Regards, Ivan
Posted on 04/12/2006 11:16:15 PM PDT by MadIvan
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
I demand you return the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the Peacock Throne and te rest to India...or else! ;^)
Mr. Lagat is obviously a racist.
Can you imagine what would happen to any "rightfully returned" artifacts in the righteous paradise of Zimbabwe?
Theft and resale on the black market would likely be the best fate for anything valuable there.
The idea of "everything being returned" is insane. Can you imagine the chaos that would occur if every nation decided to carry out this concept?
To the victor belong the spoils.
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This post brings up the interesting question of private vs public property, IMO. I'm not so sure that anyone can say that certain art objects "belong" to or were stolen from a given country, especially as some of these countries may not have existed consistently.
You'd think people would look at the condition of South Africa and figure this out for themselves.
I'm not so sure this is cultural or even economic thing, so much as it is natural human inclination to fail to appreciate the familiar, and an endemic quality of the artistic temperment. In microcosm, I know that I've treated a number of my own sketches, paintings, etc. with a cavalier and generally careless attitude, as to me they're nothing particularly special or that can't be done again (better), yet others have found them in a sketchbook, cabinet, frame etc. and admonished me, 'you really ought to take better care of these,' or 'I can't believe you treat your own work like this....'
Thanks, iceskater.
AAAARGHHH! What are YOU doing HERE!
Ha ha ha ha! :^D
Unfortunately, it's very hard to define "stealing" when dealing with societies instead of individuals. If native looters plunder and destroy what should be regarded as natural treasures, and the British move in, thwart the thieves, and seize the treasure, did they steal it?
If, apon finding it in such dangerous conditions, and they legally pay to acquire it, so that they can protect and preserve it, are they stealing? If, by paying for it, they help sustain the underground market which motivated the plunderers in the first place, are they stealing?
If, after having acquired a treasure, they go far beyond what the local society could ever do to protect and preserve it, and then *loan* it back to the local society, are they stealing?
If they sell it back at a nominal value which only reflects the investment they've made in keeping it safe, are they stealing?
If they give it back to an unstable or corrupt government, which uses the treasure to legitimize itself, but cannot effectively ensure their own continuance, let alone the safety of the treasure, during the civil unrest which is a natural consequence of their corruption, are they stealing?
If they use such treasures to steer a government towards integrity and democracy, thus "imposing Western values," are they stealing?
You can imagine what its like for Catholics, who believe that God has condescended to exist among them in the form of the Eucharist!
I suppose that's small potatoes after *condescending* to have His Son whipped, beaten and crucified for us.
Yes, could very well be. I sometimes think the same of certain redneck types, who throw trash everywhere, generally doing their best to destroy the natural beauty of their homeplaces. OTOH, there are many who truly do appreciate the beauty.
You ought to take care of your stuff, Joe!
While I make no claim to their greatness, I can readily identify with any number of renown artists who's art was for art's sake, and to whom process and technique were everything. I can generally be goaded into matting and framing some things, and have a rudimentary background in archival preservation and restoration, so I'm not lost on the concept...I suppose there's some type of psychological pathology behind it, but unless I'm doing something as a commission or with a clearly articulated end state (i.e. Christmas gift) I view most of my efforts as experimental and prototypical experiments with media, technique, style, etc. I'm a pack rat, but do tend to view the overwhelming majority of my stuff as reference for later reference...most of which is never actually used.
I suppose that part of my twisted attitude reinforces that this is the luxury of a hobby and not the necessity of livelihood.
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