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Anecdote from my youth about art vs. pornography
17 years ago
General
When I was a teenager, I went to high school in Utah Valley, one of the most socially conservative places in all of North America. Now, I am not from Utah Valley, but was born and raised in both locales and in a family that was significantly more socially liberal.
Even back then, I was into anthropomorphic and therianthropic art. Before I had a laptop, I had a bound notebook that I carried with me everywhere. And sometimes, if I found some pictures I really liked, I'd print it out and keep a copy with me in my notebook to look at occasionally. Sounds reasonable?
It was soon after I'd collected printouts of some of pictures of Nick Boos's fox character, Smudge. I had this picture and this picture. In those years, Nick Boos was my absolute favorite artist, and so naturally I treasured his pictures.
Anyway, I was in a creating writing class, and I took one of the pictures out and was looking at it. I didn't really think much of it. I'd even shown my family, and they thought well of the pictures. But what I didn't expect was that some of my classmates reacted with discomfort when they saw me looking at these pictures. I tried to assure them there was nothing wrong with the pictures, and brought out the other picture too. At least one, maybe two of the other students told me that the pictures looked pornographic. Pornographic? Because the pictures were lewd and indecent to them.
The character at the beach in the picture wasn't wearing a shirt, and he had muscles. Now this was a scene I'd seen many times on the island, where I grew up when I was even younger. But in high school in Utah Valley, it was apparently something that 16-, 17-, 18-year-old students did not care to see, as it offended their senses and their morality.
I think that was one of the most important defining moments that completely alienated me from the area culture at that time. I had had many pictures just like this pinned up on my bedroom wall in plain sight of everyone, and suddenly they were not welcome in my notebook at my high school. Since other students my age thought I was looking at pornography in class, I realized that different people in different places would have vastly different notions of what pornography is.
And that culture and I have only continued to drift apart from any common ground we might have had before. If some people simply define pornography as something you can't wear on a T-shirt, then you have to consider where you live and how people think where you live. And since I clearly could not think like them, I had to think even more for myself.
When it comes to something like this, you will always find people who will disagree with your definition of what pornography is or is not, or even indeed the wider question of what is benign and what is immoral. And to be honest, that's okay - people don't have to agree about everything. But they still have to interact and work together. A little kindness and patience can go a long way, if you work with it and let it.
Even back then, I was into anthropomorphic and therianthropic art. Before I had a laptop, I had a bound notebook that I carried with me everywhere. And sometimes, if I found some pictures I really liked, I'd print it out and keep a copy with me in my notebook to look at occasionally. Sounds reasonable?
It was soon after I'd collected printouts of some of pictures of Nick Boos's fox character, Smudge. I had this picture and this picture. In those years, Nick Boos was my absolute favorite artist, and so naturally I treasured his pictures.
Anyway, I was in a creating writing class, and I took one of the pictures out and was looking at it. I didn't really think much of it. I'd even shown my family, and they thought well of the pictures. But what I didn't expect was that some of my classmates reacted with discomfort when they saw me looking at these pictures. I tried to assure them there was nothing wrong with the pictures, and brought out the other picture too. At least one, maybe two of the other students told me that the pictures looked pornographic. Pornographic? Because the pictures were lewd and indecent to them.
The character at the beach in the picture wasn't wearing a shirt, and he had muscles. Now this was a scene I'd seen many times on the island, where I grew up when I was even younger. But in high school in Utah Valley, it was apparently something that 16-, 17-, 18-year-old students did not care to see, as it offended their senses and their morality.
I think that was one of the most important defining moments that completely alienated me from the area culture at that time. I had had many pictures just like this pinned up on my bedroom wall in plain sight of everyone, and suddenly they were not welcome in my notebook at my high school. Since other students my age thought I was looking at pornography in class, I realized that different people in different places would have vastly different notions of what pornography is.
And that culture and I have only continued to drift apart from any common ground we might have had before. If some people simply define pornography as something you can't wear on a T-shirt, then you have to consider where you live and how people think where you live. And since I clearly could not think like them, I had to think even more for myself.
When it comes to something like this, you will always find people who will disagree with your definition of what pornography is or is not, or even indeed the wider question of what is benign and what is immoral. And to be honest, that's okay - people don't have to agree about everything. But they still have to interact and work together. A little kindness and patience can go a long way, if you work with it and let it.
1. Utah Valley (may I assume Utah/Mormon?)
2. 16 - 18 yr. olds
3. Conservative environs.
You have all the makings of, for the lack of a better term, Anti-furry acceptance. Again, YOU need to realise that non-conformity, in any culture, will cause dissention. Also, you need to realise that YOU were never wrong. May I suggest reading any books by the late Kurt Vonnegut? He deals with these issues in a sci-fi/aslightly fantasy way, but still grounded in political reality.
And being 50+ has nothing to do with this. *smiles* I was "outside" the mainstream in high school, too. But that's because I was YEARS ahead of them.
You go for it. I sense you searching, and I know you'll get your answer!
Hugz,
Dineegla
Though, this was also not only the home area of Orson Scott Card, but also home to most of his worst critics. Fans too, for sure. But also people who keep writing Salt Lake and demanding his immediate excommunication because he has the gall to use sacred faith as an inspiration for science fiction books. Such blasphemy! Such unorthodoxy! Think of the children...! XD It never got boring. :3