I had hoped the controversy was over after the couple of folks who protested at the ArtCurrents dedication. But I suppose some people just feel the need to keep even the most ridiculous controversy alive. These pieces of art are only on display for one year or until they sell, so regardless of protests the Ganesha statue will be gone inside of a year. I'd bet the protestors treat that day as a big victory too: "See? We made it happen! Yay us!"
I can't believe their rationalizations for protesting it either. "It's an idol." "The symbol of Ganesha is too similar to a swastika." "The elephant's trunk depicts a phallic symbol." "The weapons cause fear." Yadda yadda.
It's a bloody piece of art! The swastika was an ancient symbol of good fortune in eastern cultures that was usurped a century ago by an evil force in the west, but its meaning hasn't changed in the east. And this statue is a representation of eastern culture. Just don't get me started on phallic symbols. Suffice it to say, they're everywhere. You can find more "offensive" things in everyday life. Ever looked at failblog's things that are doing it? And seriously. The weapons are intimidating? I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a religion that has scared more people into submissive obedience to a deity than Judaism or Christianity. Sadly, these are some of the same people who would protest the removal of the 10 Commandments from the courthouse lawn. You'll also note that they're not protesting the Rachel or St. Francis statues. Apparently they don't see the hypocrisy.
I'm all for people expressing their opinions, but I reserve the right to laugh at them when their opinions are absurd.
Anyway, in case you didn't get your picture for the meme, here are the images from my article on LoveCdA.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/...e347ff6d_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2039/...075443e9_b.jpg
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