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Stimulus/Response: Can satirereally improve conditions in the politics of art education? At whoseand what expense? And why?Editor's summary:
One of the questions that Dr. Kenneth Marantz of Ohio State University raised not long ago dealt with the notion of self critique within the Caucus as well as the field of art education? Of late, Dennis Fehr has raisedthe hackles of several members of the Caucus, the NAEA, and other art educators with his satirical critique of various activities and personalities within the field of art education. He pulls no stops in his description of "theway the world of art education is according to Dennis." Some of his Newsletter columns have been censored by NAEA's Director.
I am including some responses to Dennis Fehr's NAEA News Commentaries in the hope that you will examine "Why?" You will find Dennis'homepage holds censored and accepted commentary for the NAEA Newsletter for your perusal prior to your responses.
- Why do you react the way you do?
- How often do we examine our own viewpoints in relation to mainstream cultureor group think?
- When do we leave critique and solicit rage?
- How much provocation is necessary, prior to rage, in order to alleviate apathy?
- Are the aftershocks of satire geared toward devisiveness or productivity?
- What is to be learned from all this?
Responses:
1) Loved the column! Love your wit. Don't agree with (one of the responses to your column).Still think Hatfield has no business editing the "NAEA News" (it should be an NAEA member, like all other NAEA periodicals)!! But, what to do????
2) I can't even remember the column in question. Rather than politicalincorrect I have become politically forgetful.
3) "(Y)our column struck me as brutally cynical, and as such,is much more suited for publication on your personal website and not ina nationally respected and multiculturally-distributed/cited art publication.You allude to the inclusivity of art from the social theory perspective,then proceed to stretch Christian allegory to an unnecessarily insultinglevel. I kindof expect scholars to be able to be politically incorrectwithout being so...mean? exclusive?
. . . . (Y)our column (seemed) to be hypocritical to me.
. . . . I think that a column in an all-level national art journalhas a "pep talk" angle to it. Educate, goddess yes, but as a reader I expecta column to make it's point (in the brief format) but leave me wiser and...challenged? inspired? ...in some way. Maybe Mr. Hatfield < naea@dgs.dgsys.com>thinks along these lines.
4) YOUR VIEWPOINT GOES HERE!! Send to Caucus Coordinator < memme@ualberta.edu>or Newsletter editor < syokley@mtsu.edu>
Dennis' rebuttal:
. . . If I'd written a send-up of a Greek myth about Zeus, I suspect that (the writer) may not have taken offense. I'm tired of teachers who encourage impressionable students to accept as literally truesuch myths as those in Genesis. Our inability to laugh at such fables indicates that we too believe them. Such belief may help those whose lives wouldotherwise be directionless, and perhaps blind obedience to a deity's benevolentdirectives-'Love thy neighbor'-yields behavior more civil than that ofa directionless life. However, such belief is fraught with problems--myneed to point this out is what irks me. We're teachers--we're supposedto be past this. Anyway, such altruistic behavior is motivated, at leastin part, by selfishness-'If Ilove my neighbors, my heavenly mansion willbe the more beautiful.' Or, as I was taught in sunday school, for everydollar I place in the collection plate, I'll get 10 in heaven.
When we place belief in a deity above belief in ourselves, we replace our most important source of power with a lesser one. And forthis belief to reach the point of worship, we must first accept a deityso anal retentive that it needs to be worshipped by beings as insignificantas we. Such insecurity flies in the face of the notion of omniscience andexposes our faith as mere arrogance.
Social theorist art teachers can help make a world in whichwe regardBiblical and other myths with healthy irreverence. Yahweh, Jesus,Zeus,Allah and the rest of the boys are timeworn recastings of a tiresomepatriarchalmold. What better place to address these matters than in our profession'snewspaper?
Our imperfection is not the issue. We can believe in our imperfect selvesor in an imaginary superfriend. If we believe in a superfriend, a common next step is to embrace the comfortable notion that our friend has everything under control, to quote the bumper sticker. If one's faith is bumper-sticker thin, this does not mean 'The Truth is simple and plain,' as fundamentalists claim, but rather that we simply lack the tools to grasp life's layeredcomplexities. . .
From dennis
The Caucus encourages freedom of speech!
!!Click here to tune in to The Rest of the Stories by Dennis!!
******MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR INVOLVEMENT*******
Hi, Everyone,
I just received this from Macarthur Goodwin (MAGOODWIN@aol.com), andfound
very few social theorists among the addressees. This hands us an exceptional opportunity to shape our professional organization (with the added benefit of a national-level vita line).Best,
Dennis
_____________CALL FOR NOMINEES FOR THE NAEA CONVENTIONPLANNING TASK FORCE
In pursuance of a motion approved by the NAEA Board of Directors toappoint a task force to study NAEA convention planning, I am making thisfinal call for nominees to serve in this capacity. The Board recommendedthat at least three members of the committee be pastNAEA Convention Programchairs. It is also important to have other voicesrepresented on this task
force. Please email your recommendations to me ASAP.
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Request for CaucusInfo for the NAEA Newsletter To have information published in the NAEA
Newsletter,
E-mailDennis now with your NAEA News. We are one ofNAEA's most active and vocal organizations, and the general membershipdeserves to be informed of our activities. Send your information to dennis.fehr@ttu.edu or School of Art, TTU, Box 42081, Lubbock, TX 79409-2081. |
Coordinator's Message, Mike Emme
NAEA News from the Caucus, Dennis Fehr
Journal of Social Theory in Art Education (JSTAE)
CSTAE Web site requests
Send Newsletter Electronic Submissions to: Shirley Hayes Yokley-Witzel
syokley@mtsu.edu
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