On 13 Dec 96, Bill James wrote to Karen Richmond:
 BJ> Oh well It was my opinion, and everyone has a right to their own
 BJ> opinion,
Yes everyone does.  Fortunately not everyone has to agree with anothers 
opinion.
 BJ> but the only reason I noticed it was because someone mentioned it and
 BJ> so I looked for it...  If someone tells you theres Male Genitalia on
 BJ> the CoverBox of "The Little Mermaid" most peopl would at least check
 BJ> it, because it arouses curiosity...  Some People will se it,
 BJ> others will not... I guess its a matter of perception in a way.
No, it's a matter of interpretation and what you are looking for.
I could draw a shape of an erect male member, and you could scream - "hey, 
that's obscene" and I could turn around and say "What, a picture of a 
mushroom is obscene?  Give me a break".  It depends on where your MIND is!  
You can't have an isolated geometric "penile" shape and consider it "penile" 
unless the shape is in context with other elements (i.e. a male body shape) 
that indicate that is what the interpretation meant.  The shape alone is just 
a shape, but even if it is drawn on a clean piece of binder paper with 
nothing else on it, a person with smut on the mind could still think "gee, 
that's a penile shape". It's what's in the MIND that is telltale here.
On the cover of the Little Mermaid box, the "shape" in part of a spiraling 
tower.  Thus, you *have* to take the shape in that context.  I see no "male 
body" or even part of a male body depicted near the shape, so obviously, the 
penileism of the shape is ONLY in the minds of those people open to the 
suggestion of that, and NOTHING MORE.
So those people who "see" an obscene image on the box are only seeing it in 
their heads, becuase it's not REALLY there.  It also shows they aren't very 
good at critical thought, and certainly not when it comes to critical thought 
when it comes to art, stilllifes, or anything else painted or drawn.  Art 1A 
is not a class on art, but a class on perception!  Maybe some of the people 
seeing an obscene shape on the box should take Art 1A before judging!
This has been MY opinion...  And I think it makes pretty good sense.
--- GoldED 2.50
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