The enlightened, self-important left is quick to cast dreaded conservatives as, among many other ghastly things, narrow-minded censors of the arts. One of the Democratic Party platforms from the 90s said this: “We believe in public support for the Arts, including a National Endowment for the Arts that is free from political manipulation and firmly rooted in the First Amendment’s freedom of expression guarantee.” That was at a time when photographer Andres Serrano was upsetting the sensibilities of Middle America with his “Piss Christ” that depicted a plastic crucifix submerged in a glass of the artist’s urine.
It turns out that tolerant and open-minded Democrats only tolerate opening their minds when it comes to art that doesn’t offend their victim group constituencies. Art that depicts the Virgin Mary alongside elephant dung and female genitalia might be fine and dandy to far left politicians because it intrudes on beliefs cherished by traditional Americans. But if a Democratic Party victim group yells “foul,” the artwork must go, with angry, snarky rebukes.
I fear that The Spearhead, and a piece I wrote for it, must have triggered the latest uproar. Does it seem a little coincidental that we posted a piece here last month explaining why a largely forgotten statue isn’t sexist, and now, prominent Democrats are attacking it as sexist? This statue was not in the news at the time I wrote about it, and I am confident that the post we ran here gave women’s groups the impetus to do something they do very well — be offended.
The piece I wrote traced the history of “Civic Virtue Triumphant Over Unrighteousness,” an 89-year-old, 22-ton marble statue by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies that created a stir even before it was unveiled outside New York City Hall because it offended women’s groups. The statue portrays a nearly nude, sword-wielding, strapping male youth, his foot crushing the necks of two writhing female sirens, Corruption and Vice — one defeated, the other cowering — in an exultant posture of triumph. It is an allegory of triumph over temptation.
But let’s get one thing straight: a siren is not a woman. A siren is a mythical creature, a seductresses who was said to lure sailors — who, of course, were human males — with their enchanting music to the rocky coast of their island, causing the men to shipwreck.
What was so offensive about this statue? MacMonnies had the audacity to give vice a feminine face, and to depict virtue as decidedly male. Defenders of the statue prevailed in 1922, pointing out that the genders are often reversed in art – with vice depicted as male and virtue as female – without protest. Last month on The Spearhead, I wrote this: “How do we account for the irrational vitriol of so many women to this statue? Perhaps it is as simple as this: the protestors were, and still are, so accustomed to picturing vice as ‘male’ that when it is given a feminine face, it is so jarring that they assume it is somehow wrong and must be ‘sexist.’”
Fast forward to last week, and enter tart-tongued Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who spoke at a protest – a protest! – about the statue: “It doesn’t represent civic virtue of any sort, it represents an eyesore.” Weiner called the statue sexist and complained that he can see it from his office window. See here.
Weiner is a darling of women’s groups for his unconditional support of whatever abortion policy they happen to be pushing. He’s joined in the anti-statue crusade by Queens Council Member Julissa Ferreras, and various women’s groups. Weiner even took it upon himself to draw up an ad to sell the statue on Craigslist. The ad is below — note, he insists on calling mythological creatures “women,” and few people are bothering to call him on it. Here’s the ad:
Sexist Statue for Sale
For Sale: 22-ton (sexist) marble “Triumph of Civic Virtue” statue by renowned sculptor Frederick MacMonnies.
Own a (tasteless) piece of New York City history! Triumph of Civic Virtue created by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies – the artist behind iconic figures such as the Quadriga in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza – is now up for sale for a limited time.
This controversial and offensive statue crudely depicts a young man with a sword triumphantly standing over the defeated bodies of two women. In 1941, then-Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia had the good sense to banish the figure from its initial location in City Hall Park.
Unfortunately, it ended up in Kew Gardens, where it remains to this day.
Now, community leaders want to see it go.
All proceeds from the sale of this sexist eyesore will benefit the city of New York. Shipping is not included.
________________________
And isn’t that position typical of progressives when it comes to gender issues? They twist and pound the facts beyond all recognition to fit their victim narrative. They cry “sexism” where there is none. And they toss their noble and enlightened sentiments onto a scrapheap of indifference whenever those sentiments don’t advance their political agenda.
With all the pressing issues facing America, isn’t it nice to know that a prominent member of Congress took time out of his busy schedule to inject himself into local politics in order to pander to his core constituents by bellyaching about imaginary oppression?
What a disgrace.
