Stu Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Side note, was Stu giving lectures on college campuses today? There was someone out in the free speech area preaching and yelling at kids with a bullhorn that our immoral, depraved behavior was sending every student down a dark path from which there was no return. Life works in weird ways sometimes lining things up You should have come over and spoken with me; I would have offered you some refreshing water instead of university concocted Kool-Aid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 You are correct; that is the only place left for real free speech to occur on most university campuses. There is no room for free speech exhibited by those who disagree with the ideology presented on the rest of the campus; unless you desire at best harsh ridicule from most professors or at worst an F on your course work If you attend college in Soviet Russia perhaps. I've never met a professor who cared about pushing an ideology, they all allowed debate and other viewpoints in classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 First, some science; apple seeds contain tiny traces of cyanide, not arsenic. The amount of cyanide in the seeds is so small that it would be almost impossible to suffer injury from ingesting apple seeds. Hence, your metaphor is both erroneous in construct and pointless as illustration. Besides, who eats apple cores other than horses? But I get your basic point, that is, your fear of a slippery slope. You fear that if we tolerate Lady Gaga's emetic boogaloo, we encourage more of the same, and eventually all of society is corrupted by these "degenerate" ideas. So, a couple simple questions: which historical antecedents (other than Biblical) do you have in mind? How do you see this process tainting drum corps? Are you actually worried that the Blue Devils will some day puke on themselves? and WIN?? Dam you HOPKINS! Thank you for the arsenic cyanide correction!!! Yes it was a metaphor. And why I chose an apple was that it has been used as a reference for fuzzy logic in that: When you eat an apple at what point does it become an apple-core? As for your questions: > Which historical antecedents (other than Biblical) do you have in mind? I only referenced scripture in a direct relationship to Lent; which was appropriate. But the philosophy of ‘anything goes in the arts’ leading to hedonism or self-worship, and then to corruption, and then to collapse, can be historically shown as the case from the Roman Empire to Studio 54. > How do you see this process tainting drum corps? Because many in the activity adhere to the artistic philosophy of anything goes; and they 'veahmently' defend the philosophy which can be seen not only in this thread but in other threads. > Are you actually worried that the Blue Devils will someday puke on themselves? Worried… nope. Somewhat concerned that our culture, including many within the DCI community, accepts behaviors like puking on each other in the name of art on a stage at Stubbs BBQ sponsored by Frito Lay Doritos is fine and dandy… yep. And my marching arts concern is that this acceptance may very well allow for more and more of this type of behavior to become an artistic influence in marching arts show concepts as we go into the future. Sure, I have a concern for the activity in that context. > Dam you HOPKINS! Thanks for the humor; we needed it!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 If you attend college in Soviet Russia perhaps. I've never met a professor who cared about pushing an ideology, they all allowed debate and other viewpoints in classes. I attended university right here in the United States; and I saw a student receive an F in a course because she refused to write a term paper favoring the political position presented by the professor throughout the semester. And it was a very controversial subject. She appealed all the way up to the provost; the course grade was not changed but she was allowed to take a substitute course, not that particular course under a different professor, but a completely different substitute course to remove the F. And one of the reasons I am rather vocal as an adult is that I have seen this type of institutional stifling, condescension, and belittling of opposing views happening in courses to many of my former students as they go into various secular universities around the nation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I attended university right here in the United States; and I saw a student receive an F in a course because she refused to write a term paper favoring the political position presented by the professor throughout the semester. And it was a very controversial subject. She appealed all the way up to the provost; the course grade was not changed but she was allowed to take a substitute course, not that particular course under a different professor, but a completely different substitute course to remove the F. And one of the reasons I am rather vocal as an adult is that I have seen this type of institutional stifling, condescension, and belittling of opposing views happening in courses to many of my former students as they go into various secular universities around the nation. That is too bad for her. That's not something I've ever experienced in college, nor had it happen to anyone I've met. Guess it's different for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutMello Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 There have been many discussions concerning DCI, and the activity itself, should not stagnate but actually be at the forefront of what our culture is celebrating as Performance Art. Well here is the performance art direction our culture has seen fit to progress toward: enjoy y’all, enjoy (link). And for all of you DCI and WGI designers out there who are in the camp of 'progress not stagnate', please, by all means, please place this wonderful progression of our culture, and it's performance art, within DCI and WGI programs in the near future. So it's bad to celebrate someone who: Starts playing piano at age 4 Composes their first piece at age 13 Is granted early admission to the Tisch School of Arts (NYU) Becomes one of the most successful music professionals in the world Something tells me we could do worse for a role model. Also, you might want to consider that her performances are just as much satire of pop music as they are examples of it. So... you picked a really bad example here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutMello Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 And what does this have to do with DCI? Are we supposed to make the shows more accessible to common fans, or are we supposed to be some elitist "art" activity just for the cultured few? Doesn't seem like anyone can decide. I don't think this is something for DCI to dictate, and instead is up to each member corps to decide on their own. Some corps are populist, some corps are cerebral, and the activity is better for the diversity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 So it's bad to celebrate someone who: Starts playing piano at age 4 Composes their first piece at age 13 Is granted early admission to the Tisch School of Arts (NYU) Becomes one of the most successful music professionals in the world Something tells me we could do worse for a role model. Also, you might want to consider that her performances are just as much satire of pop music as they are examples of it. So... you picked a really bad example here. I agree with your first three points. Stefani Germanotta certainly did all of those things. However, point four negates the first three because: In accomplishing point four she became an alter ego to the person of Stefani who attained in points one through three, and the alter ego Lady Gaga never learned any of her behavior while at NYU nor while accomplishing the other points. As for the role model aspect you refer to; yeah I agree that we could do somewhat worse; however we could also do a whole lot, and I mean a whole lot better. And as for satire, I also agree; but the satire behavior she has chosen is what is being debated as either depraved or virtuous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Um, what? What about the hedonism of the 1920s leading to the austerity and great social advances of the next period of history? The Greatest Generation came from that hedonistic decade and the austere one that followed. But thanks for painting everything with a broad brush. And does not Lent follow Fat Tuesday? A day of Hedonism followed by 40 days of self-discovery, conservation, and self-improvement. Sounds like a good thing coming from a day of anything goes. true. Hey Stu...BD did the Godfather in 06. So per you, of course that means they support La Cosa Nostra and all it stands for right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Good golly; I just did an online search of the Mitchell Brothers and if we discussed any of their, um, art we would likely be back in the same fear mode you have concerning the name I should not use!!! yet, their art, which apparently made you blush, helped solidify copyright law for the entire US. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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