The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War
Jim Thompson earned the title of "The Silk King" in Thailand, back in the 1950's. One of the first Westerners to appreciate Thai Silk, he had a vision to transform the life of poor weavers, giving them ownership over their production and exporting their silks to the United States and Europe.
He was also a spy. In fact, he ended up in Thailand as one of the CIA's first batch of suave James Bond types, fell in love with the country and stayed. He had studied architecture and design and truly loved the old Thai way of life.
Then he disappeared. The story had intrigued me for years, but I had never really gone beyond the surface details. His name came up again as I wrote a post for TAFA's blog , "S is for Silk". I had seen a novel about him in a bookstore, a mystery written with a possible scenario of how he vanished, so I decided to see if my local library had it. Instead, I found this one, "The Ideal Man", and am glad I did.
As the subtitle states, Jim Thompson's tragedy is tightly linked with how the United States developed its presence in Asia. The tragedy goes beyond the disappearance. Thompson's whole life became tragic as he fell in love with this country, created a voice for the common people, and increasingly lost faith in the American role in Asia. When he arrived in Thailand, there was a vibrant democratic movement happening in the region. Within a few years, both the Royals and the United States helped ensure that these anti-colonial voices were squashed. Instead, the usual corrupt dictatorship was endorsed and led to power. We all know what the consequences were for Vietnam. Much less is told about Laos and the devastation we left there. Thompson's political position was in favor of working with the rebels in all three countries. He met with them, knew them as friends and had a vision for self-government that was way ahead of his time. He watched his friends become imprisoned, then shot, and he himself lost favor with both the Thai Royals and the U.S. government. The ideal man had ideals. They were trampled on, breaking his spirit and his vision for the region.
The book mostly covers the political intrigue that happened around Jim Thompson over a period of twenty years. It names the characters that played the main roles in deciding Thailand's future. It also describes Thompson's life, how he collected and preserved thousands of artifacts, keeping them in his home until he would one day make them available to the Thai people in a museum.
Even his house was one of these artifacts. He had two traditional peasant homes dismantled and reassembled in Bangkok, starting a fad among the elite to copy him and preserve traditional Thai architectural elements in an environment that was quickly modernizing into Western influences. At the same time, he built the Thai silk industry into the giant that it is today. He entertained the most famous people of the day in his peasant houses: presidents, film stars, political leaders, and wealthy tourists who had begun to explore Asia. Towards the end, the book describes Thompson as worn out, a man with a broken heart and no hope for the future. Ironically, his disappearance ensured the preservation of his life work. The house is now a museum and the silk business continues as a profitable venture.
Jim Thompson goes on a trip, a vacation, in Malaysia to visit some friends on an estate. This was March 27th, 1967. He goes for a walk and never comes back. There are woods on the estate and several searches funded by different parties look for any little clue that might lead to an explanation of what happened. Detectives are hired. For years, various groups grasp at possible leads. Nothing is ever found. Nobody knows what happened to him. Could he have walked out into a new life? Unlikely. Did anyone want him dead? Yes. It would have been a relief to the CIA, to the Thai Royals and to his silk competitors to have him gone. His political positions were embarrassing to the US and the Thai elite despised him. A tragedy, indeed.
This story is so familiar to me. I grew up in Brazil during a time when there was great civil unrest (1970's). Students were disappearing by the thousands. Dissidents were imprisoned, tortured and killed. As a teenager, an American abroad, I was told, in whispers, to always say that Brazil was a democracy. Later, in college, I learned about the CIA's role there, about the School of the Americas, of how Latin American dictators were puppets, held in place by the US government. Of course, none of these stories are simple, black and white moments. They evolved out of many legitimate fears coupled with greed and the desire for power.
Now, both South America and Asia have become strong economic powers on their own terms. We see an economic decline in the United States that rocks our way of life, our sense of entitlement. Brazilians flock Disneyworld and fly up to Miami to shop. Thailand is party land, a center for easy drugs and prostitutes. The lesson for me is that what we do is important.
My portal to many countries is usually through their textiles and crafts. Jim Thompson's story resonates with me because of this connection and because of his understanding of how economic development can happen through handicraft production and through the arts. He was about fair trade before the term was even coined. And, his story rings a bell because of the expat connection. When I was a kid, almost every house in Brazil had a picture of JFK hanging next to Jesus with his bleeding heart. Being an American back then was like being nobility. I learned early on that some kids wanted to be my friend because I was an American. Some were curious, some wanted "stuff". Now, being an American is considered cancerous and downright dangerous in many countries. This has not happened overnight. It's decades and even centuries of abuse on our end. This is truly the great American tragedy. With our way of war, we have lost our friends.
Everything we do has political and economic consequences. What we buy, what we eat, where we walk, drive or fly. And, this is what drives my passion behind my love for all things handmade: We can be simple so that we can simply live. In peace, with one another.
“The 44th” was created because of a speech that Barrack Obama gave back in March of 2008. He spoke about this not being White America or a Black America just the United States of America. That is when I knew he would be the next President of the United States and exactly what kind of quilts I wanted to create to honor him. I used black textile paint and grey charcoal pencils with a white background. The red border fabric is meant to symbolize all of the sacrifices we have made over the years in this country about the issue of race and ethnicity.
Sherry Shine certainly shines through her quilts! (Hmmm.... wonder how many people play on her name like that...) Sherry joined our Fiber Focus group awhile ago and quickly earned recognition among us as a talented quilter and figurative artist. Her quilts often use a minimalist color palette, favoring the grey tones seen in the Presidential quilts. But, they can also use bright colors, as in "Chronicles of a Journey" or her market series, vendors who look like they belong in a Haitian story.
Sherry's quilts go beyond technique to me. They have a beautiful calm to them, a tenderness towards both their subjects and to the rest of humanity. The word "lovely" could be used here, ringing true. It's a pleasure to meet Sherry and to begin to enjoy part of her journey with her.
"Chronicles of a Journey" A Civil Rights and Black History Quilt by Sherry Shine
I asked Sherry to share a bit of her process as an art quilter:
"I have always used my own instinct as an avenue to express my creativity. I became interested in exploring the process of how to create quilts and their history through a lecture I attended many years ago and began creating quilts shortly after that. I have always had the ability to draw and became fascinated with the idea of joining the two together. I work on one quilt at a time in order to give it my undivided attention. The connection of the artwork and quilting continually fascinates and challenges my expression as an artist. I know that quilting has developed tremendously over the years and that in the past quilts were used as a necessity. But, it seems that the art form took on its own style through the talents of many gifted artists. Quilts have created a piece of history all on their own where the artists of today and future generations will want to be a part of them.
I currently live in East Orange, New Jersey, with my husband and two sons. I work on my art on a daily basis. Please visit my web-site: www.artbysshine.com"
Our Fiber Focus Group is open to anyone who loves textiles and fiber art. Many of us are artists, but some are customers, interior designers, or dealers. Join Sherry, myself and others in this creative group!
I watched President Obama's inaugural speech surrounded by my four monster dogs. Every now and then, I would tell them, "It's President Obama!" They wagged their tales and really seemed to like the word "Pre-zi-dent"... Tears came to my eyes as I listened and watched this wonderful moment in our history. I love how he constantly tells us that this is not about HIM, but about US, as a country. He has such a huge job ahead of him.... but, as he reminded us, WE have a big job.
Last night the late night comedians were all saying good-bye to the Bush years with deep regret. Regret because they had so much material to work with for the last eight years:
In Brazil, there is a saying, "A gente rir p'ra nao chorar..." It means, "we laugh to keep from crying". President Bush also made me cry. Tears of frustration, disbelief, outrage, despair... the last eight years have been one embarrassing and distressing backward step after another.
People and pundits have been talking about how we cannot expect too much from Obama. As I write this, I just heard a commentator on NPR say, "He is just one person, not the Messiah." But, one person has done a lot of damage in the last year, so maybe this new person can bring as much in healing and reconstruction. They are not all-powerful, these Presidents, but they certainly do wield power. And, I cannot express how much relief I feel that this power is now in the hands of this new man and his vision. I know that he will make mistakes and that he is not perfect. I just pray that God will protect him and those loved by him, guide him and give him the wisdom to make good choices. His speech was powerful and hopeful. May each of us contribute in this reconstruction to the fullest of our abilities.
Good-bye, President Bush. I heard you might write a book. I recommend that you don't. Words are not one of your gifts, so just leave them alone. I don't wish you any harm, but I am very happy to see you go. Go in peace and leave the world alone.
President Obama made me cry. I cried tears of joy and relief. I hope that he continues to make me cry for the next eight years! (We all know, don't we, that this is a two-term President? Woo-hoo, yippee!!!!)
Diana Bracy, a Fiber Focus member, has become prolific in an interesting technique of layering bits of fabric to create large portraits. You can visit her pagefor more photos of her work, but one of them has received special attention, that of President Elect Barack Obama. Diana has been an active member of Quilters for Obama and she recently shared that their quilts will be exhibited in the Washington DC area:
"As a member of Fiber Focus, I am proud to share the fantastic news that my Fiber Mosaic of Obama will be showcased in the Washington, D. C. area in tribute to our President-Elect Barack Obama. As a member of Quilters for Obama, we plan to display more than 50 Art quilts. Susan Walen of Bethesda, Maryland organized this historic even in a matter of days!
The Obama Fiber Mosaic made its debut in Houston's International Quilt Festival in Oct/Nov of 2008. The image was seen by thousands and blogged on many sites. It would be my ultimate pleasure to give this Mosaic to the Obama family as a gift from me.
The event details:
President Obama: A Celebration in Art Quilts
Location: Cafritz Art Center, 150 King St., Silver Spring, MD
Dates: February 9 - March 5, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, February 13th
The Cafritz Art Centerwill have all of our quilts professionally photographed and will publish a book to raise funds for scholarships for the Arts Center. They are discussing plans to have our quilts travel to other destinations. We have plans to invite the Obama family for a possible Private Showing."
-Diana Bracy
Diana is a member of "Fiber Artists for Obama", who each made individual pieces celebrating this historic election and then contributed in a joint project which resulted in this quilt:
Fiber Artists for Obama, Collaborative Quilt
Fiber Artists for Obama are also part of a larger group of artists and art groups who have endorsed Obama. The official Obama/Biden site lists the participants and gallery events that will be happening in the Washington D.C. area during the Inauguration.
Congratulations, Diana!
Note: The Fiber Focus Groupis a social network open to anyone who loves fiber art and textiles. The group has grown to over 120 members from around the world, mostly artists, but also collectors and dealers, like myself, who work with ethnic textiles. Visit us and if you like what you see, come join us!
Warrior of Light/Shield for Obama Quilted Talisman by Artist Adriene Cruz Photo by Art Alexander
Last Summer I posted about what a pleasure it was to have Oregon artist, Adriene Cruz, as a guest artist in one of Paducah's Lowertown galleries. Her beauty translates itself like a mirror reflection into textured works of art, reaching back deeply into her roots and soul. I was pleased to receive a notice from Adriene with a press release (below) saying that one of her works (shown above) was selected for the Quilts for Obama show.
Congratulations, Adriene!
Adriene Cruz, Oregon Artist
Here is the press release (posted with permission from Adriene):
Quilts for Obama:
An ExhibitCelebrating
the Inauguration
of our 44th President
Roland L. Freeman,
Guest Curator
January 11 – January 31, 2009 at The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. 801 K Street, NW (at Mount Vernon Square); Washington, DC 20001 202.882.7764 Gallery Hours: 10 AM-5 PM, Tuesday-Sunday (Closed Inauguration Day, 1/20/09)
Adriene Cruz of Portland, Oregon is one of the Master Quilters whose work is included in this special celebratory exhibit at The Historical Society of Washington, DC. The Historical Society and the Women of Color Quilters Network have partnered with The Group for Cultural Documentation (TGCD) to present Quilts for Obama: An Exhibit Celebrating the Inauguration of our 44th President, opening Sunday, January 11 and continuing through January 31, 2009.
The exhibit contains approximately 60 art and interpretive quilts made to celebrate the inauguration and welcome the Obama family to Washington: 44 by master quilt makers from across the US, along with others honoring the Obama family from Kenya, Hawaii, Kansas (a quilt from the historical society of Augusta, KS), and South Carolina (a quilt from Georgetown, SC made by Mrs. Carrie Nelson, the oldest living member of Michelle Robinson Obama’s family). Adriene Cruz’s quilt, “Warrior of Light/Shield for Obama,” is a quilted talisman offering prayers and blessings of protection and peace for Obama and his family.
Guest curator Roland L. Freeman is a folklorist and photo-documenter whose career began during the Civil Rights movement. Since the 1960’s he has been documenting the continuity of traditional African-American cultural practices, and is currently a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Freeman has a special passion for quilts and quilt makers, and over the past four decades has crisscrossed the US, being the first to document the world of African-American quilters, culminating in a national tour and book called Communion of the Spirits, published in 1996 which also features Adriene’s work. He described the genesis of the Quilts for Obama exhibit as follows:
"This past November 4th, I was glued to the television watching the election returns, as were millions in this country and around the world. Around 11 pm, when it was announced that Barack Obama was the President-Elect of the United States, my emotions overwhelmed me. I could hardly speak. Then came the amazing images of worldwide jubilation. Almost immediately, my mind started drifting back to other seminal events that for me were just as emotionally life-changing: my participation in the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery; the 1963 March on Washington and Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech; and my joining the Poor People’s Campaign as a photographer to cover the Mule Train caravan as it traveled from Marks, MS, to Washington, DC. In my lifetime, I’ve known three black men whose messages of peace, love, and racial harmony profoundly moved the masses: Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. King said, “We shall overcome;” Nelson Mandela forgave his oppressors; and now Barack Obama has inspired Americans to come together for change for a better tomorrow. I asked myself what I could do to help celebrate this victory and it occurred to me that a commemorative quilt exhibit was just the thing. And so it is."
For more information on the exhibit please visit The Group for Cultural Documentation’s web site, www.tgcd.org, or call TGCD at 202-882-7764.
Adriene Cruz Sends Protection to Obama and His Family at the Quilts for Obama Show
A friend sent me this and I thought it was pretty funny. I hadn't heard of Uncle Jay before, but apparently he comes out with a new "educational" video weekly.
Right around election time, I got a package in the mail from my dear friend Diane, the Yin-Yang Knitter. "Hmmmm....." I says to myself, "What's this?" Opening it up, I find these two guys, political finger puppets, one of the funniest things I had seen in a long time! "Oh, Diane... You are something else!"
Backside of the puppets.
Note the detail of McCain's bald spot:
(Cackles like an old hag....)
Diane got the patterns for free through Lion Brand Yarn Studio. They rate the pattern as easy, although to me they look anything but easy!
I kept forgetting to photograph them, but finally got my act together. So, what to do with these guys? I guess you are supposed to play with them... For your entertainment, here is a little fun with the puppets:
McCain and Obama present their pedigrees to the world.
McCain and Obama pledge to run a clean campaign...
The candidates pontificate, debate, and repeat their key phrases over and over and over and...
Obama wins!
But, McCain is still around, waiting for his turn...
Diane sent a couple of other links to projects she thought looked like fun. She is a regular contributor to Fiber Focus (Past articles). Click on the photos to visit the sites:
We can poke fun and roll our eyes, but finally, we must remember that people have died for this right and continue to fight around the world today for a voice in how their countries are run. Let us just hope that our elected officials take to heart the trust they have been given by their positions of power and leadership.
Do you knit? Crochet? Make a political statement out of your doilies?
Well, beware if you are American and leave the country for a vacation. Border Patrol just might not let you back in. Stephen Colbert covered one such case in this exclusive report:
A good pill, that is! When the results finally began to show that Obama would win, I felt a physical calming, a peace descend on me. It was like good medicine, relaxing my muscles, making a long headache go away. Obama is like aspirin, a muscle relaxant, and an anti-depressant rolled into one, no side effects. Not clear on the addictive qualities yet, but I have a feeling that he's a pill we will want to keep taking for eight years...
Barack Obama is not perfect. I'm sure he will make plenty of mistakes that will make us all cringe at times, but I believe that he is the right person for this country at this time in history. He is the right person for this world. People all over are excited about the potential his leadership will have in healing deep wounds and in finding new ways to resolve conflict.
I also felt so proud of "us", of this people, who have finally come together in numbers large enough to make history. We can hopefully now address issues of race in a new way and move beyond the color of skin to judging a leader based on ability and agenda.
I didn't realize how stressed out physically I felt about a potential McCain/Palin win. Admittedly, McCain's concession speech surprised me with its graciousness and candor. I'm sure losing was a huge disappointment for him and his supporters, but hopefully in four years, all of us will look back at November 4th, 2008 with the conviction that Obama really was the right choice.
May God bless him and keep him safe!
Now I can get back to work with renewed energy, all thanks to this pill of a man!
Amidst the patriotic fervor of Election Day [although what with early voting it’s really been Election Month], I wanted to share some of my favorite red, white, and blue-themed projects seen on knitting blogs and websites. As a charity knitter, I’m an enthusiast for patterns like these which designers offer for free. (Click on the photos to visit the source sites.)
The flag-style afghan above is crocheted, but I’m flexible. I think it’s beautiful, and it looks great draped on the couch, but somehow wrapping my cold feet in it just wouldn’t feel right to me. Oops. Sorry about the pun.
How about a ”hackysack” for the kids? That’s a great crocheted star.
Stars and Stripes Hackey Sack
I’ve limited myself to five photos, but I did like these:
Felted Patriotic Hot Pads
Get cozy in a flag decorated sweater.
Flag Sweater, Pattern Available
I can’t resist including a picture of me wearing a sweater I made 30+ years ago for my brother. I have no idea what happened to the pattern for this, but I asked for it back with the intention of “reverse-engineering” it sometime. It was made in 70’s acrylics or it might look better than it does…but then who know how my brother might have mistreated it had it been wool. It IS hard to kill acrylics. Wish I’d thought to wear it when I voted early!
Diane Gerlach, the Yin-Yang Knitter in her very own flag sweater (OK, so she gave it to her brother...)
For your feet, some colorful socks:
Patriotism on your feet...
And my favorite things to knit, hats:
USA Knit Hat
The troops for whom I frequently knit as part of The Ships Project are very fond of patriotic-themed hats. These are some of hats I’ve sent:
Get out and vote if you haven’t already. However it turns out, we all own it for the next four years, so it’s important that we each do our part to push things in the direction we want it to go. A few years ago, my city of about 90,000 people elected a mayor by just ONE VOTE, and that was with a recount, reminding us all here that each of our votes does indeed count.
Citizens of the United States of America: Vote!
Election Day, Patriotic Fervor, Red White and Blue by the Yin-Yang Knitter
The United States as a War Machine Last night Jon Stewart had, as usual, a thought provoking show. He talked about the "Real" America versus the "Fake" America in response to Sarah Palin's constant reference to small towns as havens of patriotism and "correct" values. A couple of funny skits fleshed out this concept, then Stewart brought on his guest, Eugene Jarecki.
Jarecki addressed our historical inability to live in peace, saying that in the last 200 years, we have maybe had a total of a year or two when we have not been engaged in war. This war machine that we have constructed drives the political choices that we make and has embedded itself deeply into many facets of our economic engine. Jarecki says that this is not a party specific agenda, but rather that both Republican and Democratic leaders have fed this engine equally.
Eugene Jarecki believes our society is destroying itself by trying to obtain perfect security. Guest on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, October 20, 2008
I have often been told by family and friends that I criticize the United States too much. On the contrary, I think that I don't speak out enough! This desire to point to our national flaws comes from a sincere wish to see it live up to its potential. It also comes from a place of fear. Fear that if we speak out and truly seek peace, we will be shot, incarcerated or somehow erased. Growing up under a military dictatorship probably did something to my psyche, but seeing the constant destruction that we as a country inflict on peace activists and on other countries has more to do with it.
Taking a stance against war is dangerous both here as well as in other countries. Easily labeled as unpatriotic, weak, or living in la-la-land, peacemakers are first ridiculed, then discredited, then possibly threatened with loss of property or even of life. I think back on all of the leaders who have been killed or persecuted during my lifetime... it's a long list.
As I chewed on these thoughts, I channel surfed a bit and found a documentary on John Lennon that I had not seen before: The U.S. vs. John Lennon. Should have gone to bed, but, no... stayed up only to find myself even more profoundly disturbed. A night of bad dreams...
John Lennon and Peace versus Nixon and Victory
U.S. Vs. Lennon Trailer
I have seen tons of Beatles and Lennon documentaries in my life. But, somehow, either my memory erases knowledge with time, or I just never really got the connection of how profoundly John Lennon influenced the peace movement in the late 1960's and early 70's. I remember when he died, I grew up hearing the Beatles, knew about Yoko Ono and John's protests, but somehow I thought they were pretty much ignored by the government. Easily dismissed as pot heads and rabble-rousers by my parent's generation, I was struck by how politically astute Lennon was in the documentary.
How long ago did all of this happen now? 35 Years!!??? And, it's still relevant? I sat there, riveted, watching all of this old footage and it could have been scenes from today, just different characters. And, a lot less of a turn out on the street. Do we ever learn anything or are we just destined to keep repeating the same story over and over and over and over?
Nixon was actually scared of Lennon. He thought that Lennon's following was large enough to disrupt his presidency. So, he tried to kick him out of the United States. Lennon felt that his place was here, that this was his home and that he had a contribution to make. In the end, Nixon need not have feared John Lennon as he brought on his own destruction. Sometimes the bad guys do get caught. John Lennon took Nixon's victory symbol and made it into one of peace. This is what artists can do: translate our language into something new, confusing tradition, questioning authority, and offering new templates for life.
Unfortunately, even as Nixon was exposed, we also lost a brilliant voice in the artist community when John Lennon was shot down. His message lives on through his music, his actions, and all the influence he left behind. I wonder what he would be up to today if he were still here... Is Art Dangerous? What about today? Are artists who speaking up about peace in any danger? Does Bono need to watch his back? I am not the only one disturbed by the state of our democracy. Things seem to be OK on the surface, but we have lost so many civil rights in the last eight years that we probably don't know who is being watched and to what extent. Morna (Wrapped in the Flag) posted about a group of journalists who were attacked and arrested at the Republican Convention. Horrifying!
I try to keep up with the news and with what is going on around the world, but I feel like a sieve, where there is so much information that it all just kind of leaks out with no real substance left behind. Instead, I just feel uneasy...
I don't really understand why we choose war over peace, violence over generosity, ignorance over understanding. Some say it is all about money, but as much money can be made through peaceful means as through violent ones. I have come to understand that "sin" is separation from God. If God is all that is life, beauty, and love, and our natural state of existence is separation from that, then maybe these choices make sense. Unfortunately, some of the biggest propagators for the violent way are also screaming that all of this must be done in the name of God. Hence, confusion. Symbols and language get mixed up into a tossed salad of nonsensical ideologies.
The political artist sees this mess and translates it. Is art dangerous? It obviously has been for many artists who have died or been exiled because of their message, but the biggest danger is to mute these voices who challenge us to live more honestly, and hopefully, with peace. As we go around the world, waging war in the name of democracy, art must have its place, and that place must be a safe one.
I recently became addicted to Jon Stewart from The Daily Show. It's ALL Morna's fault! (See her links in the middle column with the blogs I endorse, Bittersweet and Wrapped in the Flag.) We are in a big mess here in these United States and we have probably had it coming for a long time. But, that doesn't take away from the anxiety we all feel as we look forward to a probable bleak future (so, why not relieve some of that with someone like Jon Stewart or Colbert?)
A friend sent me an e-mail when this whole mess became public that one way to solve the crisis would be to split this money that Congress is asking for and divvy it up among all American citizens over 18 years old. His math came out to around $400,000 per citizen. It would be even more now that they've tacked on this extra money. His theory was that we would spend it which would get the economy back on track. I laughed, forwarded it to a couple of people and then deleted it. But, I keep thinking about it. Hmmmmmmmm....... What WOULD I do if $400K landed on my lap?
Well, let's see.... I would:
Pay off my debts: $40K
Buy a house: $80K
Put some in savings: $100K
Fix my car: $2K
Buy a new hose for my vaccuum cleaner: $20
Get my dogs checked out at the vet: $400
Let my husband start his dream restaurant: $50K
Get my business going in the direction I want it to: $40K
Give some to some friends that are struggling (not in the US): $50K
Get a new computer: $2K
Buy health insurance for us: $4K
And, that would be enough to keep us busy and happy for awhile. Doesn't that make much more sense?
I just learned that Paul Newman is no longer with us. There is a sadness in my heart, a hole in this country, a vacated space in this world... I never met the man, yet I grew up with his movies and in all the years that he has gifted Hollywood with his presence, I have never heard a bad word uttered against him, a rare thing indeed when our press hungers for juicy gossip and grudgingly honors a good man.
There is a book called "The Ugly American" which was a big hit in the 1950's. Here is Wikipedia's description of it:
"The Ugly American is the title of a 1958 political novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer. It became a bestseller, was influential at the time, and is still in print. The novel describes how the United States is losing the struggle with Communism—what was later to be called the battle for hearts and minds—in Southeast Asia, because of arrogance and failure to understand the local culture.
The book takes place in a fictional nation known as Sarkhan. In the novel, a Burmese journalist says "For some reason, the people I meet in my country are not the same as the ones I knew in the United States. A mysterious change seems to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land. They isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously. They're loud and ostentatious." The phrase "ugly Americans" came to be applied to Americans behaving in this manner."
These are the Americans who have angered the world. We will protect our loud and wasteful way of life, at any cost, because it is our God given right. Paul Newman was not one of these men. He rejoiced when he found out that he was on President Nixon's top 20 "Enemies List", saying that his inclusion on the list was one of the top accomplishments of his life. Paul Newman often portrayed the angst of the American soul, the discomfort of being judged by wealth and beauty. As a young man and as an old one, he challenged social norms, living on the edge on film, maintaining a solid marriage with Joanne Woodward (Well, isn't THAT something?!!), and with all of his social entrepreneurship.
Robert Redford is of the same caliber and he is still with us. His visionary protectionism of the Sundance land began long before he was famous. Both men acted on principles, "Walk the Talk".
I almost lost my father to a diabetic coma this week, but my mother, a nurse, caught it in time and saved him. My father is also one of these beautiful American men. After this fright, I started documenting our time as missionaries in Brazil in a new blog, Biels In Brazil, as an exercise in memory, of capturing the essence of what has passed. These beautiful Americans have worked quietly, but steadily, leaving behind a model that attentive younger Americans can follow. Yes, Paul Newman has passed on. Robert Redford and my father are both now old men. But, as they leave us with their body, their spirit remains. I found this interview with Paul Newman last year very interesting:
There is a dignity in this man that is absent from our social fiber as a nation. I watched the debates between future-president-wannabes McCain and Obama last night and both lacked something that I cannot quite put my finger on- a certain ease of self, a definition of manhood that I look for in leadership (although maybe Obama is 80% there...).
People like Paul Newman are beacons of light in this flippant world. His work has often voiced my own angst at how things are, but his actions have also been a nudge to keep on going and fight the good fight without imposition or aggressiveness. Yes! I would love to make Nixon's (or McCain's) enemy list as well! Yes! I can be a positive force in my own circle. Yes! I can be a beautiful American, too!
My heartfelt sympathies go out to Newman's family and friends. You have been blessed to have known his true self. May he go in peace.
War rugs became a popular motif in Afghanistan after the victory over the invasion of the Soviet Union in the late 1970's. My former partner, Abdul Wardak, from our Chicago gallery, Dara Tribal Village, imports rugs, beads and a huge assortment of new and old crafts and artifacts from Afghanistan. The war rugs he brought in always inspired heated debates and were quickly snatched up by collectors.
After 9/11, war rugs began to depict the Twin Towers and images of the the American presence in Afghanistan. The best source I have seen for war rugs is appropriately named Warrug.com. They have a huge selection of rugs, stories and data on the origin and weave of the rugs. This is an example of the Twin Towers motif:
The banner through the middle shows the two flags of the United States and Afghanistan and a dove of peace. Warrug.com describes the history of how women began weaving these rugs:
The Art of Making Their Voices Heard
"For thousands of years, the women of nomadic tribes in what is now Afghanistan and its environs have been weaving rugs by hand. The oldest known and intact example of these rugs in the world is the “Pazyryk” rug dating from the 4th century B.C. (currently housed in the St. Petersburg Museum). These traditional pieces of folk art have long depicted the same deeply rooted motifs and patterns, with occasional images derived from the artist’s everyday experiences. However, about 25 years ago, all that suddenly changed. Following the 1979 Soviet invasion into Afghanistan, rug dealers began seeing drastic alterations in the content of Afghani rugs. Tanks replaced flowers, rocket launchers replaced vases and airplanes replaced abstract borders!
After the Soviet departure from Afghanistan the new ruling power instituted the strict Muslim Sharia law which governs the religious, political, social, domestic and private life. This law stripped many Afghani women of basic rights including banning them from talking to men outside of their family, walking outside alone, or working. Women were also made to abide by the practice of purdah which is the seclusion of women from public observation by having them wear concealing clothing from head to toe, like a burka, and by the use of high walls, curtains and screens erected within the home. This separates the women from learning about the outside world in order to make them ignorant of the practicalities of life and deprives the woman of economic independence by not allowing them to work outside the home. In order to keep females submissive, women know only what their fathers, husbands, and sons want them to know. The women who practice purdah have no voice or free will.
For women who break the fatwas, or edicts, associated with Sharia law, including purdah, there are dire consequences including harsh beatings or even death. Additionally, since Sharia law dictates that it is taboo to represent animate subjects in art; weavers were no longer allowed to portray images of birds, animals or people.
Thus as the artists iconography changed so did their outlets for expressing it. Those living outside of the war-torn Afghanistan can’t comprehend the reality of living in a world where the images depicted through the rugs are a part of everyday life. To the women of Afghanistan the rugs have become a way to make their voices heard and to communicate to the rest of the world what they live with everyday.
This new category of rugs has been termed “war rugs” and has sparked an underground movement in the art world. Many collectors see the rugs not only as art, but also as historical documents and a testament to the times."
NPR's Jim Zarroli interviewed Warrug.com's owner, Kevin Sudeith, in a moving piece while they were at a flea market in New York. Passersby stopped with either admiration or disgust for the rugs. The interview concluded with whatever the reaction, the rugs are a powerful testament to the political reality of and on an ancient culture.
My cyber-friend, Morna from Bittersweet, posted a political video on McCain that I had been trying to see for days, but something seems to be wrong with YouTube. Morna titled her post, "Be prepared to be scared--- watch the horror movie--McCain will make Cheney look like Gandhi." Like Morna, I share a profound interest in politics (although she is a lot smarter than me!). I finally got to see it and it was very disturbing. Here it is:
If YouTube is not working for you either, the clip speaks to McCain's military history and his position on Iraq and its surrounding neighbors. A critic of McCain states that he will likely continue to seek a path of war in many hot spots of the world, including a possible invasion of Iran. The critic says that if that this happens, retaliation will happen and we might as well just pick which US city will be bombed out. New York again? LA? Boston? Just pick one. The prospect is frightening.
I went to leave Morna a comment and saw that someone had already posted one there. This blogger was annoyed at Morna's use of political content on what is primarily a fiber arts blog. She basically told Morna to start a separate political blog. Intrigued, I visited the poster's blog, expecting it to be all about art. Ha! Her son is in the military (several photos of him), a military video, and other posts that had nothing to do with art (dog, flowers, Olympics), etc. But, wait a minute? Nothing to do with art? Actually, everything has to do with art! Life and all that it contains informs our body of work. What was happening here was that she simply did not agree with Morna's political position. "So, go somewhere else, Morna! I like your art, but not your politics. Go talk about that part of you where I don't have to look at it!" As I started to think about this, I felt myself seething inside. Not about her political position, but about the hypocrisy of dismissing someone else who obviously shared the same passion for a subject, but not the same platform. Get that log out of your eye, woman!
I knew I would have to write about this, but the topic brings up so much personal history for me that it is difficult to target what angle to address. Religion and politics are the two subjects most people either don't want to discuss or feel so passionately about that they can't listen to another view point. It's easy to blog about pets, grandchildren, flowers, or other niceties in our lives, but not so easy to stick your neck out into the guillotine of certain judgment. Regular readers of this blog will have caught on to the fact that I am not a Republican. All four (or five) of you (heh, heh) also know that I have a secret agenda of bringing people together from different cutural and religious backgrounds through fiber art. Hopefully, the log in my own eye is not so big that I cannot make reasonable connections with people who are different from myself: culturally, politically, ethnically, racially and whatever other "ally" is out there. And, I hope I can wade my way through this keeping my neck intact...
In the past five days, the posters have appeared mysteriously on walls and buildings across San Francisco. They feature the most enduring image of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal -- the Iraqi man, hooded, his hands tied with electrodes -- but this time, the prisoner is set against an American flag, and this time, the image is juxtaposed with a headline that reads, "got democracy?"
The poster is designed to make people question whether the United States is adhering to democratic ideals if American soldiers have been guilty of widespread prison abuse, if the Patriot Act continues to trample civil liberties, and if Washington continues to instigate questionable policies, says the poster's co-creator, San Francisco novelist Robert Mailer Anderson.
"It's not pro-Democrat, it's not pro-Republican -- it's supposed to make you think," says Anderson. "Do these people in Iraq have democracy? And do we have democracy? from the San Francisco Chronicle
The United States has a long history of both political dissent and protest through art. The world around us informs our thoughts, decisions and artistic content. Morna is not a political artist, except that perhaps her American flags might evoke passion. I find it interesting that the flag is present on both blogs, yet I am sure that as a symbol it represents completely different ideologies for both.
Morna's booth at a show.
The American flag is known around the world. It represents different things to people who may feel proud when they see it or angry, afraid, relieved, or disgusted. Rarely does it evoke indifference. Why? Because the United States has made itself a physical presence in almost every country of this world. This flag brings trade, aid, poverty, wealth, health and war. So, some artists will react to what they see and make statements through their art on their political position. And, those who write or blog, will take the "pen to paper" (keyboard to screen?) and voice their opinions for or against what they see. This is called democracy. Government by the people, even if they don't agree with each other. Some artists abhor what the United States is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, while others support it.
What we, as Americans, do overseas has profound consequences that can last for generations. When 9/11 happened, the world wept with us (except for a minority of nuts who succeeded in making their awful point). The weeping stopped when our government abused its power by using public lament and fear to secure its interests in the Middle East and Central Asia. Public protest against the United States has seen unprecedented participation in the last eight years (ahem, the Bush years...). I spent the first 18 years of my life in Brazil as a missionary kid. In the 1960's almost every Roman Catholic home there had a portrait of the bleeding heart of Jesus to one side, a statue of the Virgin in the middle, and a portrait of John F. Kennedy on the other side. Jimmy Carter was and still is well-loved. President Bush does not hold that esteem in Brazil:
BBC News reported that over 10,000 protestors turned out in Sao Paulo when President Bush visited in 2007. The Culture Kitchen blog concluded, "This is a time when world opinion is solidly against America. This is dramatically show by a recent poll that showed that people view America as marginally MORE destabilizing a force than North Korea and only slightly less destabilizing than Iran. To the world, America is part of the Axis of Evil." In another post they also stated something that I had not heard before and found interesting:
"A moment I've been dreading. George brought his n'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida; the one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work."
From the REAGAN DIARIES------entry dated May 17, 1986.
So this is the guy we had shoved down our throats and who John McCain wants to emulate.***
(***Note: An anonymous reader left a comment saying that this statement about Reagan is incorrect. Snopes documents it in an almost as interesting post: http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/kinsley.asp. Great to have attentive readers and great for such a wonderful tool as Snopes!)
Do we really want all this anger directed to the United States? BBC News reported on protests against the war around the world in March 2006:
Unknown News dedicates itself to reporting news that is not known or not known enough.They state in their page, updated monthly, on casualty statistics in Afghanistan and Iraq:
"At least 687,079 people have been killed, and 1,318,163 seriously injured in Afghanistan and Iraq during the U.S. and coalition attacks and occupations, based on lowest credible estimates.More than 98 times as many people have been killed in these wars and occupations than in all terrorist attacks in the world from 1993-2004.About 229 times as many people have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq than in the ghastly attacks of September 11, 2001."
McCain's official page makes some vague promises of helping Iraq reach stability and not leaving until they can govern on their own. Then, what I find scary:
"Call for International Pressure on Syria and Iran
Syria and Iran have aided and abetted the violence in Iraq for too long. Syria has refused to crack down on Iraqi insurgents and foreign terrorists operating within its territory. Iran has been providing the most extreme and violent Shia militias with training, weapons, and technology that kill American and Iraqi troops. American military spokesmen have also said there is evidence that Iran has provided aid to Sunni insurgents.
The answer is not unconditional dialogues with these two dictatorships from a position of weakness. The answer is for the international community to apply real pressure to Syria and Iran to change their behavior. The United States must also bolster its regional military posture to make clear to Iran our determination to protect our forces and deter Iranian intervention."
What does it mean to bolster military posture so that Iran understands our intent? It doesn't sound peaceful to me.
Well, I think I have made my political point on a fiber art blog: Artists have voices, the voices will not agree with each other on many things, but it is our right to use them in all that is important in our lives, be it dogs, kids, flowers, or politics. I believe that unless this path of violence is not curtailed, we are going to lose a lot of our dogs, kids, and flowers, so political voices are especially needed in this time of danger. Am I scared? Petrified.
However, fear does not bind me or blind me. Neither has it filled me with hate. On the contrary, I understand why people want to respond with force. I watched both conventions. I understand that Obama is criticized for his lack of experience and I had to roll my eyes, too, when his speech finally came and was full of those over used catch phrases that everyone had used before him. I felt empathy towards McCain and all that he had suffered as a prisoner of war and his long service to our government. I liked his wife and thought it was wonderful they have this Bangladeshi daughter. I am not a political scientist or expert, but I listen, read, discuss, and try to inform myself. After all of this, my conclusion is that Obama offers the only hope that we, as a people, can redeem ourselves before the world. If McCain is elected, disaster lies ahead for us. My hope is that Obama will surround himself with a think tank that will use every peaceful means available to solve this mess. He may not have much experience, but he knows how to ask the right questions and the world abroad is thrilled about him. That in itself is worth alot!
I am the lone Democrat in a Republican family. At least that is my perception- we have agreed to disagree on both religion and politics, so we don't talk about either. I live in a Southern State where many of the people I know have served in the military, have relatives overseas and are Republican. I understand why. The military is a career option that offers much more stability (even if you get shot at a young age...) than what is available around here. I love them all, my Republican family and friends. Whatever we believe in, we must learn how to get along, how to accept diversity, and how to be respectful with each other and that begins at home. And, Morna, whatever political post you have on Bittersweet, you can bet that I will be there to read it!
