Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!hplabs!hao!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!fbr From: fbr@utastro.UUCP (Frank Ray) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Miss America Message-ID: <284@utastro.UUCP> Date: Thu, 26-Jul-84 13:43:02 EDT Article-I.D.: utastro.284 Posted: Thu Jul 26 13:43:02 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 21:15:42 EDT Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas Lines: 35 The celebration of life forms is the work of artists, scientists, and lovers, in their appropriate languages; the objectification of human acts and the commensurate trading of those objects for some commodity is the work of prostitutes and pornographers. All of us support some form of objectification, and would probably do well to do it less. There are thousands of dimensions and nuances in each person's most trivial daily experience; there is certainly space in the collective consciousness of say, the population of the U.S.A., for more appreciation of our own existence. Perhaps if we had that, we would be less likely to blow it all to hell. Bob Guccione might go out of business, but, he's probably rich enough to retire, anyway. Vanessa Williams' predicament is an incredible ironic juxtaposition of two polarized facets of objectification in this country: pornography and beauty pageants. We might well turn our vision to art, to genuine science, to those acts that can direct the passionate forces of life into works of value and beauty, works that transcend any market, that cannot be "traded". We could stop accepting the generic and statistical generalizations of ourselves drummed into us by the advertising industry, and learn to appreciate the subtle beauties of each other, and of our delicately balanced world. The good thing to come out of this incident is a heightened awareness that once human acts are objectified and suitably recorded, those records can be sold to the highest bidder. Maybe we all do that a little, in our careers, our relationships, our business dealings. But if what we gain in the sale or trade does not include an expansion of our spirit, or a gentle feeling of transcendance, of satisfaction, then there is no real gain, only a transfer of property. Frank Ray (...ut-sally!utastro!fbr)