Bohemian Rhapsody. We Will Rock You. Somebody To Love. All hit singles, and all the direct product of a band that was formed when an astrophysicist and a dentistry major found a new friend in an art college, who then went on to recruit a fourth member from the electronics school. Based on this alliance I propose the rift in society between Arts and STEM students was fabricated to keep us separated so as to dilute our true power - and fabricated by who, you may ask? The business major, the only member of society who reaps no reward from art and science and thus must weaken us so as to stay ahead. In this essay I will
the question of whether modern internet humor is dadaist is fascinating because sure on a surface level, it absolutely resembles dadaist art of the 1920′s but my question is…………..is it art?
the original dada movement emerged specifically to interact with that question, of whether an incoherent collage, or a gold-plated toilet seat, or poetry pulled out of a hat should be considered art
but internet humor? it exists solely for us to entertain one another. it doesn’t give a shit about what art is or isn’t, and comments like “this belongs in a museum” or “where’s her oscar” always come after the fact, and, more importantly, are made specifically to add entertainment value
so my take for today is that internet humor isn’t neo-dada, or post-dada, or even “e-dada” or “#dada”; as a mass movement concerned more with community participation than performance to an audience and wholly unconcerned with questions about higher meaning…………….this is folk dada
FOLK DADA
DADA EXISTED AS A RESPONSE TO WWI MADE BY PEOPLE RICH ENOUGH TO GET OUT OF THE WAR ZONE. Dada was made by the rich for the rich to piss off the rich while the poor lost their lives.
DADA II OVER HERE?
It’s made, for the most part, by the poor and lower class as a direct fuck you to those who are generationally or financially above us because humor is all we have left.
Okay, so I just watched The Princess Bride again, and I had a new realization: I have always had an unfair hatred for Buttercup. I’ve always thought of her as window dressing, but she has a surprising amount of agency in this movie. Think about it:
The very first chance she gets to escape from Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo, she does it. She leaps into a sea full of SHRIEKING EELS. Mind you, this is right after she tells them they will be hanged if they are caught. Buttercup has no problem telling people off when they need it.
Then, she tells off the Dread Pirate Roberts the second she figures out who he is. And then pushes him down a hill just because she can.
After their adventures in the fire swamp, she agrees to go with Humperdink to save Westley’s life with NO HESITATION WHATSOEVER. Just because that is the only way she can save him.
And then is my favorite part: she tells Humperdink off. She confronts him on his cowardice, knowing that he legally owns her at this point. And she doesn’t care, because that fucker needs to know what she really thinks of him.
After Westley is seeming killed, and she is forced to marry Humperdink, she decides that killing herself is the only form of agency she has left. And she’s fully prepared to do it. Until Westley is there to remind her that she has perfect breasts (he’s got a point).
And then Westley gets all the points for understanding that this was not a consensual marriage for Buttercup. “You didn’t say it, you didn’t do it.” Can we get that on t-shirts?
Buttercup is not an action girl. She’s not going to pick up a sword and start beating up on those that hurt her, but that’s not a reason to hate her. Every chance she gets, she tries to be an equal partner in this relationship. And, let’s be honest, this movie isn’t even about her. The agency she has in this movie is really impressive.
This is important because we need a wide range of women in our media. They can’t all be Xena Warrior Princess because that’s not what all women are like. But we need to appreciate the other types of women out there. The ones who won’t fight or do anything that’s considered traditionally masculine, but still deserve respect anyway.
