More Mural Controversy
Last week it was the ODB mural in Bed Stuy that consumed the blogosphere; this week, it’s a mural of another downed twenty-something Benjamin O’Garro. This one (at Vanderbilt and Myrtle) is controversial, explains The Local, because of O’Garro’s reputation as a man about the Walt Whitman Houses with more than a passing familiarity with…
Last week it was the ODB mural in Bed Stuy that consumed the blogosphere; this week, it’s a mural of another downed twenty-something Benjamin O’Garro. This one (at Vanderbilt and Myrtle) is controversial, explains The Local, because of O’Garro’s reputation as a man about the Walt Whitman Houses with more than a passing familiarity with guns and drugs.
Hell, I bet Scarface was that O’Garra dude’s favorite. I bet he had it on a loop on his iPhone! Or hadn’t any of the gentle folk of Brownstoner freakin’ NOTICED gangbangers wearing some sort of Godfather/Scarface/whatever signifiers. What’s right when he calls you hypocrites
“I meant the movie, which does glorify them.”
Oh. Yeah, I enjoyed that movie. You raise a good point, as does Montrose. Criminals are regualrly glorified in our country. Bridges is right – America loves outlaws. But at the same time, almost everyone is afraid of crime. We’re pretty schizophrenic.
“There are statues of these retards like Andrew Jackson!”
Not only that, he’s on our money. You can’t get any more glorified in this country. Thanks for calling me smart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44X3jCuNso0
Whatta buncha drama queens you all are! Americans LOVE outlaws or haven’t you noticed???
DIBS wrote:
Why aren’t there any murals to Vito Genovese, Lucky Luciano, Paul Kelly of the Five Points Gang
Nope, no “murals” — just generations of “glorify the thug” movies like, oh, The Godfather, Casino, Scarface, Gangs of New York…I’m sure you can fill in the rest. Oh, what’s that?..Those are OK, but it’s just so awful when other people do it?? It’s all part of the dark side of human nature!!
Mural doesn’t mean art. A memorial, sure, but just that.
“ke White and Proud says, it’s clear some people view him positively, just like some view Ronald Reagan, George Bush (pops and son) and Andrew Jackson positively. What are you going to do? I respect their feelings, but I may not agree.”
East New York do you know what I can’t stand???!! Hypocrisy!!!!!!!!!!! There are statues of these retards like Andrew Jackson! This guy murdered a whole fort in Mexico that was filled with Indians and Runaway Slaves women and children. Don’t give me that Bullst*t ENY!!!!! I think you are smarted that that! Brownstoner and the Retards use Hypocrisy as a weapon!! This post like the ODB one is garbage!
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
And it’s an interesting question, though I think a lot of context has to be supplied before we can try to answer it. If a movie “glorifies” bad people by exaggerating or distorting the historical record in certain ways, then I think we can reasonably criticize it on those grounds. At the same time, it is true that bad people can sometimes have remarkable talents and accomplish incredible things, and I don’t think anyone is wrong to capture this in a film or other artwork.
It’s been a long time since I watched Bonnie and Clyde, but I don’t recall thinking that the characters there were too over-the-top or the portrayal of them too one-sided or romantic. As I say, though, it’s been a long time…
I saw James Dean’s memorial.
Heather…I saw the car they were actually killed in once.