<x-flowed>Mr. Rosenberg, You present an interesting topic for discussion regarding the levelling of the playing field in cyberspace and its relation to the arts. In response I would like to tell you of a situation that occurred to me in my Pacific Northwest history class, as an undergraduate in college. We were given the assignment to do a big term paper and a final oral presentation. The topics were "problems in the northwest," and our professor wrote down several and threw them into a hat for us to choose. I drew out "religion and racial superiority." There are several "Christian Identity" churches in the pacific northwest and I chose to write on the Church of Jesus Christ Christian Aryan Nation. My professor gave me the opportunity to change topics, being that I spend my Saturday mornings in Synagogue. It would have been dangerous for me to go to the church itself, to collect the type of resource information she was wishing us to procure. I contacted the church via email, and I ended up downloading A LOT of very useful documents from them. Using the computer enabled me to come right out and say that I was a student interested in presenting their organization, how others have reacted, both good and bad, without identifying my origins. Here is how my story relates to web-based art. I probably did not effect any political change when communication with that particular church, nor did I effect any political change when I made my presentation in class. The benefit of what I did gave me an insight into the mindset of these people, which could help me in the future when I guide my children, and when I band together in inter-faith groups to curtail what I believe to be dangerous, immoral behavior in our society. As an artist, I may wish to effect political change with what I do, and may choose not to. Either choice has consequences. Furthermore, one might not perceive something electronically presented as art, when they are alone, in their home, without a large group of people viewing alongside them. For example, I could be a photographer with a nude subject matter. If my work is presented in a gallery, and you go in to view with friends, you are less likely to view the pictures as soft-core pornography. Internet technologies provide us with a two dimensional arena to communicate in, so what separates the Jews from Gentiles, blacks from whites, Asians, from Europeans...all will still remain, but will be manifested differently. I could pass for a myriad of things in three dimensional space, just the same as I could in two dimensional space. Passing is not a new phenomenon. As scholars and artists, one needs to be aware how our society, two dimensional or three, effects change in our behavior, and how we effect change in their behavior. This is getting long, so I shall end here. Peace, Jody John Ramey ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com </x-flowed>
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