OK, back at the desk… been away Friday, Monday and yesterday from the office and to be honest I haven’t missed much here. Everyone is just waiting for the ball to drop and get this deal done that will effectively make everyone redundant or give them a new role with a new direction. I think 80% of people will get pink slips and yet I don’t think I will, but I am so close to asking for one…
But anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the photos and videos below… it took an age yesterday to host them all up on Blogger & YouTube. Today the girls have slept in badly and Niki has kept them home. Kate in particular is washed out in a big way. She slept solidly from say 1pm yesterday to 9am this morning with only a brief waking period around 7pm for dinner.
Outside of work and the family’s trip, I have been following a couple of news stories that I would have normally commented on.
The major one being Bill Henson and his artwork of nude child photography. Difficult issue this one… on one hand I know Henson’s work is legitimately art. He is not a child pornographer and he should not be charged. I know that his artwork was put together with the consent of parents and those children who were in his works that have grown up are pro his work. But there has to be a line drawn somewhere and I believe it opens a Pandora’s Box with the fact that future photographers with a deviant streak could use the art defence as a way to legitimise soft porn involving children.
My view is that the protection of all children should be the focus of any ruling / legislation / banning and that you cannot have these grey areas when it comes to this. I am not a book burner or oppressor of the arts community, but I think for the benefit of future children, people in those groups should put their hands up and say artwork such as Henson’s is dangerous territory and one in which restraint should be considered.
The world is a landscape of shades of grey and nothing is ever black or white, but in this case, I think we should err on the side of conservatism and say any photographic works of children posing naked are not on.
1 comment:
Down here, it wasprobably Neil Mitchell who was driving the talkback shows around Henson.
A couple of days ago, a woman held an art show in the city (Melbourne) somewhere, where she exhibited slides of naked boys about the same age as the girls in the news articles. (I believe the boys in the slides are her sons) She claimed to be doing this in support of Henson and free speach. She then refused to speak to Mitchell about her exhibition because of what he was saying about Henson.
Annother local art hpity toity was slamming the Prime Minister for commenting negatively on Henson's exhibition, beause the PM shouldn't comment negatively on art, and refused to see that since there is public money supporting this show, then the PM has every right to comment. It is after all, his (ultimately ours of course) money.
Neither person who was trying to stop the negative comment on Henson's 'art' work recognised their own hypocrosy. ie: Claiming that the work should be shown since we have freedom of speach in this country but refusing the right of others to comment negatively on the work.
It made me laugh. Not the 'art', the hypocrasy.
Post a Comment