Tag: #45

Posted in Art, libretto, opera

Truth isn’t truth is Beauty

Posted on by Dogfish Bay

I cut up my collages into ever smaller pieces and arranged them like fragments of a mosaic, or tesserae. I believe it was Kurt Schwitters who said that collage was more than an art technique, it is a state of mind. It helps bypass linear narrative to arrive at a broader perspective that apprehends pattern, rhythms, and wave forms. The Stark juxtaposition of black and white of my tessarae evokes the ambiguous nature of our topsy-turvy, angst-ridden times when our common agreements about truth are constantly being undermined.

John Keats spoke of an art that embraced uncertainty, doubt, and ambiguity as a way to attain a higher Truth that is synonymous with that Platonic ideal, Beauty. Keats called this capacity to tolerate the unease that attends confrontation with the unknown, Negative Capability.

We would do well to exercise our negative capability as a way to negotiate the convoluted, duplicitous drama in which we are now foundering.

So in processing these collages–which, carried to the extreme, might reduce these fragments to total atomization–I search for the most essential kernel of Truth and Beauty at the heart of the Mueller Report. It is a way for me to deal with the maddness; and direct my own uncertainty, fears, and dread into creative channels.

Posted in Bird poop augury

Bird poop augury–11/25/17

Posted on by Dogfish Bay

20160919_113957In their attempts to descry portents in the flight of birds, ancient augurs oriented themselves toward the north. Flights from the right hand (East) were viewed as affirmation of the query, from the left, negation. Significantly, during the Roman Empire, this orientation was reversed. The cardinal point upon which political, ethical, and moral standards were based was suddenly reversed by Imperial decree.
Perhaps a similar reversal can help explain the spiritual affliction of Trump; as well as his seeming inability to properly honor fallen soldiers.

It might seem odd that we might learn from aviary divination something about double-speak and toxic spew of the Trump era, but ancient lore often discloses timeless truths which defy the logic on which we base our most cherished assumptions about reality today.

In Sophocles play, Antigone, Creon pits his tyrannical rule over that of non-political institutions, family ties, and the will of the gods. By refusing to bury the corpse of Polynices–who dared challenge his rule–he even tries to subordinate the gods of the underworld to his authority.
Though he claims to promote the common good–that of the city over family ties–Creon flouts divine decree, the dictates of custom and common decency. As a result, the city is plunged into a dark malaise so vividly evoked by Tiresias:

The public altars and sacred hearths are fouled,
one and all, by birds and dogs with carrion
torn from the corpse, the doomstruck son of Oedipus!
And so the gods are deaf to our prayers, they spurn
The offerings in our hands, the flame of holy flesh.
No birds cry out an omen clear and true…

The real weight of meaning is driven home to Creon by what the omens do not say, and he finally acknowledges his greatest sin–denial of sacred burial rites for a son of his predecessor, Oedipus–only after bringing ruin to his home, family, and reign.

Posted in Art, Musings, politics, Uncategorized

Speculum Warfare

Posted on by Dogfish Bay
  We saw the projection dynamic in play during the second debate when Hillary, rightly, said 45 was Putin’s puppet.  “You’re the puppet!  You’re the puppet!” was 45’s childish reply.
I reminded of the ancient, Chinese art  of Feng Shui where, through practical as well as highly esoteric remedies, the built environment  was altered in ways auspicious to health and prosperity.  Mirrors were mounted on home fronts to counter the negative chi of neighbors.  The neighbor then responded in kind, but with a larger mirror, and it soon  escalated into all out, speculum warfare.  I see something similar in the endless projections that one side of the political spectrum visits upon the other to manipulate public perception.
  Like 45, Milo Yiannopoulos is an Internet troll, a cartoon character manifest as a faux-real person.  The cyber-world has so morphed with reality that a ficticious, TV personality can become President, and gaudy, physical spectres are  conjured from the etherial world of online trollery.

  Milo Yiannopoulos’s ambiguous role is fabricated to appeal to opposite ends of conservative spectrum, so that both sides might then be swayed toward more extreme, alt-right views. He explained his role perfectly by saying his position with Breitbart countered the perception that the Alt Right is homophobic, and racist.  He’s a shill to make their hateful rhetoric appeal to edgy progressives and third-party stooges in order to draw them into the alt-right fold.   Also, since Yiannopoulos is gay, the alt-right can spin this to deflect accusations of intolerance.

  There are other, more esoteric, means Bannon employs in his global, coup attempt.
The world was perplexed by 45’s recent, shrill warning about immigration when he said: “Look what’s happening in Sweden!”  We are quick to cite this as just another example of his lies.  Then, a few days later, riots break out in Rinkeby.  The Alt Right News then posts an article proclaiming 45’s near mystical powers of prognostication.
  But I wonder if some darker truth was revealed by 45’s “prophesy.”  Bannon has made no secret of his dark vision of historical progress as a series of violent upheavals; and is eager to set the next phase in motion by exacerbating global conflict.  He is quite capable of hiring thugs to incite riots in Sweden in order to support his call for an immigration ban. I think 45’s mysterious warning about Sweden was actually another brain fart along the lines of his famous “Russia, if you’re listening” gaff.  45 did indeed have foreknowledge of the riots–just not of the mysterious, prophetic kind.  He knew Bannon had cooked up another pretext for the planned expulsion of immigrants.  This strategy accords with the Yiannopoulos riots in Berkeley where–says Robert Reich— thugs were hired to amplify the Alt Right claims of Liberal intolerance, and justify violence against peaceful protest.  In the context of this twisted form of psychological and spiritual warfare, it is fascinating to consider that Bannon is a follower of that esoteric fascist, Julius Evola.
   It is easy to get lost in this carnival house of mirrors.  The Alt Right exploits the gullibility and myopia of both extremes of the political spectrum in order to realize their goal of global dominance. It helps to appreciate the ambiguous nature of this struggle in order to remove ourselves from the dizzying play of dissembling and projection.  The art of Feng Shui helps us to appreciate the paradoxical nature of today’s reality and, as remedy to political and spiritual malaise, design that golden bridge that Sun Tzu, admonished us to build for our enemy’s retreat.
Posted in Musings, politics, Uncategorized

The Russian Iago

Posted on by Dogfish Bay
I used to listen to Thom Hartman in my studio.  I loved listening to his astute, well-articulated arguments as I struggled with canvas and paint.  I especially enjoyed the lunch with Bernie hour.  But I was later dismayed to learn that Thom’s program was funded by the Russian Government—or shall we say—oligarchs?
Through the election until now, I’ve been struck by the propaganda, mendacity and maddening projection, whereby paid trolls exploit gullible viewers and draw them toward extreme positions on both the left and right.
Opposite this approach is the “friend argument,” as when 45–under Bannon’s council–tries to combat his sexist, homophobic image by nominating Gorsuch who, because he has a gay friend, seems sympathetic to LGTBQ community.
Breitbart uses Milo Yiannopoulos similarly.  But rather than appease moderate, gay Republicans with a dog bone, Yiannapoulos’s appeals to young radicals who can be persuaded by his gaudily ambiguous persona to embrace Steve Bannon’s racist agenda.
I am trolled mercilessly on RT threads when I bring up Thom’s questionable relationship with Putin’s main propaganda arm.  The only articulate response I get are the familiar, tedious attacks against the DNC and strenuous denials of Putin/45 collusion.  This concerns me greatly since I still agree with most of Thom’s arguments. But since Putin would not do anything counter to his authoritarian agenda, there must be some payoff for his toleration of Thom’s views.  Putin is a master manipulator who plays plays our differences, as well as our accord, against one another.  He is the Russian Iago.
The trade-off is that while Putin provides a platform for Thom’s well-reasoned rhetoric, Thom delivers an audience of educated hipsters and die-hard Berners to RT; where they see programs like Redacted tonight, that try to mould said, hipster opinions along 3rd party and alt-right lines.  And Putin comes off as open-minded to boot.  This is one way that well-meaning progressives are being played by Putin.
This is not meant to cast aspersions on Thom Hartman, Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein, or the good intentions of their supporters. But I think it’s a lapse of judgement on Thom’s part.  The trade-off isn’t worth it.
RT trolls call me paranoid and irrelevant but why should Thom Hartman be above criticism?
 Why would Putin invite a progressive, third party candidate like Jill Stein to attend the RT gala dinner alongside Michael Flynn?  Trolls say it is because their authoritarian leader is open to contrary points of view.  What a laugh.
Posted in Art, Musings, politics, Uncategorized

Trolling–deplorable tactics or Art?

Posted on by Dogfish Bay

The word “troll” needs qualification–there are many forms. Some are ornery cranks who, at least, honestly represent their true motives. Some are masters, who raise trolling to an art form–SNL’s Fatal Attraction satire is an example–while others are paid by the alt-right to pose as progressives who encourage us to speak against our own self-interest.  Much troll activity is to get us to echo Alt-Right, talking points.

For instance, trolls–under the guise of progressives–encourage members of the resistance to gloat about the murder of a Klansman.  This only validates the extreme, right wing propaganda that claims the left is the hateful, violent party.  This image of the left as violent can be used as pretext to attack protesters.  This is crucial. At this time of escalating tensions, we can practice a compassion and human decency that accords with sound strategy–to say nothing of protecting ourselves and loved ones who participate in peaceful protests.

We need to be wary of the propaganda campaign against the DNC which encourages progressives to smear Elizabeth Warren for her alleged, selling out to establishment Democrats.  According to this line, it is not Russian interference, but she and Hillary who are ultimately responsible for # 45, as well as our current malaise. You see this echoed on the RT affiliated, Ring of Fire and Redacted Today videos.  Since Putin doesn’t allow dissenting opinion–without an ulterior motive–are the rad hosts of R of F being exploited by Putin in his attempt at a global coup?  Or are they willfully parroting his party line?

The ultimate form of control is to compel us to participate in our own subjugation. Putin, from his KGB experience, knows this well. We shouldn’t be stooges, drawn by trolls into dizzying webs of dissembling and projection.  Don’t allow them to frame the dialogue in their own terms.

Actually, there is some truth to progressive intolerance–we are intolerant of the racist and treasonous policies of the 45 gang.