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But it's art!
I was extremely disturbed by the cover of your paper last week, showing Istvan Kantor, aka Monty Cantsin's, Machine Sex Action Group, who appeared at the Elektra festival ["Sex and noise and Neoism"].
Where in the world are we going? Taking for granted that your readers are alternative, cool and open-minded people, your newspaper takes the liberty of presenting a very provocative, sexually explicit image to promote an exhibition that is not made for just anyone.
But it's art, you would say! Do you think that's a valuable excuse? So, in the name of art, everything can be exposed even if it is degrading to the human body? Sexploitation through the use of images is made to sell and to attract people's attention. It does not make you think about sexual behaviour, even if it pretends to.
And one thing is for sure: you just can't publish this kind of image on the cover of a newspaper that is available for free in every store. Any innocent kid might see it, and they certainly didn't ask to be abruptly driven into the extremely complex world of adult fantasy. If your newspaper were displayed only at an adult counter I wouldn't mind much, even if I don't appreciate your way of thinking.
If, as Pierre Trudeau used to say, governments have no business in our bedrooms, why should the media be constantly and viciously looking into this very private place where people are supposed to give themselves pleasure and love without having to be publicly exposed? Too much sex kills sex.
Alternative media are usually very moral when it comes to denouncing oppression, social exploitation and injustices. But on the question of sex and violence, they sing a different tune, on the pretext of liberty and open-mindedness. In fact, you are just using the same commercial means as Le Journal de Montréal or Allô Police, with its complacent coverage of the crime scene.
The Mirror has clearly shown its lack of judgment here. That's all you, the privileged journalists of the alternative press, have found to do with the freedom that you now have and that many before you have strongly fought for? It's simply depressing.
--Bernard Boulad
Life imitating art?
I think theatre critic Amy Barratt ["Everyone's a critic," Nov. 1] should take her own advice, in so many words, and go out and get a life. From her vast experience in the art world she should realize that writing about theatre is just as outdated and irrelevant as three dead white males sitting around talking very earnestly about a minimalist painting, as in the play she gave a poor review to, Art.
In fact, going to the theatre is outdated too. It's for people from the suburbs who think Monet is far-out radical chic or don't know that abstract expressionism is passé.
After all, the theatre isn't about what's out there, and everybody knows it. The whole thing is just hopelessly old-fashioned. So stop acting like a dried-up old stick and get with the program. Don't you know that we live in a post-theatrical age?
P.S. Could you please send me a picture of Mark Rothko's "Voice of Fire"? I have only seen the one by Barnett Newman. Much obliged.
--Gatnos Nasus
Devilish details
Greetings. I would like very much to thank you for the article, it did garnish interest [People, "Our lady of the diabolic," Nov. 1]. But as was printed in your letters section of Nov. 8, we are not affiliated with the Church of Satan, in California.
Nor do we wish to be. This organization is, as I had explained, not as it used to be in the days of Lavey.
There is great dissention between those who are associated with the CoS and mostly any other satanic organization in the world. Thank you.
--Stephania and the members of the Satanic Kindred Organization and The Infernal Circle
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