translation of a statement about the nature of art meant to cheer on victims of the Tohoku quake
This will probably be edited as I get more help translating some of the stuff I couldn't figure out well.
There have been quite a lot of art submitted at Pixiv with things like "Hang in there, Japan!!" included in them. Some of them are great to see, but others, it feels like it's bordering on being out-right insensitive. I realized I wasn't the ( Read more... )
There have been quite a lot of art submitted at Pixiv with things like "Hang in there, Japan!!" included in them. Some of them are great to see, but others, it feels like it's bordering on being out-right insensitive. I realized I wasn't the ( Read more... )
I don't see what's wrong with it. Honestly.
It's artwork. There's artwork of much, much worse things. I've seen artwork of the Rape of Belgium, of the Evacuation of East Germany, and a million things you wouldn't wanna see.
And the comments would say, "Wow, that's so good. It shows plenty of emotion."
And those are the ones that did artwork for the attention.
But here there are pixiv tags for "Pray for Japan." It's supposed to show support, not be offensive. But then, there's always a thin line between it. I guess it depends on how you were raised and where you live. But I feel like this is like how once, my school all got together and made paper cranes for a girl in my school with cancer. She wasn't offended. Why should these people be? Alot of these people, for reasons like being too young, or not being allowed by their elders, to send money. I know it sounds stupid, but I'm a bit in the same situation. My parents say, "Don't waste money." I wouldn't consider it a waste of money, but they do...
Anyway, this is the way they show support, since they can't any other way. I don't see how it's offensive. I mean, this is HETALIA, we're talking about. The series as a WHOLE is offensive. It's about the Axis and Allied during WORLD WAR TWO.
Please, think of this in the artist's points of view. Not everyone draws for attention. And look, it's not like everyone is saying 'I feel hostile.' The majority are saying that they're a liiiittle unrespectable(I have seen a small few that take it like a joke, but it's not like they're all like that), or say that they like them.
You have to look at it from more than a negative point of view.
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I take it back.
I totally just saw a picture of chibi!Japan being crushed by an 'earthquake' while another goes 'NOOOO NIHON NOOOOO'.
THAT was not okay.
Not by a fucking longshot.
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I know you've withdrawn your comment, and this isn't meant as a personal attack. I just wanted to highlight why art about the earthquake etc. right now are too soon. Way too soon.
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My Jewish friend still gets angry at any mention of Holocaust jokes, for example. That didn't even happen to her.
And things like 9/11, or the Vietnam War, that happened long ago that people still remember, are taken lightly, as well. Katrina's still taken lightly, too.
People seem to act like "Oh, this happened a few years ago, so nobody cares anymore." People who were affected aren't any less affected as they were the day it happened.
So honestly, I don't see the difference.
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There is a huge difference, and, no, I do not think one should make jokes about 9/11, the Holocaust, or the Vietnam war, or any other horrible moment in history.
As the original writer of this text says; even art that was drawn with good intentions, meant to show support, is not a wise idea.
It is disrespectful.
It's like prodding an open flesh wound, and asking if it still hurts.
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And disrespectful is, honestly, borderline supportive. It all depends on how, or where you were raised. A lot of people would look at the artwork and feel better, knowing that there are people that care. It's not like it's a unanimous "it's disrespectful." The polls all show different thoughts. And I'm sure that the people who put up their work for support know full well that it won't please everyone. Artwork is en entirely controversial subject. Every artist should understand that. And the reason for it is because true artwork is supposed to be artwork that DOES prod flesh wounds. It's supposed to be emotional. Unemotional artwork is as good as a propaganda-filled philosophy class.
Now, I will say, that if you are making it like a joke, such as the 'NOOOO NIHON NOOOOO' artwork, then THAT is offensive, in every meaning of the word, to everyone.
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Okay, the Agent Orange situation in Vietnam is still ongoing.
I'm not discussing the merits of art in and on itself. There is no point.
I made my point based on what you used as examples of bad taste in art; then you turned to using examples of what pretty much made up my point. Then you say art is controversial, basically making your own statements null and void.
This conversation is over. I'm not going to discuss who suffers more than anybody else with someone on the internet.
Re-read what the original writer said. Maybe you'll understand them better.
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Holocaust = People still have relatives that were involved. I know Jews that are still very much offended by even a joke.
Vietnam War = People still are alive that witnessed it, that lost relatives. Isn't that still offensive, to see pictures of Vietnam trying to stay strong?
9/11 = Happened even earlier than the other two. And around where the Twin Towers fell, there's a Mosque. People want that gone, because it's too much of a reminder, no matter how religionist it sounds.
Haiti/New Zealand/New Orleans = Yes, still all ongoing. But I had never heard one word about how offensive it was to see pictures of support and whatnot, with OCs and America and New Zealand.
And there's no point? The whole point is that people are saying that the supportive artwork as a whole is disrespectful for being "too soon", when it's not. It's how artwork is supposed to be.
And there's a difference between controversial, and making a picture of a country getting butchered for the lolz. There is art, and then there is joke.
....Wait, when did this get into talk about people suffering more? I...What?
........
Okay, whatever, I was just making a point that it doesn't matter how much time goes by, it's all the same...
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(The comment has been removed)
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It is not perfectly fine drawing art or writing fic that references this tragedy while it is still occurring, and the fact that over 7000 people on Pixiv alone have said it makes them uncomfortable should be more than enough to stop you from doing so. If you want to draw Japan being strong, like in that picture of Vietnam Mekky provided, that's fine, but the second you put down 'Pray for Japan', it's gone from being a generic picture to one that may potentially upset the very people it's meant to support. Yes, the pictures may seem inoffensive to you, but right now, it's better to err on the side of caution. There are plenty of other ways to show support, from donating to charity to simply saying that you'll keep those in Japan in your thoughts.
The main problem with drawing art or writing fic about the tragedy is that not only does it risk offending someone, but it makes it seem as though the artist or writer is doing it for the attention. Even if drawing or writing is your coping technique, there's no reason to not keep your works private rather than display them in a public sphere. In fact, here's a better idea - why not offer your work up at help_japan? You'll be supporting a good cause as well as finding an outlet for your creativity.
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The people who answered "I want them to reconsider/use restraint/have more respect", the majority of the votes; are you saying they should accept the art simply because of intent, because it should just be taken as support, even though it makes them feel uncomfortable?
That...doesn't make sense to me.
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There are just a few that definitely aren't.
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In which case!
Even if the art is supportive from the perspective of the artist, this poll seems to indicate that there's a large, LARGE amount of people (6,000+ !!) that think many of the earthquake-related art requires more restraint and respect for the victims who are dealing with all this, as long as the disaster is still happening and the stress is still so high. In my opinion, it comes down to the victims' wishes and those closest to the victims, and considering Pixiv's large Japanese population (naturally), it seems a valid enough reference for giving this one to them.
I do get the feeling, though, that Pixiv users are responding positively to works that are meant to encourage but don't actually include anything in the artwork that have to do with the disaster or have direct "Hang in there!!" statements in them, the title, or the tags. An example I'm bringing up with people is someone's yuri fanart of two girls from K-ON!. It's meant to encourage and cheer up the victims, according to the description, but the key is that it is sensitive to the stress a lot of Pixiv viewers have right now, and is giving them some peace and an escape from all the suffering they're seeing on the news. I think that's the best and most awesome way we can use fanart in a positive way right now.
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