From the artist:
The sculpture ’Survival of the Fattest’ is a symbol of the rich world’s (i.e. the fat woman, Justitia) self-complacent ‘righteousness’. With a pair of scales in her hand she sits on the back of starved African man (i.e. the third world), while pretending to do what is best for him.
Climate changes are caused by the western world, but the consequences hit the third world hardest. Even so, we are not willing to give up our way of life or make real changes. The poor countries are willing to do, comparatively, far more to lower CO2 emission than the western world. Still, the west all too often argues that they will have admissions and promises of further CO2 reductions from China, India, Russia and other countries that emit (and always have emitted) far less than the western world.
Why is it always a fat woman. Just once, why can't it be a fat man.
ReplyDeleteJingles:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment, but have a couple of (albeit minor) justifications:
1. I think the intent is to contrast the image of Justicia to that of the Copenhagen mermaid, a famous bronze statue that's seen in the image above.
2. Think of the 'Monopoly' figure or other depictions of the 'capitalist male' and they're always depicted as obese.
Hopefully that helps?
"Justice" is considered female. All depictions of a justice figure are female.
ReplyDeleteI find this statue just plain offensive. Offensive to women, offensive to men, offemsive to first and the third world countries.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I doubt that it really represents the worldwide imbalance between developed contries and the third worls. I think the author, like all unwise and incomplete men, is trying to imply that women exploit poor man, who have to work and pay spousal support due to (in)justice. Well, if he was a shit of a man and unfaithful and wrong to his wife, that's what it is. Guess what, women also have kids, house and enough other trouble on their sholders.
Medical studies have shown that women gain weight not due to owereating, but due to digestion problems, which are frequently caused by unhappy marriages. Women, who are treated badly by their spouses are much more likely to have the disorder and gain weight. They also tend to overeat due to excessive stress caused by pressures of combining family and work life and abusive partners. Another cause is inability to watch their diet and exercise due to excessive family responsibilities, that men frequently do not share.
Seraphina - I really, REALLY think you have missed the point.
ReplyDeleteThe point is, it looks angry, ugly, and nothing like true art, which is supposed to be kind, beautiful and heartwarming. It is a very poorly made charicature, a true expression of the "artist's" internal ugliness.
ReplyDeleteWell if someone enjoys seem ugly people in ugly poses and ridiculed, then it's for them, not for me.
Trusr me or not, but I read enough crap from all kind of inmature men, who were saying that wifes exploit them, prostitutes should sleep with them for free and the law should not discriminate against them when it comes to child custody and support.
ReplyDeleteThe statue seems to make exactly that point, even if the author is trying to convince us that it is actually something about poor third world countries. Well if those countries are poor and underdeveloped, they should blame it on themselves, nit on others.
The statue seems to depict a situation of a typical unfaithful men, who gets married, then his wife looses shape as a result of multiple pregnancies, stress, contraceptive drugs and poor quality life, then he does not want her anymore, but when he files for divorce, he has to carry an impossible financial burden of paying child support, spousal support plus the prostitute, since no decent woman would ever want to know him after he mistreated and left his wife with kids.
So the poor skinny man feels burdened by women and justice...well c'est la vie, mon ami! And for women it is not any easier.
rofl noobs lol i pwn ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ReplyDelete