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Show THE THUNDERBIRDO SOU.THERN UTAH UNIVERSITYO WEDNESOAY MARCH 25. 19920 PAGE 5 NICOii: 'DIOl"IAS a A.Pl., No corrre WHY ASK WHY PHI ALP HABETA----------------------· SPRING '92 RUSH EVENTS Monday: Open House, 4-6 p.m., at Beta House NEA art meant to offend Presidential hopeful (GASP) Pat Buch anan and var ious Congressional members, have tipped the art world in directions that make conservatives salivate, imagin ing a fun family home evening of burning D.H. Lawrence. Even if Buchanan does not win the nomination or the presidency, (pleasegodpleasegod) his pressure has forced Bush to ask the head of the NEA, John Frohnmayer, to resign as well as stir the waters at PBS. Yes, Buchanan is after the producers of Big Bird. I suppose he thinks Snuffieuligus is a gigantic phallus. Buchanan's comment was aimed specifically toward a PBS documentary entitled, Tongues Untied, its subject being black m ilitant homosexuals. ''This so called art has glorified homosexuality, exploited children and perverted the image of Jesus Christ.'' While I have not seen the piece myself, I have been told by a friend whose opinion I trust implicitly that the work was tastefully done, and that there was a disclaimer at the beginning, warning viewers of the subject matter. However I cannot go by second hand information, can Tuesday: Rhythm Night, 4-6 p.m., at house Wednesday: BBQ 4 p.m.; Rollerskating, 8-10 p.m . Thursday: 70s Night at Beta House, 7-10 p.m. Friday: Interviews at 5 p.m .; Sigma Nu Toga Dance Saturday: Red Oiffs, meet at house at 11 a.m .; Invitations extended to pledges, 10 p.m.-12 a.m . PEGASUS RECORDS [? In fact, the last PBS documentary I have seen concerned a coastal West African tribe where women held the dominant political and social roles. I ' m certain Buchanan would have been offended by that piece as well. And why tcU me Paddy, are you so concerned with the homosexuals? Do you sit up at night, wondering what they are doing, right now, somewhere in the world? The best in this trinity of inanities is the final, "perverted the image of J esus Christ." So? I seem to recall the promise of religious freedom somewhere in the C onstitution. Not everyone has an image of Jesus Christ at all, especially iconoclasts. This gives me a handy little transition into a discussion of Serrano's Piss Chn·st which is not just your greatgrandmother 's rosary stuck in a mason jar being the only indicator to its obscenity. And it is obscene and is meant to offend. It is meant to offend T. V. evangelists and every self-righteous religious organization that claims they are the way and the true church. The point my friends is, that what is soaking in the piss is not the values Jesus Christ preached. What is in that photograph, is what man has twisted that message into. We are the ones drowning in it, not Christ. " But who cares about meaning!" you scream, " I can't think that hard. I just don 't want my money going into Big Bird!" The facts are, only 19 percent of PBS budget is allocated from Congress. The NEA received 69 cents per American citizen. Less than what it costs to buy a Coke and a candy bar. According to the March 9, 1992 issue of Time, "Of the nearly 90,000 NEA grants awarded over the past quarter century, at most a few dozen have sparked any significant public controversy a nd the cumulative cost of all those was less than a cent a person, at a time when people won't stop to pick up a penny from the street.'' Art does not have to be pretty. Art reflects the human condition. It should not promote any aspect of society, rather it should documen t its existence. I think our leaders need to understand th at. For those of you reading this with shaking hands, for the girl who sajd in fall quarter's Social P roblems, " I think they should all be hung,'' concerning the subject of the play, Tht Normal Heart, fo r those of you who wish I was born during the M cCarthy heyday, so I could be arrested and shot in fron t of a firing squad fo r my twisted dreams of Democracy, for the people who think I' m a bitter woman, and that I should just perm my hair and put unicorns on the walls, I dedicate this country to you. I dedicate th e book burnings, and the closed art museums. I give you David Duke and white power . I dedica te the smog and the raping of trees in Oregon. I give you the old above ground test site in Nevada- no take the en tire state. I give you the shadow of America. You are the on ly ones who deserve it. BUSY B. 491 S. Main BURGER KING 586-0478 \VhopperSand~ch and a Bag of Fries $1.99 with coupon Limit 2 Per Coupon Cheese may be added for a nominal charge. 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