Memes and Readings - 9/20

 Chapter 1: The Art of Activism

1. "We all know that having limited ideas limits our possibilities, and a limited tool set limits our ability to act."

• In order to be good activists, we have to be scholars. We can learn from the mistakes of others and gain new ways of thinking. It is important that we learn from other activists, mentors, or our professors. Essentially, we should always observe our environment. Whether the lessons we learn are good or bad, it is irrelevant. Our priority as new activists should be to learn as much as possible. 

1. "This sublime power of art to circumvent our rational minds and affect our emotions, bodies, and even spirit, has been recognized for millennia."

• Passionate artists are the artists that change the world. Their passion can be seen through their artwork. When artists can translate their raw emotions onto a canvas it makes other people emotional. Consumers of art begin to feel connected to artists that express emotions they cannot. A person can begin to feel understood, safe, and seen by a complete stranger. Art really is its own universal language. Art has the power to connect everyone regardless of our backgrounds. This power comes from an artist's ability to express their emotions visually. 

On Photography - Susan Sontag

1. " Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the world so much as pieces of it, miniatures of reality that anyone can make or acquire."

• A picture can be easily taken with our phones. It takes seconds for us to upload a photo onto social media. The minute we take a picture of something, it becomes forever saved in our photographic memory. Most of us revisit our photo galleries constantly. Our photo galleries help us maintain nostalgia and satisfy our need to relive the past. We all like to recount good memories and photographs make that easy. 

1. "Although there is a sense in which the camera does indeed capture reality, not just interpret it, photographs are as much an interpretation of the world as paintings and drawings are."

• Just because someone looks happy in a photo, doesn't mean they're actually happy. Someone can alter a picture to look however they'd like. A picture is more of whatever we'd like to capture in the moment. We can take pictures based on how we'd like to remember the past. An artist has the power to leave out whatever they'd like in their artwork. Similar, to how everyone has the power to leave out whatever they'd like to in a photograph. 

My meme:

• Bob Menedez is a United States senator from New Jersey. Menedez was asked to resign after he was exposed for keeping a secret stash of money in his house. He is under investigation and was indicted on federal bribery charges. Menedez and his wife were accused of accepting bribes from three New Jersey businessmen. Some Senators and Democrats have spoken out about the controversy. Most of the politicians seen in the media believe Menedez should resign. Information about the case has been flooding the news for the past week.
• "The beauty of Dance's sign lies in its simplicity. Dance had in effect acted as a real-time meme generator, intervening with honesty and humor to undermine the pretensions of power and respect" - How Memes Are Making Protest Art More Powerful, Lizzie Fison

• "The crux of the joke is already out there and ready to go-all you have to do is find a punchline." - Memes Are Our Generation's Protest Art, Sage Lazzaro