Perception
Today's class day, making it a day of several thoughts. Let's start with the art class. Let's talk nudity. We spent a while discussing paintings that make you want to look away. How different cultures react to nudity is interesting. How do you feel when looking at a nude piece? Does it help if the piece was by a really famous artist? What if you're in a gallery where you don't know anyone, does that change whether you look at it or not? Does it change how long you loot at it for? What if you're at the gallery with a lot of friends? What if these friends are artists? What if the painting is merely a close-up of a woman's crotch? Makes you think? So I hope.
We also talked about perception. We looked at this wooden African piece where a woman sat kneeled. On top of her is a male figure. Many of us, who have been raised in a semi-Western culture, immediately assumed this to be a subservient position. Actually, in this example, the woman symbolized the woman as the higher being, the main cause of support. She's the source of power. Isn't it interesting how much we assume?
Did I mention that there is no equivalent of "bless you" in Japanese? I have an issue with that. It's so weird to me that a society that places so much importance on being formal and correct and polite has no word for 'bless you'. Talk about cultural differences....
Tomorrow is vote-day. Please vote. I can't but if you can, please do. It makes a huge deal of difference, especially this time.
Before?
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