FOR OUR "YOU'RE AN IDIOT" FILE...
COMMENTARY
Last Friday the local newspaper and other media outlets reported on a so called “artist” setting up a display of Nazi Gingerbread men in a Wellington store front. The artist, Keith McGuckin, had set up a similar display in an Oberlin store front but the store owner deemed it offensive and had it removed. Imagine how bad a display must be when it is found offensive in the city of Oberlin.
McGuckin said that he “relies on edgy material” to grab people’s attention. Previous displays have shown a caroler bashing snowman, a boy making crystal meth from a Chemistry set that he received for Christmas and in 2004 a display of a suicide was in another store window. McGuckin, who thinks his Nazi Gingerbread men are cute, can’t understand why people would be offended by the display. Is he serious? Is it possible you can be 50 years old and be that ignorant? The owner of the Wellington store has said that he was not aware of what the display would contain but that McGuckin had the right of freedom of expression and artistic expression. He has also refused to give his name to reporters, so much for full support eh?
Timing is also in question with this most recent display, it was unveiled on the eve of Hanukkah. The 50 year old artist however claims that he was unaware of the timing. Perhaps that is because he is busy working on his new display, a gay snowman who is attempting suicide after being outed. Idiot!
Now we at TMC NEWS believe that this man has every right to do what he is doing, however idiotic and offensive as it may be. We do wonder if the media would stop providing this man with all of the attention, how much longer he would be creating these displays. Start counting the days until we see McGuckin on The O’Reilley Factor.
posted by TMC NEWS at 11:49 AM
6 Comments:
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Maybe he was going for the irony angle. Nazi's who were created in an oven?
Everybody's too damn sensitive. Did his display celebrate what the nazi's did? Are they REAL nazi's? Are they going to jump out of that window and harm anyone. Come ON!
Where in the Constitution are we guaranteed freedon from (gasp) being offended? We're not even promised happiness, just the pursuit of it.
As long as my taxes didn't pay for his creation, let him create. If you don't like it don't look at it, he shouldn't have to remove it.
And as long as we're on the subject of being offended. I'm offended that a school board would remove a mascot because of a few misguided people who are obviously ignorant of the defintion of both racism AND mascot. Once again, the vocal MINORITY, (as in fewest in number) get their way due to ignorant politicians.
If we all remember not too long ago, he is the same guy that put up the display in Wellington about suicide. I really didn't care for that display, but hey that's my opinion. I actually think this gingerbread display is kind of funny. Like "dan o." said, "If you don't like it don't look at it".
The attention drives this man, not any need to fulfill any artistic expressions or endeavors. Had that been the case then there would be a point to his nonsense. He states that he only wants to get attention from people and it seems the Chronicle Telegram is more than willing to give it to him. Two days in a row they have written stories and put photos of this man in their paper and on their webpage, and I shouldn’t forget about the video clip they have posted although I did not watch that, what is the point if you are able to read the story. Aside from pissing certain people off what was the point of printing the story and running the photographs of this guy and his so called “art”? Was it because it is a news story? In my opinion, and I have been reading the Chronicle for more years then I wish to tell, it is ONLY to help sell newspapers.
Back to the “artist”. He said in his interview with the CT, “I guess they can’t separate swastikas from historical parallels with Jewish people,” he said. “There’s not supposed to be a connection between the two.” Did the reporter just allow him to say those insane words without questioning him further?
The ACLU chimed in by saying, “Clearly, he’s an artist attempting to provoke discussion,” ACLU Executive Director Chris Link said. “And that’s what free speech is all about.” In not one interview or story that I have seen done on this man have I heard him say that he was attempting to provoke a discussion about anything. He did say the following, “Isn’t the job of an artist to find humor in places other people don’t?”
I agree with TMC NEWS, haasnefoose, DanO and Mr. Jenkins, might not agree with the content but we all agree he has the right to be able to do it. If you do not like it then don’t go to Wellington and look at it or look at the Chronicle, they will probably have another day or two worth of pictures and stories about this guy. To me it is like the uproar over Howard Stern in the past. The way I saw that one is turn the dial, I can’t stand Stern so I would avoid him if at all possible. I never called for him to be taken off the air, never would. Too many men and women have fought for his right, along with the artist in Wellington to do what they do.
During this holiday season instead of talking about nazi gingerbread men we should be talking about our friends, neighbors and fellow countrymen who are over seas fighting every single day for our freedoms. Perhaps if the man was a true artist he would create a artistic display honoring those fine men and women. That would get me to drive down to Wellington.
What an Idiot!! TMC News, you got it again right. Free speech. There is a line between what is classy and what is not. Clearly this is not!!!
There are things in the world that matter. Things like, AIDS, World Hunger, war, etc. How are Nazi Gingerbread men offensive? Yes, there is a history about Nazism, that's completely understandable, but you have to take this "artist's" work into perspective. Did he do it because he wants to actually connote a feeling, or is he doing this for pure shock value? Maybe his "art" is shock? I think it's absolutely ridiculous anyway. The reason there are people in the world that do things like this is because of how fractured and schizophrenic our society has become. We don't care about what's important anymore. Our media focuses on things that are redundant, ie Xbox 360 and how Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan are banging so and so. In the end, it really doesn't matter. I mean, think about it. Everyone dies. Even Paris Hilton. We just choose not to think about what's important because then we'd actually have to deal with real things, like death, and nobody likes to think about. So, we fill our lives with Nazi Gingerbread men.
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