Unieuph

Universalist, Euphoniumist

"I guess I'm just attracted to talent"
-Gretchen Snedeker (d. 2008)

Monday, May 22, 2006

Happenings

Evidently I graduated yesterday. Huh. Go figure.

I may write more on this later, once I straighten my bearings; I have the odd dissassociation of place right now (I'm in NYC, the third time, but the first extended trip), but rather than feeling a transcendental everywhere I find myself nested in the future. And no matter how fun or scary the future may seem when viewed in the present, without the present, it will never be.

I am continuing to read SES, but I will forgo the quotes on evolution; instead, look for various inspirational quotes I find in the other readings I've taken with me: Hart Crane's "White Buildings", Max Coots's "Seasons of the Self", and William Elliott's "Tying Rocks to Clouds". I may talk about these individually, if the opportunity presents itself; until then, go outside - the weather is nice.

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Friday, May 19, 2006

LotW (viii)

This week's honor goes to Ken Wilber, whose massive book on everything, "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality" (Okay, it's only the 1st of 3 volumes) has me racking through hypotheticals and past events and philosophies. Since writing it 12 years ago, he has gone on to continue his approach to life and philosophy, rooted in Integral Theory. Much more will be said in the ensuing week, as I work desperately to read and comprehend his quadrants, holons, and such.

And he has a cool website

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Wednesday, May 17, 2006

What do we return with?

Piaget:

Finally, as the child becomes conscious of his subjectivity, he rids himself of his egocentricity.

Luke 15, 31-2:

'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'"

From an Amazon review of James Kunstler’s “The Long Emergency”:

He speaks of "going back to the land"

---

In the process of packing, my "memory box" has now been placed in a shoebox. What is in it? Just a bunch of programs, photos, papers, and the like. It's very concrete: I can look at it, open it up, and pull out memories.

But my memories aren't exclusive to this box; everything I see, everything I touch has a history. And although I find myself phasing in and out of what may be considered a proper conception of space, I know this too, will hold memories.

Semisonic:

Closing time - time for you to go out, go out into the world.
Closing time - turn the lights up over every boy and every girl.
Closing time - one last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer.
Closing time - you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.

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Monday, May 15, 2006

Damn you ABC!

With the Season Finale of Grey's Anatomy, I will sever (to the best of my abilities) my ties to TV; I have no need until the next season. Time indeed must be spent on more productive areas and endeavors, such as the Act of Creation. Plus, I need to find a cost-effective manner of tuning out commercials. It's always wonderful to see such a high-energy, emotionally intense scene with hospital patients hedging the realms of consciousness; followed immediately by an ad for gum.

In other areas, I will be giving myself and my blog a cleansing this week; I'm not sure what it will entail (except for Thursday), so we may all be surprised. My lack of coherency must first be addressed, I think.

Enjoy your days.

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Sunday, May 14, 2006

Happy Mother's Day!!

Dear Mom,

Thank you for all you have done for me over the past 22 years. Your care and love has shown through in everything you've done, all the advice you've given, all the driving, both far and near. Even though I can't hug you now, be certain to expect one next week! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Love,

Cody

Friday, May 12, 2006

LotW (vii) SFW IMHO (though probably NSFW)

Congratulations TERA [Topfree Equal Rights Association] for becoming this week’s LotW! View at your leisure, but if you’re unconvinced, read below:

My original post was convoluted, going through personal experiences, public events, huge cultural questions, and finally a rebuttal to the dispute of yesterday. Needless to say, I’ve chosen a different approach.

I had originally conceived topfreedom as a small issue that wouldn’t take too long to blog about. However, the questions brought forth by my peers has helped me understand not only the immensity of the issue, but the necessity of public discourse.

Of course there are two discussions going on here:
1. Question of Rights
2. Question of Wants

My position is obvious on both counts: I want equal rights, and I personally want to be outside with my top off. However, due to the nature of my arguments, it is imperative to first address each issue independently (although we will see later that they are linked).

Question of Rights

In this first section, I only want[ed] to discuss the legal implications and reasons surrounding topfreedom. That may make this seem a bit dry, but the next large post will include much more evidence that topfreedom benefits both individuals and society.

I encourage everyone to view the Citations page I have set up, providing much of the legal framework on which I base my opinions. I will continually update it with more information as it is added. By far the best citation I have listed is Reena N. Glazer’s “Women’s Body Image and the Law” - but that will come later. For now, let’s look at the inherent question of rights:

I. A Basic Understanding of Law

According to Joel Feinberg’s “The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law” there are two actions that may be found in legal turmoil (i.e. illegal): Harms, and Offenses.

Harms are “wrongful setback of interests”. Anything that impinges on our right to pursue our interests (e.g. murder, rape) is considered harmful, and therefore potential for legal repercussions (needless to say, there is a further need to distinguish between “wrongful” and “defensible”; for example, Self-Defense).

Offenses are “unwanted states”, subject to personal (and cultural) opinion, and may contain qualities of: disgust; revulsion; shock to moral, religious or patriotic sensibilities; shame; embarrassment; anxiety; annoyance; boredom; frustration; fear; resentment; humiliation; and anger (Feinberg, 10-13). They are temporary, and less intense, and often-times unintentional (i.e. the offense is not meant as a harm) - therefore, much less actionable by legislators. Serious Offenses, though, might fall under legal authority.

How is something seriously offensive? Feinberg has set up some guidelines to help us understand whether offensive actions fall under proper jurisprudence:
1. Intensity
2. Duration
3. Extent (In regards of number offended)
4. Standard of Reasonable Avoidability
5. The Volenti Maxim: “To one who has consented, no wrong is done.”
6. Discounting of Abnormal Sensibilities

Because we need to discuss not only restrictions, but rights as well, Feinberg draws up guidelines for issues of liberty:

1. Personal Importance
2. Social Value
3. Free Expression
4. Alternative Opportunities
5. Motivation (Feinberg says this is not a reason for restricting liberties, with the exception of vice and malice)
6. Nature of Locality

Where does topfreedom fall in all of this? Since offenses are extremely subjective, it is difficult to make a blanket statement in any direction; for example, one may argue that
the American mindset is strong enough to discount “Abnormal Sensibilities” - but one may also point out that many women that would go topfree are not acting out of vice or malice.

The first three reasons of offense may go together in this instance: Intensity, Duration, Extant. Intensity may not be as deeply rooted as one would think; for example, rate these three offenses: A smelly person walks past you, a topfree woman walks past you, or ... Duration will only last as long as you look; if it offends you, be proactive! While Extent may be a card I need to fold on, keep in mind there will be another post.

Some of these (obviously) go together, such as 4. Standard of Reasonable Avoidability vs. Alternative Opportunities. It should be noted that while the offended can look away, or walk down a different street, or find a different park, offenders would be out of options (provided the law doesn’t support it)

The next question is: who has consented? Well, as individuals, we haven’t been asked recently. We did set up our democratic institution to rule in favor of topfreedom back in 1992. Because democracy by nature must be participatory (as yet another check and balance), and the relative quietness on an issue 14 years resolved, I am safe to assume that New York is comfortable being topfree.

The liberties will be discussed in the next post, as they bear a greater weight in that realm.

II. Equal Rights

Topics of discussion:
1. Differences
2. For Whom is the law written?
2. Objectification?

1. Differences:

From People vs. Santorelli (Judge Patricia D. Marks ruling) -
[m]ale and female breasts are physiologically similar except for lactation capability. Therefore, it is apparent that the [New York] Law with the gender based classification does not serve the legitimate governmental interest better than would a gender neutral law.
In order for American government to defend gender-biased legislation, they have the burden of proving that “a substantial relationship between a statute ... and a legitimate government objective” (Glazer, 128) Sadly, in the Santorelli (Rochester) case, this issue wasn’t brought up; it has consistently been overlooked and disregarded (possibly because of the clear evidence it would show against such legislation)

2. For Whom is the law written?:

Here is some more murky water. Laws regarding offenses are generally written with in care of liberties of the offender (see I. again if you missed it); for example, smokers are banned from restaurants (New York), where the intensity of their action may be greater, but not from the general public domain, where offenses are much more light and brief. Much care is taken for the liberties of the smoker, the adult who buys porn, the KKK. However, decency laws are different: rights and liberties are completely sacrificed for the “safety” and “protection” of the offended. These laws aren’t written with women in mind; they’re written by people who only want to suppress and objectify women (see the next section).

Certainly our current culture has a hang-up about breasts; surely this must be taken into consideration! Past gender issues have indicated no: Glazer points out: “...in Palmore v. Sidoti, the US Supreme Court held on equal protection grounds that offense to public sensibilities and potential societal stigmatization were not sufficient to terminate a mother’s custody rights merely because she was romantically involved with a man of a different race.”

This presents the precarious issue of point-of-view. Past rulings have contributed to misogyny by placing the burden of responsibility on women. This may sound natural at first (they’re the ones offending, right?), but the logic contains subtle hints of the patriarchic system. Again, from Glazer:
...[The Supreme Court of Washington]’s focus was exclusively on the male point of view - the reaction of male observers to female breasts. The differentiation ... was not based on physiology but on external reactions. Indeed, the only substantial distinction the court found between male and female breasts was male sexual arousal at women’s breasts. ‘[T]he preservation of public decency and order’ is achieved by limiting women’s freedom because exposure by women presumably inspires uncontrollable urges in males. This framework of protecting women from men shifts the burden of responsibility from men to women; because women provoke uncontrollable urges in males, society excuses male behavior and blames the victim for whatever happens.” (Glazer, 135)
If I own a gun, and a person shoots me with it, then are they prosecutable for murder? Or are they victims of their own uncontrollable urges - and it wasn’t their gun!

3. Objectification:

One might assume topfree women are sex objects;

The largest issue for me is objectification: by refusing women the right to choose whether they appear without a shirt or not, we are removing a liberty they may enjoy. We (meaning mainly white, male legislators) decide when women may be undressed (showers, dirty magazines, topless bars) and when they must cover up (beaches, parks).Topfree legislation, then, actually helps remove women from being sex objects.

To quote Glazer’s “Women’s Body Image”:
Male power is perpetuated by regarding women as objects that men act on and react to rather than as actors themselves. When women are regarded as objects, a great deal of importance rests on their appearances because their entire worth is derived from the reaction they can induce from men. In order to maintain the patriarchal system, men must determine when and where this arousal is allowed to take place. In this way, the (heterosexual) male myth of a women’s breast has been codified into law. Because women are the sexual objects and property of men, it follows that what might arouse men can only be displayed when men want to be aroused. For example, the statute [NY Penal Law 245.01] contains an exemption for topless entertainment, for which the audience is overwhelmingly male. In adopting the statutory standard, no consideration was given to contexts in which women might enjoy going topless for their own reasons, regardless of any effect on male viewers. Nor was any consideration given to the fact that women might not be bothered by the sight of other women’s breasts. As this Note suggests, women have actually been harmed by their isolation from other women’s bodies and by their lack of autonomy with regard to their own bodies. (Glazer, 116-117)
As this shows, and as my next topfree blog will show, it is the refusal to allow women the choice to present their bodies in a healthy, non-sexual way that maintains their status as sex objects. Topfreedom is an issue of choice, and a method of removing male privilege.

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Thursday, May 11, 2006

Blogging early tonight: Bogged down on Blogs!

The quote above will stay the same tonight; not much reading (at least in SES).
Uneventful day, with aforementioned discussion,website work and mired in tabs (12 on my Firefox). Tomorrow's blog will be the first in Two Parts (!!) - a certain enjoyment comes over me when the actual process of writing is slowed down, or extended. Until then, enjoy your nights!

But first, a question: How are you defined? What limitations do you place on yourself? If I say I'm a man, what does that say about me? What qualities distinguish me from women? If I say I'm 22 years old, how are 22-year-olds different than other people of different ages? If I say I like Peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, how am I also distinguishing myself from non-PB&J people?

Secondly (OK, I lied), how does my culture define me? Will I let my culture say "You're a man, so you should act this way"? Will I let my culture say "You are 22, so you must act this way"? I'm sure you get the point.

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Am I that far removed from society?

Large argument ensued about tomorrow's post.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

More Personal

It was a day to get work done. Faxes, Fines, Friendly People; I feel as though I've done more in one day than I have in one week. Not much reading, but a bike trip to Black Creek Park proved enjoyable, and the bike performed very well (I'm so proud of it).

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Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Crap (Personal)

I knew this would be a problem.

Now I need to read Laszlo's "Evolution" and Jantsch's "The Self-Organizing Universe"; not to mention the googling of Eco-feminism, Deep Ecology, about 1/2 a dozen sciences, and many more philosophers....what a slippery slope!

Ryan, if you're reading this, READ THIS BOOK!

(^_^)

In other news, the Ossia pass-off went very well. Dates still need to be chosen for next year, but I don't forsee any problems. Good times!

And my bike is working well.

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Monday, May 08, 2006

It's been awhile, Dear Friends (Personal)

With the turning in of my final assignment, and my EWE music, I now feel like I have the opportunity to truly sit down and blog. As always, I must offer sincere thanks for your unending patience. Since I'm evidently never done (with future finances, and library fines), y time is certainly not complete; just more open.

And with this openness, what should I invest my time in but reading? While waiting for my Boli the other day, I walked around the bookstore next door; found nothing inside, but walking past the entrance display, feasted my eyes on "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution" by Ken Wilber. A title like that will catch the eye, of course. Secondly, the books length (over 800 pages) - since I won't have classes for awhile, and job prospects with a BM certainly seem low, why not devote myself to a book?

After purchasing it, I read the introduction: evidently the first of three volumes on everything. That would explain the length (and incomplete nature of the future volumes)

SES (as it's called on the 'net) deals primarily with evolution; specifically, the interconectdness evolution exhibits between inorganic (physiosphere), organic (biosphere), and social/psychological (noosphere) fields. He describes everything (literally, everything) as a collection of holons (materials and/or processes that are simultaneously whole (i.e. containing parts), and parts of a larger whole). Holons within holons. For example, cells are whole entities made up of various distinct parts, but they also act with other cells to create tissue and organs; the latter likewise exist as their own entity, but also function with other organs in organ systems; then humans, then social environments, etc. I would write more about this (and I'm sure I will), but I am only on Chapter 2.

For your benefit:


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Monday, May 01, 2006

Why I will not be writing too much this week

Tomorrow:
20 page paper due
Entrepreneurial project due
approx. 7 harpsichord moves
Play in Studio Class

Wednesday:
Lesson
Harpsichords unkn

Thursday:
Model for sculpture class (last time)
Website due

Friday:
EWE concert

Sorry...I promise a surfeit of posts next week.

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