

Yes, Dear - I stand corrected. Sister did indeed lead the class in an ejaculation, hence the high number of ejaculations. Your time in Purgatory has been greatly reduced.