An Open Letter

If you're reading this ________, I feel I should pass along some responses to your box project from last night. I saw your pictures from last night's art project; I know of your motives, your reasoning and the questions you hoped to raise, yet I'm in the minority in posessing this knowledge. As a side-note, your choice of location was fitting, the free speech center of campus was the smart albeit cliché choice. Granted, I haven't ventured over but I know of plenty of people who have. Your bloody corpses, soldiers and civilians are definitely causing a stir and people are stopping to look, but beneath all the curious glances is a sizable amount of people who are quite upset and enraged. You probably were hoping to incite some outcry from the campus community; the purpose of art is often to do just that, to make people think, experience strong emotions, et cetera. If you haven't heard some responses already, here's one. 

"to the jackasses who laid out the boxes resembling corpses and put up the "Don't Shoot I'm human" signs in Red Square: go put your little "art exhibit" up in New York City. Come on...do it. I DARE you. Let's see what they think."   -J


I'm all for expressing one's views through whatever creative means one chooses, but sometimes I feel there is a time and a place. Yes, I questioned the morality and ethics of celebrating a death, but beyond that, it should be realized that we aren't simply celebrating a death, but there are rather many more implications as well.

"Now, let me qualify one thing—We were not celebrating the end of a human life; rather, we were celebrating the end of this man’s grip on American morale.  Our inability to capture or even find this man had a major, negative effect on both civilian and military morale.  With the mission carried out by the brave Navy Seals in Pakistan, we not only ended this, but proved to the world that if you are responsible for the mass murder of 3000 innocent citizens of our nation, you will pay for it.  Hundreds of college students gathered together in front of the White House last night, bursting out into the Star Spangled Banner, carrying flags, and chanting “Thank You, Troops” over and over again.  It was an incredible feeling of togetherness and coming together as Americans that I will never forget...

...I wish people could look behind the physical actions of this to the more symbolic implications. But if all someone sees in that rally in front of the White House was rejoicing at the end of a human life, then he or she has grievously misunderstood or ignored the fact that this man, who has been public enemy number one for most of our conscious memory (for those of us who are eighteen or thereabouts) is no more, that this man, who supported and publicly encouraged the slaughter of 3000 innocent people on our own soil, is no more. The liberal in me wishes we could have taken him alive, but I also recognize the importance of this symbolism."    -V

Even if the idea of questioning the morals of celebrating a death, questions and concerns still arise.

" I think I agree with you in their intent, but they clearly fail at making any kind of statement because their intent is so vague. If they're protesting the actual killing, I don't have words to describe my reaction"   -H

I'd be the first person to shout out that there are always two sides to every argument, point of view and belief. Like night and day, salty and sweet, good and evil, you can never have one without the other. Congratulations on achieving your goals and creating the art you love to your core. I'm also glad to see you found a use for those USPS boxes, but I must express my views on one thing which I am less supportive of.

I hope you're happy about spending taxpayer money to help fund your project and essentially stealing your supplies as well. Those boxes are not free like you claim. They have a purpose, what you are doing is wasting them if anything. If you want to do anything like this again, I suggest you buy them yourself, it's wasteful to spend the money others. In addition, please no bullshit about "it only cost $10 to produce those boxes". The time, manufacturing, processing, shipping, printing and human labour costs that all have been put to null for the purpose of "art" is not acceptable no matter the price. Be courteous to the USPS and the people who help fund it, namely us through the treasury loans that they have to take out because they are already in dire financial straits. They have already laid off thousands, are planning to further cut services and raise prices because they can barely stay afloat. What you were doing is taking advantage of a service they cannot afford in the first place, ordering 500 boxes is rubbing salt into the wound at its core. If you want to be a true artist, spend your own money to buy your supplies. If the money isn't there, I suggest waiting until the means come along.

Voila, my five cents on that. Are my concerns impertinent in the grand scheme of things? maybe. Is my business school persona showing itself? probably. Am I trying to be the friend who just wants to look out for others. definitely.

Don't let others tell you who you are, but be sure to be a responsible individual in a world where the concepts of responsibility and social riotousness are deteriorating at an unsettling rate.

JP