Dealing With Stupid People [Monday, June 11, 2nd period]

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

Josh leaned up against a desk in the Danger Room, hands in his pocket and a grin on his face.

"President Andrew Jackson, in the main foyer of his White House, had a big block of cheese and I can't believe I'm giving this speech," he began. "He did not, sadly, have a cracker the size of Lake Tahoe. I checked. My old boss, the White House Chief of Staff, used this folksy excuse to make us all talk to total crackpots once a year and today that privilege falls to you."

He waved his hands. "Pick a desk, make yourself comfortable, the computer'll drop someone insane off to talk to you. Try not to laugh in their faces--they're all based on real people. Um, sadly."

Comments

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[multiplez]

Z had her notepad and pencil and a cup of coffee and was ready to fake interest in whatever got thrown at her.

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

A pinched-looking woman stalked into Z's office and sat down, then began rattling off a list of art. "'Throne,' by Rain Billings, a photographer from North Dakota whose work consists of Polaroids of his dysfunctional family in the bathroom. 'One Horse, Two Horse,' by Mark Maloney. He calls himself an installation artist. What it is is two big-screen TVs side by side, one of them with footage of black stallions running in reverse, the other one showing 'The Godfather.'"

She made a face. "I want you to stop funding the National Endowment for the Arts."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[multiplez]

"Excuse me?" Z requested politely.

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

""Slut" is a one-word poem by Jules Woltz. It's stamped in scarlet on a piece of 40 by 40 black canvas. Here's a woman who gets naked, covers herself completely in chocolate, and sings. Does that appeal to you?" the woman continued.

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[multiplez]

Kind of, yes, because Z had loose morals of the future was open-minded like that, but she had a feeling that was not the answer this woman was looking for. "It isn't up to the government to determine which art is worth funding and which isn't," she told the crazy lady. "We don't get to say what's bad art and what's good art. That's for every American to decide for his or herself. And by funding the National Endowment for the Arts we give them the chance to do that."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

The woman boggled at her. "No!"

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[multiplez]

"Excuse me?" Z asked politely once more.

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"Why should we devote tax dollars to fund crap? Literally! One of them uses crap!"

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[multiplez]

"Because, ma'am, it is not our place to judge."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"Sure it is," she snapped. "You don't fund every farm program in the country. Why do we give money to useless artists? They should get real jobs."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[multiplez]

"We don't fund every artist, either, ma'am, and surely you understand that farming and art are two totally different things."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

She crossed her arms over her chest. "They both make a lot of manure."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[multiplez]

"Ma'am," Z tried, "While I'm sorry not all art is to your taste, there's really nothing I can do about that, and I don't think cutting funding is going to help. Think about all the worthwhile art that would lose funding as well."

Re: Big Block of Cheese!

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"No great artist has ever used federal funding," she sniffed. "Only mediocre ones." She stood up and stomped from the room.