Posted on 04/18/2017 12:23:34 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
I got metaphorically spanked a couple of days ago. Folks have been talking about the Fearless Girl statue ever since it was dropped in Manhattan’s Financial District some five weeks ago. I have occasionally added a comment or two to some of the online discussions about the statue.
Recently most of the Fearless Girl discussions have focused on the complaints by Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor who created Charging Bull. He wants Fearless Girl removed, and that boy is taking a metric ton of shit for saying that. Here’s what I said that got me spanked:
The guy has a point.
This happened in maybe three different discussions over the last week or so. In each case I explained briefly why I believe Di Modica has a point (and I’ll explain it again in a bit), and for the most part folks either accepted my comments or ignored them. Which is pretty common for online discussions. But in one discussion my comment sparked this:
Men who don’t like women taking up space are exactly why we need the Fearless Girl.
Which — and this doesn’t need to be said, but I’m okay with saying the obvious — is a perfectly valid response. It’s also one I agree with. As far as that goes, it’s one NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio agrees with, since he said it first (although, to be fair, probably one of his public relations people first said it first).
But here’s the thing: you can completely agree with the woman who responded to my comment AND you can still acknowledge that Arturo Di Modica has a point. Those aren’t mutually exclusive or contradictory points of view.
Let me apologize here, because I have to do some history — and for reasons I’ve never understood, some folks actively dislike history. It’s necessary though. So here we go. Back in 1987 there was a global stock market crash. Doesn’t matter why (at least not for this discussion), but stock markets everywhere — everywhere — tanked. Arturo Di Modica, a Sicilian immigrant who became a naturalized citizen of the U.S., responded by creating Charging Bull — a bronze sculpture of a…well, a charging bull. It took him two years to make it. The thing weighs more than 7000 pounds, and cost Di Modica some US$350,000 of his own money. He said he wanted the bull to represent “the strength and power of the American people”. He had it trucked into the Financial District and set it up, completely without permission. It’s maybe the only significant work of guerrilla capitalist art in existence.
People loved it. The assholes who ran the New York Stock Exchange, for some reason, didn’t. They called the police, and pretty soon the statue was removed and impounded. A fuss was raised, the city agreed to temporarily install it, and the public was pleased. It’s been almost thirty years, and Charging Bull is still owned by Di Modica, still on temporary loan to the city, still one of the most recognizable symbols of New York City.
And that brings us to March 7th of this year, the day before International Women’s Day. Fearless Girl appeared, standing in front of Charging Bull. On the surface, it appears to be another work of guerrilla art — but it’s not. Unlike Di Modica’s work, Fearless Girl was commissioned. Commissioned not by an individual, but by an investment fund called State Street Global Advisors, which has assets in excess of US$2.4 trillion. That’s serious money. It was commissioned as part of an advertising campaign developed by McCann, a global advertising corporation. And it was commissioned to be presented on the first anniversary of State Street Global’s “Gender Diversity Index” fund, which has the following NASDAQ ticker symbol: SHE. And finally, along with Fearless Girl is a bronze plaque that reads:
Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.
Note it’s not She makes a difference, it’s SHE makes a difference. It’s not referring to the girl; it’s referring to the NASDAQ symbol. It’s not a work of guerrilla art; it’s an extremely clever advertising scheme. This is what makes it clever: Fearless Girl derives its power almost entirely from Di Modica’s statue. The sculptor, Kristen Visbal, sort of acknowledges this. She’s said this about her statue:
“She’s not angry at the bull — she’s confident, she knows what she’s capable of, and she’s wanting the bull to take note.”
It’s all about the bull. If it were placed anywhere else, Fearless Girl would still be a very fine statue — but without facing Charging Bull the Fearless Girl has nothing to be fearless to. Or about. Whatever. Fearless Girl, without Di Modica’s bull, without the context provided by the bull, becomes Really Confident Girl.
Continues at link...
Is anybody else getting fed up with the ‘mighty girl’ trend? Yes, I believe girls should be held up as role models, but too many are in competition with boys, who should also be held up as role models. Little boys haven’t done anything wrong, but are constantly being kept down to promote little girls these days. It is just another example of the Leftists trying to elevate one group above others......and they say they are for EQUALITY......right.......
He could always just turn the bull to face away from her.
Well said. I agree.
Also, I was once one of two fearless little girls walking home from school across a field.
When we realized that the field was the domain of a raging bull which, in my memory, bears a close resemblance to this statue only much bigger, we instantly transformed from fearless to very, very fast little girls.
:-)
Same thing happened to America when Feminists took over.
IOW, the creator of the girl statute misappropriated the intent and creativity of the creator of the bull statue.................
“He could turn it around and put a pile of bronze poop behind it.”
Yes, if the City of New York granted him approval, he could turn it around and place a big pile of bronze poop behind his bull.
Now that would be great ;’}
To the Left, ‘equality’ means making everyone equal to the lowest common denominator.................
“OW, the creator of the girl statute misappropriated the intent and creativity of the creator of the bull statue.................”
Perhaps, but the intent and the creativity of the bull’s artist has no value and no standing.
The only thing he controls is the physical space that the bull occupies and not an inch of space beyond.
Without the bull, the girl statue has no meaning other than it’s a nice little statue..............
She’s evidently not an investor.
“Foolish Little Girl With Snowflake Parents”
“Arturo Di Modica should leave his Charging Bull sculpture where it is. Except, he should have it lifted and turned 180 degrees around and then placed back down on the bricks.”
Screw that! If the bull is moved the feminazis win. Move the girl in front of a women’s restroom door with statue of an obvious transexual going inside. Or how about putting a gay flag in front of the statue? Oh how the lefties would howl.
Perhaps there is a legal remedy.
https://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html
A “derivative work” is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. A work consisting of editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications, which, as a whole, represent an original work of authorship, is a “derivative work”.
Since the new work of art with the girl and the bull is a derivative of the original work then the original artist possibly has some rights here.
Aw, c’mon already...it’s cute and it makes me smile. Forget the political connotations and just enjoy it- or ignore it!
“Aw, c’mon already...it’s cute and it makes me smile. Forget the political connotations and just enjoy it- or ignore it!”
The statue is an act of agitation and provocation. Your response is to smile and enjoy it? Sad.
Just put a raging bear statue behind her.
Or, ignore it. Gee, maybe I lack ATTITUDE!
8^)
If the feminists were serious, they’d be putting pictures of independent, hijab-less women around the Muslim world in prominent places.
If the city does not remove the silly girl statue he should take the bull back and sell it. I am sure there would be one hell of a bidding war for it on Wall Street.
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